Katie Degentesh is a poet whose first book, The Anger Scale, was selected for a 2009 American Poetry Society award and favorably compared to the Stooges by critic Stephen Burt in The Believer. She was raised in Maryland, went to school in the San Francisco Bay Area and has lived in NYC since 2000 and Harlem since 2007.

Katy Hogan is a passionate human whose greatest pleasures include singing, dancing, and loving.  And sleeping and eating. And playing the piano when she has the time. Oh! And foot massages.  (Maybe those should go to the top of the list.)  Also, she really enjoys doing laundry and the dishes when she doesn't feel pressed for time.  She doesn't much like showering, but does it anyway, because, well, you know.  She loves mother earth and her fellow humans who share this sacred planet.  She espouses a return to shamanism, to the earth, to the body, to the spirit, to the greater consciousness. She is eternally grateful for her Stop Shopping and 5 Rhythms communities. By day (and most evenings) she masquerades as a professional lady and makes her living as an acupuncturist and East Asian medicine practitioner.  If you live uptown, reach out for a session!

AKA KindGoth Lena has been in the choir since she was a baby. She loves to dance and sing and draw and hopes to be a digital artist when she is older. She also likes to travel. Lena is a friendly person and teaches her elders all the new ways of being. She is the pres of the GSA at her school.

Mariana Wilson is a queer non-binary theatre artist who centers anti-racism and love in their activism. They've moved around a lot in the past few years, but might stick around New York for a good while.

Mark Read is a good and decent human being, though he can be a tad irascible at times. He makes up for it by being a very loyal friend, exceptionally dedicated uncle and doting dog owner. He talks to himself at full volume when walking in the woods by himself.

Max J. Andrucki has been a bass in the choir since 2017. He is an associate professor of geography and urban studies at temple university. He is also a singer in beloved indiepop band The Smittens. A native of central Maine, he has lived in the UK and Japan as well as Vermont and Pennsylvania. He likes to read, cook, discuss, travel, and celebrate.

Molly Chanoff grew up feral and wild in a free school in Massachusetts. She is an aunt, daughter, sister, friend, lover, former capoeirista, sometimes-surfer, polyglot, acrobat, trapeze artist and proud mama to a lovely daughter that she is raising In Community. Since 1999 she has been part of LAVA, a feminist dance company known for awe-inspiring feats that push the boundaries of dance, gravity and gender expectations. LAVA is committed to uninstalling the patriarchal values of our society, one person and performance at a time (join us! lavabrooklyn.org). Since 2007 she has been singing, running in the streets, dancing, climbing up mountains, travelling and performing with the choir. These two communities have shaped her adult life. 

Nate is from Kentucky, he joined the Church of Stop Shopping in 2005. In addition to playing in many bands he teaches math and knows a lot about the Civil War.

Originally from Jackson, Mississippi, Nehemiah Luckett has been performing, composing and conducting for over 30 years. From an early age he connected his deep love of music to the transformative power of building community through breathing and singing with family and friends. He has been a featured soloist at the National Cathedral, Carnegie Hall and has performed all over the US and Europe. He has composed solo, choral and instrumental pieces. He has had productions of two full length musicals: Hamlet: Prince of Funk (1999) with collaborators Owen Beverly (Evans) and Matthew Smith and Brick by Brick (2006), based on the works of Edgar Allan Poe with collaborator, Ross Wade. Currently, Nehemiah has three musicals in development - Triple Threats with Tracey Lee, A Burning Church with Zhailon Levingston and Alex Hare, and (((Jazz Singer))) with Joshua William Gelb. Nehemiah is the Music Director and Composer for Rev. Billy and the Stop Shopping Choir (http://revbilly.com)  Nehemiah has deep gratitude for Power APAC (Academic and Performing Arts Complex) in Jackson, Mississippi where he studied music and theater and for his family that allowed him to dream crazy dreams. Read more here