Bobby Nelson
Technology Product Specialist

As a product specialist for Korg USA’s keyboard, dance and recording product, Bobby Nelson conducts clinics and training sessions at a variety of U.S. music dealers, and also assists with new product development. He brings with him a wealth of musical knowledge and experience.

Well versed in all phases of performance, composition and recording, Bobby is a working musician who currently performs with no fewer than three bands in his home state of NJ, including his fusion band, Motion Theory.

Though proficient in almost every style of music, Bobby is a jazz lover and an aficionado of classical music. He performs in a big band setting with the MuzzMan Swing Band, and has played at Carnegie Hall, the 92nd St Y (both in New York), and with the San Francisco Symphony (as part of the Twentieth Century Music Group) and the New Jersey Percussion Ensemble.

Bobby has played on numerous movie soundtracks, TV and radio commercials as well. His composition, SunStone, for percussion quartet, was chosen for performance at the Charles Ives New Music Festival.

 

David Spann
Guitar Product Specialist

David Spann is actually an accomplished multi-instrumentalist who began his playing career as a drummer, but realized that guitar was to be his true calling after witnessing guitar legend, Freddie King.

In 1981, David had his first brush with the big time when Steve Walsh of Kansas left that band to pursue a solo career. Walsh contacted Eric Johnson regarding the guitar spot, but the guitar virtuoso could not take the gig and recommended a hot, young kid named David Spann. David flew to Atlanta and became the first member of Walsh's new band: Streets.

At 19, David found himself in the enviable position of writing and performing with a platinum-selling artist! Interestingly enough, Eric Johnson reaffirmed his admiration of David's playing five years later, when, in an interview with Guitar Player magazine, Johnson described David as one of his favorite "unknown" guitarists.

Since leaving Streets, David's guitar playing has been in high demand. He has recorded with top producers like Richard Mullen (Mullen's credits include Stevie Ray Vaughn, Eric Johnson, etc.), Andy Johns (John's credits include Led Zeppelin, Rolling Stones, Van Halen, etc.), and many, many more. He has also appeared on bills with artists as diverse as Roy Buchanan and the Beach Boys!

Unlike many players whose understanding of the technical side of gear is limited, David has always had a keen interest in equipment and the ability to share that knowledge with others. In fact, as the Pro Guitar Manager at Musicmakers in Austin, Texas, David helped guitarists and bassists of all levels put together custom performance systems that ranged from simple, straight-ahead setups, to sophisticated world-class guitar rigs.

His roster of clients included members of the old guard like Pat Travers, Charlie Sexton and the aforementioned Eric Johnson as well as relative newcomers like Sister 7, Vallejo, Push Monkey and Monte Montgomery. They all shared on thing, an appreciation for David's ability to understand a player's needs and to help that player select and setup the best possible gear.

Rob Math
Guitar Product Specialist

Rob Math began playing guitar at the age of eight. After graduating from
Berklee College of Music, he caught the attention of many top record
producers and artists with his unique and soulful guitar playing. Rob blends
elements of "blistering" Texas blues, cutting edge hard rock, jazz, outside
fusion and country into a style that (is) all his own. His use of smooth
melodic lines coupled with lightning fast shredding sparks an interest in
all who hear him play.

As a session guitarist, Rob has played on recordings for Paula Abdul,
O-Town, Annabella Lwin of Bow Wow Wow, and Billie Myers. In addition, he is
also a published songwriter (DreamWorks SKG) whose music can be heard in
movies such as The Skulls 2 (Universal Pictures) as well as the WB TV show
Maybe it's me.

As a Guitar amplification, effects and digital audio product specialist for
Korg USA, Rob uses his extensive live and studio experience to provide "real
world" applications during demonstrations and training sessions. Rob's
superb guitar playing, along with solid teaching experience and technical
knowledge, makes him a welcome addition to Korg USA's current tour of
clinics and product training.

Victor Palagano
Technology Product Specialist

Victor Palagano has been composing and performing acoustic and electronic music for over a decade. An accomplished guitarist, keyboardist and producer, Victor brings a wealth of knowledge in MIDI and digital recording to Korg’s Product Specialist Group.

In 1995 he released his first solo instrumental album, and he continues to work in the areas of film and multimedia music scoring and production. Victor has scored two award winning independent films, and has composed and recorded scores for several television documentaries and video games as well as corporate videos for clients such as America West Airlines, The American Heart Institute, and USC Hospital.

His unique composition and performance skills, coupled with solid audio engineering, teaching, technical support and a strong music retail sales background, make Victor a welcome and entertaining addition to Korg’s tour of clinics and product training.

Freddy DeMarco - Guitar Product Specialist

Freddy DeMarco is an in-demand session player and live guitarist hailing from the Midwest. His formal music training includes string bass studies at Ohio University and Jazz studies at Cleveland State. While attending school, Freddy competed in numerous guitar competitions throughout the Midwest (emerging as a winner or finalist each time).

He then went on to spend several years touring with various casino and hotel acts, where he gained experience playing various styles of music such as Pop, Rock, Blues, Country and Jazz. After developing a style that blended various musical styles together, he went on to form a guitar act, The DeMarco Brothers Band, which highlighted his guitar virtuosity.

Throughout his career as a live guitarist, Freddy has played with an impressive array of artists, including Warrant, Steve Vai and Mike Keneally, as well as opening tour slots for Zakk Wylde, Michael Schenker, and Nuno Bettencourt, among others. He’s also well versed in studio engineering and session playing, and has been a featured player and arranger on many CD projects.

Additionally, Freddy has experience as a guitar and bass instructor, a music retail sales person and a veteran product demonstrator at NAMM trade conventions. His versatility as a player enables him to be entertaining as well as informative during his in-store product training clinics.