Austin's favorite Beatles cover band, The Eggmen, will perform with the McCallum Orchestra on Saturday, February 19th, 7 P.M., at The Paramount Theatre, 713 Congress Avenue, Austin, Texas. This event marks the third time these two groups have played at the Paramount. This year the concert will benefit the McCallum Orchestra's effort to fund scholarships for Orchestra students who will perform in Washington, D.C., this summer.
The groups will perform classic Beatles tunes, including, "All You Need Is Love," "Eleanor Rigby," and "Strawberry Fields Forever," with careful attention to maintaining the look and sound of the Beatles. John Burgess (the John Lennon of the group) says, "The McCallum Orchestra is a talented group of students who recreate the orchestral sound the Beatles often incorporated in the recording studio. Live, the big sound captures that unique jolt of energy that the Beatles brought to the music scene in the sixties. Plus, the students spread enthusiasm throughout the band and the audience."
The Eggmen are dedicated to recreating the original sounds of the Fab Four. They have researched the musical instruments of the 1960s and studied recorded performances. Performing together since 1992, The Eggmen have gained a loyal following. They have earned the Austin Chronicle Music Awards' "BEST COVER BAND" seven times and in the 2005 National Music Awards they won "AMERICA'S BEST TRIBUTE BAND." According to Burgess, "We see ourselves as the keepers of a particularly important flame and it is a joy to perform the greatest music of this century live with the orchestra."
Opening the benefit concert are special guests, The Apple Trio. This all-girl group will perform their original "chamber-pop" style music. Members Diana Burgess, Caiti Coughlan, and Olivia Erwin are McCallum Orchestra students who are rapidly gaining recognition across Austin. The Trio has recently released their first CD. Says Caiti Coughlan, "We are excited to open for The Eggmen. We have played with them several times, including opening for them on New Year's Eve--it's always a blast."
The award winning McCallum Fine Arts Academy Orchestra has already had a busy year performing shows around the city. "Our students love playing Beatles music," said Ricky Pringle, Orchestra Director at McCallum. "They love the opportunity to bring people to their feet dancing and singing ," explained Mr. Pringle. "It's music that small children, teenagers, young adults, and kids of the 60s and beyond love. It's hard to beat the influence this kind of music has on diverse crowds of people," he added.
