Meet the Band
Larry Cornelius - Lead Guitar And Vocals
Born and raised in small town Indiana, Larry played in his first band in 1967 at age 12 after being inspired like so many by the Beatles. Self-taught, he developed his lead and rhythm guitar skills by constantly jamming along with albums by favorite bands like The Allman Brothers, Led Zeppelin and countless others. During military service from 73-77 he bought his first pro-level electric guitar (Les Paul) and had it with him aboard ship while traveling the Western Pacific regions. 4 years of jamming with shipmates, and starting to write songs, it was a good way to pass the time at sea. From 1981 - 1985 he enjoyed guitar and vocal duties with the band "Passage"; an all-originals power trio playing clubs around San Jose CA. Upon the birth of his daughter in '85 he left the live music scene and focused on family and career but never stopped "wood shedding" at home.
Larry moved to Oregon in late '94 and was soon playing live again, with solo acoustic gigs in the Albany / Corvallis area. He soon joined "The Love Handles", also a power trio but this time focused on blues / rock covers. After a few years he moved on to another blues/rock trio called "Black Sedan". But in 2002 he was recruited to a new 6 piece band "Big Boy and the Toys" i.e. BBT which featured the powerful voice of Steve Eddings, 2 guitars, bass, drums and sax. The band quickly became known for exceptional high-energy renditions of classic rock hits from A to Z. In 2005 a tragic car accident took the life of their beloved bass player Hans. The long search for a replacement finally ended in 2006 with the addition of Jason Reed, a graduate of the Jazz Studies program at the U of O in Eugene. Jason's 2nd gig with BBT was the 2006 Hewlett-Packard Company picnic in front of an audience of 7000! A strong performance led to a repeat HP picnic gig in 2007.
For 10 years BBT played various clubs, private and corporate gigs throughout the Willamette Valley. After BBT ended it's run in 2012 Larry decided to focus again on writing originals toward a lifelong goal of releasing his first "album". He co-wrote songs, engineered, produced and released the 2014 CD "All the Madness" with former BBT singer Steve E., under the artist name "Eddings-Cornelius". In 2019, Larry, Jason and Steve along with drummer Mitch Jones formed "BBT Unplugged", focusing on acoustic classic rock. This was interrupted by the global pandemic which shut down the music venues and most other social interactions face to face. Larry spent 2020 making solo-acoustic music videos and uploading them to his channel on YouTube, as so many musicians around the world did to help the public cope with being under "lock-down".
Finally, in 2021 Larry and Jason along with vocalist Patti Cleveland formed another classic rock ensemble which has now become "The Kota Silver Band". Efforts to complete the lineup with drums and keyboards resulted in multiple false starts thru 2021/22 but as of March 2023 with the addition of the one and only Scott Thomas on drums, TKSB are now at work on updating the setlist in preparation for live gigs this summer! Their focus is on performing quality renditions of well-known classics that keep audiences dancing and singing along through the entire show!
Larry's dog that joined his family at the beginning of the band's existence. Lakota (Kota) is the namesake and mascot of the band.
Patti Cleveland - Vocals
Patti originally comes from Newport Beach, CA but has lived most of her life in Lebanon and Philomath, Oregon. She grew up singing in choirs in her church and high school, then went on to Oregon State University where she sang in the OSU Concert Choir and Chamber Choir. During this time she put together a Beauty Shop Quartet, enjoying the theatrical and close harmony singing. After college, singing was primarily limited to weddings, memorial services and the occasional karaoke adventure. After spending time in the airline industry in Colorado and California, she returned to Oregon to work for Hewlett-Packard where she met her husband, Kurt. Her former boss (and karaoke buddy) was a bass player in a band and he asked her if she'd like to sing in a band. Being a stay-at-home mom at the time, this sounded like an adventure she couldn't pass up! Choral singing and rock and roll singing are NOT the same, but she quickly adjusted and sang with the rock, blues, and groove band, All Rights Reserved (ARR) from 2004 - 2020.
Covid paused the band, but after the loss to cancer of their lead guitarist and dear friend Doug Cox, the group disbanded. Cousin and Bass Guitarist for the Kota Silver Band, Jason Reed, approached Patti to join he and Larry Cornelius, Lead Guitarist, to form a new band. She responded enthusiastically with a "Heck, Yeah!" She didn't quite realize how good she had it with ARR, 18 years of essentially the same band members, so it was difficult to experience the ebb and flow of band members, trying to find and solidify the performance group. Hallelujah! We found Scott Thomas, our drummer and we were ready to rock and roll! Her daughters, Kira, Kayla and Amelia can once again brag to their friends that their mom is a lead singer in a rock and roll band, along with her biggest fan, her grandson Jayce. She's looking forward to connecting with the crowd and making great music with these fabulous musicians.
Jason Reed - Bass Guitar
Jason is an Oregon native and started playing the bass at age 12, eventually winning a national “Outstanding Musician” award at Musicfest USA, the National High School Jazz Band competition, at which his High School took first place! He went on to major in Music at the University of Oregon. (Go Ducks!) Following an 8-year hiatus to start his career and his family, he moved from jazz to rock and roll with The Funk Junkies and Blue Collar Kingpins while living in Minneapolis. Shortly after his move from Minnesota back home to Oregon in 2005, Jason was contacted by Larry Cornelius at the recommendation of cousins Kurt and Patti Cleveland, regarding an opening for a bass player in the Corvallis area band "Big Boy and the Toys". This proved to be a successful long term musical partnership and journey that continues to this day! They enjoyed a multi-year run playing high energy rock and roll. (Fun fact, Patti Cleveland, Kota Silver’s lead singer and Jason’s cousin, introduced him to Larry) He has continued playing in various music projects with Larry, culminating in the current The Kota Silver Band (TKSB). About TKSB, Jason says “we have such a unique and talented group of musicians in this band, it is exciting to play every time. I enjoy being on stage with wonderful musicians and great people and providing awesome entertainment for the crowds!” He hopes you enjoy Kota Silver’s music and greatly appreciates your support!
"Dangerous" Doug Edwards - Sax, Guitar, Keyboard, Sound
Doug knew at the age of sixteen he would always play and compose music. His first experience in a recording studio, the day after an unplanned visit to a Tower of Power Concert, cemented the idea.
He played in pit orchestras for several local productions and in the studio for local bands needing horn tracks on recordings. Instruments included Alto sax, Tenor sax, Clarinet, Flute, and Percussion.
Soon after high school a band he had recorded with invited him to sit in with them at a local nightclub in Eugene. The band was Foxfire and the club was then called "The Sire", now known as Shooters Pub. He ended up staying with the house band playing sax and percussion, sometimes singing backing vocals. The band had a wide range of styles and stayed in the club for 2 1/2 years, 5 nights a week. It was inevitable that the band would go on the road but the stress caused a breakup.
After Foxfire he played in several local bands whenever they wanted a sax. Since the Eugene area was difficult to make a living in; he took a job at HP in Corvallis and used the money to buy recording gear, PA gear, and a trailer to haul it in. White Tiger Productions was capable of live and studio 16-track recording, as well as sound reinforcement. The musician's ear and experience coupled with strong technical skill was a good combination.
Songwriting has strengthened guitar and keyboard skills. See reverbnation.com/douglas edwards for original material.
After a lot of "special guest" gigs, short stints with bands, and many sound reinforcement jobs, he landed with Big Boy and the Toys. BBT played some large shows and it gave him the opportunity to learn more about large scale production setups and protocols. BBT morphed into Kota Silver and here we are.
Nathan Olsen - Featured Guest Keyboard Player
Keyboardist Nathan Olsen brings an appealing amalgamation of musical verve, unparalleled funkiness, and good grooming. Born an excellent typist, life as a musician also seemed on the horizon for Nathan. Immediately upon being delivered, his first words were- "I need more keyboards in my monitor," much to the confusion of his parents and the hospital staff.
Self-taught on piano, keyboards and drums, Nathan has let his fingers do the talking with a wide variety of bands and artists, including funk powerhouse Pound4Pound, blues/R&B diva Kita Montgomery, the Kid Lopez Band, Ellen Whyte, Terry Robb, Garry Meziere, lyrical poet Emmett Wheatfall, the late great Paul DeLay, country singer/songwriter Carrie Cunningham, and the longtime revered West coast rock band Floater. Nathan toured Canada with the well reviewedlarge scale show "Dreams: A Classic Rock Fantasy." He subsequently performed as keyboardistand musical director during a theater residency with "Dreams: A Classic Rock Fantasy'' in Branson, Missouri.
Nailing the signature sounds and precisely performing iconic songs is a significant part of Nathan’s skill set. He’s accomplished this across the US and Canada backing up some of the best tribute artists in the country. Five different Michael Jacksons, four Rod Stewarts, two Chers, two Marvin Gayes, Stevie Nicks, Mick Jagger, Tina Turner, ZZ Top, Heart, David Bowie, Pink Floyd, Whitney Houston, Elvis (of course), and Prince, just to name a few.
Nathan's take-no-prisoners keyboard licks have bamboozled band mates and dazzled audiences across the country. He has shared the stage with marquee names like renowned doo-wop group The Coasters, world class drummer Steve Ferrone (Eric Clapton, Average White Band,Tom Petty & The Heartbreakers), national country stars Julie Roberts and Buddy Jewell, Rock & Roll Hall of Famer Terry Sylvester (of The Hollies), Denny Laine (The Moody Blues,co-founder of Paul McCartney & Wings), blues harmonica superstar James Harman , and legendary drummer WS "Fluke" Holland (Johnny Cash & The Tennessee Three, Carl Perkins, Million Dollar Quartet).
He applies his skills toward a variety of music genres spanning rock, jazz, fusion, blues, funk, R&B, new age, country, folk, hip-hop, electronic and pop. Frequently evident in his playing, Nathan's musical influences include Bruce Hornsby, Jan Hammer, and Steve Winwood.
Nathan instructs a select number of students, emphasizing a creative and organic approach anddone from the perspective of a full time musician. He has taught not only keyboardists, but alsoguitarists, bassists, and sax players. Additionally, Nathan serves as a consultant for other working keyboardists, helping them enhance their own set lists and arrangements.
An energetic performer, Nathan Olsen is equally comfortable onstage and in the studio. He plays each and every gig with verve and skill, and hopes to one day figure out what the black keys on the piano are for.
