Joe Rubino and Kip Ehrke, the founding members of "The Staff," have been blending their unique approach to collaborative songwriting for more than a decade, creating a growing collection of work that reflects on their extensive musical backgrounds and their long association with rock, jazz and classical artists they have known and been influenced by over the years.

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Hey Guys, look for our song "Til it Happens" in the new movie "Lonely Street" starring Jay Mohr and Robert Patrick, As covered by Elvis. Hope you like it...Joe

The Staff

Kip Ehrke and Joe Rubino, the founding members of "The Staff," have been blending their unique approach to collaborative song writing for more than a decade, creating a growing collection of work that reflects on their extensive musical backgrounds and their long association with rock, jazz and classical artists they have known and been influenced by over the years.
Rubino, who first found his musical passions and inspiration playing and singing with some of Chicago's most talented local musicians, has been primary vocalist for the band, and brings also a deft touch in the studio, mixing and arranging the tones that give their work its easily-recognized style.
Ehrke, a native of Kansas, traces his earliest exposure to music to his grandmother, a graduate of Julliard and of the London Conservatory of Music, who went on to become an internationally-known classical pianist. Kip's own foray into music led to a deft, inventive and intricate musical sense developed on electric, Dobro and acoustic guitar as a teenager where he followed in the footsteps of a brother who taught and led him through the classics of rock. He continues to refine and define his technique, bringing it to new levels through collaborations with Rubino.
Their most recent success, the inclusion of their single, 'Till It Happens" appears as part of the musical score in the soon-to-be-released HBO movie "Lonely Street," a song they produced in collaboration with the original drummer and founding member of the band Chicago, Danny Seraphine. The song is a prime example of their skill at turning observations of everyday life into musical truisms.
"In 'Helping Hand,' which has become one of our most popular songs, the lyrics evolved from Joe watching a guy standing on a street corner with a sign, asking for handouts so he could buy food," Ehrke recalls. "Joe integrated the concept with a piece of music I had written at least 10 years ago. It is a now a timely song, given the events of today, and his lyrical touch reaches out to people who understand that they themselves may not be all that far from this man on the street corner."