PLYMOUTH — What do you get when you take a drummer named Adam Guy, add bassist Scott Hardy, throw in guitarist Jeff Shepherd and top it off with the powerful vocals of Chad Morlan?
You get The Charles Dalton Band, of course, and pure entertainment! Possibly, you were fortunate enough to catch this accomplished cover-band as it recently rocked Plymouth’s Club Omega on Saturday, December 10. The seasoned members of The Charles Dalton Band began performing as a group live in Plymouth and surrounding areas in 2009, but this certainly was not the beginning of their musical careers.
Chad Morlan, a sales representative for Red Bull Distributing, may be accused of sipping the energy Kool-Aid he sells due to his jazzed enthusiasm whenever he speaks about music. It is clear Morlan delights in performing and being able to reach out and connect with others through music. Proof of this is the fact that his vocal career began 25 years ago in church and with church bands. He asserts, that in his estimation, he has performed in at least 1,000 church services since 1988.
He also held a demo-contract with Island Records in 1991 and then joined with drummer Adam Guy in his first cover-band, Red 40, in 2002. Morlan credits musical greats such as Freddie Mercury of Queen, Brad Delp of Boston, Geddy Lee of Rush, Sebastian Back of Skid Row and Robert Plant of Led Zepplin with molding and influencing his tastes. Morlan and Guy played with Red 40 through 2006; taking a break from the band Morlan continued on to sing in church, as well as write his own songs.
Adam Guy, who currently works for Mediacom Cable in North Webster, began drumming in 1986 and has been in a number of bands over the years. His primary musical influences were drummers from the hair-bands of the 80’s, such as Tommy Lee of Motley Crue. Guy and bassist Scott Hardy, of North Webster, are childhood friends and have remained close throughout the years.
Gene Simmons, Nikki Sixx, Adam Clayton and Les Claypool peaked Hardy’s interest and influenced him as he began playing the bass guitar in 1988. While Hardy played in bands UFB and Civilian Street, he and Guy had always discussed the possibility of forming their own band. The name The Charles Dalton Band was established even before the group, originating from Adam Charles Guy and Scott Dalton Hardy’s middle names. Once the band had a name, all it needed was members.
The two founding members of The Charles Dalton Band contacted Chad Morlan, who was a perfect fit to front the new venture.
In 2009, when Morlan got the call, he jumped at the opportunity to get back out and perform live. A local, well-respected guitarist by the name of Jeff Shepherd was then asked if he would be interested in sitting in on a rehearsal. It was quickly determined by all parties that Shepherd, who began playing guitar at the age of 9, was the final link to completing the Charles Dalton project. Morlan recalls, “He blew us away and has only gotten better!”
The Charles Dalton Band was no longer just a name, it transitioned quickly from an idea into a musical foursome.
Morlan recalls how things first kicked off and how they’ve progressed, “Our first shows together were good, but we have become so much tighter as a band these past two years! When you play countless shows you experience literally every bad thing that can ever happen during a live performance; power outages, broken strings and drumsticks, bad monitors and microphone cords, forgetting the words or singing a bad note (especially if you are sick as a singer during a performance!). It's all happened before!” Morlan continues with a positive spin, “It's what makes you a seasoned pro! You truly have to experience all the bad to really appreciate all the good in a musical performance! And when bad things happen on stage, you don't stop…you just keep going! Kind of like life.”
Members of the band thoroughly enjoy performing live together and feel they have a deep connection as four friends sharing a special bond. Morlan points out, “What we enjoy most about playing together is a great show.When you complete a great four hour show there is nothing like it! You are totally spent. You are dripping with sweat. You have given everything you have for the crowd and for your fellow band-mates.”
The group primarily performs rock covers from the ‘70s, ‘80s & ‘90s. They will tell you that, ”every show is an all-out rock-fest, which also includes great danceable tunes for the dancing crowd.”
The guys feel that the tunes they cover are the ones we can all associate with the most. They describe their preferred style selection as, “timeless music that is pure.”
The band is scheduled for upcoming shows in Milford and at The Dandelion Bar in Plymouth. To get further information and details about the band you can find them on Facebook under The Charles Dalton Band.
Just like most entertainers experience, the band has performed for large riotous crowds and some smaller parties as well. Be assured though that The Charles Dalton Band will always work to give you their best. Morlan pledges, “We are a team on stage — a great show with tons of energy is a victory. Some shows you play in front of tons of people and some shows you play in front of five people, it happens! You give your all for those five, we never cheat them... ever!”
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