Friday, May 2, 2014

Still on Top- Molly Hatchet is Southern Rockin' their Way Around the World!

By Michael  and Rina Marie Yanko
for Rock Legends Photographers
and Concert Photos Magazine

You’ll have to excuse us if this review seems a bit biased, because it is!

After many years of shooting Molly Hatchet in concert we have become the official photographers of the band. We are friends with all of the band members and we consider each other family. Bobby Ingram recently got married and I truly feel like his wife Sarah is a new sister to us :D

We’ve captured images at several concerts during the past few year’s tours starting with three shows and a meet and greet on the “Rock Legends Cruise 2” in January 2013. Our photographers have captured them at shows all over Florida, in Houston, in the Carolinas, New England, Europe, and back home in Florida again. We also shot and filmed a rockumentary that we’ll be posting here soon called “A Day with Hatchet” with eight photographers and a videographer. We covered the band for 22 Molly Hatchet Livehours, two concerts, and about 600 miles on the road!

Even though founding member and guitar player Dave Hlubek is in the band, the heart and soul of the band is definitely lead guitar player Bobby Ingram.



Besides being a superb guitar player, Bobby is attending law school and works very hard to keep the music alive for the fans. Between running the band, law school, and studying, Bobby’s days are always long. He is an expert at time management and accomplishes so much with the fans, who are always his primary source of motivation.

Bobby has been with Molly Hatchet since 1987. When Danny Joe Brown was no longer able to perform, Bobby took over the band at his request. It was hard work through some lean times, but Molly Hatchet came out of it with a lineup that does a fabulous job of bringing the fans the “Hatchet” sound that they are so addicted to. In a future article we will be doing an exclusive interview with Bobby that will really bring to light a lot of the history of Jacksonville southern rock that most fans don’t know!

Joining Bobby in the lineup are:
Dave Hlubek on guitar – Founding member from the beginning until 1987, and then back again from 2005 to present. We’ve known Dave for about 13 years, as a matter-of-fact Rina Marie made his 50th birthday cake and brought it to a show Dave played at when he was with the Southern Rock All Stars. Dave will be the first person to tell you that he was not a nice person back in the early MH days, but life has a strange way of making us grow up and become humble. Today we are proud to have him as a friend.
John Galvin on keyboards – Played with Bobby in the Danny Joe Brown Band before joining MH in 1984. John has been with the band almost 30 years except a period from 1991-1995. John is an excellent keyboard player and he and his wife Marie are awesome people to be around.
Tim Lindsey on bass – Tim has been with the band since 2003. Prior to joining MH he played in a band with Dave Hlubek called Mind Garden before Molly was born. Tim also held down the bass line for the Rossington Band, Lynyrd Skynyrd, and the Artimus Pyle Band before settling in with Molly Hatchet. We’ve known Tim for about 15 years and he always been one of the nicest musicians you will ever meet.
Shawn Beamer on drums – We almost lost Shawn to a heart attack but he came back two years later stronger than ever. Shawn joined the band in 2001 and was temporarily replaced by Scott Craig from 2011 into a portion of 2013. We were at a MH show in November 2012 and out of the blue Shawn came walking up (with no facial hair) looking great and about 10 years younger than the last time I saw him. He sat in with the guys for a couple of songs and I knew right then it would just be a matter of time before he was back with the band full time. If you’ve ever seen Shawn play then you know that Molly Hatchet is the right band for him!
Molly Hatchet, Michael and Rina Marie 
















Phil McCormack awesome vocalist – Every time I think of Phil, I smile. He is one of the most fan-friendly performers I have ever met! At one show we were at when the band bus arrived he was already off it and in the crowd hugging people before the bus was done rolling. Chosen for his awesome voice by Danny Joe and Bobby, I don’t think either one of them would have guessed that after being in the band so many years, Phil would still be a big loveable kid. His voice has become the sound of Molly Hatchet and although he doesn’t sound just like Danny Joe, he does sound just like Molly Hatchet!
To sum it all up, today’s lineup of Molly Hatchet has been together longer than any previous lineup. The tightness in their sound is amazing and their shows take you away from your daily life for the duration and leave you feeling good. They blend a collection of Hatchet greatest hits like “Dreams I’ll Never See”, Flirtin’ With Disaster”, and “Gator Country”, with songs they’ve written over the years for a completely thrilling concert experience.
At every show they pay tribute to our armed forces and our country. The whole band is super fan friendly and no matter how exhausted they are they always make time to meet with the fans and sign autographs after the shows. Their popularity is on the upswing and they truly are one of “America’s” bands! Be sure to see them when they tour near you! Website http://www.mollyhatchet.com/http://www.mollyhatchet.com/ fan page https://www.facebook.com/groups/611876252185673/https://www.facebook.com/groups/611876252185673/
Check out Rock Legends Photographers  www.rocklegendsphotos.com for more pictures from their shows.
*Dates courtesy of Wikipedia and may not be 100% accurate.

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