PORT ST. LUCIE — What do you get when you put five talented musicians into a room with nothing but instruments, music, history, talent, etc.? What you get is tons of music in the form of McCartney Mania.
The band is much more than just a Beatles tribute band. It is estimated there are about 1,000 of them worldwide.
Two years ago I was in Bangkok and listened to an all-Thai Beatles tribute band that was very good. McCartney Mania is different in that they feature almost exclusively Sir Paul’s music, with the Beatles, with Wings, and solo as “The Cute Beatle.”
The band has been together for about two years and has played up and down the Treasure Coast and will continue to do so in the future with newer show dates extending into Broward County and beyond.
Check local listings or McCartney Mania on Facebook for upcoming shows at the Sunrise Theatre in Fort Pierce, Civic Center in Port St. Lucie, or local restaurants in Martin and St. Lucie counties. I caught up with the band at a recent rehearsal and was able to talk to each member and get some historical background.
And in this corner, portraying Sir Paul McCartney, all the way from New Bedford, Mass., Sir Jack Maravell. (The crowd roars with approval). Not only does he look and sound like Sir Paul, but also plays a left-handed Hofner Bass just like the famous Beatle.
Like so many other rock and rollers, famous and not so famous, it all started on Feb. 9, 1964, when Maravell, like millions of young boys all across the USA saw the Beatles first time live on the Ed Sullivan Show, and decided that music was going to be their life from that moment forward.
He traveled around the USA playing Paul in Beatlemania for many years and finally settled down on the Treasure Coast.
Currently Maravell can be found days at the Fort Pierce Police Athletic League where he is a youth mentor, playing sports, teaching reading and acting as a counselor to the young people in Fort Pierce.
Besides playing bass, Maravell also play guitar and piano and is often found playing solo gigs at parties or in the local watering holes.
Keyboard man is ENT surgeon Dr. Jimmy Autin. Originally from Houma, La., Autin has played in many bands, usually on keys, but also proficient on the trumpet and guitar.
He remembers hearing Elvis and Buddy Holley on the radio before the Beatles and that started an interest in music for him.
Autin says that music has come a long way on the Treasure coast since he moved here 29 years ago. There are a lot more musicians, bands, and the quality has improved.
Many of the shows that McCartney Mania performs are benefit shows. Last year’s show at the Sunrise Theatre aided the Police Athletic League; this year’s show at the Sunrise on April 12 will benefit the Fort Pierce Family Meals Inc. At this stage in their lives, the band members agree that it’s all about the music and giving back to the community.
The guitar man, from Wooster, Mass., is Jackson Chiarelli, who by day is a pharmacist in Vero Beach.
Just like band-mate Maravell, Chiarelli’s life was turned around when he saw the Beatles on the Ed Sullivan Show in 1964. The all-around musician also has played piano and trumpet and claims the early rock and rollers such as Elvis and Buddy Holley, as well as Louis Prima, Sinatra and Dean Martin were his early influences.
Family singing and harmonizing came early to Chiarelli and helped to influence his musical life. He hopes to continue to develop his guitar skills and eventually get to write his own music.
The other guitar player is Scott Benge, known on the Treasure Coast for his years with the hard rocking band, SWS, and also for his solo appearances at parties and local clubs and restaurants.
His day job and night job are one in the same, that of a musician. Along with the guitar, he plays bass, baritone, banjo, trombone, drums, tuba and a pretty mean penny whistle which he’s trying to introduce into the Beatles music.
Benge, originally from Gainesville, credits his main musical influences as Joe Walsh of Eagles and The James Gang, guitar virtuoso Steve Vai, heavy metal band Rush’s Alex Lifeson and of course the Beatles.
At age 7, Benge started taking guitar lessons and after about three months the teacher told him that he knew as much as the teacher. The Cincinnati High School for the Performing Arts helped get him to where he is today. He plans to keep on playing as long as his body holds out and particularly enjoys the camaraderie with the other members of McCartney Mania.
The man who keeps everybody on the beat is drummer Dean Lopes from Rhode Island.
Lopes, coming from a musical family, came out of the womb ready to play percussion. His father was a horn player in a marching band. He says that music is his full-time job and his part-time job is installing AV music systems for the home theater market.
Other accomplishments have included drumming for the San Francisco-based band, the Tubes, writing and playing music for The Late Show with Craig Ferguson, Entertainment Tonight and HBO’s Entourage, and being a band mate with Robert Tepper. His musical training developed at the Berklee College of Music in Boston. His major drumming influences are Danny Seraphine from Chicago, Billy Cobham, Buddy Rich, and of course Ringo.
Adding up all the years of playing practicing, lessons and learning, these five musicians have amassed about 224 years at their craft. And to listen to any one of their stories, they’re just getting started.
You’re all in for a special treat when you go to any venue to hear and see them perform. Confirmed dates include Jan 26 at the Port St. Lucie Civic Center and April 12 at the Sunrise Theatre in Fort Pierce. A splendid time is guaranteed for all.
For more information, visit http://www.reverbnation.com/mccartneymania
