Tony

Toe Knee grew up in the rural town of Blair, Nebraska where in high school he composed and performed with his first two bands, the Dance Fat and Dubious. After cutting his teeth as a freelance musician around Omaha, Toe Knee moved to Kansas City in 1998 and attended the UMKC Conservatory of Music. Kansas City's eclectic music scene introduced Toe Knee to a new array of playing experiences and musical genres, including Brazilian, Afro-Cuban, jazz, folk, and experimental music. This great diversity left a lasting-impression on him, and began creeping into his composing. While still in Kansas City, Toe Knee began writing music for his "dream band" to be formed in Southern California.

After graduating with a BM in Percussion Performance in 2002, Toe Knee moved to Orange County, CA and cemented the formation of Upstart. Since 2003, he has been the middle school jazz director at Crossroads School in Santa Monica and an in-demand drum teacher around West Los Angeles. In addition to his work with Upstart, Toe Knee composes and plays guitar in his own eclectic folk project.