Dan Cross plays trumpet in a variety of styles, in Madison and elsewhere in the region. Dan joined the Brass Knuckles in 2022 to help bring music into the community and provide entertainment, which can bring people together and divert us from our problems and concerns. Dan is also principal trumpet of the Sheboygan Symphony, lead trumpet in salsa band Latin Pride Orquesta, and often joins the Madison Symphony section as a substitute and auxiliary trumpet player.

A native of Joplin, Missouri, Oliver Smith studied trumpet at Missouri Southern State University, Oklahoma City University, and UW-Madison. He has enjoyed a successful career as a freelance musician in the Madison, Milwaukee, Tulsa, and Oklahoma City areas in a wide variety of genres. Oliver has performed with Mariachi Orgullo out of Oklahoma City, Sonora Santiaguera out of Ft. Worth, the Crossroads Jazz Orchestra out of Pittsburg, Kansas, and currently performs as a section trumpet with Mariachi Monarcas de Milwaukee.

Craig has taught and conducted many wind bands, brass bands, choirs, theater productions, pit orchestras, music theory courses, jazz ensembles, marching bands, drum and bugle corps, and chamber ensembles in public and private schools, as well as at the university, collegiate, and adult level. He also is a published composer and arranger, writes marching band drills for programs throughout the Midwest, is involved as a teacher and music arranger for the Madison Scouts alumni, and is an active performer with the Brass Knuckles, CORtet, Capitol Quintet, local orchestras and pit orchestras.

Trombonist Alex Bauer is a native of Middleton, Wisconsin. He attended the University of Wisconsin-Madison, where he studied trombone under Mark Hetzler, and graduated with a Bachelor of Music degree in 2007. His musical tastes and endeavors span a wide variety of genres, from renaissance to country, baroque to punk rock (once played in a Green Day cover band, with a boxing glove on the end of the trombone slide), classical to jazz and salsa. This makes Brass Knuckles diversity of repertoire a perfect fit! In addition to the Knuckles, Alex has performed with and continues to regularly perform with an array of Madison’s finest musicians, including Madison Jazz Orchestra, Orquesta MAS – Madison All Stars, Orquesta SalSoul Del Mad, Capitol City Theatre, Lo Marie, Neophonic Jazz Orchestra, the Darren Sterud Jazz Orchestra, and many others. By day, he is an insurance agent with local independent agency Hausmann Group.

Karl has been a performer with brass groups in the Madison area since arriving in 2013 after studying tuba at the University of Iowa with John Manning and the University of North Texas with Don Little. He also creates some arrangements and original compositions for this group. Outside of the quintet, Karl can be found working on his hobby farm with his family or by day at Epic working on healthcare software.

Jim plays drum set and marimba in local jazz groups, chamber groups, and concert bands.

Aaron Johnson has been playing the trumpet since the 1900s when he picked up his first coronet in fifth grade. After playing in multiple ensembles at the University of Illinois in Champaign, Aaron has enjoyed making music with a wide array of groups in the greater Madison area from concert bands and orchestras to brass ensembles, big band jazz, horn-infused rock groups, and even live circus music. Aaron has particularly enjoyed the many professional and amateur musical theater pit orchestras he has been a part of. Additionally, Aaron shares his talents performing for church services in a variety of congregations. He cites his father, a music educator and professional trumpeter, as one of his biggest influences and inspirations.

Gina maintains an active music schedule as a member of the Middleton Community Orchestra, the Edgewood Chamber Orchestra, and the Verona Area Wind Ensemble. She also regularly performs with the Beloit Janesville Symphony and in the pit orchestras of local theatre productions. A former music educator, Gina holds music education and performance degrees (UW-Stevens Point, 2001). She hails from Watertown, Wisconsin, where her father was her first band director. Gina lives on the West side of Madison with her husband Charlie and their cat Geddy.

Erin has loved playing the trombone since she was 10 years old. From touring the US and Japan with the Tony-award winning Broadway show, Blast! and Odyssey (only played in Japan), to playing with local Madison groups, she spends a lot of her free time playing the trombone. She is currently in the Madison Brass Band, Ladies Must Swing, Orquesta SalSoul del Mad, and is a regular sub with several other groups. While working in HR is her main occupation, she’s passionate about music and music education, and shares a love of music with her family, who are all professionally trained and active musicians. She loves getting to share the joy of music with others and always loves how surprised people are to learn that someone who works in HR has such a lively side gig. When not playing trombone or singing, Erin enjoys going on adventures with her sidekick Ollie, a 15 year old miniature dachshund, traveling, reading, baking and decorating ridiculously fancy cookies, and of course, laughing with friends and family.

Wheeler spent most of his high school and college years playing tuba in the Oregon Marching band, Wisconsin State Honors Band, UW-Milwaukee Wind Ensemble and the Exit 260 Brass Band. After a long time away from playing he joined the Oregon Community Band in 2021 and the Knuckles in 2023 as the official “parade tuba”. When he is not playing his Tuba, Ben is likely to be spending time with his wife and kids or at his job in Logistics at Exact Sciences.