Meet the Marcia Ball Band

Mike Schermer, Guitar

Mighty Mike Schermer was a fixture on the San Francisco Bay Area blues scene for over 20 years before moving to Austin and joining Marcia’s band in 2009. His joy for music and energetic performing style have made him a fan favorite ever since. A loyal and dedicated sideman in the band, Mike is also an accomplished singer and songwriter in his own right and his original material is often featured in Marcia’s live show.

Photo by Johnny Medina

Mike Shermer of the Marcia Ball Band

Michael Archer, Bass

Bio and photo coming soon

Eric Bernhardt, Saxophone

Eric Bernhardt is a Montana native and New Orleans based freelance saxophonist. His family moved to Boise, ID in 1990 where he caught the music bug when hearing Charlie Parker and Muddy Waters recordings. He got saxophone lessons as soon as he could and went on to win the Louis Armstrong and John Philips Souza awards in high school and a college scholarship for music. While studying music at Boise State University he was awarded additional scholarships and was invited to perform at the Chair Honor recital as a Sophomore. He left BSU after joining the Mosquitones, a frenetic ska band that toured the western US and opened for many national touring acts including Fish Bone, Big Bad Voodoo Daddy, and Mephiskapheles. In 2001, he moved to Denver, CO where he completed his undergraduate and masters degrees at the University of Denver in Jazz and Commercial Music Composition and won several awards, including Outstanding Recital and Outstanding Performer. He performed around Denver with several big bands, small jazz groups and R&B groups until he moved to New Orleans in 2011. Since then he has performed at Jazz Fest, French Quarter Fest, and was a soloist in Jump, Jive, and Wail: the Music of Louis Prima. He joined Marcia’s band in 2014, and continues to work in New Orleans leading his original group, nolaNoggin and a swinging jazz group called the Four Sidemen of the Apocalypse. He also has an independent release, Bernie’s Blues, available on iTunes and Spotify.

Eric Bernhardt - Saxophonist in the Marcia Ball band

Mo Roberts, Drummer

Mo (Meaux in Cajun) Roberts survived the rough and tumble streets of NYC’s Upper East Side for a number of years until his yearning for the soaring vistas and green chile of the Southwest took him to Albuquerque, New Mexico. He was teaching at the University of New Mexico when an impulsive late night trip to Texas in 2019 for tacos landed him in Austin, where he found a new home in The Marcia Ball Band. His credits include Shemekia Copeland, The Boy’s Choir Of Harlem, various Broadway productions, and countless independent recordings and jingles.

Johnny Medina, Sound

Joining the Marcia Ball Clan in March of 1995 put me on the path of a great life adventure.
From playing the deepest dives in America to the Ballroom of a Democratic White House, Marcia has taken me for a Blues Bull Ride that hasn’t shaken me yet.
My purpose is to translate what is happening on stage to what you hear from the grandstands.
An ear that everyone can share.
If you see me after the show let’s share a smile.
Johnny Medina - Sound Tech - Marcia Ball Band