Saturation Acres

The Badlees
The Badlees - 2013
Background information
Origin	Selinsgrove, Pennsylvania, United States
Genres	Rock and roll, Roots rock
Years active	1990–present
Labels	Rite-Off Records, Sharkstooth Records, Polydor/Atlas, Ark 21 Records, Saturation Acres Music
Associated acts	Bad Lee White The Cellarbirds Echotown The Jellybricks
Website	www.badlees.com
Members	Bret Alexander Pete Palladino Dustin Drevitch Nyke Van Wyk Paul Smith Ron Simasek
Past members	Jeff Feltenberger Ric Stehman

The Badlees are an American roots rock band from Selinsgrove, Pennsylvania formed in 1990. They released several independent albums and achieved national success with their 1995 album River Songs. In 1998, after recording a follow-up album, Polydor/Atlas was sold to the Seagram Corporation, which delayed the release of the album and eventually led to the Badlees being dropped from the roster. They have continued to perform and produce albums independently, and released in 2013 the double album Epiphones and Empty Rooms. The Badlees and its individual members have inspired, mentored, advised, produced for, and performed with artists throughout the Pennsylvania music scene.

Three students from Mansfield University in north-central Pennsylvania met while attending the school's music department in the early 1980s. Singer and multi-instrumentalist Jeff Feltenberger was a vocal performance major, drummer Ron Simasek was a music education major, while saxophonist and future Badlees manager Terry Selders was a music merchandising major. While at Mansfield, the three played in various pickup bands with names such as The Leaky Sneakers and Secret Service.

After graduation, the three initially went their separate ways. Selders went to New York City where he managed a recording studio. Simasek went to Florida at first but then later joined Selders in New York where he became drummer for the band Kaos. Feltenberger entered the teaching profession and reunited with the band Masque that he formed in high school with his brother Steve Feltenberger on bass and guitarist Clint Barrick.

In 1988, Jeff Feltenberger contacted Terry Selders about making a professional recording with his band. Selders was in the process of forming an independent record label with producer Bill Grabowski and thought Feltenberger’s music would be a good fit for their first project. He convinced Simasek to join in as drummer and the new band, known as Bad Lee White went into Grabowski's studio to record the initial album for the new A Street Records. The studio was called Susquehanna Sound and was located in Northumberland, Pennsylvania. There, the band worked with the studio's chief engineer, Bret Alexander.