Audra Keeler - Lead Vocals
     I have been singing and enjoying music for as long as I can remember. I grew up around it! My father was an accomplished bass player and was always in bands. My mother is a classical singer. So, if you put the two together that gives you me! I have been performing in front of live bands since the age of 12.

     It all started with my father’s band Blue Horizon. It was just a small local band, but it gave me the confidence and experience that I needed for the future that was to come. In 2002 I joined the band Riptide as their leading lady. What was supposed to be a dual front vocal role consisting of a female and male lead singer, quickly turned to just a female-fronted band. I discovered how to push myself into becoming extremely diverse in the music I can sing and perform. It was here that I discovered I was not a one genre kind of girl, but rather a variety is what I craved! 

     I went on to win several local singing competitions and I was starting to get a name for myself and Riptide. Riptide went on to entertain the DC/MD/VA/PA areas for 4 years until the band fell apart. Then in 2006, I along with a couple of the remaining members of Riptide trudged on to re-name the band Tin Roof Rusted. In 2007 after going through a couple of different bass players to find the right fit, we decided to all go our separate ways.

     In 2008 I joined the band Legend. Legend was a new project that consisted of two guitarists, bass and drums. It was still a variety band, but most of the songs swayed to the classic and modern rock side. As with many small-town bands, Legend went through its share of changes until we lost our lead guitarist to medical issues leaving me in charge of Legend! In 2012 I took Legend in a new direction. With only me and the original bass player of Legend left, we added a new lead guitarist, a new drummer, and a Keyboard player. Our sound became fresher as we started adding newer tunes. But I still felt as though I was being held back from the direction I really wanted to go in. There was still a huge age differential between myself and a couple of the members. With differences in age came a difference in opinion on what type of music to play and the non-willingness to write our own music. That is when I made the difficult choice to completely re-vamp my current working band that had played over 50 shows in 2012 and change not only some of the members but re-name the band as well.

     In July of 2013 TABOO was born! With this fresh and vibrant name, also comes fresh and vibrant music! For the first time, I got to sing the songs that I craved!  July of 2013 was also the year I won Best female Vocalist and Grand Champion Vocalist for Rockbridge, VA singing competition! Mike and I have been going strong ever since.  We continue to add new music and stretch our abilities more and more.  In 2018 we recorded our first original song titled, "Tonight's the Night".  It has currently gotten over 6.4K views and continues to grow every day(The video can be viewed on our home page).  It's not always easy juggling family, a day job, and a band all at once, but I would not trade it for the world.   I am right where I want to be in my music and the sky is the limit!

James Newton- Drums

James is the newest member of Taboo and will be making his debut performance with us on Feb 19, 2022! 

​​Geno Mears- Lead Guitar

​     Like many who grew up in the deep south, my first taste of music was church hymns and gospel. My later musical influences ranged from Delta Blues to traditional Country to Classic, Southern, and Hard Rock and even a bit of Jazz and Fusion.  A latecomer to playing instruments, I didn’t start playing guitar until 19 while deployed in the military.  Eric Clapton, Robben Ford, Steve Cropper, Mike Bloomfield, Larry Carlton, and Peter Green are but a few favorites that influenced my formative years of learning to play.

     I played primarily for my own enjoyment for years until an opportunity to join a Southern Maryland band came along.  I spent 6 years with “No Limits” and then another 15 years with “Four of a Kind”.   Between those two cover bands and a few guest spots and substitute gigs, I have played all over MD, DC, and Northern VA from 2000 to 2020.  

     The pandemic (of course) forced a lot of changes and I found myself seeking out new, fun projects.   When the opportunity to join “Taboo” came along, I couldn’t pass it up as I had long admired Taboo and some of its previous incarnations (Riptide, Tin Roof Rusted, Legend) for years while checking out the “competition” during my tenure in other SoMD bands.   The wide-ranging variety of music that Taboo performs presents me with a new challenge to expand my musical vocabulary and find new music that I enjoy hearing and performing. 

    I look forward to “getting back to normal” with this group of talented musicians! This area is truly one of the few remaining areas in America that enjoy a thriving live, local music scene and I am lucky to have been and continue to be a part of it.  

Mike Moroney - Bass Guitar, Keyboards, Backing Vocals, Acoustic Guitar 
Updated July 16, 2015

Currently Studying Music Theory and Bass with Anthony Wellington
May 2015 - Attended Victor Wooten's Bass/Nature Camp. Attended clinics with:

• Steve Bailey - Berkley School of Music
  
• Victor Wooten - Grammy Award Winning Bassist, Victor Wooten Band
  
• Felix Pastourious - Bassist
  
• Danny Gottleib - drummer, rhythm lessons - Lt Dan Band
  
• Beth Gottleib - percussionist, rhythm lessons - Disney
  
• Chuck Rainey - Legendary Bassist for multiple artist
  
• JD Bailey (The Groove Regulator) - drummer, Victor Wooten Band, Shania Twain
  
• Roy "Futureman" Wooten - drummer, Victor Wooten Band
  

July 2014 - Attended The Winery Dogs Band Camp. Attended clinics with:

• Billy Sheehan - bassist - The Winery Dogs, Mr. Big, David Lee Roth, Talas
  
• Ritchie Kotzen - guitarist - The Winery Dogs, Ritchie Kotzen Band, Mr. Big, Poison
  
• Mike Portnoy - drummer - The Winery Dogs, Dream Theater
  
• Mike Bennett - drummer - Ritchie Kotzen Band
  
• Dylan Wilson - bassist - Ritchie Rotzen Band
  

I have been playing music in cover and original bands in the Washington, DC Metro area for many years. The bands have worked for agencies including Starleigh Entertainment, James Turner Productions and More Music Group. I started playing music at age 19. In my hometown of Woodbridge, VA, there were many bands, lots of guitar players and drummers, so I decided to get into the local music scene by playing bass – everybody needed a bass player. I played blues, rock and southern rock with many bands. Playing parties eventually lead to getting our bands into the local bars. The bands I joined started writing and recording their own music. Original music was a fun alternative to playing the covers everybody else played. I was fortunate to get songs on Washington, DC radio stations’ “Local Licks” radio shows. We felt it was quite the accomplishment to get our songs played on the radio. This was before the arrival of the internet, where now everybody can get their music online. I have played hundreds of gigs all over the Mid-Atlantic area - locations ranging from Ocean City, MD; Washington, DC; Charlestown, WV; Fredericksburg, VA to Solomons Island, MD. The bands in played in were happy to pick up our gear and hit the road, always searching for new audiences and bigger venues. I always liked the progressive bands like ‘Yes’, ‘Rush’, ‘The Who’, ‘Steely Dan’ and artists Jeff Beck and John McLaughlin. Playing radio hits gets a band in a room, but I like the challenging material other bands played that many people would not hear on the radio. My musical playing styles range from Metal, Progressive Jazz Rock Fusion, Classic Rock, Jazz, R&B, Hip Hop, Country and Pop Music. My bass player heroes are: Paul McCartney, Geddy Lee, John Paul Jones, John Entwistle, Billy Sheehan, Flea, and Victor Wooten. I enjoy playing cover songs and I love writing and recording original songs, collaborating with musicians to create new music.