Who Are We?

One thing is true about all DinoSoars members - we’ve been around a long time… qualified seasoned musicians with boatloads of credits and musical life experience, so to say. Let’s offer up some highlights of that long and winding road that leads to the dawn of DinoSoars.

 

      Dino Armendariz - our band’s namesake - hails originally from Carlsbad, New Mexico. Being the son of a pro musician there helped inspire Dino to pursue a career in music, which included a 15 year run performing in Las Vegas. As a founding member, he worked with Jerry Lopez and his band Santa Fe, a group still currently performing and recording. He’s also appeared with Red Foxx, Chick Corea, Al Jarreau, Johnny Winter, Rosemary Hamilton, and played concert appearances to thousands internationally. Dino specializes in percussion styles of all kinds, including the use of his new electronic Zen Drum instrument. Simply put, Dino makes it a joy to play any style of music an engagement requires, with a special regard to groove and dynamics. Dino believes in showcasing modern trends in popular music while remaining true to musical traditions we all know and love. He’s excited about the new original material we are developing. Recording - especially live - is definitely on the horizon!

​

      Don Chilcott - our newest member, started his guitar lessons at age 15 including studying with David Lindley from the Jackson Browne band. Don has played hundreds of gigs since his teens. Don had the opportunity to study at the famous Guitar Institute of Technology (GIT) in Southern California. After graduating, Don traveled with several bands - including his own Don Chilcott Band - and performed with artists such as Darlene Love, George harmonica Smith, Shakey Jake, Martha Reeves, Mary Wells and Ronnie Spector. Since his move to our neck of the woods, Don has become a powerful award winning player with many regional star bands… and very much in demand for his skill and musical sensibility. Lucky for us, Don has committed himself to make DinoSoars a complete quartet with the essential guitar sound he contributes to our mix, and his outstanding rockin’ bluesy vocals. Bottom line… Don always plays and sings TASTY!

​

      Doug and Sally McQuain - both were raised in SW Seattle.  They enjoyed access to some of our world’s finest music and musicians. As teenage sweethearts in the 60’s, they tuned in to rock, blues, folk, jazz, musical theater, and the area’s bands of that era: The Dynamics, Ike and Tina Turner, Marilee Rush, The Viceroys, The Wailers (think ‘Louie, Louie’), and folk artists and jazz musicians who played in local coffeehouses. They also had the opportunity to listen to jazz stars such as Cannonball Adderly, John Handy, Larry Coryell and Charles Lloyd.

 

Music was their big passion then as it is now. Doug’s high school performing experiences with the Northwest Jazz Quartet and other groups began earlier than Sal’s. Doug studied music at several Washington State universities, earning his B.A. from Eastern Washington University in 1986.  Over the years, Doug’s been in more bands than he can remember, but all those experiences helped him achieve familiarity with several instruments: keyboards, flute, sax, vocals, and percussion - including vibraphone and marimba. But some bands are worth remembering, such as The Official Expo ’74 Band and Spokane’s Earthsong in the late 70s, and more recently the blues group Anita Royce and the High Rollers. Doug is now exploring digital audio recording and loves to blow his EWI, an innovative electronic wind instrument developed by Nyle Steiner for the Akai Corporation.

 

      Sally learned piano as a child, sang harmonies with her sister, and always wanted to play bass. She started performing in country bands and the duo “Chameleon” with Doug. Sally has enjoyed the fretless bass guitar and double bass with musical groups - Borderline, The Hippie Chicks, singer/songwriter Thomas Hart with Stazya, and Spectra,  Doug and Sally's family band. With sons Silas and Craig McQuain, Spectra has performed many times at 49 Degrees North and Chewelah’s Chataqua festival.

​

      Doug and Sally both understand the power music has to transform people, bringing them exquisite joy and happiness. The DinoSoars agenda is just that - to produce uplifting live and recorded music for enlightenment, as well as entertainment. So please “Come Soar with Us” whenever you feel the urge to listen, dance, sing along and enjoy a good time!