Dark Horse Flyer

Dark Horse Flyer
Origin South Florida, United States
Genres Blues rock
Years active 2011 (2011)–present
Labels Florida Street Records
Associated acts Split Decision, Breeze
Website DarkHorseFlyer.com
Members Don Mularz, Scott Lane, John Tillman, Richard Taylor, Raul Hernandez, Bob Taylor

Dark Horse Flyer is an American blues rock musical sextet based in South Florida. The band has a three-guitar frontline,[1] and the line-up since their 2011 founding has included Don Mularz (lead vocals, guitar), Scott Lane (guitar, vocals), John Tillman (guitar), Richard Taylor (bass), Raul Hernandez (drums), and Bob Taylor (keyboards).[2] Their debut album Breakaway was released on September 30, 2014, with Bill Meredith for the Palm Beach Post naming it one of his noteworthy "favorite local 2014 CDs."[3] The band continues to perform as of 2015[4] in locales such as Boca Raton, Florida[5] and Miami.[4]

History

Background as Breeze (1970s)

Don Mularz and Scott Lane, both friends and musicians, formed the tropic rock band Breeze[1] in 1974. At the time they were both students at Broward Community College in Fort Lauderdale, Florida, and shared a love of bands like Steely Dan, James Taylor, and Tom Petty.[6] Mularz and Lane both contributed songwriting,[6] guitar, and vocals to Breeze, and also brought in guitarist John Tillman and several other local musicians. Breeze began performing in Florida[6] and working on a studio album, with eleven different South Florida musicians contributing to the overall recording process.[7]

Titled Last Mango in Paradise, Breeze's debut was near completion when the owner of their recording studio died in a motorcycle accident. According to the band, the master tapes disappeared, with the studio closing shortly after. Breeze subsequently disbanded before the album's release. Scott Lane went into business,[7] while Don Mularz continued his career as a singer-songwriter and guitarist. The two would continue to collaborate over the next decades, also at times bringing in guitarist John Tillman. Tillman would contribute to Mularz's band Split Decision, and over the next decades would support groups such as The Coasters and The Shirelles.[6]

Founding Dark Horse Flyer (2011-2013)

In 2011[6] Scott Lane contacted the former members of Breeze to organize a "reunion party" on his property in Parkland, Florida.[7] Seven of the original eleven musicians got in touch to play together,[8] and afterwards Lane and Mularz attempted to reform as a new group. As most members had prior commitments,[6] Lane, Mularz, and Tillman decided to reform as the new entity Dark Horse Flyer.[8] The band name Dark Horse Flyer was chosen as "a tribute"[8] to the crew of a B-17 Bomber named Dark Horse. The bomber had flown seven missions in World War II before being shot down over Germany,[7] with one of the survivors being held as a POW for over a year before returning to the United States.[6]

To complete the line-up the three guitarists recruited bassist Richard Taylor, drummer Raul Hernandez, and keyboardist Bob Taylor, all three of whom had histories as sidemen in diverse genres, including jazz and rock.[7] Bob Taylor has previously composed music for shows and films such as The Fresh Prince of Bel-Air and Sex and the City 2,[6] and had been a sideman to musicians in diverse genres such as Chief Jim Billie, Buster Poindexter, and Brian Stoltz.[6] Like Tillman, he had also previously recorded with Mularz's band Split Decision.[6] As a drummer, Raul Hernandez had previously released solo material and had performed as a sidemen for artists such as Etta James, Kansas, Chuck Berry, and Joey Gilmore.[6] A computer programmer and programming trainer, Richard Taylor had toured as a bassist with musicians such as Rosie and the Originals.[6]

Breakaway production

External video
Dark Horse Flyer - "Evil Woman" (Official Music Video) (October 8, 2014)
Dark Horse Flyer - "Soldier's Song" (Official Music Video) (July 18, 2014)

Soon after founding, the group began work on an album of original material. Don Mularz produced the album, while Scott Lane served as executive producer. Beth Cohen, who has worked with artists such as Barbra Streisand and Kelly Clarkson, contributed duet and backing vocals.[6] Bernie Grundman in Los Angeles[6] mastered the disc,[2] and according to the band, they sequenced the nine tracks[7] "like we would for a live set."[8] The album's track "Evil Woman" had been written years before by Don Mularz and Olie Olsen, keyboardist in Mularz's band Split Decision. The song had never been recorded or performed live prior to the recording process for Breakaway,[1] and Olsen also came in to contribute B3 organ riffs.[1] In early September 2014, the band released a music video "Evil Woman," which had been filmed in Miami[9] with actress and model Mireille Segovia as the protagonist.[10]

Debut release and performing

The full-length debut Breakaway was released on September 30, 2014 through Florida Street Records.[9][1] They released the CD with a performance at Jazziz Jazz Club in Boca Raton the following October.[7] The CD and digital download[2] would later be made available as two 12" vinyl LPs,[2][4] and as of February 2015, the band was offering "Evil Woman" as a free download.[11] Bill Meredith for the Palm Beach Post named Breakaway one of his noteworthy "favorite local 2014 CDs."[3] He noted in a later review that "the veteran South Florida members of Dark Horse Flyer spared no expense" on the album,[4] and opined that the band members "seem intent on filling the void of the recently disbanded Allman Brothers Band, and in cases like the opening instrumental 'Hurricane,' they approach such heights."[4] "Evil Woman" was included in the October 2014 Relix Magazine sampler mix,[12] while "Breakaway" had been featured the month before.[13] The band continued to perform into late 2014[14]and early 2015,[4] appearing in locales such as Boca Raton[5] and Miami.[4]

Style and influences

Reviewers have compared the band's sound to groups such as The Allman Brothers, while the members have also cited influences such as Little Feat, Eric Clapton, Santana and Steely Dan. The band combines genres such as classic rock, pop, blues,[4] folk, soul, and R&B.[6] Mularz often takes on lead vocal duties with Lane providing harmony, and the band often features three concurrent guitar lines.[4]

Members

Current as of 2015[11]

Discography

Albums

Year Album title Release details
2014 Breakaway
  • Released: September 30, 2014
  • Label: Florida Street Records
  • Format: CD, digital, two 12" vinyl LPs

Singles

Selected songs by Dark Horse Flyer
Year Title Album Release details
2014 "Evil Woman" Single Self-released (August 30, 2014)
Music video (October 8, 2014)
"Soldier's Song" Single Music video (July 18, 2014)
Self-released (November 9, 2014)

Further reading

See also

References

  1. 1 2 3 4 5 Williams, Emily (July 31, 2014). "Song Premiere: Dark Horse Flyer, “Evil Woman”". American Songwriter. Retrieved 2015-06-22.
  2. 1 2 3 4 "Breakaway: Florida Street". Allmusic. Retrieved 2015-06-22.
  3. 1 2 Meredith, Bill (December 19, 2014). "My favorite local 2014 CDs, in popular music and beyond". Palm Beach Post. Retrieved 2015-06-22.
  4. 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 Meredith, Bill (March 6, 2015). "Two new blues CDs spotlight South Florida scene". Palm Beach Post. Retrieved 2015-06-22.
  5. 1 2 "South Florida Band Dark Horse Flyer Performance 4/3/15". Soul of Miami. March 25, 2015. Retrieved 2015-06-22.
  6. 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10 11 12 13 14 15 "Band Bio and Member Bios (subtopics)". darkhorseflyer.com. Retrieved 2015-06-22.
  7. 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 Julia Hebert, Dale King. "Dark Horse Flyer - A riveting story of the enduring power of friendship and second chances". South Florida Opulence. Retrieved 2015-06-22.
  8. 1 2 3 4 Adams, Leah (August 28, 2014). "An Interview with Rock-Blues Band, Dark Horse Flyer!". All Access Music. Retrieved 2015-06-22.
  9. 1 2 "Dark Horse Flyer premiere "Evil woman" music video". Guitar Aficionado. September 10, 2014. Retrieved 2015-06-22.
  10. ↑ "Venezolana Mireille Segovia triunfa en Miami". Rumberos. March 26, 2015. Retrieved 2015-06-22.
  11. 1 2 "Dark Horse Flyer – Breakaway – Album Review". Carayzee Diamond. February 18, 2015. Retrieved 2015-06-22.
  12. ↑ "October-November 2014 Relix Magazine Sampler". Relix Magazine. October 15, 2014. Retrieved 2015-06-22.
  13. ↑ "September 2014 Relix Magazine Sampler". Relix Magazine. September 2014. Retrieved 2015-06-22.
  14. ↑ Abravanel, Lesley (October 17, 2014). "A different sort of Bonfire of the Vanities at Conde Contemporary, Sassy City Chicks & a Ritzy beer garden". The Miami Herald. Retrieved 2015-06-22.

External links

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