The Culprits behind The Consortium

Lewis D'Aubin started the C.O.G., in recorded form, in the late 80's and early 90's as an outlet for his twisted exercises in songwriting and recording. In 1996, after eight years of mixing and producing other bands, he decided he could put on a better show than any of them and formed the first stage version of The Consortium of Genius. Now, fifteen years later, he has assembled the strongest and most capable version of the band ever. Lewis acts as director, producer, cameraman, writer, editor, programmer, drummer, soundman and lead vocalist for the group. He is employed as a computer programmer and in his spare time enjoys collecting and restoring vintage arcade games and pinball machines.

Barbie Cure has literally been singing since she could talk. The classically trained daughter of a true New Orleans musician, Barbie has performed with her dad's band for years at the Jazz & Heritage Festival and various clubs around the city. Barbie is also passionate about burlesque and has sung with New Orleans troupes like Slow Burn and Haus of Vigilante. When she's not singing, the 'Chalmation Sensation' is studying hard as a grad student at UNO or writing for local music magazines. In fact, she met Lewis D'Aubin after interviewing him for Offbeat, and then joined the C.O.G. in Spring 2011. During the little spare time she has, Barbie collects comic books and reads as many novels as she can get her hands on.

Jim Fairchild Graduated from LSU in 1991 with a degree in accounting, minor in photography. Making a living as a professional photographer and sign maker, Jim played bass in several bands in the New Orleans and Baton Rouge area, including Stressball, Dead Rebecca and Stone Poets. With the Stone Poets, Jim helped record the Poet's debut CD "Terra Firma" and played an opening stint touring with the Smithereens. Jim is an avid photography and film buff. He met Lewis and immediately became a C.O.G. fan, helping with filming whenever possible. Jim was asked to join the C.O.G. in early 2001 and has been heard saying on repeated occasions "This is the most fun band I've ever been in."

Chris Lenox was born in Summit, NJ and has been playing music semi-professionally since 2000. He is a founding member of the New Orleans prog rock bands "IF", "The Nightwatch" and "Livingtree". He has studied music with Benny Dominac, David Bivens, Hank Mackie, Phil Patterson, Joe Manuel, Vic Larocca, Rory Faciane, and guitar-harpist Phil De Gruy. Chris has also been a member of Space Trumpet, The Rockoons, The Anderson Council, The Bloomin' Onions, and is currently also a member of Rik Slave and The Phantoms. Chris has also occasionally played with members of Braintree and Tabula Rasa, and has sat in with Michael Ray, Victor Larocca, and Cliff Hines. Chris has also recorded prolifically throughout his life with the groups listed above, as a guest on a number of recordings, and has a number of solo albums to his credit. He joined the C.O.G. in mid 2010.

Billy Riecke spent the majority of his childhood playing piano and video games. Not much has changed since then. After many years spent in a series of countless cover bands, it was time for a change. His initial involvement with the C.O.G. was building props for the television show and subsequent lectures. When the need came for a full-time keyboardist, he became a full-fledged member of the band in late 2010. Much like his C.O.G. counterpart, he spends his free time building aesthetically pleasing, yet mostly useless contraptions.

Farrar Hudkins started piano lessons in North Carolina at age four after nearly two years of relentlessly badgering his parents to let him have as much fun as his older siblings. He picked up the trumpet in the fifth grade, playing in the school band at Irwin Elementary, and began private trumpet study the following year. Having moved to New Orleans at age 18 to attend Loyola University (focus: Music Education), he studied piano with Dr. John Murphy and Jac McCracken, and trumpet with Michael Bucalo, and was voted 'Outstanding Freshman' by Loyola University College of Music faculty in 1998. Farrar has played in a variety of large and small classical and rock ensembles, most notably with the Louisiana Philharmonic, the New Orleans Repertory Orchestra, and the John Mahoney Big Band. Farrar joined the C.O.G. in the spring of 2011. Currently, Farrar is employed as daytime classical host and classical music programmer at WWNO/KTLN FM Radio in New Orleans.

Joe Panno has been playing guitar for 20 years and performing with live bands for almost that long. He like pizza, hamburgers, girls, heavy metal and epic poetry. He also paints miniature figurines in his spare time. Joe joined the C.O.G. in the spring of 2011. His other bands include Built To Destroy, Resurrection Man, and Disciples of Thrash.

Dreux Blalock was born and raised in the great City of New Orleans. His parents decided that he would take piano lessons at the age of 6 to work on his hand-eye coordination. This sparked a fascination with music, and Dreux picked up his first bass at the age of 14 while attending De La Salle High School. Knowing the ins and outs of many different instruments, Dreux graduated De La Salle in 1998, and attended Southeastern Louisiana University, where he majored in Music Performance. As a student, he joined the Fraternal Order of Phi Mu Alpha Sinfonia. His past and current bands include Antarctica vs the World, Cover Me, I'm Going In, Misled, Rococo Malade, The Suzaku 7, and Ann Howe's Dirty Laundry Band. Dreux Blalock joined the C.O.G. in mid 2010.