Brett O’Connor a.k.a. “Sneezy” or “BOC” grew up in Libertyville, IL with fellow bandmates: Jack, Austin, and Thomas. As early as first grade, Brett and Jack were serenading anyone that would listen. Although they have been singing together their entire lives, the band was officially given its name when a joyous onlooker demanded to know who they were during a routine jam. Jack proclaimed, “We’re called Sneezy”.

Music is family to Brett. He’s only been in one band and believes that music is a vehicle to connect deeply with the people he loves. Outside of the band you can find Brett backpacking in the depths of the wilderness, yelling at a TV during Chicago Bulls or Bears game, or exploring the city with his dog and meeting new people.

Jack Holland a.k.a “Jucy J”, “JJ Dude”, or “Sugar Jack” was raised among musicians whom shaped his skill and love for music. Music was woven in the walls of his childhood home; the living room had a 1960’s champagne gold Gretsch drum set beside the couch. It faced a TV that was perched atop a Hammond chord organ. Old armchairs framed a big bass amp while microphones stood in one corner and a piano graced the other. It was within this room that the group embarked on their musical journey together in 1998. Their ‘440 W. Cook’ album, released in 2019, pays homage to the home where it all began. Over time, the group grew in size as new friends were invited to jam, thus becoming “Sneezy” as they are known today. When Jack is not dedicating his time towards music, he can be found embarking on other creative journeys that include painting, digital media, and customizing his guitars.

Thomas “Chops” Hannum, began his musical journey on piano at the age of 5. In 4th grade he started playing alto saxophone. As time progressed, so too did his desire for a lower tone, leading to the baritone saxophone. Even that wasn’t enough, so he picked up the bass and hasn’t put it down since.

Chops has developed many interests over the years. In college, Thomas studied engineering and played NCAA volleyball. Before heading off for his studies, he was approached by Brett and Jack to start playing with the band Sneezy Trio.

Austin “Big Blazer” Lutter joined the band (then known as Sneezy Trio) in 2009 after helping record and produce some of the Trio’s initial recordings. Sneezy being a band comprised of lifelong friends, Austin has known Jack since age 4 and Brett since 1st grade… and growing up together, the living room at the Holland’s house right down the street from Austin’s home was always a safe space to create, and served as the perfect launching point for his now 26 year musical career.

As the band’s resident metal head, Austin 🎸 shreds 🤘 lead guitar for Sneezy, and enjoys producing/mixing/mastering records and doing all other kinds of post production audio work in his free time. When not on tour with Sneezy, he enjoys a good RPG video game, playing chess, and creating the occasional synthesizer EDM jam in Ableton Live.

Austin Koziol a.k.a. “Koz” from Libertyvile, IL is a husband, father, and drummer. Austin got hooked after hearing funk music for the first time when he was eight years old. Ever since – his life has been guided by his dream to be a full-time musician.

Koz, 15 years old at the time, worked at the same sandwich shop as Jack and jammed with the Sneezy boys on a whim after work one day. A few years later he got a call from them to play a show with them. “When?” He asked. “Tonight. Picking you up in 10 minutes”, Jack replied. The rest is history. He met his wife Marissa studying music at ISU in 2016. Eight years later, they have a baby girl on the way. In addition to music, Austin’s underlying passion for health and fitness lead him to become a part-time personal trainer and nutrition coach (more info at @austinkoz_). He helps musicians look, feel, and play better through health and fitness.

Destiny “TK” Pivonka is a Chicago based, international touring saxophonist and recording artist. She’s recorded with JJ Cale, Gizzae, Lubriphonic, Teddy Afro, Sneezy and countless local acts all over the U.S. She’s been with Sneezy since October of 2021 and considers them to be her forever home. She loves to sail, she sword fights, and she makes a mean potato salad.

Danny grew up in West Chester Ohio and started playing music at a very young age. Bauer started piano lessons as a 6 year old and started playing in bands he out together with his friends starting in sixth grade.

After high school, Bauer moved to Columbus Ohio where he studied jazz piano at Capital University under the great Mark Flugge. After finishing school, Bauer performed locally and regionally in Columbus and beyond. In 2015, Bauer put together a project called “Safety Squad”. Originally starting as a band that covered Snarky Puppy music, this eventually evolved into an outlet for his original music and he recorded and released 5 albums with this band.

In 2019, Bauer moved to Chicago to pursue new music opportunities, and in the summer of 2020 he was featured on WGN local news and the Chicago Reader for his nightly outdoor porch concerts he organized during the lockdowns.