EagleMania - The World’s Best Eagles Tribute Band
Friday, December 20, 2019 at 8:00 PM at SOPAC
Since their inception, EagleMania has been thrilling audiences all over the country with their stunning five-part harmony and their uncanny ability to emulate the unmistakable sound of The Eagles. You’ll hear The Eagles’ greatest hits, as well as some of the solo work of Don Henley, Glenn Frey and Joe Walsh.
If you like The Eagles you will love EagleMania.
EagleMania has dedicated themselves to faithfully reproducing the music of The Eagles. The band has spent countless hours breaking down everything The Eagles recorded and faithfully reproducing those unforgettable songs in the most authentic way possible. Over the years, EagleMania evolved into a nationally touring tribute, performing to sold out audiences everywhere they go. Their music appeals to a wide variety of age groups and the combination of heartfelt ballads and Rock anthems laden with guitar harmonies has positioned them as one of the most successful and popular bands in music history.
EagleMania is an ensemble of veteran musicians whose goal is to faithfully reproduce the Eagle’s repertoire – the music they love to sing and play. They strive to give you a perfect show every time they take the stage.
Frankie Reno (keyboards and vocals) has taken many paths during his 35 years in the music business. A multi-talented keyboard player/vocalist, composer and producer, he has taken his love of music and his technical expertise as a producer/engineer and worked with some of the biggest names in the music industry on both a national and local level.
Frankie currently works with Disney and ABC Television Networks producing music for a variety of TV shows and film projects. He has had the pleasure of working with such names as Lou Rawls, The Outlaws, Molly Hatchet, Marshal Tucker, Ace Frehley, Peter Criss, seven-time Grammy Award-winning producer The Commissioner, Gordon Williams, as well as the songwriting Hall Of Fame legends, the fathers of The Philadelphia Sound, Gamble and Huff. Frankie is endorsed by Hammond Organ, Garritan Virtual Instruments and Heavyocity Virtual Instruments.
John Gaechter (guitar and vocals) has been playing out since he was 15. His musical heroes include Duane Allman, Eric Clapton, George Harrison, Jimi Hendrix and Joe Walsh, to name a few. John is also a professional recording engineer and owns a walk-in ready, fully-equipped recording studio in Sussex, New Jersey.
John has had the good fortune to work with Jack Bruce, Roger Daltrey, Leslie West, as well countless talented local musicians, both playing and recording. John’s love of The Eagles’ music and attention to detail is readily apparent when you hear him play.
J.D. Kelly (lead vocals) got his start singing in cover bands at the age of thirteen. He studied voice with Myra Manning in the 1980s while writing, recording and performing with the Frankie Carr Band. After the band’s signature song “Perfume and Leather” (co-written by Kelly) was selected as a regional winner in the WAPP “Rock to Riches” contest, Kelly and his bandmates regrouped as “Broken Toys,” a popular New York-based writing project and live act that garnered a production deal with Atlantic Records.
One of the songs from that collaboration was “Tears Cried in the Rain,” which appeared on the debut album from Kelly’s next project, From The Fire. That album, titled Thirty Days and Dirty Nights, was produced by Jean Beauvoir and Pat Regan, and is considered a classic in the Melodic Rock genre.
Two more self-produced albums emerged from From The Fire – Evil Men Do in 2014 and OctOPus in 2016. After playing at the Firefest and Rockingham festivals in the U.K., Kelly returned to the U.S. and ultimately, joined EagleMania in 2017.
Ken Darcy (guitar and vocals) is a singer-songwriter, musician and poet. He studied music at Montclair State University and privately studied voice under the direction of Gian Carlo Menotti in Manhattan. He has played music on stage since the age of 11 and has been influenced greatly by the style of The Eagles, Neil Young, America and many other crossover Rock acts. Ken plays guitar, bass guitar and keyboards and has extensive training in vocal arranging and music theory under the direction of Duke Anderson, Duke Ellington’s accompanist.
Ken Darcy has performed in many venues ranging from The Kennedy Center in Washington D.C. to the Bottom Line in New York City. He has worked with performers ranging from the Chattanooga Symphony Orchestra to Cher and with musical producers such as Don Dixon, Brendon Harkin and Rob Fusari and song writers like Jim Wann, Bland Simpson and Irwin Levine. Ken has appeared on television in such shows as The Big Break and was musical director for The Sports Hour.
Jon Weiswasser (drums) has been playing drums for the last 27 years. He is a member of Miss Lucy and Walker Blue and formerly a member of the Gas House Gorillas. Other drumming credits include work with Mick Ralphs (Bad Co), Kip Winger (Winger), producer Mark Hudson (Aerosmith, Ringo Starr), Rami Jaffee (Foo Fighters), Earl Slick (David Bowie, John Lennon) and Elliot Easton (The Cars).
Dennis Espantman (bass guitar) is a seasoned professional bass guitarist with a resume that spans many years. He had his first brush with international stardom some time ago working for the Danish superstar Kim Larsen and touring Europe as the opening act for the Rolling Stones. Returning to the U.S., he continued to play bass and to write music.
He has played with musical luminaries such as Chuck Berry, Darlene Love, Ronnie Spector, Al Cooper, Eddie Brigati, The Jon Herington Band, Jimmy Vivino and Paul Shaffer. Dennis is now proud and excited to bring his bass-playing talents to EagleMania.