Hard Day’s Night For 14 years, Hard Day's Night has been entertaining Beatles fans across the country. The group is one of the few touring Beatles tribute bands that, through its musical talent and dedication to authenticity, was invited to perform at the world-famous Cavern Club - the birthplace of the Beatles - in Liverpool, England for International Beatles Week. This included a special appearance with Pete Best, the Beatles' first drummer, at the Casbah Club. Hard Day's Night is rated as the top national Beatles tribute group performing today, and is dedicated to the Beatles' touring performance standard of playing without recordings or click tracks. The band performs songs from the 1962-1966 era exactly as the Beatles themselves did: four musicians onstage, in character as John, Paul, George, and Ringo, wearing perfect stitch- for-stitch replications of the suits made famous by the Beatles, with authentic Vox, Hofner, Gretsch, Rickenbacker, and Ludwig instruments, playing the world-famous songs note-for-note. Hard Day’s Night has performed for thousands of Beatles fans in England and the United States, including hundreds of performing arts centers, festivals, and corporate clients including Continental Airlines, Hard Rock Cafe, Hilton Hotels, Volkswagen of America, and the American Heart Association. Television clips featuring the band have appeared on FOX, PBS and CBS, and the group has appeared with such noted British Invasion performers as Peter Noone and Herman's Hermits and Billy J. Kramer, as well as Tim Piper, national John Lennon entertainer. Hard Day's Night will continue to carry on the original excitement of Beatlemania because audiences will always demand to see the number one rock 'n roll group of all time - the Beatles - perform live onstage. Hard Day's Night recreates that exciting vision by performing the magical music of the Fab Four, in one of the most authentic, all-live stage tributes to the Beatles seen today! JWP Agency / Jim Wadsworth Productions 330-405-9075 ~ [email protected] ~ www.jwpagency.com Michael Muratore as John Lennon For Michael Muratore, there was never a choice to be a musician. Being raised by an active musician father, having an uncle who is a well known classical guitarist, and being surrounded by a family constantly singing, humming, or making some kind of melody almost forces one’s hand. Michael’s first attempts to create and perform music began in grade school, when he and his neighborhood friends would use his father’s equipment to pound out what can only be described as an "awful noise." Having learned to play the guitar, Michael formed alternative- rock band "Eden," which met with a warm reception and was named "Cleveland Music Festival #1 Rock Act" in 2000. After Eden dissolved in 2003, Michael met with three Akron-based musicians and formed "Stereovox," which released a debut album in 2007 and is still actively playing shows today. Michael received the call to become a Beatle in the fall of 2005. The "John" was leaving the band at the end of the year and a replacement was needed very soon. Frank Muratore, "Paul" in Hard Days Night, was confident in Michael’s abilities and encouraged the move. Michael played his first show with the band on December 8, 2005 as John Lennon on the 25th anniversary of the famous Beatle’s tragic death. Filling such monumental shoes is not at all easy, and the task was overwhelming at first. Slowly things settled down, and things have fallen into place. Today, Muratore enjoys the opportunity to share his love with music, especially Beatles music, with fans of all ages across the country. He also enjoys the unique opportunity to share the stage with his father, forming what has to be the only father/son Paul/John combo in all of Beatledom! In the future Muratore hopes to continue to improve in his task of portraying John, continue to meet new people every show, and have more fun than anyone should be allowed to get paid for! Frank Muratore as Paul McCartney Frank has been a lifelong resident of Ohio, born and raised in a musical family. From his mother's singing talent, to his brother John’s accomplishments on classical guitar, Frank had an early introduction to rock and roll from the family radio, listening to the pioneers Chuck Berry, Ricky Nelson, and the Everly Brothers. The real revelation was 1964's performance of the Beatles on "The Ed Sullivan Show." Through his older brothers, Frank was exposed to the Beatles even earlier when all saw the famous "Jack Parr Show" performance, and all thought how strange they looked. Buying the first Beatles record in January of 1964 before they were on "Ed Sullivan" put Frank first in his classroom to have the new sound, and later that year, he formed his first tribute, calling themselves The Jr. Beatles. After playing several instruments in high school, and forming a rock band with his brother, Frank has performed in several professional groups through college and after. In 1996, he joined Hard Day’s Night to fulfill his dream to one day be a Beatle, and has had a "fab" time ever since. "One of the greatest benefits of the being in this band," says Frank, "was JWP Agency / Jim Wadsworth Productions 330-405-9075 ~ [email protected] ~ www.jwpagency.com the influence on my children, who have become Beatles fans themselves." This has resulted in his son Michael working with his father to learn and perfect the John Lennon sound, and who has joined Hard Day’s Night in the John Lennon role since 2006. "It’s true that the Beatles are that rare cultural event, one that can be shared by several generations. It’s a total family experience." John Auker as George Harrison John Auker is a young guitarist, singer and songwriter, proficient in all styles from rock to classical, country, pop, jazz, R&B and funk. He began studying music at the age of ten, starting on violin, and moving to guitar two years later. By the time he started playing music, he developed a love for The Beatles, listening to the Past Masters Volume 1 and Sgt. Pepper albums daily. With the music of the “Fab Four” acting as a spring board, he developed his passion for music through his teens, playing guitar for church, the high school jazz band, and indoor drumline. John studied under the direction of Stan Smith and Karl Wohlwend at the Capital University Conservatory of Music. Before graduating with a B.M. in Jazz Studies/Contemporary Guitar performance in 2005, he received outstanding recognition from the Elmhurst Jazz Festival for his performance with the Capital University Big Band. He maintains a full teaching schedule in Columbus and surrounding areas, offering private guitar instruction at Colonial Music & Arts Center in Worthington, OH, and the Guitar House Workshop in Upper Arlington, OH. John auditioned for the role of George Harrison in Hard Day’s Night in the summer of 2009, and was quickly brought on board to play his debut show in November that year. In addition to his role as George in Hard Day’s Night, John performs regularly in the Columbus area with Anderson Cale, the Miss Molly Band and Russell Boiarsky. He also plays consistently at Vineyard Church of Columbus, the largest Vineyard Church in the world. He has previously played with Vaughn Wiester’s Famous Jazz Orchestra, Stan Smith, Steve Houghton, and two-time Grammy nominated singer, Sarah Kelly. John Auker's photo courtesy of Vickie Little, © making magic photography 2010. Glenn Birney as Ringo Starr Unlike his brother, actor David Birney, Glenn’s talent went in the musical direction of percussion. From his early teens, playing drums in the West High School marching band in Cleveland, his desire to own and play a set of genuine Chicago-made Ludwig drums drove him to work the part-time jobs necessary to purchase his first Ludwig Super Classic set as played by Joe Morello in the Dave Brubeck jazz quartet - and by Ringo Starr. Listening to the Beatles perform their big hit "Love Me Do," Glenn was forever changed by the experience of Beatlemania as millions of other teens were, and was determined to travel down the musical road of performing rock ’n roll. However, performing with two bands after high school and obtaining a college degree at Kent State University, a temporary vocation as a freelance photographer in California, and pursuing a full time working career, put a hold on the rock drumming - until late 1996. JWP Agency / Jim Wadsworth Productions 330-405-9075 ~ [email protected] ~ www.jwpagency.com It was then that he decided it was time to start the right band, and what better band to start than a tribute to the number one rock ’n roll band of all time, the Beatles. An extensive search of northeast Ohio through a local ad in "Scene Magazine," combined with a few months time and a countless number of auditions, finally paid off with musicians who seemed to have the talent and passion to build a Beatles tribute band from the ground up. Over time, and with some cast change refinements, the Hard Day’s Night of today is the end result: four talented, authentic, driven, and passionate musicians dedicated to performing a totally live, note-for-note, character tribute stage act to John, Paul, George, and Ringo. "Hard Day’s Night is one of the very few truly authentic, all-live, outstanding Beatle groups performing today. We don’t add recordings to our songs. If it can’t be performed live, and sound as close as possible to the record, we don’t play it." Glenn’s choice for the band’s most exciting venue: "performing for a screaming sing-along crowd at the place Brian Epstein discovered the Fab Four - the Cavern Club, in Liverpool, England, in 1999." JWP Agency / Jim Wadsworth Productions 330-405-9075 ~ [email protected] ~ www.jwpagency.com.