Luke Shilts

Vocals, Guitar

"Yeah, I really play guitar like that." Upside down and backwards, with the wrong hand, too. You might go blind watching it, but it works. Luke Shilts grew up with music. At age 5 he performed special vocal music in church, and started playing in school band by age 10. While he tinkered on his father's Gibson, his first guitar was a bass, and he played in various ensembles and bands, singing all the while until he got to college. Then it all stopped for nearly fifteen years until his little brother passed him an Ibanez six string guitar. Luke got back into it more than ever, working with one project and then the next, until the Cool Hands contacted him. "These guys are great," Luke says. "I've never had this much fun with music, and I've never played with better musicians."

Luke has lived in Greeley since 2001 and has hosted "The Luke Shilts Program" on 1310 AM since 2005 for KFKA. He is also an insurance agent for Colorado Farm Bureau, and has two daughters that are learning the guitar.

Thom Wade

Steel Guitar & Piano

Thom's earliest musical experiences found him playing cocktail piano at 15, Rock organ during the late ‘60s, acoustic guitar in Folk groups, and Banjo, Dobro and Mandolin in Bluegrass bands. After discovering the mystical effect of sliding and bending string pitches emitted from the Pedal Steel Guitar that his “universe” came together as one. Thus began the road trip through the Urban Cowboy era that would include house gigs and one nighters from Colorado to Minnesota.

His experience includes such notable bands as: Cajun Country, White Line Express, High Dollar Band, Rounder, Ricochet, Mario and the Durango Band, and the Chris King Band. Nationally, his work includes appearing with artists such as Asleep at the Wheel, Merle Haggard, Ronnie Milsap, John Prine, Jerry Jeff Walker, Michael Murphy, and the Dillards to name a few. 

Ron Akin

Vocals, Lead Guitar

Ron discovered his musical talents as a young boy playing clarinet & tenor saxophone in school bands.  When he

reached the 8^th grade he took his sax down to Larimer street in Denver & traded it for his first electric guitar.  (much to the chagrin of his parents & band instructor)  He began putting together surf & hot rod bands with his friends playing the songs of the era.  Then the Byrds came along and Ron’s musical tastes shifted.  He soon found that the best music was always buried deep in the artist’s album and a their true talent is found there.

After high school the bands got more serious as did his playing. Ron is a veteran of 70’s and 80’s  road bands like Lash LaRue and Johnny Wonder. 

In 1984 he came off the road and went to school for Broadcast Television. He spent the next 27 years in the Network News field as well as private endeavors.  This took him around the world to some amazing places.

In July of 2011 Bill contacted him to join the Cool Hands.  A kind of “we’re puttin’ the band back together” thing.  Ron, Bill Steinmiller & Bill Venable played together 28 yrs ago in Lash LaRue.  Now they are reunited and having a blast!

Dave Guzman

Drums

Dave is a long time fixture on the Northern Colorado music scene. He started playing in his Dad's bands as a little guy and has played in some of the area's best known bands over the years. Borderline was a very popular country band that played the best venues on the Front Range.

In addition to playing drums with the Cool Hands, Dave keeps busy with his karaoke business.

Bill Steinmiller

Bass Guitar

Bill started playing music as a drummer in grade school and Jr. High Band. At age 14 he got his first guitar and fell in love for the first time. With in a year he was playing gigs in a Jr. High Surf Band. He played in numerous high school rock bands and was playing in local bars by age 16. After being discharged from the Army, in 1972, Bill picked up the bass and spent the next 10 years in bands along the front range, and "on the road", playing Rock, Country, Blues, Western Swing.

In the early 80s Bill decided to give up the music business, went back to school, and received his degree in Information Technology. He spent the next 28 years as a computer programmer and concentrated on raising his girls.

While "playing out" again had been in the back of his mind for quite some time, during the summer of 2010 the bug bit again...hard. Bill bought a new bass rig and set about finding musicians to play with. He was fortunate to find Luke and The Cool Hands and is having more fun playing music than ever.