Meet the Band …
“We have become a musical family based on the music we play and our love for each other. Copper Reign has become bigger than just the band.” – Timothy Shegitz
Copper Reign brings the party to the house entertaining people with some of the best live music around for more than 10 years. Their following continues to grow as they play a mix of the crowd’s favorite classic rock tunes from the 60’s, 70’s, and 80’s. You are sure to have a good time, meet some fun people, and make friends at one of their events. The Copper Reign band members are Timothy Shegitz – acoustic guitars 6 &12 strings, mandolin, harmonica. light percussion, and vocals, Steve Menees – acoustic guitars, light percussion, and vocals, and Tedd Baalmann –guitars, bass, keyboard and vocals. The band mainly plays at clubs, bars, and wineries in the St. Charles and St. Louis, MO area. They have also performed at Sweetwater in Wayne, IN and other places in Ohio, Kentucky, and Florida.
The backstory …
Copper Reign was formed in 2014 by Steve Menees and Timothy Shegitz and joined by Brian Morrisey. Steve and Tim became friends in the early 2000’s when they occasionally crossed paths at Rumples Pub, a popular establishment in the in historic district of St. Charles, MO. Back then, Timothy was performing magic and was the emcee for a “Deal or No Deal’ game night at the pub. The owner, Frank Hackney, who was an extraordinary musician, also hosted music roundtables where local musicians would get together to share their talents. Tim and Steve sat in on many occasions together. In 2012, Steve Cearley, another fellow musician and the leader of a local band asked them both to join his band, the Skylarkers. There they met Brian who was also a member. They all played music together for a couple years. When Steve and Tim each reached their retirement years in 2014, they decided to break away and form their own band.
The guys practiced together for a while before they booked their first gig at Rendezvous Café in O’Fallon, MO in 2015. For that very first gig they were called Departing. After that, they changed the name to Copper Reign. Steve and Tim primarily played acoustic guitars and sang vocals. Brian accompanied them with the violin. Due to professional differences, Brian left the band after about 12 months.
For the next two years, it was the Tim and Steve show. The two of them performed at many venues in the St. Charles and St. Louis area. Their following began to grow, and they were asked to return many times. Those were the years that they honed in on their vocal harmonies and became more cohesive. Tim began playing more harmonica as fill. During that time, they were doing approximately 50 gigs per year.
On Thanksgiving Eve 2018, Tedd Baalmann was asked to sit in with the band. Two weeks prior, Tedd and his family were out to dinner and Copper Reign was playing, they asked if Tedd could sit it with the band sometime. Tim arranged a date with Tedd and on that Thanksgiving Eve in 2018, Tedd was on stage with Copper Reign for the first time. After about the third song into the set, Tim told Tedd he wasn’t going anywhere – to stay on stage. He never left!
From October 2021 to October 2022, Steve took some time off to do some soul searching. He was having growing pains with the band. During his absence, Wayne Hundsdorfer, a talented musician and another friend from the Rumples days, joined Tim and Tedd.
In the fall of 2022, Steve decided to come back, and the threesome has been playing together ever since. Tim is responsible for band management and bookings. Steve handles the music arrangements. And Tedd oversees Color Commentary. Occasionally, the band is expanded to include bass and drums performing as Heavy Reign. They have 70-80 gigs per year on average at wineries, restaurants, clubs, and social events.
The guys are always working on new songs to add to their repertoire. They have several new songs they have written and will be recording. The band has a group of followers that attend an annual float trip in the summer and a campout in the fall that increases in attendance every year. Both events are two laid back trips where a group of friends socialize, have fun, and play music together around the campfire. There is a cruise planned for January 2025 on The Royal Caribbean’s Brilliance of the Seas ship in which the band will be performing on one of the main stages.
