Dr. Jesse Hsieh

Vocals, Guitar

Dr. Jesse Hsieh is the lead guitarist and does vocals. He worked his way through college playing in a rock band at local bars and proms and weddings.

He first started in guitar with classical training, and used that influence in his leads when he switched over to rock. He had put his guitars and amps away for years when he got the call to help form Vyagra Falls. On stage he plays bass, rhythm, acoustic, as well as lead. His day job is practicing Family Medicine full time in Granger, as well as serving as the current president of the South Bend Clinic.

Dr. Raman Mitra

Vocals, Guitar

Raman Mitra traces his musical tastes back to his culturally Protestant, Hindu upbringing in Northeast Pennsylvania in the early 60's. He recalls listening to the Beatles on his way to a school in the morning, singing from the Methodist Hymnal at school assembly in the afternoon and coming home in the evening to classical Indian sitar music. This was rounded by a touch of Catholic Liturgy while an undergrad at King’s College, a Holy Cross school in Wilkes-Barre, PA.

After initially dabbling in keyboards, he settled on guitar and was quite fond of the theatrical British “glam rock” style (David Bowie, T-Rex, Slade, Sweet) as well as their American counterparts (Alice Cooper, Kiss). His first band formed with schoolmates in eighth grade was named First Mourning, which survived only to the end of high school. He later formed a studio band called Brothers of the Womb, which recorded a number of original songs at a radio station in northeast PA.

One of the songs from the Brothers tape landed him an interview with Arista Records in 1981, while a medical student at the University of Pennsylvania. Much to Raman's dismay, a recording contract did not materialize from this interview; hence he pursued a career in cardiology.

Musical endeavors for the most part were put on the back burner for the next twenty years, until he received a call from Jesse Hsieh and Walt Langheinrich about the possibility of forming a rock band for a benefit gig: Battle of the Band Aids. Vyagra Falls has now rekindled his vague artistic ambitions, allowing him once again, to commit crimes against music with impunity.

Dr. James Harris

Keyboard

Jim Harris is a practicing allergist, and Vice-President of the South Bend Clinic. He grew up in the heartland of Iowa. He was destined to play keyboards; his grandmother was a concert organist for many years, and his father was an international judge for barbershop quartet singing. He trained in church music, and was the local Lutheran church organist all through high school. He was a finalist for a university music scholarship in organ performance, but fortunately didn’t win; he realized then that music would always be his passion, but that he wanted a career in medicine.

Somewhere in there he joined a rock group, and was weaned on standards by the Doors and other groups of the 60’s that focused on keyboards. Fast forward thirty years to South Bend in 2003; as a specialist in pediatric lung disease he helped organize the band and its first event raising money for children’s services at a local hospital. He loves singing and playing in the band, but isn’t ready to quit his day job—yet...

Dr. Walt Langheinrich

Percussion

Dr. Langheinrich is usually better known as one of the best brain surgeons in the area. He's often called away during practice to deal with such things like traumatic brain injuries. He has played drums in bands for most of his life, including his most recent group, Chantilly Lace, before Vyagra Falls. He provides the drive and the spark for humor and irreverant innovation in the band.

Kim Herbert

Violin

I've played violin since age of 6—got my start in Wyoming where most kindergartners learned to play “fiddle.” After retuning to Indiana I played more classical violin in various youth orchestras such as the IUSB Symphony Youth Orchestra and the Northwest Symphony Society. At college, she held a chair in the Notre Dame Symphony Orchestra while also playing in a college rock and roll band called “Gravity Hill.”

Rocky Geans

Guitar, Vocals

I started playing the guitar about 12 years of age, no lessons just banging around on the guitar with friends and relatives. Early music influence was Country and Bluegrass as all of my family is from Florence and Waterloo Alabama. My first band was in 7th grade and called “The Runabouts.” Early Rock influence was Eric Clapton, ALL of the 60’s groups, Eagles, Crosby, Stills, Nash, and Young. Got more serious about entertaining in 1977 when I began to tour the Midwest with The Rivieras a local band that recorded the 1964 No 1 hit song “California Sun.” My cousin Doug Gean was an original member and when they got back together they needed a guitar player with some vocals, I was happy to oblige.

We did a lot of gigs with other one hit wonders and groups such as Tommy James, Chuck Berry, Jan and Dean, Fabian, The Shirelles, The Turtles, Tommy Roe, to name a few. For my day job I own and operate L.L. Geans Construction Co. a concrete contracting firm established in 1959. The Docs are a blast and this is a lot of fun.

“Hey Docs do we actually practice at our so-called practices or just drink?”

Chris Screes

Vocals