Tribute bands work their magic by staying in the groove

Thursday, April 15, 2004 By MIKE DANIEL / The Dallas Morning News

Many of us worship somebody in the music biz. How we show our devotion (by collecting albums, joining fan clubs or lingering long into the night on Internet discussion groups) defines our faith. Then there are tribute bands. They're seen by many as the seminal form of musical hero worship, the path for those who believe imitation is the only way to total sonic salvation. Practitioners sometimes become so enveloped that they begin to believe they're the real thing. Which isn't to suggest that anyone in Dallas' modest but diverse tribute-band scene is that far gone. Not at all. Yet the leaders of A Hard Night's Day, Back in Black, Diamondbag, Oliver's Army and Queen for a Day all proudly claim a slightly unnatural devotion to the performers they mimic. It doesn't hurt that there's money to be made by acting like rock legends, either. But as they testify below, these cover musicians temper their beliefs with one absolute truth: It's only rock 'n' roll, and they like it.

A Hard Night's Day
No music act, save for Elvis Presley, has as many tribute acts as the Beatles. A Hard Night's Day is one of the best of that large bunch. The band has played in Liverpool, England, recorded at Abbey Road Studios and fooled John, Paul, George and Ringo's original producer on recordings. The Faux Fab Five (yes, they have an extra member) are easily Dallas' most successful tribute band; when not on the road, they play four or five public gigs a month here as well as plenty of private parties and weddings.

The players:
Mark Ehmann (Paul McCartney, bass guitar and vocals), Doug Cox (Ringo Starr, drums), Carter Livingston (George Harrison, guitar and some keyboards), Paul Averitt (John Lennon, guitar and some keyboards), Bob Cummins (extra member, vocals, guitar, keyboards).

Formed:
March 1994.

Spokesman:
Mr. Ehmann.

The gist:
"We are a tribute band that tries to replicate the sounds of the Beatles by using the same instruments, the same sound systems and techniques, and the same general look. We don't wear costumes, though; 1960s mod suits are as far as we go."

The genesis:
"It started as a happy- hour band on Fridays at Club Dada." The Dead Thing (a local Grateful Dead tribute band) was also playing at Dada, and "they inspired us to try the Beatles, which we all loved."

Why are you worthy?
"Our emphasis is duplicating the sound. People tell us we sound exactly like them all the time, and the energy as well. The people that actually knew them say we capture the spirit of them, so there you go."

Favorite songs:
The entire Abbey Road album. "We play a medley of them that I love."

Most requested songs:
"We get everybody wanting to hear 'She Loves You' and all of the other hits. At parties, we get requests for 'Twist and Shout,' and all of the more upbeat early stuff. The early hits are probably the most-requested."

We hate to play:
"One song that's hard to play is 'Revolution 9,' but there's nothing off limits."

Brushes with greatness:
"Recording at Abbey Road Studios was our highlight. We recorded in the exact same studio and met their first manager, Alan Williams, who said we 'captured the spirit of the lads.' That blew us all away. We met their first producer. Alastair Taylor, who apparently mistook a recording we'd made for an original Beatles master of the same song. That story is the highest compliment we've ever been given."

Tribute-band myths:
"One of the biggest is that they eat and sleep and breathe their roles. We don't talk in character with accents, and we don't try to 'be' the actual band members. We know very much who we are, and we don't have to go around acting like anybody else."

Beatles fans might think twice about seeing you if they knew that:
"We're all rabid Elvis fans, too."

Tribute band that needs to be started:
"I actually thought about starting one of this band on the side: the Eagles."

Next gig: Tonight from 6:30 to 10 on the rooftop of The Bone, 2724 Elm St. 214-744-2663.

Web site: www.hardnightsday.com