Bio
The Whisky Dogs
Igniting Colorado with Rock, Blues, and Untamed Originals
The Whisky Dogs, a rock and blues cover and originals band based in Colorado, are here to ignite your passion for music. Led by Belle Zuniga on vocals and Brian Bucca on guitar, this group delivers an electrifying experience that blends their own heartfelt compositions with powerful renditions of classics by Led Zeppelin, The Allman Bros Band, Stevie Ray Vaughn, ZZ Top, and Jimi Hendrix. With Nick Stevens laying down infectious basslines and Steve Valente driving the beat with thunderous energy, The Whisky Dogs create a sonic tapestry that will leave you craving more. From intimate pub gigs to festival stages, their fiery passion, exceptional musicianship, and commitment to their craft make them an unstoppable force in Colorado's rock and blues scene. Prepare to howl with The Whisky Dogs and let their music set your soul ablaze.
Belle Zuniga - Vocals
Isabel Zuniga - "Belle" to her friends, family and community has been in the Denver music scene for over 10 years playing with many talented musicians and bands. Most notably, Vivid Black and the Wash Park Band. Belle left Denver in 2016 to head to Scottsdale, Arizona for 4 years before heading on up to Marin County, California. She's back in Denver and with The Whisky Dog Denver Band!
Brian Bucca - Guitar and Vocals
Looking way back through the catalogs of my childhood, music has always been there shaping who I am today in one way or another. I can still vividly remember me as a young kid growing up in Southern Mississippi on that bench seat of my dad’s truck, unbuckled and wiggling around proudly singing the likes of Kenny Rogers, the Oak Ridge Boys and Neil Diamond at the top of my lungs without care. My parents, neither having much of a musical background, must have been wondering where all this musical enthusiasm was coming from. It seems that expression through music came to me very early whether I realized it or not. When I met the guitar at 14 years old, I was immediately enamored and learned that I possessed the ultimate tool to further that musical self-expression. I spent endless hours picking apart riffs from Slash, Kirk Hammett and Dave Mustaine in the early years, which eventually morphed to Jimmy Page, Jimi Hendrix, SRV, Buddy Guy as well as Dickey Betts. Somewhere along the way, I found my own style of expression which I describe as a southern-style, psychedelic gumbo.
My relationship with music and the guitar has undeniably changed my life. Both have been a source of healing throughout times of confidence, through the agonies of confession and through everything in between. In light of how music has always been there for me, I can’t express how lucky I feel to give it back to an audience and to pay it forward to whoever chooses to listen.
Nick Stevens - Bass
Nick first started playing bass in high school in a band called The Voodoo Children. His influences include John Paul Jones, Geezer Butler, Geddy Lee, Les Claypool and Laura Lee. Nick sees the bass as the foundation of the song along with the drums. “As a bassist, my job is to help keep the train on the tracks. The bass and drums together are the canvas that allow Brian to bring out the vivid colors with their guitars and voices.”
Steve Valente - Drums, Backing Vocals
Born and raised on the mean streets of suburban Detroit, Michigan, music has been in his blood since about the age of 5 when he convinced his parents to buy him his first LP record…Love Gun by Kiss. Just like Bucca above, music wasn’t really in the family, so we don't really know how or why he has a love of music, but it’s there. Maybe the mailman was a drummer?
Steve started playing the drums at around 11 or 12 years old and took lessons from none other than Chad Smith of the Red Hot Chili Peppers. This was long before Chad would go on to worldwide fame and often become mistaken for Will Ferrell. In fact, Chad helped Steve’s first band called Private Drive set up for their first ever live performance at the Huntington Woods Recreation Center. Steve has been chasing that high of performing in front of others ever since.
Steve played in a variety of bands throughout his high school and college years and over the years, has recorded professionally with the Portland-based band The Freemartins and the Detroit-based band Mono Y Mono.
In addition to playing with the Whisky Dogs, Steve also plays with another Denver-based band called GenXtra. Additionally, Steve will be on tour in the Spring of 2024 throughout parts of Midwest and the Western United States and Canada with international recording and performing artists Electric Six.
Steve simply loves playing, writing, and recording music and hopes that if you come out see the Whisky Dogs, perhaps a little bit of his love and passion for music will rub off on you, and you’ll have a great time.
For the record, it’s pronounced “Peart.”