Highly Strung’s team of talented musicians have more than a century of combined playing and performing experience between them. All love being onstage and making functions and celebrations come alive with great live music.

Aceman is Highly Strung’s male lead vocalist. After 25+ years singing his heart out in musical theatre or fronting rock bands, David ‘Aceman’ Brennan has made the stage his home. A veteran of more than 30 theatrical productions, Aceman’s trademarks are his professionalism and versatility. He can warm up with some Van Morrison or a ballad, then in the next breath be doing some Elvis, INXS or Black Keys. As you’d expect, Aceman has a wide range of musical tastes. He enjoys all genres of music and lists the The Beatles, The Beach Boys, Eric Clapton, The Cure, Bruce Springsteen, The Smiths, Morrissey, The Killers and Johnny Cash as some of his favourite and most influential artists. Ace loves a party and his favourite gigs are private celebrations where the crowd are there to party hard.

Cath, Highly Strung’s female lead vocalist, has it all: a love of music, classical voice training, brains, beauty, natural talent and loads of onstage presence. By day she works as a professional engineer but her true love has always been music. A self-described musical theatre geek, Cath adores Judy Garland, Kristin Chenoweth and Idina Menzel – but she has also been influenced by a mix of popular artists including Madonna, John Farnham, Adele, Michael Buble, Alanis Morissette, The Corrs, Carole King and Pink. Some of Cath’s favourite Highly Strung numbers include the Duffy hit Mercy and the Aussie rock classic Run to Paradise, which she has even belted out at her own wedding.

Luke is Highly Strung’s lead guitarist and backing vocalist. Whether its his signature acoustic work on Jack and Diane, the big-sounding slide guitar on Heartache Tonight or those thumping solos on Johnny B. Goode or Long Way to the Top, Luke’s nimble fingers are one of the cornerstones of Highly Strung’s authentic sound. Luke’s musical influences include 60s icons like Pink Floyd, The Who, The Beatles and The Rolling Stones, through to 70s and 80s Aussie rockers – but he’s also interested in blues greats like Robert Johnson, Muddy Waters and Howlin’ Wolf. Luke’s onstage gear includes his trusty blood-red Yamaha RGZ612, a Fender Strat, Ibanez VL300 acoustic, Line 6 Pod and Yamaha G100 amp.

Jo is Highly Strung’s second guitarist and has had a wealth of live performance experience around Australia and internationally. Her musical talents cross many genres including rock, pop, folk, jazz, world music and musical theatre. Not only is Jo’s guitar sound crucial in helping Highly Strung recreate the original classics as you remember them, but her musicality and charming on-stage presence helps to add her own unique personality to each song. Jo plays a Gretsch semi hollow guitar for that classic rock n roll sound, and switches to a Fender stratocaster for when she wants to get down and dirty!

Gerrit, aka “Carrot” is Highly Strung’s wizard on the keys! With over two decades of experience in bands, duets and soloist performances, he is no stranger to the stage, despite his unorthodox study of music – much to his parents dismay he skipped most of his piano lessons as a 12 year old and instead opted for self-developing his talents as a “rhythmic musician”. Man of many talents, Gerrit is as adept on guitar, drums and bass as he is behind the keys. His significant influences include The Beatles, Eagles, Pink Floyd, Led Zepplin, Dianna Krall and Tiffany Eckhardt. He simply loves making music!

Dave, aka ‘Shaggy’ is Highly Strung’s sound and lighting guru. He’s an integral part of our big sound, ensuring that everything works as it should – and that the band sounds great at front-of-house at every gig. Dave is also the band’s public liaison: he works closely with the client and guests at each function, to ensure that their needs are met and that everything runs like clockwork. It would be impossible to list his gear here (we’d need a separate page for that). Let’s just say he’s always got “something new”.