Angel “Nolo” Santiago

 

Angel Santiago-Zapata served for over 19 years as an Air Force Space Facilities and Missile Maintainer.  His career spanned assignments to multiple bases in Wyoming and Florida, where he progressed from a journeyman to a master technician, instructor and maintenance lead assembling rockets at Cape Canaveral.  Growing up as a young musician, he played guitar in a cover band in Puerto Rico, where he established his unique Spanish rock sound and honed his skills on the guitar.  Throughout his Air Force career, he continued to develop his musical talent while playing gigs for friends and family, always dreaming of a professional musical career.    After leaving the Air Force, he found himself with the opportunity to finally pursue his dreams and Operation Encore added him to the OE family of artists in December of 2019.  Currently residing in Rockledge Florida and soon performing at Operation Encore events, Angel’s Spanish Rock projects universal emotion from an artist who is finally realizing his dreams.

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Steve Harwood

   

Meet Operation Encore's newest artist, Steve Harwood. Steve was born in Anchorage, AK and moved with his family to Kirkland, WA where he lived until he enlisted in the Marine Corps in 2003. He was honorably discharged from the military in June 2007 after three tours in Iraq and went on to work various odd jobs until becoming a realtor in 2013. However, his passion has always been music.

Steve makes every effort to remain open and vulnerable while writing his songs and draws upon on his unique life experience to tell stories that resonate.

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Bob Deprato

 

Motivated by the 9/11 attacks and the conflicts in both Iraq and Afghanistan, Bob DePrato enlisted in the US Army in 2003. He joined with a sense of compassion, remained driven by a sense of adventure, and ultimately served out an entire career in Special Forces with a profound sense of duty to his country and his newfound brotherhood. He picked up a guitar after his first combat deployment to Iraq in 2007, a deployment in which he received the Purple Heart for injuries sustained by an enemy hand grenade. Following many surgeries as a result of that injury, he continued playing for the next decade, taking a cheap guitar with him on almost all of his travels throughout the world. Music ultimately became his passion and he is determined to use this passion to raise awareness about service members, veterans, and their families.

View Bob’s EPK

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John Standen Evans

       

Standen hails from the heart of the rust belt in upstate New York. Rudderlessly joining the Army in 2002, he unknowing was gathering kindling to later set his life on fire. Veteran. Medic. Guitar Picker. Seeker. Finder. Lost and found and lost again. One breath followed by one breath into the infinite unfolding. Let’s go.

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THERESA BOWMAN

       

Theresa Bowman (formerly Theresa Denofre) was born in the Philippines and grew up as a Navy brat. At age four she began to play piano, and by junior high she demonstrated great vocal talent. In high school, Theresa picked up both cello and ukulele, and she continued her passion for music while serving as an air battle manager in the U.S. Air Force. Fortunately, her ukulele was small enough to accompany her on deployments! Theresa separated from the Air Force in 2017, and she continues to write and perform music in the Seattle area, keeping her fans up to speed through her website at www.filitaliana.com.

She also continues to share her talent with other veteran causes and non-profits to fundraise for their missions.

2016 - worked with I was There Films, a non-profit that hosts short films workshops for veterans wanting to enter filmmaking.

2017 - Selected as one of We Are The Mighty’s “Mission Music” Top 5 Finalists.

2018 - Lead Performer at Carry The Load Fundraiser

2019 - Featured in the Military Women Project at the Washington Mystics Arena

2021 - Had “Your Lullaby” featured on Women of Substance Radio’s Valentine’s Day Series

2022 - Featured in University of Wisconsin’s Online Concert to fundraise for their Missing In Action Recovery and Identification Project. The UW MIA RIP works to recover, identify, and repatriate MIA U.S. service members by conducting annual field excavations and year-round research assistance to families of missing service members. The project consists of an interdisciplinary team of academic experts and student volunteers in the fields of history, archaeology, forensic anthropology, and biology, collaborating to make these missions possible and to make these missions a success.

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Keith Broecker

Keith Broecker discovered a cheap souvenir guitar exiled to the back of his brother’s closet when he was 12. A curiosity boiled inside him as he plucked the strings for the first time. Eventually, that fascination developed into a hobby, and after experiencing the rush of a live performance at his local community college, Keith became passionate about creating music.

Keith was a U-2 pilot and flew many other aircraft during his time in the service. After living all over the United States as an Air Force officer, he retired and settled down in California with his family.  His song “Late November” is a high-energy journey that tours listeners with a fast paced acoustic guitar, full of intricate picking and layered with a skillful solo.

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Dani Figueroa

       

A veteran of both the Army Reserves and the Marine Corps, Dani served as an Administrative Specialist, a Heavy Vehicle Operator, and a driver team lead on two security details. She deployed in support of Operations Iraqi Freedom and Enduring Freedom and medically retired in 2014 as a result of injuries sustained during her final deployment. Dani is an acoustic/unplugged artist who enjoys a minimalistic approach with very few instruments. Inspired by artists such as Pat Benatar, Sarah Mclachlan, and Delores O'Riordan, her unique covers provide an opportunity to hear lyrics in a different way and her original music contains encouraging messages that focus on how we live our lives today. A humble spirit, instead of performing, Dani strives to create a shared experience with her audience while honoring individual efforts and those that have been lost, hurt, or betrayed.

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Brett Cato

       

Having developed a love for the old planes and nostalgia of the WWII era, Brett joined the Air Force and became an Aircraft Loadmaster on C-141 Starlifter aircraft. His duties carried him to the far reaches of the globe and his songwriting went with him, chronicling his experiences in Desert Storm and other conflicts. His experiences with 9/11 and Operation Enduring Freedom prompted him to write a song and co-produce a music video for the Air Force. He is now a retired veteran having served 22 years active duty. His inspirational compositional style was developed from listening to artists like Johnny Cash, the Beatles and Led Zeppelin. His song "Love Me" is a ballad about relationships and struggles with post traumatic stress. He began his own band in 2012 and currently performs in the Destin, Florida area.

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Meghan Richards

Meghan Richards grew up around the military--her family has a long history of service, specifically as Air Force officers. So she chose to enlist in the U.S. Army, spending 5-years as a combat medic. This is Meghan’s first time collaborating with Operation Encore. Her song, “We Might Not Agree,” was inspired by her decision to take a different career path as a “sort of declaration of independence,” while also expressing gratitude for the lessons she learned from her family and her time in the military. Meghan and her family live in Austin, Texas.

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Matt Stake

Matt Stake grew up in a small town in central Ohio, where music was always part of his life. After graduating high school he joined the Ohio Air National Guard as a C-130 engine mechanic, later transitioning as a maintenance officer while working as a schoolteacher. Matt released his first album, Overrated Life, in 2005. He later teamed up Mike Brown to form BrownStake Music, LLC, an independent publishing company. He lives with his wife and three kids in Ohio. Matt recorded two songs on our first album: “One More Day,” and “Time For Me To Go.” He returned to Operation Encore as a co-writer on “Pleased to Meet You,” and as co-writer and featured artist on “Chasing Hearts,” a song about taking risks and plotting your path in life.

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Rob Raymond (Board Member)

The son of a piano teacher and a guitarist, Rob  picked up one of his father’s guitars at age 12, learned a few chords and never looked back.  While serving as an active-duty Air Force officer, he co-founded Operation Encore in 2014 as a way to help military and veteran songwriters accelerate their careers and share their original music. Now a member of the Operation Encore non-profit Board, Rob wrote and performed two songs, “To the Air” and “Slipping Bonds” on the first Operation Encore compilation album and occasionally accompanies other OE artists during their performances. Rob is currently stationed in Europe with his wife and three children.

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Tom Abbott (Board Member)

A native of Eugene, Oregon, Tom spent a 22-year career in the Air Force, flying A-10s and F-16s all over the world. He joined the first OE album as both a studio musician and songwriter with “In Tent City,” inspired by his time serving in the Gulf War, then continued with “I’ll Let You Know” on OE’s second compilation album. His song “Eva’s Eyes” was recognized as one of the Best Songs of 2019 by National Independent Radio. Now a member of the OE board, Tom is a prolific songwriter, musician, and producer who frequently accompanies other OE artists during their performances.

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Jeff Daugherty

Steeped in country & bluegrass tradition, North Carolina native, Jeff Daugherty has had a very colorful musical career. One that was shaped by his main role in life: a military spouse.

Jeff has maintained a career as a professional musician through the struggles of the constant PCS relocations and stressors of military-family life. From base-to-base he has dove into each music scene headfirst and carved a way for himself to shine. While stationed in Wyoming, Jeff founded the bluegrass group BeatGrass, which quickly garnered regional fame. Before the military could move them tragedy struck when Jeff's best friend and bandmate, "Uncle Pete" Mergard, passed away suddenly and unexpectedly. It was some time before Jeff could pick up an instrument or even listen to music, but when he finally did it was releasing lightning from a bottle! The first song he wrote won him the prestigious Joh Hartford Songwriting Award, and he has not slowed down at all.

Jeff has had the great pleasure to perform with legends, pioneers & personal heroes of the Americana vein, sharing the bill with artists such as The Dillards, Sam Bush, Billy Strings & The Infamous Stringdusters. He has graced stages from Bill Monroe's Music Park at Bean Blossom & the world famous Station Inn to back-country festivals through the Midwest the Rocky Mountain region. Along this ride, Jeff has had the pleasure to perform in a number of European locations, including sold-out concerts in Germany, France, & Luxembourg.

For the last four years, Jeff has performed, recorded, & toured nationally with the Colorado-based, traditional bluegrass band Red Mountain Boys.

After yet another military relocation, this time to the Nashville area in mid-2022, Jeff decided to dive into the world of songwriting for others. He quickly fostered relationships with some of the top writers in the bluegrass genre and has written nearly fulltime when not on the road.

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