Angela Isart, Lead Singer and Band Manager
Angela Isart has been a lead singer for local Houston cover bands since 2010. She founded A Sure Thing along with James Langenbuch, bassist, and guitarist, Miguel Thornton in August of 2014, when they began hosting a Sunday Open Jam at The Concert Pub-Galleria. Their chemistry was off the charts, so she asked if they would be willing to join in on an adventure together, and that's when A Sure Thing was born.
Angela loves singing all types of genres and has a crazy vocal range from low tenor register to a high soprano. She believes that her wide vocal range stems from her years in church, high school, and college choirs as a first soprano where she was a featured soloist for small ensemble. It's when she began singing with bands where she found her low end range, singing songs meant for men. She loves a challenge. She wishes, though, that she could scream like Chester Bennington from Linkin Park. She thinks that would be absolutely CRAZY!
She received a scholarship for voice and attended San Jacinto College North. She received her teaching degree in 1998 from The University of Houston-Downtown, graduating with honors, and now retired, focuses exclusively on A Sure Thing. When not performing, she's promoting, booking, keeping up the website and the social media platforms, and managing A Sure Thing. For her, it is a labor of love and a dream come true to sing with such an accomplished group of musicians and friends.
The men in A Sure Thing have had a major impact on her life musically as well as personally, and she is proud to have created a band that is dedicated and loyal to the music, the group, and to one another.
Her musical influences include Patsy Cline, Anne Wilson, Bette Midler, Barbara Streisand, Donna Summer, Chaka Khan, Prince, Beyonce, Bruno Mars, Mick Jagger, Steven Tyler, Steve Perry, Tina Turner, and her all time favorite, Anita Baker.
Singing has brought a great deal of joy to Angela's life, and has introduced her to so many wonderful people. She says, "I believe that I am doing what my Creator designed me to do, sing and touch others through music."
Miguel Thornton, Guitarist, Vocals, and Music Director
Miguel is one of the most versatile guitarists in Houston. When he is not performing, Miguel teaches music to beginners and advanced students, children and adults, at both Sessions Music and Clear Lake Music Lessons in the Greater-Houston, TX area.
Miguel has performed with original bands as well as cover bands and has been playing guitar since he was 12 years old when he was introduced to the instrument by his father. When he came to Houston, he decided he wanted to join a band, so he started frequenting open jams at various places and found other like-minded musicians to groove with. He has over 30 years of experience at guitar. He also plays bass, drums, and keyboards, but he excels at guitar and can make you truly feel the music through his deft fingers that fly, tap, slide, and glide across the strings.
Miguel’s philosophy on music can be summed up by a quote from Ludwig van Beethoven, “To play a wrong note is insignificant; to play without passion is inexcusable.” That's also his approach to life.
Clint Woodruff, Keyboards & Vocals
Clint Woodruff is a multi-instrumentalist and vocalist with 28 years of musical experience and a lifelong passion for sound and performance. He plays keys and vocals in the band, and also plays guitar, drums, and bass. He aims to bring versatility and a strong musical foundation to every show.
Clint first got started with music at a young age, driven by a love for learning songs and exploring different instruments. That curiosity grew into a deep appreciation for how music works together, inspiring him to become a well-rounded musician.
What Clint loves most about performing is connecting with audiences and creating moments people can feel-from locking into a groove to building emotion within a song. Live music, for him, is about shared energy and expression.
His musical influences include Alternative Rock, Reggae, Hip-Hop, and R&B, shaping a dynamic and adaptable style. Clint enjoys performing across rock, pop, funk, soulful, and rhythm-driven genres.
What does Clint do when he's not performing on stage, he likes video games, working out, studying the Bible, cooking, and hanging out with friends and family. And he can bake a killer batch of oatmeal cookies.
James Langenbuch, Bassist, Audio and Video Production
James started out playing guitar in the late 80’s, learning music from his favorite bands. Taking a few lessons at a local music store, he began learning from his friends and people he jammed with. After a few years he joined a group of friends in high school and started playing out frequently at parties and talent shows. Fast forward, after high school, James started seriously writing his own music, influenced by metal bands such as Iron Maiden, Metallica, and Anthrax to name a few.
James’ first success in the local scene came with his band Carnival Sin in the mid 90’s, headlining shows and opening for national acts like Bobby Rock. Starting out on guitar for the band, he quickly switched to bass out of necessity. His band needed a bass player, but they couldn't find the right fit, so he took up the bass and the rest is history.
After a few more bands and then a move out of state, James got into his first cover band playing out and around the Mississippi and Louisiana (New Orleans) scenes. Finishing New Horizons Tech School, James decided to return to Houston and pursue original and cover music. Over the next 20 plus years he has played with many well-known cover bands and collected a sizeable catalogue of songs ranging from Blues, R&B, Country, Rock, and everything in between.
James has played for bands such as Rockpyle, Big Empty, Gravel, Torn, Synergy, Crosscheck, Superfix, The Elroy’s, Loud Love, Flicker System, Radio Frequency, and The Mockingbirds, but he found his home in A Sure Thing.
James plays 4, 5 and 6 string bass as well as fretless. His main bass is a Fender 5 string active jazz bass. Depending on the gig, he may bring out his Markbass or his Ampeg amps, and sometimes using his Sansamp Tech 21 DI and a set of Shure in-ears monitors. Some of the bassists that have influenced him over the years have been Steve Harris (Iron Maiden), Robert Deleo (STP), Billy Sheehan (Mr. Big), James Jamerson (Motown), John Paul Jones (Led Zeppelin), and Cliff Burton (Metallica).
James' work ethic, determination, and love of music make him easily a great bassist who loves entertaining and the comradery of being part of something special.
Aaron Holden Jr., Drummer
For the person who is the driving force of the band while on stage, Aaron is the quietest. He watches, he listens, he observes, and with his subtle ways, steers the band in positive ways on and off the stage. You'd feel it just to be around him. He has a sense of peace and calm that only a man of faith knows. He's very in tune to the world around him and always has a positive outlook on life, so it is no wonder to find that Aaron discovered music while in the womb.
According to his mom, Aaron would hear music or a beat and would kick to it, his first drum skin long before he'd find the one behind a kit. At the age of three, he'd go to church and would watch the musicians, and with no formal training or a teacher, he instinctively knew where to go and what to hit and when. He watched, observed, and listened the many heroes of his childhood to attempt and master intricate combinations. As soon as he could reach the pedal, he's been on the kit.
One day, the drummer at his church was late for service, so he picked up a set of sticks, hopped on the drums and was overjoyed to find that he could keep a beat. You may have heard it said that the musician doesn't pick the instrument. The instrument picks the musician. For Aaron, it was the drum kit. Aaron says, “I could feel it in my soul, and it was calling to me. It was like the rhythm of my heart aligned with the drums, and I haven't looked back sense.”
Music, Aaron believes, is a gift that is God given to be a light in the world. It's been the most influential thing in his life. Music has kept him out of trouble and given him a purpose, a way to give back to others.
For Aaron, music has always been a way to escape the problems of the world. He has many enfluences from his childhood like Dwayne Lewis, Keven Burrell, and Jeremy Stoot as well as other greats like Buddy Rich, Clyde Stubblefield, Aaron Spears, Calvin Rodgers, Dennis Chambers and so many other jazz and gospel greats. You can feel and hear all of these influences in his playing.
So, if you're wondering what it is that makes you want to get up and dance like no one is watching when AST plays, look to our incredibly versatile drummer, Aaron Holden Jr.