Rob Freeman
Singer/Songwriter/Guitarist/Producer
Rob Freeman fell in love with music when he saw the Yellow Submarine film at age 3, and had set himself a goal by age 5 of “becoming a Beatle.” He missed by one letter when he launched The Beagles in 2013. Rob has been writing and recording music (over 100 songs) and leading bands such as Not the Catfish and Botticelli’s Niece since he was a teen. His first commercial release was a reinvention of “Just One Victory” for Still There Is More . . . A Tribute To Todd Rundgren, Part II” on Third Lock Records. In 2017, Rob was thrilled to work with Apple Records artist and Beatles collaborator Lon Van Eaton – who produced 17 of the 19 tracks on The Beagles 2018 album, Bed of Roses. Rob has been a leader of the Einstein Alley Musicians Collaborative since 2014 and, in this role, has worked closely with Princeton cultural institutions including the McCarter Theatre Center, Arts Council of Princeton and Morven Museum & Garden as Producer and Musical Director of an ongoing series featuring The Beagles and their friends paying tribute to 20th Century musical icons and institutions such as Bruce Springsteen; Janis Joplin; Phil Spector; The Million Dollar Quartet; Motown Records; Pete Seeger; Stevie Nicks; The Woodstock Festival; and The Beatles & Ed Sullivan. Rob is grateful to his partner Joy Okoye and all of The Beagles for putting so much talent, effort and care into making his music sound better than it ever has before on "The Wisest Flower," their first offering as The Beagles with Joy.
Joy Okoye
Singer/Songwriter
Joy Okoye grew up in the midwest where she started out singing solos in church and performed with worship bands and gospel choirs, before absorbing the broader influences of singers such as Anita Baker, Etta James, Bonnie Raitt & Joan Osborne. After a spiritual awakening, Joy began to channel unique sound frequencies and messages of hope, revelation, and mystery. Joy now bridges sacred, therapeutic and artistic spaces with her voice, working as a sound healer who travels and facilitates transformative experiences and events with her unique vocalizations as well as a blue eyed soul singer who writes songs about heartache and new love. Since first appearing with The Beagles at the release party for their debut album Bed of Roses, Joy has collaborated with them on a wide range of musical projects, including their tributes to 20th Century musical icons such as the Million Dollar Quartet; Motown Records; Pete Seeger; Phil Spector; Stevie Nicks & The Woodstock festival. Joy will also soon be releasing an EP with Earth Ephect.
David Ross
Drums/Percussion
David Ross has been playing drums and percussion pretty much exclusively with original music projects for the past several years, including appearances on Sarah McLachlan's Lilith Fair. He’s been happily involved in Princeton’s local music scene for the past decade, including playing with The Beagles since their 2018 debut album Bed of Roses. David’s an original member of Frances Catherine & Union County and Helen O'Shea's Shanakee Project, and also performs around Chapel Hill, NC with Suzannah Sabin. You can find tracks from other records he's played on at
John Mazzeo
Guitar, Lap Steel, Bass
John is a multi-instrumentalist who plays guitar, lap steel, bass and mandolin with multiple Princeton-area bands and musicians, including performing and recording with The Beagles since 2020. He also performs in the Chapel Hill, NC area with the Americana band - Suzannah Sabin and Novo Rodeo. You will find him frequently sitting in with Princeton area solo artists as well as participating in a variety of artist-tribute shows sponsored by the Princeton Library and other community groups.
Jay Posipanko
Keyboards
Jay has been playing music virtually his entire life, starting on piano at age 5. He added cello and french horn in middle school, although those largely dropped away. He studied music education and piano at the Oberlin Conservatory, but largely stopped playing in public after that.
Jay moved back east and took up playing with the Bloomfield Mandolin Orchestra, easing through that group back into public playing. Beginning with the duo, Old School, Jay began to incorporate keyboards back into his playing, and began performing classic rock. Simultaneously, he performed on classical mandolin with soprano Christina Fontanelli.
Jay graduated to playing with full bands, Sherry Lynn, The Diablo Sandwich Band, and, most recently, Living Proof. Jay was a prominent guest musician on The Beagles' 2018 album Bed of Roses, and the band loved his musical contributions and their rapport with him so well that they expanded their lineup to include Jay on keyboards for their latest incarnation as The Beagles with Joy.
Da Nickster
Bass
“Trained” with post-punk and scum rock bands in basements of New York City’s East Village, mostly at the “11” volume setting. He played and recorded with notorious unknown acts such as Shell Shock, Reckless Destruction, Transmitter and Krunch.
Moving west, Da Nickster became an in demand part of the NJ music scene, playing with The Professors (for over 25 years), the NJAMP-affiliated Loose Bricks, and Einstein Alley-affiliated bands including Helen O’Shea & Friends and The FreeBees. In 2023 Da Nickster began performing and recording as the newest member of The Beagles with Joy.