Tucci Band Sets
July 14 Release Date for New Album of Blues/Rock, Olivia, on Hideaway
Music, with Special Guest Larry McCray
CD Also
Includes Final Recording Appearance from Guitar Great Dan Toler
SARASOTA, FL – Blues/rock group Tucci announces a July 14
national release date for their new CD, Olivia, on Hideaway
Records. Tucci band members are Steve “Doc” Tucci – guitars and vocals; Michael
Tucci – drums; Shawn Murphy – sax and vocals; and Harry DeBusk – bass and
vocals. Blues great Larry McCray lends his guitar and vocal talents throughout
the album, and Olivia also includes perhaps the last recorded
appearance from former Allman Brothers Band, Gregg Allman Band and Great
Southern guitarist Dan Toler, who died shortly after his track was recorded.
The Tucci band will celebrate the release of the new Olivia CD
with a special performance at Bert's
Black Widow Harley Davidson, 2224 El Jobean Road, in Port Charlotte, Florida,
at Noon on Sunday, July 16.
The Tucci band continues on the path set by its previous
incarnation, The Toler-Tucci Band, which featured Dan Toler and recorded the
acclaimed CD, Doc’s Hideaway, in 2012. Dan Toler was a longtime
friend and mentor to the band, and his spirit informs the music on the new
disc. Toler passed away in early 2013 after a long battle with ALS.
Steve Tucci reflected on the impact that Dan Toler had on
the band and its music. “Several years ago over a sushi lunch, Dan Toler asked
if I had any interest in forming a band with him that would be strongly based
on friendship. He believed that good friends would be positive influences on
each other and hence, quality and creative music would result. We subsequently
formed The Toler Tucci Band and recorded what was to be Dan’s last CD. All the
music was original and greatly influenced by Dan. He was a true master of his
craft. His witting criticism of our lesser performances were taken as
constructive not, destructive. It certainly allowed us all to grow as
musicians, but, more importantly we grew into a tight-knit family. Dan was able
to play every instrument in our band and would at times play the part he
thought best on each instrument. He was like a symphony composer and knew in
his mind what notes were important to produce the desired sound. We would call
some of his abstract, but highly musical ideas, ‘Toler Notes.’ He created a
unique, very identifiable emotion in each and every composition. Dan was a
close friend, mentor and brother to each of us in Tucci. His spirit and
influence lives on in our current playing and every once in a while we can hear
the ‘Toler Magic.’ One of the hardest tasks I had to do was deliver Dan’s
eulogy and maintain my composure. He is dearly missed but, has left us memories
and a foundation we can build on for the rest of our lives.”
The all-original 11 songs on Olivia showcase
the band’s high energy blues/Southern rock sound, with flourishes of funk,
R&B and jazz. Special guest Larry McCray stamps his strong guitar work and
vocals on eight songs; and Dan Toler’s distinctive guitar stands out on the
track, “Play by the Rules.” Additional friends appearing on the new CD include
Donnie Richards (Hammond B-3 organ), Ira Stanley (slide guitar) Dan Ryan
(keyboards), Al Owen (vocals) and Bob Dielman (guitar).
Steve Tucci talked about how Larry McCray became involved in
the recording of the new CD. “After Dan’s passing, the band was in a vast void.
Our friend and great bluesman Larry McCray offered to come down to Florida and
collaborate with us on the Olivia CD. Larry’s influence, vocals
and guitar playing was the prescription the band needed to heal and get on with
our mission to create and perform good music. He truly was able to help
fill the void and create the CD. Larry fit perfectly into the goal of Tucci
being a band of friends and brothers seeking a good time through good music. I
am most grateful to Larry for his assistance on this project. Larry has an open
invitation to play with Tucci in any show.”
Produced by Steve Tucci and Bud Snyder, Olivia was
recorded and at mixed at the Spirit Ranch Recording Studio in Sarasota. Steve
“Doc” Tucci is the band’s main composer. His work on guitar and vocals is
widely respected and merges rock and soul, vintage and modern, yin and yang;
Shawn Murphy is the sax player and also possesses a soulful voice; Harry DeBusk
and Mike Tucci, bass and percussion respectively, hold everything together with
their funky, sometimes syncopated, but always musical groove.
The Sarasota-based Tucci band has been a mainstay of the
Florida festival and club circuit over the years, developing a solid fan base.
The Tucci and Toler-Tucci CDs can be downloaded or purchased at various stores
or on-line through Amazon.com and iTunes.
Steve Tucci summed up the band’s direction thusly, “I
believe a quote from Dan Toler is appropriate: ‘It is the duty of the dedicated
musician to educate the listeners as to what high quality music is. This task
should not be the role of the music business industry, which is more
financially oriented as opposed to creatively oriented’.”
