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THE WAITING Member Profiles
(Courtesy of H2O Artist Agency. Images courtesy of Inpop)
BRAD OLSEN, LEAD VOCALS 
Hometown: Atlanta, Georgia Brad was born in
upstate New York and moved to Atlanta as a child. His musical
expressiveness began to emerge when he started playing guitar
at the age of six. During his high school years, Brad learned
to play the trumpet and began flirting with the drums, later
becoming a solid keyboard player. With intentions of someday
becoming a teacher, he attended Georgia State University
where he studied history. It was while in high school that
Brad began to nurture his singing abilitysinging lead in
bands that he and his brother, Todd, formed. Brad's musical
influences as a youth ranged from Peter Gabriel to The 77's
to Keith Green.
 TODD OLSEN, LEAD GUITAR
Hometown: Atlanta,
Georgia
Like his brother, Todd was born in New York and
raised in Atlanta, Todd began playing trumpet at an early
age, eventually receiving extensive training as a potential
symphonic player. During his middle school and high school
years, Todd focused on performing in jazz bands. At seventeen
he began playing guitar and immediately started forming
rock groups with his brother, Brad. Todd studied literature
and firmly planted himself in the music program at Georgia
State University. During college he had the opportunity
to tour throughout Europe as a member of a University jam
band. Todd's musical influences were The Clash, Bob Dylan
and The Police. It was Todd's father who encouraged him
and Brad to go into the studio and make The Waiting's first
demo.
CLARK LEAKE, BASS
Hometown: Tupelo, Mississippi
Clark was reared in Mississippi where he first became involved in music
as a tuba player in his junior high band. He began to seriously pursue
the bass in high school and played the instrument in a college band at
Mississippi State. After obtaining his B.A. in Psychology, Clark moved
to Atlanta where he completed the Master of Divinity program at Emory
University. There he met Brad and Todd Olsen and joined their band.
Clark, along with Brad, are the primary co-writers in the band. A
sports enthusiast (especially baseball), Clark cites the primary
musical influence of his youth as Van Morrison, Steely Dan, REM and Bob
Dylan.
 BRANDON THOMPSON, DRUMS
Hometown: Altoona, PA
Born in Altoona, Pennsylvania, Brandon moved to Atlanta
in 1982. In sixth grade he began playing trumpet, training
to be a symphonic player. His high school interests found
him pursuing jazz band, orchestra and marching band. Brandon
later enrolled at what is now Southern Polytechnic University
where he studied computer science. Soon he met Clark and
the Olsen brothers, becoming The Waiting's sound tech for
a year before joining them as their drummer in '93. A self-taught
drummer, he cites his main musical influences as The Police.
Brandon's computer skills have come in quite handy for The
Waiting, as he had the privilege of designing (and maintaining)
the band's web site at www.thewaiting.com.
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