Songs for the Life
About The Band
IT STARTED with just two friends, Nick Pugliese and Rick Philleo, with our guitars working out musical arrangements and vocal harmonies simply for our own enjoyment. As time went on we added drums and bass guitar to round out the sound and complete the band.
In time we progressed into a performance band, publicly sharing our music with others. Our name, Prior Axe, is a play on the phrase ‘prior acts’ with axe being slang for guitar. Our music includes songs from the 50’s, 60’s, and 70’s, some unique instrumentals, and a few interesting originals.
The band members are Nick Pugliese on lead guitar, Rick Philleo on rhythm guitar, David ‘Rigo’ Yrigoyen on bass guitar, and Scott Williams on the drum kit. We have no front man. We are a harmony band with all three guitarists adding our own unique voice to create our vocal harmonies. We each sing lead vocals as each song requires.
Prior Axe is a family-friendly, fun band playing soft rock with some up-tempo dance tunes in the mix. Prior Axe continues to relive the past while adding more contemporary songs to our song list.
Photo Gallery
We enjoy playing at various venues around Orange County. Venues that draw the older listeners fit well with our songs from past decades. However, younger audiences are discovering good music that has endured the test of time.
Song Audio Samplings
Live music is always raw and exciting to listen to and experience. These select audios are a sample of our sound. Click the Play symbol to hear that song.
No Matter What – Badfinger
Folsom Prison Blues – Johnny Cash
Somewhere Over the Rainbow – Instrumental
You’re Sixteen – Ringo Starr
But I Do – Clarance ‘Frogman’ Henry
You Belong To Me – Jo Stafford
Venues
Venues we have performed at throughout Orange and Riverside Counties.
Ciro’s Pizza — Buena Park
Ruby’s Diner — Orange
Stoneridge Towne Center (Grand Opening) — Moreno Valley
Tom’s Farms — Temescal Valley
Long Beach Towne Center — Long Beach
Main Street Car Show — Garden Grove
Bella Terra Amphitheater — Huntington Beach
Leoness Cellars & Restaurant — Temecula
Ozzie’s Sports Bar & Lounge — Fountain Valley
SteelCraft — Garden Grove & Bellflower
Sample Song List
We cover many different artists and music genres. We are partial to songs we listened to in our day, however, we are adding songs by newer artists that fit well with our music styling.
Can’t Buy me Love — Beatles
Dream Lover — Bobby Darin
Fields of Gold — Sting
Folsom Prison Blues — Johnny Cash
Lodi — Creedance Clearwater Revival
Under the Boardwalk — The Drifters
No Matter What — Badfinger
Somewhere Over the Rainbow — Eric Clapton
Suspicious Minds — Elvis Presley
The Weight — The Band
Secret Agent Man — Johnny Rivers
Walk Right Back — Everly Brothers
Old Time Rock & Roll – Bob Seger
Chasing Cars – Snow Patrol
Poor Side of Town – Johnny Rivers
Stray Cat Strut – Stray Cats
I Still Haven’t Found What I’m Looking For – U2
Upcoming Performances
Here are the dates, times, and locations for our upcoming performances.
Date: January 30, 2026
Time: 5:00pm to 7:30pm
Location: Main Street Car Show
Main St. Garden Grove
Date: February 20, 2026
Time: 5:00pm to 7:30pm
Location: Main Street Car Show
Main St. Garden Grove
Date: May 8, 2026
Time: 5:00pm to 7:30pm
Location: Main Street Car Show
Main St. Garden Grove
Get in Touch
We’d love to hear from you. Please leave us a respectful message or positive comment about your listening experience, a song you liked, or anything else you would like to share with the band.
Thank you for your response. ✨
© 2025 Prior Axe
Welcome to Prior Axe Band 