Louis Svitek is a musician and former guitarist for a number of bands including M.O.D., Ministry, Pigface, Mind Funk, The Hollow steps and Project .44. His work can also be found in many movie soundtracks such as The Matrix and Blue Hill Avenue.
Louis Svitek and partner Ryan McGuire founded their own recording studio and independent record label, "WuLi Records", in Chicago, IL. WuLi Records is responsible for discovering Chicago's acts such as The Redd, 2 Unique, Young Inno, The Waking, and American Idol 2010 winner Lee DeWyze. Prior to Idol, Louis Svitek was part of the Lee DeWyze Band that also included Ryan McGuire and Jeff Henderson.
Ken Payne (October 6, 1950 – August 1, 2011) was an American football wide receiver in the National Football League. He was drafted by the Green Bay Packers in the sixth round of the 1974 NFL Draft. He played college football at Langston.
Payne also played for the Philadelphia Eagles.
Leon James "Lee" DeWyze, Jr. (born April 2, 1986) is an American singer-songwriter from Mount Prospect, Illinois, and the winner of the ninth season of American Idol. Prior to Idol, DeWyze had a solo career and formed the Lee DeWyze Band. He had also released two independent albums called So I'm Told in 2007 and Slumberland in 2010, both on WuLi Records. His post-Idol album Live It Up was released on November 16, 2010, through 19 Entertainment and RCA Records. WuLi Records, citing demand from DeWyze's fan base, plans to release a third album of pre-Idol recordings, What Once Was, on February 14, 2012.
DeWyze was born in Mount Prospect, Illinois, the eldest son of Kathleen (née Donahue) and Leon (Lee) DeWyze, Sr., who worked as a postal carrier in Elk Grove Village, Illinois. He has two older sisters, Shannon and Sarah, and a younger brother, Michael. His musical influences include Cat Stevens, Eric Clapton, Ben Harper, and Simon & Garfunkel.
DeWyze attended St. James Catholic Elementary School in Arlington Heights, Illinois, and Prospect High School in Mount Prospect, Illinois, up until his senior year, due to too many unserved detention hours. After leaving Prospect High, he attended Forest View Alternative School in Arlington Heights, having been inspired both by his teachers and his interest in music to return to his studies. While he never graduated from either high school, he eventually got his GED.
Mind Funk were an American stoner rock/grunge band (having started out as a funk metal band on their first album) containing members of Chemical Waste and several other bands, originally known as "Mind Fuck" but were forced by Epic Records to change their name. The band signed to the Sony/Epic-label and released their self-titled debut album in 1991.[citation needed] Guitarist Jason Everman, known for stints on guitar and bass with Nirvana and Soundgarden, joined and later left in September 1994 to join the US Army 2nd Ranger Battalion and the Special Forces. Louis Svitek went on to later perform with Ministry and has since opened his new recording studio and label, Wu-Li Records. John Monte also later performed with Ministry.