The Fortunate Sons are a Sonoma County based group. These seasoned musicians fuse classic elements of Rock, New Orleans Funk, Soul, Jam Band, and Blues into their eclectic repertoire. The band plays a high-energy mix of road tested tunes that keep the audience dancing.

 

The Fortunate Sons were created by musicians with a driving passion to perform live. Prior to the formation of the band, Richard Brucker (Guitar and Vocals), Matt Petruska (Bass, and Vocals), and Mike Watermann (Drums) gigged together and formed a strong bond. They had similar ideas of the musical direction they wanted to take and decided to put together their own project. They were thrilled to find Jeff Stevenson (Keyboards) available and together they formed The Fortunate Sons. In addition, Al Garth (Saxophone) is a member of the band when he has time away from his day job. Al has a demanding tour schedule with The Eagles and their side projects. He is a legendary musician who electrifies the audience with his raw talent.

 

The Fortunate Sons have the repertoire to fit your upcoming event. We are available to play corporate or private parties, nightclubs, weddings, festivals, or civic events.

Listen to our demo and learn more about the band online at: www.FortunateSons.Net
For Booking: Matt Petruska (707) 849-4418 or (707) 542-5534

 

AL GARTH - SAXAPHONE

Al Garth currently plays professionally with The Eagles, and has been a member of and recorded with some of Rock & Roll legends.  Glen Frey, The Nitty Gritty Dirt Band, Kenny Loggins, Loggins & Messina and Dan Fogelberg are a few places you can hear his work.  Al lives with his wife in Windsor and plays with Fortunate Sons when he's in town between tour dates.

 

 

 

 

 

RICH BRUCKER – GUITAR/LEAD VOCALS

Rich Brucker grew up in the Bay Area in the sixties and started playing music on a Cello in the 4^th grade…Drums followed and he picked up a guitar in1967 and never looked back. He spent three years in Detroit in his early teens which influenced him heavily. He saw all the greats there like the Stones, Led Zeppelin, The Who, Ten Years After, The MC5, Iggy and the Stooges, Alice Cooper, Doctor John the Night Tripper, B.B. and Albert King, the Cream, Traffic and more. All of these influences helped him form his style of playing. He has performed in many bands over the years.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

MIKE WATERMANN-DRUMS

Mike Watermann came to California in 2002 to give Santa Rosa a classic rock radio station (97.7, The River). To do that, he had to part ways with a successful St. Louis show band called Sh-Boom.

“After 18 years as Sh-Boom’s drummer, it was a difficult decision but I felt that I could hook up with a good Bay Area band sooner or later,” he said. After playing with various Sonoma County musicians, Mike was the drummer for San Francisco’s Unauthorized Rolling Stones for almost three years. “It was great playing Stones’ music, but I live in Windsor and I wanted something closer to home,” Mike says. “When I got together with the guys in Fortunate Sons I knew we could go a long way together.”   Working as a disc-jockey and program director in St. Louis, Missouri, for more than 25 years, Mike also played drums for two years with Billy Peek—a talented singer/guitarist who toured and recorded with Rod Stewart for 5 years before forming his own band and working the St. Louis nightclub circuit.

Mike feels that it’s the “best of both worlds” to be able to do his radio show on 97.7, The River weekday afternoons from 2pm-6pm and make music with Fortunate Sons on the weekends.

MATT PETRUSKA - BASS

Matt Petruska resides in Santa Rosa California with his wife Jennifer, daughter Haley, and son Trae. He got his musical start in the 1980’s playing with Minneapolis Jam Bands Third Stone and the Madcaps. 

“I love to improvise live and I am always seeking opportunities to reinvent a song.”  In 1993, he moved to Northern California with high school friends and founded the original funk band People Tree.

Matt put his music on the backburner for eight years while his children were young. His reentry to the scene came in 2003 where he gigged with fellow band mates Richard and Mike. “With The Fortunate Sons, I feel that I have found a group of amazing musicians that I really enjoy gigging with.”

Matt is very influenced by the music of New Orleans. “The syncopated second line rhythms have an infectious groove and feature two of my favorite bass players, George Porter Jr. and Reggie Scanlan.” “I am also very influenced by the soul music of the 1960’s and strive to emulate bass legends Duck Dunn, Fred Thomas, and James Jamerson.”

 

 

 

JEFF STEVENSON – PIANO & KEYBOARDS

Jeff Stevenson started playing keyboards at the age of seven while living in Cape Town, South Africa and it became an immediate passion. Since then he’s played in everything from 18 piece Jazz Big Bands, Rock & Roll bands to small Jazz Trios. 

Jeff was part of the Internet craze in the 1990’s and was one of a handful of people to join a tiny little internet startup no-one knew anything about called Netscape.  “After spending too many 15 hour days at the office and stuck in rush-hour traffic, I decided to ‘retire’ to Sonoma County and try and find the sanity I know I once had.  Playing music has always been one of my life-goals and now I’m into it up to my eyeballs!”  A real-estate developer by day and winemaker for Herrerias Cellars on the weekends, he is also the President of the Porsche Racing Club and tries to race his car whenever he’s not playing music.

Jeff also manages all of the music and entertainment for Equus Restaurant and Wine Bar in Santa Rosa.  He started the local funk band “The Deadly Zins” with drummer Val Fuentes and percussionist Mike Prichard from the “It’s a Beautiful Day” band.  He also plays keys with “Miss Kitty and the Big Dogs” and has been known to play an occasional Organ with the band OrJazzism.