"Navy Blues has some payoff music for people who aren't dedicated fans, who just want to come out and have fun," explains Murphy. "I feel that lately I've been down on people who just want to come out and just have fun and I'm like 'would you listen'. I feel like we should do that too; that we should just want to have fun and not try to project some art all the time, although hopefully we can do that without losing a sense of smarts."

Gator Country
In early 2005 a new band was formed that consisted of five original-era members of the legendary southern rockers Molly Hatchet. Included were drummer Bruce Crump, guitarist Duane Roland, guitarist Steve Holland, vocalist Jimmy Farrar, and bassist Riff West. These talented musicians wrote and recorded on all of the Molly Hatchet band’s gold, platinum, and multiplatinum albums. Unquestionably, the members of GATOR COUNTRY were very much instrumental in forging out the legend of their earlier classic band with such songs as "Flirtin’ With Disaster", "Gator Country", "Bounty Hunter", "Whiskey Man", "Beatin’ The Odds", "Dreams I'll Never See", "Boogie No More", "Bloody Reunion", and others.
After playing at a memorial concert for Molly Hatchet’s vocalist Danny Joe Brown, they decided it was time to perform together again. Due to the fact that the original band’s moniker was licensed out, they picked the title of an early hit song for the new band name. Adding an old friend and seasoned guitarist from Virginia, Linni Disse, the "triple-guitar attack" is once again carrying on its unique and traditional sounds as GATOR COUNTRY.
After performing as GATOR COUNTRY the past eighteen months for their loyal fans, both old and new, the band was devastated with the sudden death of beloved guitarist Duane Roland. Upon considerable thought and with the full blessing of Duane’s family, the band’s decision was to carry on in his memory. His "Flying V guitar" will now proudly stand alongside Danny Joe Brown’s mic onstage at every GATOR COUNTRY performance. Quoting Ronnie Van Zant … "You are gone, but not forgotten."
Paul Chapman, longtime friend and admirer of Molly Hatchet, is a legendary British guitarist formerly with UFO and now a Florida resident. He respectfully and graciously offered his services to sit in until a member was added. At the very first rehearsal, after the first few bars of "Beatin’ The Odds" everyone onstage knew it wasn’t just temporary… it rocked! GATOR COUNTRY welcomes Paul as their newest member and looks forward to carrying on their longtime tradition of great legendary rock.
Having just released their new single "Oh Atlanta", GATOR COUNTRY is now back on the road with the "Real Deal Tour" performing their legendary songs. Brash and gutsy … GATOR COUNTRY is once again a smokin’ locomotive of a rock and roll band. You best believe it!

Ron Hawkins
Canadian singer Ron Hawkins is something for today’s new-millennium listener—he is not only a talented songwriter and lyricist, but also a successful painter and visual artist. Hawkins’ second solo release, titled Chemical Sounds, recalls his early career by fusing blues and rock, with just a tinge of electronica that calls to mind his founding years as the lead singer of the successful Canadian rock group the Lowest of the Low. 

Jackdaw
Buffalo, NY's favorite Rock Band, voted in the Artvoice "Best of" 5 years in a row!


Dark Star Orchestra
It's really about the sound that’s created. It's about a sense of familiarity. It's about a feeling that grabs listeners and takes over. It's about a contagious energy: it's about the experience.
Dark Star Orchestra has been delivering this experience to old and new Grateful Dead fans since 1997, after guitarist John Kadlecik contacted keyboardist Scott Larned with a concept -- performing complete Grateful Dead shows out of history. When Scott mentioned having the same idea, John knew they were on to something.
Dark Star secured four Tuesday night gigs at Martyrs' in Chicago. The first night, November 11, 1997, saw only 78 people, but by the fourth week they had sold out the room. By spring they had toured Colorado and had steady Tuesday and Wednesday night gigs in Chicago. The band will perform their 1300th show this October while on tour in California.
"For us it's a chance to recreate some of the magic that was created for us over the years," Larned explains. "We offer a sort of a historical perspective at what it might have been like to go to a show in 1985, 1978 or whenever. Even for Deadheads who can say they've been to a hundred shows in the 90s we offer something they never got to see live."
On lead guitar and vocals, John Kadlecik sings with an uncanny resemblance to Jerry Garcia, using amp rigs and equipment to suit the near-exact, Garcia guitar tone from the show being recreated. Playing a full Hammond B3 and on vocals, Scott Larned channels to sound of the many Grateful Dead keyboardists, providing incredible vocal and keyboard Brent Mydland 80s show renditions. When the show is from the 70s, vocalist Lisa Mackey provides the female harmonies, performing the Donna Godchaux parts in perfect key.
Dino English combines his training in percussion and jazz and his experience in Dead-oriented groups to deliver the rhythmic drumming sounds of Bill Kreutzmann. On the other drum set, Rob Koritz, a classical and jazz influenced musician gets into the soul and spirit of the music while filling the Mickey Hart role. Like Phil Lesh, Kevin Rosen provides a very distinctive, fluid style of bass playing and a devotion to the music of the Dead. On rhythm guitar and vocals, Rob Eaton provides an extension of the incredible feeling, instrumentation and tone created by Bob Weir.
In November of 1998, on the eve of their first anniversary, Mike Gordon and Jon Fishman of Phish joined Dark Star at Martyrs' after their own show. Fishman sat in for the majority of the evening, which included a rollicking drum section with four percussionists. The ensuing buzz caused national interest in the band. That winter, their Colorado tour sold out almost every stop, their MP3 web site was getting millions of hits and everyone wanted to know how they got their sound so precise. Soon after, the Washington Post declared them “the hottest Grateful Dead tribute act going”; USA Today claimed DSO was “channeling the Dead,” but what they do is not just a tribute to the Grateful Dead but a testament to the enormous number of unique set lists they performed in their long career.
Continuing the growth, the band had performed up to 250 dates in a year. They have grown continually, playing at larger venues and theaters, collaborating with guests including Grateful Dead alumni Bob Weir, Bill Kreutzmann, Donna Jean Godchaux-Mackay, Vince Welnick, and Tom Constanten.
In 2006, Dark Star Orchestra performed over 150 shows throughout the U.S to over 120,000 Deadheads and music fans. In addition to the complete Grateful Dead show selections, the band has been known to incorporate Jerry Garcia Band show set lists as well as original set lists of their own choosing. Unfortunately, during the band’s 2005 spring tour, co-founder Scott Larned died of a heart attack; the band has reeled ever since while featuring the talents of guest keyboardists and vocalists until one is selected as Scott’s permanent replacement in DSO.
The group has begun to play two and three night stands in towns where the audiences are growing and coming out to enjoy the experience of a Dark Star Orchestra show. The timeless music of the Grateful Dead has no age boundaries as fans at DSO shows range in age from teenager to post-baby boomer.

Bruce Hornsby
Since he emerged in 1986 with his triple-platinum debut album “The Way it Is'' -- which earned him a Grammy Award for Best New Artist -- Hornsby had delighted in stretching his own creative boundaries and challenging the parameters of the mainstream music world. During the course of his career the Williamsburg, Va., native has turned jagged, Keith Jarrett-style piano solos into Top 10 hits and has pursued everything from polished, swinging pop to rootsy Southern paeans and gritty juke joint soul. In an industry that often values the safe, Hornsby has made it safe to be a little dangerous.
“Big Swing Face'' is a whole different matter, however, and is Hornsby's farthest step afield. There's less piano -- far less piano - this time out, and more guitar. There are loops, samples and other technological “chicanery'' (in Bruce's words) to create an assortment of moods and textures. And there's a spirited lightness of tone and irreverence with the language that forms a nice complement to the detailed narratives and character studies that have been the stock in trade of Hornsby's previous efforts.
Some of his hits include "Every Little Kiss," "On the Western Skyline," "The Way It Is," "Mandolin Rain," "Look Out Any Window," "The Valley Road," "Across the River," "A Night on the Town," "Set Me in Motion," "Fields of Grey," "Harbor Lights," "Walk in the Sun," "Great Divide" and "Gonna Be Some Changes Made."

Loverboy
Loverboy had three multi-platinum albums and was one of the best hard rock groups of the early '80s. With hits like "Turn Me Loose" and "The Kid Is Hot Tonite," their albums went platinum in Canada and America.
In the late 1980's Loverboy churned out the hits one right after the other. Everyone related to them. Radio and MTV gave them maximum exposure, and the fans bought their records by the millions. Their appeal was undeniable and wide reaching, and their high energy brand of music was infectious.
Now, seventeen years after their first release Loverboy (which sold three million copies worldwide), the true musical talent in the band becomes more evident on their latest release, Six. The band's music has always enjoyed widespread appeal. Loverboy's identifiable sound comes from a variety of musical styles brought into the mix by individual members. "Mike was always the blues guy," explains guitarist/songwriter/producer Paul Dean, "while I was the hard rock guitar guy and Scott and Matt played an R&B influenced groove." This combination of emotional blues based vocals, heavy guitar and danceable rock beat is even more evident today than it has been throughout the band's history.

Rik Emmett
Rik Emmet has his fair share of gold and platinum hanging on the wall after surviving three decades in the music biz. Awards like Best Guitarist at the '81 Junos, induction into the Canadian Rock Hall of Fame in '93, and Best Smooth Jazz Guitarist in 2005 highlight an ever- evolving career. There's a true singer/songwriter at the heart of it all - a multi-dimensional artist, with nothing to prove except the dignity and maturity of his continuing commitment to great music.

"I played everything - from jazz festivals to soft-seater concerts to giant outdoor electric rock band shows to orchestra gigs to folk clubs as an acoustic duo last year," says Emmett, "and I love the challenging range of it all."

Audiences marvel at the versatility of the tenor singer/songwriter as he continues his prolific run of solo indie CDs, from classical to jazz to acoustic pop & folk vocal stylings. While this wide catalogue of original songs garners radio airplay on easy-listening, smooth jazz, and CBC formats (while the heritage classic rock stuff keeps on rolling right along), his dozen years as a writer for Guitar Player Magazine and his continuing 22 year relationship with Yamaha have kept his international reputation as a musician alive and well. A former VP of the Songwriter’s Association of Canada, Rik teaches a Career Development course in the Humber Music program, and is the Artistic Director of the Humber Songwriting Workshop.

History and Background [revised, Oct. 2006]

Rik Emmett was a relatively unknown singer/songwriter/guitarist on the local Toronto scene in September of '75 when he joined a newly-formed hard rock trio called Triumph. By '79 three albums had gone gold and platinum in Canada - two of these charted in the States, receiving serious radio airplay. By ‘81, they were firmly established as one of the premier touring rock acts in North America, with generous FM radio airplay support and heavy rotation on the fledgling MTV cable channel. In the next seven years, the band released ten albums, all of which went gold, with four turning platinum in Canada. In the U.S., two went gold. Emmett's name frequently appeared in guitar magazine polls and he won several prestigious awards, including Best Lead Guitarist nationally in 1981. He left the band to begin his solo career in '88, but was inducted into the Canadian Rock Hall of Fame in '93 as one of the band’s original members.

Rik's solo career spawned three releases for Duke Street/MCA Records in the early '90s. The first, Absolutely, went gold in 1990, yielding the hits "Saved by Love" and "Big Lie", two songs that provided a transition from arena rock while maintaining continuity at FM radio. Perhaps a bit more of a surprise was the ballad "When a Heart Breaks", which crossed a rock guitar hero over into other radio formats and revealed a more sensitive singer/songwriter persona. "World of Wonder" also received substantial airplay and showcased an expanding lyrical and stylistic range. The "Ipso Facto" CD followed in '92, offering up the hits "Out of The Blue" (a jazzy-bluesy tribute to Stevie Ray Vaughn, Hendrix and Wes Montgomery) and "Bang On", a rocking return to one of Rik's personal themes - positive motivation and inspiration. Ipso Facto was a tour-de-force of stylistic versatility, but no surprise to fans who knew the guy who constantly plugged trademark classical guitar pieces or little jazz tunes in between the hard rock anthems, arena blues riffs and progressive flourishes found on past records.

A strong singer/songwriter album called Spiral Notebook followed in '95, which earned notice through airplay of its sensitive balladeer singles "Let Me Be The One" and "The Longing". In '96, Emmett began testing the courage of his musical convictions with work in his own digital studio and through his own independent record label. Following those instincts paid off artistically. The first release was Ten Invitations from the Mistress of Mr E., beautifully realized original instrumentals of classical nylon-string guitar. Critics and fans were reminded that the 'rock guitar god' was not a one-trick pony. Part two of his guitar trilogy, Swing Shift, took a completely different musical direction, featuring jazz, swing and fusion. Again, the CD was well received and piqued the interest of brand-new fans in growing musical circles. Perhaps more importantly, the spirits of diehard supporters were elevated by witnessing an artistic transformation that defied mainstream classification. Raw Quartet, released in early 1999, became the final CD in the trilogy, displaying Rik's passion and natural affinity for blues. 1999's "Live at Berklee" (highlights from sold out shows at the prestigious Berklee College of Music in Boston) was followed by a traditional "Spirit of Christmas" album, recorded in collaboration with Glass Tiger keyboardist Sam Reid. 2002 brought the release of a "20th Century Masters: Best of Rik Emmett Collection" through Universal, followed by another widely-acclaimed instrumental smooth jazz masterpiece CD, "Handiwork". In the late summer of 2003, the acoustic singer/songwriter re-emerged with the "Good Faith" CD, and another new chapter was written in an already storied career.

In 2005, Rik was honored as Guitarist of the Year at the Canadian Smooth Jazz Awards, and in the summer of 2006, the wide range of Emmett's abilities went on display - from a smooth jazz festival in Canada to a heavy metal festival in Germany: from Artistic Directing a songwriting workshop to hanging & jamming with Alex Lifeson of Rush at the Guitar Workshop Plus: and from five classic rock outdoor shows, to an idyllic afternoon acoustic duo gig at the Chateau-des-Charmes winery in Niagara-on-the-Lake.

A guitar magazine once wrote that Rik Emmett was "his own worst enemy. He's one of the only guitarists out there who may be too talented for his own damn good". Partly true, in our celebrity/tabloid/sound bite world: but the comment also recognizes the artist as unique, and offers insight on an 18-year solo career, still going strong, based on being a loyal friend to his gifts instead of a slave to superficial fashion, with luggage to match.

Rik has held true to his dreams of the magic power of the music, and he shares that with every audience, of every stripe - every night that he performs.