Meet the Band
The Sophie West Band is…
Eric Lewis
Eric Lewis is a Denver-based guitarist and multi-instrumentalist with a love for memorable melodies, rich harmonies, and live performance.
Growing up in Florida, Eric discovered music through his father’s record collection, with early influences including The Beatles, Eric Clapton, and Jimi Hendrix. Over the years, those roots expanded into 90s Seattle rock, classical music, jazz, and progressive music.
Eric began performing in bands at 16 and later spent time playing and recording throughout the Los Angeles area. Always looking to learn something new, he brings a curious and versatile approach to the guitar—and a wide-ranging musical vocabulary—to The Sophie West Band.
Guitar/Vocals
Glenn Tapia
Glenn Tapia is a longtime fixture in the Colorado music community and has been playing bass semi-professionally for more than 25 years. His musical background spans rock, blues, funk, and jazz, with three decades of performing, recording, and writing with award-winning and award-nominated artists throughout Colorado and the region.
Known for his heavy, groove-oriented pocket playing, Glenn draws inspiration from bassists including George Porter Jr., “Rock” Jones, and Steve Harris.
Glenn is also the co-founder of Rocky Mountain Bass Slam, a community connecting bass players throughout the region. His personal musical philosophy is simple: “Groove is the Most Important Message.” He plays Fender and Overwater basses through Genzler Amplification.
Bass
Greg Leistikow fell in love with the blues growing up in Chicago, listening to Muddy Waters, Buddy Guy, John Mayall, and Savoy Brown. He began playing piano and organ and spent his early career performing with blues bands throughout the Midwest.
After moving to Colorado in 2011, Greg expanded into funk, New Orleans music, and acoustic styles, performing with groups including Groovalicious, Pamlico Sound, Sixty Minute Men, and Crescent City Connection.
Greg has worked with Sophie in several projects over the years and brings a deep musical connection, decades of experience, and a broad stylistic vocabulary to The Sophie West Band. His blues roots and love of funk are a natural fit for the band's sound.
Keyboards/VocalsGreg Leistikow
Carl Holz has been playing drums since joining his first band in Germany at 15. After returning to the United States, he studied at Berklee College of Music, including private lessons with legendary drummer Alan Dawson.
Carl went on to become part of the Washington, D.C. music scene in the 1970s and ’80s, performing and opening for artists including Bob Seger, Joan Armatrading, Rick Danko, Mitch Ryder, Roy Buchanan, and Ronnie Spector. He also backed Andy Kaufmann and later toured Air Force bases throughout Japan, Okinawa, and Hawaii.
Since moving to Colorado in the 1990s, Carl has continued performing and recording with a variety of projects. He brings decades of experience, deep musical feel, and a love of the groove to The Sophie West Band.
DrumsCarl Holz
Andrew Kort is a Colorado-based saxophonist known for his soulful sound, versatility, and energetic stage presence. A Berklee College of Music graduate, he has been performing throughout Colorado since 1992 at venues including Red Rocks Amphitheatre and Fiddler’s Green.
Andrew has shared the stage with or opened for The Who, Lynyrd Skynyrd, Heart, Steve Miller Band, and Def Leppard. He has also performed with numerous Colorado projects, including the Lewis & Floorwax Groove Hawgs, The Rick Lewis Project, Crescent City Connection, and Vince Converse and Big Brother.
His playing draws from blues, rock, soul, funk, jazz, and R&B, bringing both musical instinct and serious stage energy to The Sophie West Band.
SaxophoneAndrew Kort
Kyle Granville has been playing trumpet for more than 24 years and brings a deep background in jazz, performance, and music education to The Sophie West Band.
After earning his bachelor’s degree in music in Columbus, Ohio, Kyle moved to Chicago for a master’s in Jazz Studies before completing a Doctorate of Musical Arts at the University of Nebraska-Lincoln. His career has taken him around the world, including performances aboard cruise ships and a tour of China with the UNL graduate jazz combo. He has also recorded with the UNL Big Band alongside saxophonist Donny McCaslin.
Kyle and his wife moved to Colorado in 2024. When he’s not performing or teaching music, he enjoys cooking, fishing, hiking, and coaching CrossFit classes.
Trumpet