EAGLEMANIA Back At SOPAC By Popular Demand, December 20

EagleMania - The World's Greatest Eagles Tribute Band, which has been thrilling audiences nationwide with their stunning five-part harmony and uncanny ability to emulate the unmistakable sound of The Eagles, makes a return tour stop at SOPAC on Friday, December 20 at 8 p.m. Tickets, priced at $28-$38, are on sale now at SOPACnow.org/eaglemania.

Since their inception, EagleMania has dedicated themselves to faithfully reproducing the music of The Eagles. Fans will hear The Eagles' greatest Rock hits and ballads ("One of These Nights," "Already Gone," "Peaceful Easy Feeling," among many others), as well as some of the solo work of Don Henley, Glenn Frey and Joe Walsh.

The band has spent countless hours breaking down everything The Eagles recorded and faithfully reproduces those unforgettable songs in the most authentic way possible. Over the years, EagleMania has evolved into a nationally touring tribute, performing to sold-out houses everywhere they go. The audience is given a chance to experience the music the way it was meant to be heard, and it's done live on stage, night after night.

EagleMania is an ensemble of veteran musicians who love to sing and play The Eagles' repertoire:

Frankie Reno (keyboards and vocals) has explored many paths during his 35 years in the music business. A multi-talented keyboard player, vocalist, composer and producer, he has taken his love of music and his technical expertise as a producer/engineer, and his collaborations with some of the biggest names in the music industry, to both national and local levels.

Reno currently works with Disney and ABC Television Networks, producing music for a variety of TV shows and film projects. He has worked with such artists as Lou Rawls, The Outlaws, Molly Hatchet, The Marshall Tucker Band, Ace Frehley, Peter Criss and seven-time Grammy Award-winning producer Gordon "The Commissioner" Williams, as well as Songwriters Hall of Fame legends Gamble and Huff, fathers of The Philadelphia Sound.

John Gaechter (guitar and vocals) has been playing guitar since childhood and playing out since he was 15. His musical heroes include Duane Allman, Eric Clapton, George Harrison, Jimi Hendrix and Joe Walsh, to name a few. Gaechter is also a professional recording engineer and owns a walk-in ready, fully-equipped recording studio in Sussex, N.J.

Gaechter has performed or recorded with Jack Bruce, Roger Daltrey, Leslie West and countless, talented local musicians.

J.D. Kelly (lead vocals) got his start singing in cover bands at the age of 13. He studied voice with Myra Manning in the 1980s while writing, recording and performing with the Frankie Carr Band. After the band's signature song "Perfume and Leather" (co-written by Kelly) was selected as a regional winner in the WAPP "Rock to Riches" contest, Kelly and his bandmates regrouped as Broken Toys, a popular New York-based writing project and live act that garnered a production deal with Atlantic Records.

One of the songs from that collaboration was "Tears Cried in the Rain," which appeared on the debut album from Kelly's next project, From the Fire. That album, titled Thirty Days and Dirty Nights, was produced by Jean Beauvoir and Pat Regan and is considered a classic in the Melodic Rock genre.

Two more self-produced albums emerged from From the Fire: Evil Men Do in 2014 and OctOPus in 2016. After playing at the Firefest and Rockingham festivals in the U.K., Kelly returned to the U.S. and joined EagleMania in 2017.

Ken Darcy (guitar and vocals) is a singer-songwriter, musician and poet. He studied music at Montclair State University and studied voice privately under the direction of Gian Carlo Menotti in Manhattan. He has played music on stage since the age of 11 and has been influenced greatly by the style of The Eagles, Neil Young, America and many other crossover Rock acts. Darcy plays guitar, bass guitar and keyboards and was trained extensively in vocal arranging and music theory by Duke Anderson, Duke Ellington's accompanist.

Darcy has performed in many venues, from the John F. Kennedy Center for the Performing Arts in Washington D.C. to the Bottom Line in New York City. He has worked with performers ranging from the Chattanooga Symphony Orchestra to Cher and with musical producers such as Don Dixon, Brendan Harkin and Rob Fusari and songwriters like Jim Wann, Bland Simpson and Irwin Levine. Darcy has appeared on television in such shows as The Big Break and was musical director for The Sports Hour.

Jon Weiswasser (drums) has been playing drums for the last 27 years. He is a member of Miss Lucy and Walker Blue and formerly a member of the Gas House Gorillas. Other drumming credits include work with Mick Ralphs (Bad Company), Kip Winger (Winger), producer Mark Hudson (Aerosmith, Ringo Starr), Rami Jaffee (Foo Fighters), Earl Slick (David Bowie, John Lennon) and Elliot Easton (The Cars).

Dennis Espantman (bass guitar) is a seasoned professional bass guitarist with a résumé that spans many years. He had his first brush with international stardom some time ago working for the Danish superstar Kim Larsen and touring Europe as the opening act for the Rolling Stones. Returning to the U.S., he continued to play bass and to write music.

He has played with musical luminaries such as Chuck Berry, Darlene Love, Ronnie Spector, Al Cooper, Eddie Brigati, The Jon Herington Band, Jimmy Vivino and Paul Shaffer.

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