The Fat Daddies’ music was once described in Rolling Stone as “an effortless fusion of Delta blues, smooth jazz, old school hip-hop, Lilith Fair and classic rock, with just a hint of paprika and a pinch of garlic.” One publication described the band as being “loud, sloppy, and, at times, mildly offensive.” It has also been rumored that Bruce Springsteen once remarked “Did you hear that? What the @#@k was that noise?” while driving by one of their gigs. Their trademark loudness makes them popular with both the younger crowds and the much sought after hard-of-hearing senior citizen demographic. The Fat Daddies play all your favorites from the 60’s, 70’s, 80’s, 90’s, 00’s, 10’s and the future.
Originally formed in 2009 by John Ohly and Alan Rowland, the band was created when someone posed the obvious question, “What would we do if Doug Segree couldn’t play at Manor Country Club anymore?” Lacking a good answer, a new band was born. Originally, the band was going to be called Hey, They Don’t Totally Suck!, but decided on The Fat Daddies instead. The Fat Daddies are thought to be the first ever rock and roll “supergroup” comprised entirely of Manor Country Club members.
After starting out as one of the world’s premier two man rock bands with Ohly on guitar and vocals and Rowland on drums, The Fat Daddies lineup expanded upon the arrival of original bass player Rob Corbin. Rob came with impressive credentials having been deemed “the songbird of his generation” by over three hundred national publications. His vocal talents had been featured on recordings by several bands including the Partridge Family, ABBA, Wham, Flock of Seagulls, The Captain and Tennille, and Vanilla Ice. Corbin is said to have been the inspiration behind the Carly Simon classic “You’re So Vain.” Unfortunately for Fat Daddies fans, Corbin left the band when it was discovered that he preferred paying his bills over playing in a rock and roll band. Corbin left sunny Maryland for dismal southern California to open a successful pie shop. Corbin is believed to be the second rocker to leave music for the pie industry, following the path taken by Guns N’ Roses frontman Axl Rose.
Despite the loss, The Fat Daddies continued to wow the greater Montgomery County area crowds with their totally original concept of playing other bands’ songs. Their current lineup includes six of the area’s best musicians (if by best you mean “not the worst” and you limit your universe to musicians who are members of Manor Country Club that practice in John Ohly’s basement).
Guitarist/Vocalist John Ohly began his music career with a little known band called R.E.M. According to R.E.M. band member Mike Mills’ autobiography, “John was light years ahead of the rest of us in terms of musical ability. I mean, he knew, like, three or four chords, and he knew how to tune his guitar and stuff. And he had an amp!” He left the band due to differences encountered during the writing of the song “Don’t Go Back To Rockville.” John felt the song was disrespectful to the poor, unfortunate souls who lived there.
Drummer Alan Rowland has long been known in the music industry as “the guy who really hates Jimmy Buffett.” His hatred runs so deep that he has twice turned down multi-million dollar offers to tour and record with Buffett. Rowland’s website states: “There is not enough money on the entire planet to get me to play ‘Cheeseburger in Paradise.’ I love cheeseburgers, but I hate Jimmy Buffett.” Rowland’s drum work has been described as “disjointed” and “non-rhythmic” and “like Neil Peart, if Neil Peart suddenly forgot how to play the drums.”
Guitarist/Vocalist/Keyboard Player Rob Reed was once a member of the legendary boy band ‘NSync. Justin Timberlake once said that “Rob is the heart and soul of this group. When Lance, Joey or I need a shoulder to cry on, or someone to massage our feet, Rob is always there for us.” Reed was dismissed from the group in October 1995, just days before their first public performance due to his inability to master the dance routines. Manager Lou Pearlman called Rob’s dancing “rhino-like.” Timberlake still refers to Reed as “the fifth ‘NSyncer.”
Guitarist/Vocalist Patrick Basile, better known as “Nip / Tuck” by his close friends and band mates, aspires to be a real doctor one day, once his music career is over. Having won his first medical degree in a poker game in Tijuana, he hopes to finally legitimize his practice by actually attending college in the future. He cites his musical influences as Queen Latifah, George Michael (the sportscaster, not the 80’s pop star) and Bobby McFerrin. His hobbies are making babies and then trying to make more babies.
Bass Player Will Styne spent his youth as the lead singer in a Boy George & The Culture Club tribute band called “Karma & The Chameleons.” Will quit the band in his late teens, citing the weekly beatings from the other kids at school (and some of the teachers who joined in as well) as the primary reason for his departure. It is well known around the music business that Will wrote the 80’s classic, “The Safety Dance” for Men Without Hats. However, he got drunk and forgot to sign his royalty contract and has never earned a penny from the song’s record sales.
Harmonica Player/Percussionist Jeff Carino joined The Fat Daddies after the band had run out of other options, having asked close to 600 people if they wanted to help them move their gear. Jeff is known as the “Pack Mule” for his ability to carry massive amounts of equipment and also because his harmonica playing sounds like a pack mule screaming in agony. Jeff harbors a secret crush on Ricky Martin and has the lyrics from “Livin’ La Vida Loca” tattooed on his back.
The Fat Daddies are available for all your events, including weddings, birthday parties, bar mitzvahs, bat mitzvahs, other mitzvahs, corporate parties, holiday parties, fraternity parties, sorority parties, pig roasts, crab feasts, boat launches, mid-life crisis, second marriages, third marriages, birthday parties for your significantly younger wife, sugar daddy parties, lingerie parties, Kentucky Derby parties, etc. We’ll play anything!
|
