SKYROCKET! Is a Wickedly Original Cabaret of "Solid Gold" Hits from the 1970S, Album Favorites from the ‘80S, and Great Rock Anthems from the Best Bands in the World
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SKYROCKET! www.skyrockettheband.com SKYROCKET! is a wickedly original cabaret of "solid gold" hits from the 1970s, album favorites from the ‘80s, and great rock anthems from the best bands in the world. Inspired by the most bombastic, stylistically baffling and memorable decade in rock history, SKYROCKET! nails the broad spectrum of styles, bands and star performances that made this era the best and worst of musical times. Unlike any other party band, SKYROCKET! does it all with a fearless style totally its own. COVER BAND 2.0 Austin, TX Indie Rockers Change the Tune of Private Events No Tuxes Allowed It all started several years ago when a group of musician friends in Austin, Texas bonded over a goof. Songwriters from local bands of varying notoriety, they put together a short set of cringe-worthy 1970s one-hit wonders for a performance at a club near the University of Texas, aptly named the Hole in the Wall. Calling themselves the K-Tel Hit Machine, an homage to the uber-cheesy hit compilation albums once marketed on TV, they were an instant success -- at least among the small crowd at the Hole, most of whom were other local musicians. Some even lined up to join the band for a chance to re-create guilty pleasures like “Hot Child in the City” and “Boogie Fever.” A seminal concert at a skating rink recruited one last band mate, Trish Murphy, who’d hired them that day as the opening act for her CD-release party co-hosted by the Texas Rollergirls. They changed the band’s name to Skyrocket! (exclamation point mandatory) and landed their first corporate holiday bash for a Wendy’s franchise. “With songwriters, you have to realize the taste bar is set pretty high,” says Darin Murphy, Skyrocket!’s drummer and music director. “The ‘70s were a roller coaster for so many different styles. On top of that, everyone brings their own charisma and performance skills to the mix, so instead of one lead singer you can have five.” The chance meetings in weird places would later launch even more ambitious musical adventures: A wedding gig with the all-female Tosca Strings eventually spawned an extravagant, sold-out tribute to ELO, recorded live with a cast of 13 players at the famed club Antone’s. It was hardly new territory, though, for working musicians used to the necessity of doing side jobs to pay for their European tours. They originally met while doing session work at Tequila Mockingbird, a downtown commercial music studio. Tequila had become the water cooler for the cool by hiring only talent from the rich local music scene; a touring drummer could do the voiceover for the same demo, while house composers often competed with famous songwriters for national spots. Performers mingled with ad producers, and the lines between indie and corporate seemed to matter less if at all. The studio became the band’s first rehearsal space, and within a year they’d perfected over 150 spot-on versions of AM-radio solid gold staples. The band chooses songs according to how precisely they think they can replicate them, which both widens and narrows the field. “Instead of playing the same songs all the other bands play, we’d rather dig deep and offer the ones people love but never get a chance to hear. We have the diversity of talent in the band, plus we have the chops and the guts, so why not take some risks?” Most of Skyrocket!’s players are multi-instrumental, so the band switches around onstage, and the show is always changing. SKYROCKET! the critics say Austin Chronicle Music Awards www.skyrockettheband.com SKYROCKET! the critics say Why a cover band? Because they can, and they will MAKE you like it. Repeat faves at the Continental Club, Trish Murphy, Darin Murphy and their kick-ass band are on a mission to conquer the world as Skyrocket, Austin’s in your face 80’s cover band, bucking the too-cool Austin music scene with an unabashedly OMIGOD dance party of killer death. AUSTIN CHRONICLE CRITIC’S PICK Best Reason to Pawn Your Karaoke Machine That The K-Tel Hit Machine [now known as Skyrocket!] is one of the most beloved bands in originality-obsessed Austin should be no surprise to anyone who's seen them do "Hot Legs." Or packed into Antone's for their ELO tribute. Or salivated over their looming "Eighties explosion." What started as a goof among friends has certainly grown – have them quote their fee sometime – but hasn't really changed; it's still a bunch of friends, who happen to be some of Austin's most talented musicians, getting together to jam on songs they all grew up on. The songs may be other people's, but what makes Skyrocket! so delicious is that they do them with a style all their own. THESE CRITICS SAY… If you miss hearing some of the super hits of the ‘70s and ‘80s, Skyrocket is a fantastic cover band from Austin with some regional favorites in its ranks. Former Houstonians Trish and Darin Murphy are on board….It’s as fun as it sounds. Houston Chronicle Skyrocket is every wedding reception’s dream – fun cover songs that don’t get too cheesy, and a 7- piece band whose dance moves get the party started. The best part of Skyrocket is their ironic stance toward their material. This is a cover band that’s totally in on the joke. Rare Austin Magazine, Reader’s Choice Award I think some of them will need some time to recuperate from last night's Skyrocket concert. Which is less of a commentary on the capacity of New York's literati for Texas-style entertainment than it is a plug for this band, which is so good it actually made people feel cool about standing around and listening to covers of the Bee Gees, ABBA and Kiss. If you are old enough to have owned any of these bands on vinyl, or will admit to knowing the lyrics to "Boogie Fever" -- you need to set aside your novel for one night and go see them. White suit and platform shoes are optional. Michael Merschel, Dallas Morning News SKYROCKET! Press tfrlmeR lrmil@ c@YeRS Playing the next best thing to the real thing we're actually making some decent money" attitude about having put their individual musical careers on hold to become what is es- for fun and profit. By D.c. Btoom sentially a live Karaoke band for nostalgic adults with disposable "Man, these guys are great!" enthuses a sweaty, dishev- income. But it's not like these musicians didn't have anything go- eled SO-something man jockeying to place his order at the ing on for themselves before banding together to rock corporate bar at Austin's Cedar Street Courtyard. "Just wait, the sec- events and weddings putting their own spin 'on classics such as ond set's gonna be even better," assures an equally sweaty, "Dancing Queen," "Do Ya Think l'm Sexy," "Tainted Love," "Brass equally disheveled early 4O-something woman in front of in Pocket and "Jesse's Girl." No, these Skyrocketeers! are about as him, while behind them a 30-something hipster who's clearly far from your stereotypical dive-bar musical hacks as Cliff Richard pacing himself - and in far better cardiovascular condition is from Keith Richards - both of whom may find their songs being - says, "But the third set's reolly killer." played by the band on any given night. Such is the passion for Skyrocket! (exclamation point Between them, Skyrocket! members have released a dozen or theirs, not ours), the hardest working '70s and '80s party so albums as solo artists or as band frontmen. Benjamin Hotchkiss, band in the Live Music Capital of the World. Austin holds that who will morph from Rod Stewart to Mick Jagger to David Bowie dur- distinction, of course, not for its cover bands that ply their ing the course of the Cedar Street Courtyard show, has fronted origi- craft in the city's Sixth Street pickup bars, but because it's a nal Austin bands such as the Duckhills and the Real Heroes, Johnny mecca for working musicians from around Texas hoping to Goudie's band from the early aughts, called, Goudie, had major la- make their mark playing their own original songs. But many bel releases to their credit, and he's been the driving force behind a end up rethinking their career objectives while playing $50 series of musical mutations, from Mr. Rocket Boy in the mid-90s to gigs on Tuesday nights before a handful of half-interested his latest, Liars & Saints. Trish Murphy, whose brother, Darin, plays I beer drinkers or totally disinterested diners. You don't need drums for Skyrocket!, is not only the band's designated Material Girl, to be Milton Friedman (Google him, youngsters) to under- she also boasts the most impressive discography with four critically- N stand that those are just the hard realities of supply and de- acclaimed albums to her credit. The rest of the band is rounded out mand; for every venue that's still in the business of booking by lead guitarist Paul English and multi-instrumentalists Corey Glae- live music, there's, oh, maybe 300 or more bands and singer- ser and Kyle Crusham, all of whom are solo artists in their own right songwriters hoping to land a gig that offers just a bit more or have played with the likes of Will Sexton and Fastball.