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Jazz-Infused Rock & Blues

The Fat Fridays live and in costume at the On the Rocks lounge, Angel of the Winds casino.

About the Band

What do The Beatles, Herbie Hancock, Bob Dylan, and Steely Dan have in common? One of The Fat Fridays' sets! How about Eagles, James Brown, Willie Nelson, and Van Morrison? Yep! The band has entertained dance crowds at Angel of the Winds casino; listening crowds at the Skagit County Fair and the Sedro-Woolley Summer Concert Series; and a little of both at private events. They play listening music for dancing. Or just listening! The musicianship is top-notch; these guys are life-long veterans of stage and studio. The music ranges from classic pop to original, from acoustic-electric jazz to kickass rock, all with a rock-solid foundation. The repertoire is heavily seeded with 60s and 70s pop music, including tribute-band-quality covers of hits, but the band also plays songs folks haven't heard a million times, plus "derangements" of popular classics, forgotten gems, and dynamic originals. The band can entertain a crowd of discerning listeners or keep a dance floor busy for hours. They can play mixed sets of acoustic and electric, blues, rock, and jazz. They have the chops, the sensibilities, and the repertoire to entertain at appropriate dining, listening, dancing, or concert levels. This is a great live band that comprises cross-pollinated longtime bandmates who share a ton of experience playing together in front of audiences (and in studios) spanning cities, counties, states and provinces. The band loves working with sound engineers, but can also deploy self-contained, armed with a small but mighty PA system sufficient to accommodate small to medium venues. ,

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A great live band that started in the studio

The Fat Fridays started in the summer of 2014 as a recording project; something that musicians could do in the afternoon without interfering with gigs. We all play in several bands, so weekend gigs are rare. The Monday midday gigs at Angel of the Winds are awesome!

About the Musicians

Jack Stafford (tenor & alto sax, flute): Jack is a first-call veteran on the Vancouver, BC music scene, and has backed up some of the greats, including Frank Sinatra, Tony Bennett, Michael Buble, Ray Charles, The Temptations, Diana Krall, Colin James, and OMG, Red Skelton! Andy Carr (keys, vocals): Keyboardist, vocalist, and one of the finest accompanists on the planet! A veteran of the Puget Sound music scene, Andy has worked with vocalists, choirs, and musical theater as an arranger, and is a first-call jazz pianist for ensembles large and small. He performs with Swingnuts Jazz, TimE3 Jazz, Seabreeze Jazz, the A’Town Big Band, and is a founding member of Tangoheart, the Northwest’s premier tango ensemble. Don Kellogg (drums, vocals): a 50-year veteran of the local and national music scene. A former member of the U.S. Navy Band and the Cascade Symphony, Don has played every kind of music, all over the country. He performs a a solo act; sings and plays drums in The Fat Fridays; plays bass, guitar, and harmonica in Cascadiacs; plays bass in Cookie and the Cutters; and plays all of the above (plus keys) on his original recordings, many of which have been played on radio and TV. Walt Burkett (bass) a stalwart of the greater Bellingham music scene, Walt is a classically-trained guitarist who swings effortlessly between bass and guitar; playing fingertyle jazz, swing, Brazilian, glam-rock, funk, and pop. He performs with the Jasmine Greene Band, Scary Monster & the Super Creeps (a David Bowie tribute band), and is a veteran member of The Walrus. Mark Dodge (guitars, vocals): veteran multi-instrumentalist, vocalist, and reformed road warrior, Mark was a full-time touring musician in the 70s and 80s, playing guitar and keys in MTV rock and classic country (AND western!) bands, on stages from Deadwood to Honolulu. He now produces recordings in his home studio, plays fretless bass in Swingnuts Jazz, and plays guitar and bass in Cascadiacs.
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