For anyone who loves great blues, funk, roots, rhythm and blues rock and roll—the kind of music that will have you dancing on your feet and catching the beat, then Hoosier Daddy is definitely one band you will want to see. They play a great collection of cover songs that is sure to grab your attention and perform with excellent musicianship that comes natural to the members who make up the band.

Together for seven years, Hoosier Daddy is from Marietta, and formed by guitarist and vocalist Perry White. The band includes John Cianfaglione on bass/vocals; Clay White on keyboards/vocals; and Marahall Choka on drums/vocals. They are the only band in the area that features four vocalists who perform with four part harmonies.  Hoosier Daddy began as a blues band and evolved with different members over the years with White to playing rhythm and blues and classic rock songs.

 

The band took its name from an incident Perry White had in Indiana when he was at a bar seeing a band. An inebriated patron went haywire and proceeded to punch out all of the patrons in the club according to White, with himself on the defensive heading for the door before he could be assaulted. Check out the song Hoosier Daddy on the band’s  web site or Facebook  page for the details!

 

Hoosier Daddy will release their debut CD of original music “Hallowed Ground” on October 22nd.  The CD is on Tate Records of the Tate Music Group and was recorded in Mustang, Oklahoma in 2012.  The eight tracks were recorded in Oklahoma and the band returned to Atlanta to do the final mixing and then sent back to the studio in Oklahoma for final mastering.  The process delayed the release by several months however the end result was worth the wait as the band was intent on releasing a level of quality that met their expectations.

 

Talking about Hoosier Daddy and the difference that sets them apart from others, Cianfaglione said, “Some of the other bands that play what we play, or the style, not what we play, the bands in the same style as us, they may have one or two vocalist, but they don’t have people singing four part harmonies like us, and that already has set us apart from the other bands in the local area where we play.  When you have big vocals it sets you apart from everybody else, it always does. Not that we are not, even lesser bands if they have a great vocalist, they are going to work, they are going to get people in because they can sing--because everyone likes a good singer.”

Cianfaglione believes that the band stands out with its vocals and the songs they play.  “Our vocals and the songs that we choose to play. Nobody plays the tunes that we play, most of them, one or two maybe, but what we are playing no other band is playing, maybe in similar style, but the bulk of what we do no one is doing. We do some money covers in Hoosier Daddy style that Perry just tears that stuff up and nobody plays stuff like Perry White does and I don’t care what anybody says, I have heard blues bands and everybody I have brought to see you says the same thing, and once you break it down, and my musician friends think that we are really tight and because of the tunes we play, we don’t just play the run of the mill Mustang Sally, of course we play that if you want to hear that but we don’t just play typical 1-4-5 shuffles all night long, that sets us apart, that, and our vocals.”

 

Perry White added, “That is the basics of our goals right there. I would love to have our band evolve into a vocal oriented thing because the musicianship is there, the instruments, and I think we are going in that direction. You know we are taking the time to do it right and we all have our own backgrounds and I feel this collection, I have had several iterations of this band and this is absolutely the best of what I want to go forward with.”

 

The chemistry created between the members really shows through in their performance.  “We all have personalities, and we get along, said Perry White. I am not trying to be funny. A lot of bands there are two or three members that can’t communicate, and it is really strange. It is the ego thing. I would like to think that because we are all from different backgrounds that it all sort of just comes together right and that is really, when we were looking for a drummer this time we were looking for someone who could sing and play drums. That is what I feel what we got so I just look at it as a big mix, right, and every band has got to get along and it has to click and it is right now, it is great. I am not trying to overanalyze it.”

 

“It makes all the difference and it shows. It is rare I think. I don’t know if there is any band that like with the first original guys and it is them all the way and ten years later, and has that ever happened? I don’t think it has happened on any level.”

 

“We have all been in other bands, said Cianfaglione. I have been in other really good bands and I was in a good drawing band in New England for years, but it only lasted a few years because and it was a good band, but too many egos and it was tough. With Hoosier Daddy, we all kind of relax.”

 

Hoosier Daddy brings a lot of energy to the stage and make for a good time out. They will definitely have you on your feet dancing before the end of the night.  Cianfaglione said, “You can expect a lot of energy, a little bit of humor, and here some really good music. We have energy on stage, you know, Perry and I are up there and are not stiff and standing there and playing…we groove. We have the Hoosier Daddy groove.” White added, “And it is a natural thing.”

 

Keep your eyes on the band’s web site and Facebook page for updates on the shows as they play out in the Marietta and Woodstock area on a regular basis. They also have plans to take the band on the road and play some shows out of state and at some Blues Festivals. They are favorites at the Taste of Marietta Festival in early spring and recently just performed at the Canton Arts Festival  in Canton and at the Whole Hawg Happening BBQ Festival at the Marietta Square last weekend.  In the meantime, be sure to catch a show while the band is in town. They will play shows at Bodock's in Canton on Saturday, October 12th and Thursday, October 17th for Bike Night. The band is a great reason to get out and enjoy music and a great reason to dance--a good time for all.  And as Perry and his bandmates say: Hoosier Daddy is a statement, not a question!