What is Fat Tony?

Fat Tony is a band that plays blues, swing, and everything with a certain élan. This élan results from music propelled by an unusual three-piece rhythm section that supports two smokin' soloists. Five guys create one fine sound that knocks 'em down in the greater Norfolk, VA area.

Fat Tony got off the ground in 1998 when PAUL MULCAHY, a tenor guitarist (four, not six, strings); SANDY MARTIN, long time harmonica player for local blues band "Blues Exchange"; and SAM HOCHBERG, an acoustic guitarist, began to "sit in" at an open stage at the former Hilltop Brewing Company in Virginia Beach, VA. Their repertoire consisted of obscure blues covers. They were joined later that year by CHUCK "DUCK" MOEBUS, a saxophonist and ace electric guitar guru. They played almost every week, woodshedding on a very tiny stage for no money. The things you do for art ....

Things began to cook for the quartet and they were coming together as a band. In late 1998 they were joined by a washtub bassist from "C.J. and the Ph.Ds", CHRIS "C.J." JONES (very surprising that a washtub guy had no gig). That's right, a washtub bassist, playing a homemade instrument, aka a "gut bucket" or an "imitation bass". The washtub base is made of a washtub, string trimmer cord, and a closet dowel redesigned into the "ergo pole" (the ergonomically perfect washtub bass neck).

Now we were looking like an unusual band.

Lots of woodshedding followed. This was accompanied by gigs throughout the area, lots of coffee, and a few beers, not always exactly in that order. Sam Hochberg left the group and a couple of guitar playing friends of ours, JIMMIE SILVIA and STEVE JOHNSON, stepped up to the plate as "Temporary Tonys" with the intention of helping us "find our sound".

In 1999, that sound was found when local drumming mainstay ANDY REXROAT brought his snare drum and a couple of brushes into the mix.

That sound was Fat Tony fat. Paul, C.J. and Andy, the rhythm section, formed a full foundation for songs that crawl, shout and swing, while Sandy and Chuck ripped solos that made your heart sing. You'd hear a sax solo wrapped around a harp solo as tightly as Homer Simpson's hand on a can of Duff, while underneath all of that you'd hear a great groove generated by a four-stringed guitar, a one-stringed washtub bass, and a one-drum drummer.

In 2008, we had both a paradigm and rhythmic shift as Chuck and Andy moved on down the musical road. Paul, Sandy and C.J. navigated the network of unattached musicians, looking for that elusive jewel, an unencumbered musician who had a day job, and owned both a PA and a van. Not finding that, we instead looked for another guitarist and another drummer. We found our guitarist in GENE BOWERS, a fine finger-picker guitarist and ace banjo man who played in "Marty Jones and the Ten Top Boys". We found our drummer in PETER ZINC, former "C.J. and the Ph.Ds" one-drum drummer and brushes beast.

What's Fat Tony sound like now? A little twangier than before, with a tasteful nod to 1960s country instrumentals, and just eclectic in our song selections - still playing "blues, swing and everything."

We've periodically grabbed the attention of the local music "powers that be." At the Ninevolt Magazine's 6th Annual Local Music Awards (February 2005) we were voted the Tidewater Virginia's Best Blues Band. In the PortFolio Weekly Music Awards (March 2007) we were voted the Tidewater Virginia's Best Blues Band. Winners in the two years that we'd been on the ballot! Two-for-two! Two times!

Fat Tony delivers!

Where have we played?

Bunches of places.

In Norfolk, VA, we've played at Harborfest, the Waterside's Main Stage, the Chrysler Museum, Cora's, D. C. Chase's, Jack Quinn's, Nauticus, the Spring and Fall Stockley Gardens Art Festivals, the Tap House Grill, the Town Point Beer Festival, and Old Dominion University.

In Virginia Beach, VA, we've played at the 17th Street Stage, the 24th Street Stage, the Center for Contemporary Arts, the Gordon Biersch brewpub, the Knights of Columbus Hall, Sammy's, Steppin' Out, and the Whitehorse Pub.

And elsewhere, for you folks who don't mind driving through a tunnel to get somewhere, we've played at Goodfellas in Hampton, VA; Pfeiffer's in Portsmouth, VA; Port Warwick in Newport News; and at the College of William and Mary (on a Fat Tuesday, the Fat-Fat combination!), Williamsburg, VA.

We're always looking for more places to play, so let your local venue know we'll willing to drop in.

More to come when there's more to tell .... CJ