Georgia Magazine - April 2024 - 23

Musicians (from left) Randy
Lefl er (back row), Amy
Arnold, Ricky Zero and
Bambi Lynn perform as
Learning to Count, a
Ramones tribute band.
Agency, is the booking agent for 30 acts, including The Mad Hatters. For
him, the allure of tribute bands lies in their ability to unite audiences
through shared musical experiences.
The Mad Hatters is a five-member Atlanta-based tribute to Tom Petty
and the Heartbreakers that formed during the pandemic.
" Everybody was out of work and nobody was doing anything because
all the clubs were closed, " says Adler, who is a longtime friend of the band
members. " They were like, 'Man, we should have a Tom Petty tribute band
because we all love Tom Petty and he's incredibly popular.' So they started
putting the band together.
" We're all fans of Tom Petty. That genuine love for the music translates
into the band's performances, creating a sense of camaraderie between the
band and the audience. "
With an authentic sound and infectious energy, Mad Hatters band
members capture the spirit of Petty's iconic live shows, drawing crowds
eager to sing along to classic hits.
Adler says an essential element of a tribute band is to enjoy the music
that it is emulating.
" Otherwise, you're not going to have that fun come across, " he says.
" It's just gonna be a job. "
As a group of professional musicians, including two members from the
Georgia Satellites, The Mad Hatters understands that crowd work is one of
the most important aspects of putting on a good tribute-band show.
" The band and the audience, they're all [celebrating] Tom Petty.
They're kind of doing the show together. It's as if the audience is as much
a part of the band as the musicians [who] are playing, " he says. " Tribute
bands provide a service. They allow fans to relive the music of their favorite
artists without breaking the bank or traveling long distances. "
However, sometimes when bands are still in their prime, a tribute
band may seem like an outright copy. Siamese Dream, an Atlanta-area
Smashing Pumpkins tribute band that Adler represents, was so good that
the original band's frontman, Billy Corgan, sent it a cease-and-desist
See them perform!
Ready to rock? Several tribute bands' shows are
listed in this month's calendar, beginning on page 10.
Check out these bands' pages for upcoming show dates
and more details.
* Big Bam Boom, halloatestribute.com
* Cherry Bomb, fb.com/thecherrybombatlanta
* El Scorcho, fb.com/elscorchoweezertribute
* Heart of Atlanta, heartofatlantalive.com
* Learning to Count, learningtocountband.com
* The Mad Hatters, themadhatters.band
* Siamese Dream, siamesedreamband.com
order. The bands eventually got to know each other,
and now Siamese Dream is endorsed by Smashing
Pumpkins.
Another area band that Adler represents,
Weezer tribute band El Scorcho, became such a
good friend of Weezer's that they performed on stage
together. Now El Scorcho is doing a special tour to
commemorate Weezer's 30th anniversary album.
" As long as you portray the act you're tributing
in a positive light and you're not embarrassing,
they're generally really flattered, " Adler says. " Also
consider [that] they're usually not really touring that
much anymore. That's why the tributes are so
popular. "
Tara Duncan is an Atlanta-based freelance
writer.
www.georgiamagazine.org
23
COURTESY BAMBI LYNN

http://www.halloatestribute.com http://www.fb.com/thecherrybombatlanta http://www.fb.com/elscorchoweezertribute http://www.heartofatlantalive.com http://www.learningtocountband.com http://themadhatters.band http://www.siamesedreamband.com http://www.georgiamagazine.org

Georgia Magazine - April 2024

Table of Contents for the Digital Edition of Georgia Magazine - April 2024