I got the call on Super Bowl Sunday in 2013, “Mark, can you pull together a band to play in February?” I remember saying, “are you sure? Are you sure about that?” This was starting to feel like a task on “The Apprentice”. Someday when you see me, ask me to tell you the full story.
Bottom line, through an unsual series of events and a near perfect alignment of the stars, I was able to pull together a band, become fast friends, and play a show at the Hard Rock Cafe Orlando for 100s of folks looking to be entertained. The Hard Rock Cafe Orlando is the worlds largest Hard Rock Cafe, with a sizable music venue that has been rocked by many a star. Below is a picture of us after our performance.
Above from left to right – me (Mark), Terry, Karen, Scott, Steve, Becky, Rick, and Chito.
Rick (drums), Steve (guitar), and I (guitar) had gotten together before hand back in Philly to pull together the songs and rehearse. We hoped to have a bass player before the show, but that didn’t happen, so we made an executive decision to do the show as practiced. We were joined by five energetic vocalists that made the show their own. Prior to our performance, we all traveled to Orlando a day early in order to rehearse.
Above from left to right before our show – Chito, Terry, Becky, Al (our manager for the night in the back row), Karen, myself (Mark), Scott, Steve, and Rick.
Well, I think everyone was definitely excited about our performance. All in all, everything went exceptionally well. The crowd was not only enthusiastic, but many of them joined us up on stage for several of our numbers. Chito, Terry, Becky, Karen, and Scott did a fantastic job and were thrilled to be part of the adventure. Steve and Rick were the consummate professionals and the three of us were able to jam and keep the groove tight during our performance. But most importantly, it was a blast!
— Mark Salyers