John Ostby
John Ostby is a lifelong singer, keyboard player and songwriter. In 1993, he co-founded the Minneapolis-based band Spymob, whose sophisticated blend of pop, rock, funk and soul earned the group a cult following and major-label attention in the late 90s and early 2000s. Ostby, drummer Eric Fawcett and guitarist Brent Paschke originally formed the band around a shared love of artists such as Steely Dan, The Beatles and The Police before Spymob was discovered by Pharrell Williams and Chad Hugo of The Neptunes and N.E.R.D. The band became the live backing group for N.E.R.D. and played a major role in re-recording N.E.R.D.’s debut album “In Search Of…” with live instrumentation, helping shape the album’s eclectic sound. Ostby also contributed vocals, keyboards and songwriting to Spymob’s acclaimed albums “Sitting Around Keeping Score” and toured internationally alongside N.E.R.D. Over the years, his songwriting and distinctive voice have remained central to Spymob’s enduring reputation as one of Minneapolis’s most influential underground rock acts of the 2000s.
Since 2012, John has worked as a Licensed Marriage and Family Therapist whose clinical work centers on trauma recovery, men’s issues and couples therapy. He reports that his years of co-creating music with his Spymob band members was excellent training for his later work of co-creating paths of healing and growth with his therapy clients.
John has two young adult kids and two young adult stepkids. He lives with his wife and a rotating cast of young adults in the suburbs of Minneapolis.
Brent Paschke
Brent Paschke is a Grammy Award–winning guitarist, producer, songwriter, and music educator, best known for his work with Pharrell Williams. Brent began working with Pharrell in 2001 as a part of his production duo The Neptunes, with Chad Hugo, and their band, N.E.R.D. Brent continues to accompany Pharrell in the studio and on tour. In addition, Brent has worked with Katy Perry, Britney Spears, Stevie Wonder, Ariana Grande, Chris Brown, New Kids on the Block, Kelly Clarkson, Kid Cudi, Beck, Snoop Dogg, Post Malone and many others.
Brent co-founded Tuniversity with development partner Apple and Pharrell Williams as a company dedicated to reinvigorating music education through multimedia technology and today’s pop music
Brent grew up in Grand Forks, North Dakota and currently lives in Los Angeles with his wife and two daughters.
To listen to Brent’s full list of recording and writing credits, visit BrentPaschke.com
Eric Fawcett
Eric Fawcett is the drummer for the band Spymob, whose members became key collaborators with Pharrell Williams and N.E.R.D. Over the course of his music career, Fawcett toured and recorded internationally, worked with a wide range of artists and producers including The Hopefuls, Grammy-winning songwriter Dan Wilson, and Chinese pop star Wang Lee Hom, among others. Fawcett is also a founding member of Yukon Kornelius, the all-star charity band featuring members of Dave Matthews Band, Barenaked Ladies, Guster, and Twisted Sister.
In 2011, Fawcett co-founded Egg Music, a Minneapolis music production and licensing company, with songwriter and producer John Hermanson. They created original music for advertising, film, television, and branded media, building Egg Music into a respected creative partner for many global brands. The duo ultimately sold its catalog to Atlanta-based Level 77 Music in 2021, while Fawcett and Hermanson continued on as creative consultants.
Today, Eric Fawcett is a Minneapolis–St. Paul-based licensed marriage and family therapist whose work focuses on helping individuals, couples, families, and creative collaborators build deeper emotional connections and relational awareness. Through his practice, Attune Relational Wellness, Fawcett draws on both clinical training and decades of experience in collaborative artistic environments to help clients navigate communication challenges, intimacy, identity, life transitions, and creative partnership dynamics.
Among all the roles he has played, Fawcett is proudest of being the dad of three adult children who never cease to amaze him.