Playing country hits spanning several decades
photo credit: Lois Jenison
A Little About Us
GRB started in 2008 after a few members of the Zion Lutheran Church worship team were asked to play a the spring picnic. We put together a small list of songs and gave it our best shot. A few months later we were given the opportunity to play at Dale’s Essenhaus in Walburg. Well, the rest is history! 3 original members are still in the band today.
Matt Brown – rhythm guitar & vocals
Dan Thiele – bass guitar & vocals
David Peraldo – drums
Kurt Niebuhr – lead guitar
Meet the Band
Rhythm guitar & vocals
Matt Brown
Matt, an Austin native, developed an enduring love for music from an early age. His musical journey encompasses a variety of genres, drawing inspiration from his brother’s 70s rock and his father’s 80s country music collection. Matt’s musical journey began on a worship team alongside Danny and Kurt, eventually leading him to become a dedicated member of the Gabriel River Band. Matt loves the outdoors including time for fishing and camping, as well as spending time with his lovely wife and family!
Bass guitar & Vocals
Dan Thiele
Dan grew up in Hutto, TX and through his teens, hung around lots of musicians and jam sessions learning to play guitar and bass. His love for playing music was revived in the mid 90’s when he along with his brother-law, helped form the Wild Country Band. They played dancehalls all over central and east Texas for several years.
Later on, as family and running a business became his main focus, he began playing bass in the church worship team. That’s where he met Matt and Kurt and later helped form the Gabriel River Band.
Drums
David Peraldo
David is the elder statesman in the group. Grew up in West Virginia and started playing there in the 60’s in a popular band for 10 years playing rock and hard rock into the 70’s. In the late 80’s his interest changed to country music. He played in a few country bands and then decided to make a move to the Austin area in 1999 where his daughter lives. David played in several bands around Austin and got a call from Matt and Dan in October 2022 and have been with the GRB since. He enjoys golf, and spending time with his wife, daughter and grandkids here. Playing with these guys, their attitude, the setlist and camaraderie is the best.
Lead guitar
Kurt Niebuhr