iinta has had the privilege of covering some of the best musicians, athletes, celebrities and legends of the past 50 years.

Our readers have enjoyed a behind the scene all access look into the lives of some of the folks that make the music we grew up listening to; - music we created our own mental soundtrack to; and became the backdrop of some of our fondest memories.

iinta was recently able to take a stroll down memory lane with Florida based Fat Tracks All Star Band.

Hearing a favorite song creates a placebo effect and propels us back to a place or situation in time. Truly impressed, Fat Tracks delivered and made this writer's memory water.

The big question, “what allows a band to make the cut?”

Programs like American Idol have an elimination platform and when it comes to sports - levels apply. The issue in hockey as an example, at least half of the players in the AHL can play in the NHL; however, it comes down to space, availability, Agent and Management. In music, many of the singers in Church Choirs and Bar Bands possess the talent to truly entertain the masses; however, have never been awarded the opportunity to do so!

“We're confident playing in front of an audience, the audience will determine who makes the cut!” Here lies the answer!

There are millions of talented singers, musicians and athletes that never have an opportunity to perform in front of the “audience” - the big show! While some play for enjoyment, others work hard toward the end-goal never to realize the satisfaction or make the big payday.

They key rests in entertainment-management and marketing!

iinta has introduced and covered little known artists in the past, and in this feature we would like to introduce and provide a behind the scenes look into Fat Tracks All Star Band.

Fat Tracks was created by Band Leader Phil Dorroll. In the 80’s, Phil owned a demo recording studio in Nashville, TN located on the famed Music Row. The name of the studio was Fat Tracks Recording Studio. During this period of time Phil focused on writing and recording original songs and engineering and producing songs by other artists. One song that Phil wrote, (It Must Be Love) recorded by the Embers of Raleigh, NC, was released as a single but eventually became the seed song for a Budweiser commercial. The commercial was released nationally.

FTASB has 6 members. 4 musicians & two female vocalists:

Phil Dorroll – Keyboards & Vocals;
Jim Copening – Bass Guitar & Vocals;
Chris Amick – Rhythm &  Lead Guitar;
George Gabriel – Drums & Vocals;
Jae Jones – Lead Vocalist;
Susan D’Orazio – Lead Vocalist

Phil shared, “the main reason we play music, we all have a huge passion for it and creating music so others can enjoy. We love to entertain, perform and interact with clients and most importantly please our listeners.”

“Some of our band members are fully retired and some are still actively engaged in working full time. We do not play music as a way to provide a living for ourselves or families. We are all fortunate in that we are able to play music because we love it! Not needing the money is a blessing; however, we do like to be compensated and recognized for our talent and quality of product as a band.”

Fully retired from 25 years in the live production industry, Phil’s company (Dance America Productions Inc) produced Ballroom, Latin, Country & Swing Dance Championships from NYC to LA.

Jim, fully retired from being a Chef in NYC was also a working studio musician and worked on many projects in CA and NY for over 3 decades. Jim is an extraordinarily talented bassist.

Chris is a fully retired engineer. A wonderful guitar player, who played with a very successful Pink Floyd Tribute Band before moving to Florida several years ago.

George is still working but could retire. A multi-talented cabinet installer by day, he has the knowledge and experience to build you a home from scratch! George moved to Sarasota several years ago and played in bands in the North for 30 plus years. He comes from a family of drummers learning the trade from his dad. George is also a great “front man” when off the drums and can entertain!

Jae is still working full time as a Cloud Administrator as she has for the past 25 years. She works with a team that supports 300 universities and colleges across the USA. Born and raised in Augusta,GA, she moved to NYC. She performed at BB Kings’ NightClub in Manhattan and worked with several corporate bands in the New York area as the featured vocalist. Jae still travels with a touring band “Decades of Soul”, but plays with Fat Tracks All Star Band in Florida. She is an awesome vocalist and performed in an Aretha Franklin Tribute band while living in NYC. Most people hear her sing and immediately recognize that she is exceptional!

Susan still works full time. She has medical degrees and runs an acupuncture practice with many clients. A wonderful personality and an awesome voice! The stylings of the two vocalists allow the band to cover a wide range of material. Susan is often called by other groups to perform at conventions and events. The band is lucky to have her.

Asked what the band gets out of entertaining, Phil shared, “First of all, we get to play music and satisfy our passion and love for music. We play at a high level which is also very satisfying. A positive note is that we all like each other and enjoy working with each other. This makes the whole experience even better. Chemistry is a very important ingredient to having a successful band. We have the right recipe! Enjoyment by those attending our shows are a true testament to what we do!”

Asked what the future holds for the band, most just want to exercise the enjoyment of playing music.“We all do it well and to get employed performing high quality gigs make it fulfilling.”Phil & Jim continue writing and recording original music and hope to be published. They are planning a fall concert with original music so keep an eye out for date and times.

As noted, the absence of an Agent, Producer, Marketing or Music Contract makes it difficult for millions of talented artists to make it to the “Big Show”. In contrast, take a look at Eddie Murphy and the song Produced by Rick James “My Girl Wants to Party All the Time” climbing up to #2 on the Hot 100 Billboard in 1985. Great song - right team and money behind it. Or look at the Milli Vanilli story and countless others. It all boils down to Management. A talented musician or band with the right recipe can entertain; however, unless they have a “team” behind them or someone takes a shine to them, the opportunity to entertain the masses remains limited. 

Any talented band that can perform and entertain 200 folks, can do the same for 20,000!

In the interim, the Internet likely remains the best vehicle a band can exercise in reaching the masses. The name of the game is promotion! It's difficult to get agents or industry contacts that book new bands to take a chance. The message, find the right promoter, the right digital presence with someone who know's how to market on this vehicle will make all the difference in the world.

Note: there are a lot of self proclaimed internet gurus. Do your homework and look for past track record and results! Millions of Web Page “hits” mean nothing if they don't “convert”! More importantly, don't give up!

Hopefully, our feature draws attention to the talents of FTASB. They are the real deal