About the Band
Descent Theory is the result of five musicians’ journey to defy the modern expectations of progressive music. Their musical vision is to balance memorable, soaring melodies, intricate passages, heavy riffs, and improvised solos, all performed live without backing tracks, ensuring that no performance will happen exactly the same way twice.
Formed in 2022, they are currently set to release their debut album, “What Lies Ahead,” in late 2025, which features collaborations from notable artists such as Donny McCaslin, J3P0, Francois Chanvallon, and Poh Hock.
About the Members
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Jake Hirsch is a multi-faceted instrumentalist, composer, instructor, and producer based in the Boston area.
Since the age of fourteen he has been performing and gigging on saxophone and guitar. Born in Baton Rouge, Louisiana, Jake grew up in twelve different towns due to his family’s military background, and along the way developed a deep love for the music of Steve Vai, Yes, Wayne Shorter, Pat Metheny, Eric Johnson, and Allan Holdsworth, to name a few.
In Hawaii he was introduced to the music and playing of Michael Brecker by his high school band director, inspiring him to study Jazz Composition and Saxophone Performance at Berklee College of Music. There he had the opportunity to study with world renowned faculty such as George Garzone, Ayn Inserto, Bob Gullotti, Alain Mallet, and Shannon LeClaire, and performed with artists such as Bill Frisell, Kurt Elling, and Donald Harrison of the Art Blakey Jazz Messengers.
Since graduating in 2018 he has had the opportunity to perform and collaborate with artists across a wide range of genres and ensembles, including a tour with indie jazz group Jade Collective supporting Grammy nominated artist Becca Stevens, a concert in collaboration with the Berklee Indian Ensemble and late tabla master Zakir Hussain, and performances with the Bebop Bounty Big Band featuring Raj Ramayya of the Seatbelts.
Jake’s writing and playing is heavily influenced by Tigran Hamasyan, Snarky Puppy, Plini, Chris Potter, Arch Echo, Mark Lettieri, and Donny McCaslin, as well as the plethora of incredible musicians in the Boston community.
Outside of working on Descent Theory material, Jake is busy honing his craft of guitar and sax, educating his students on the benefits of multi-instrumentalism as a means to expand creative potential!
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Steve Wilkinson is a drummer, composer, and educator from the South Shore of Massachusetts.
He began his studies in middle school as a classically trained percussionist under the tutelage of the late, great Dick DiCenso, and by high school he had earned the early honors of section leader in the Massachusetts Youth Wind Ensemble at the New England Conservatory prep school, as well as first chair percussion of the Massachusetts All State orchestra in 2007. Throughout high school, Steve was also involved in the jazz band at school and played rock and metal outside of school, his early musical influences including Tool, Mudvayne, Sevendust, Ill Niño, and Linkin Park, among many others.
Though he had gone further in the classical world up to that point in terms of achievement, when it came time to decide on a career, Steve turned his focus entirely to the drum set and went on to earn his Bachelor’s degree in Jazz Drums Performance from McGill University's Schulich School of Music in Montreal, where he studied with master guru and mentor Chris McCann and graduated with distinction in 2011. Since then, he has settled in Quincy, MA where he lives with his wife Molly and his dog Wheezy.
Since moving back to the US from Canada in 2011, Steve has been teaching drum lessons to students of all ages and all levels, from beginners to pro and semi-pro players, both privately and though the Milton Public Schools (grades 4-12).
He has also recorded with and performed in many groups and projects over the years, covering an eclectic range of musical genres, all around Boston, New York and throughout greater New England, as well as in other parts of the US and Canada.
Steve is best known for his unique and dynamic sound as an energetic, virtuosic and expressive drummer, blending intensity and groove with improvisation to form an amalgamation of his backgrounds in rock, hip-hop and jazz, but his versatility has allowed him the experience of performing in a wide variety of other contexts as well, including his work with Latin Grammy winner Nella Rojas of Venezuela, country singer and NBC’s The Voice finalist Kristen Merlin of Nashville, and renowned singer Jaasiel Sança of Cape Verde.
In addition to Descent Theory, Steve is also currently the drummer for Boston-based jazz fusion group City of Four, a band which features his compositions as well as his playing. Steve proudly endorses Philadelphia Drum Company drums, and products from Stack Ring Percussion, Timothy Roberts Cymbals, and TNR Products.
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A Boston native, Eric Falter has been a mainstay of the Boston Music scene since the early 2010’s. A graduate of Berklee College of Music, Eric holds a professional diploma in professional music with concentrations in Jazz Performance and Composition. He has studied with world renowned educators and grammy award winning artists including John Patitucci, Jon Finn, Oscar Stagnaro, Jim Stinnett, and Bruce Gertz, among others.
Eric’s career as a professional bass player has brought him all over the globe. Notable performances as a sideman include “The Doo Wop Project” (featuring members of Broadway’s smash hits “Jersey Boys” and “Motown: The Musical”), “Don Lappin Band” (featuring members of “Allan Holdsworth”), and numerous appearances on records for Boston and New England Music Awards nominees.
A bass guitarist exclusively, Eric prides himself on studying the greats to develop the sensibilities of the instrument and techniques such as playing with a pick, alternate finger techniques, detuning of the instrument, extended range, and slap bass playing. Some inspirations include James Jamerson, Jaco Pastorius, Pino Palladino, Steve Swallow, Chuck Rainey, Nathan East, Anthony Jackson, Victor Wooten, Hadrien Feraud, Janek Gwizdala, Derrick Hodge, MonoNeon and many more.
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Trevor Mitoma is an instrumentalist and composer based out of Massachusetts.
Originally from Morgan Hill, CA, Trevor began studying piano at the age of five. Drawing upon his father's diverse love of music and multi-instrumental abilities, he was exposed to a wide range of music from an early age, spanning from big band jazz to classic rock.
Through youth jazz programs in California, Trevor had the opportunity to discover major influences such as Chick Corea, Fred Hersch, and Victor Wooten, even having the chance to attend workshops with each of them. He studied under Grammy Award-winning saxophonist Aaron Lington in the San Jose Jazz All Stars (alongside bandmate Matt Stubbs, the first clarinetist to be awarded a fellowship at the Herbie Hancock institute) before eventually moving to Boston to pursue a music degree at Berklee College of Music.
While at Berklee, Trevor studied jazz piano under Yoko Miwa and Alain Mallet, and jazz composition under Bob Pilkinton and Scott Free. He received a dual Bachelor's of Music degree in Jazz Composition and Piano Performance, with a minor in contemporary music theory.
After graduating Berklee, Trevor has continued to be a part of the Boston music community through teaching piano lessons, and has spent three years being a key member of the stage team for the Charles River Jazz Festival. He hopes to help foster the continued growth of one of the most unique music scenes in the country!
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Jon has been passionate about jazz-fusion since a young age and picked up his first instrument at three years old. An Orlando native, he currently lives in Boston, MA and is a recent Berklee graduate with a dual major in Performance and Jazz Composition. Since then, Jon has branched his expertise into Audio Engineering. Mixing and mastering various projects for locals in New England to projects as far as the Bahamas.
Some of his major guitar influences are Steve Vai, Greg Howe, Plini, Pat Metheny, and Allan Holdsworth. Jon has experience playing extended range guitars as well, and is fluent in 7 and 8 string guitar.
In addition, Jon is also a career trumpet player. He has played with various artists, such as Sam Rivers, Ripe, Martha Reeves, The Temptations, The Supervillains, Kurt Elling, and more.