BAND DETAIL: The MuddCatts

Beatles Video I Video II Elvis & The Beatles I Elvis & The Beatles II

Multi-Song Player Good Morning Texas - TV Video

The MuddCatts are a tribute to Elvis presley & the Beatles featuring johnny Elvis mandell has quickly become the hottest act in central texas.formed about 4 years ago, the MuddCatts were looking to create an act unlike any other band the concept arose from being fans of both Elvis and the Beatles. The MuddCatts take the stage in full costume as the Beatles from the early '60's and perform all your favorite hits from that era. The look and feel of an actual Beatles concert. About mid set, the signature 2001 space oddysey theme song comes over the speakers as our backup singers take stage and Johnny Mandell is introduced to the audience. Johnny makes his entrance to the cc rider Elvis favorite and proceeds to portray the popular Elvis from the early '70's, jump suit and all. The show is all live music, no tracks. There is high energy on stage and audience response has always been overwhelming! A very professional and entertaining show.

The recent addition of Jeremy Holmsley to the band has enabled the Beatles side of the the show to enhance the quality of the show through additional play lists. He also has added more Elvis's play list for the Johnny Mandel side of the show.

'This is an incredible show! The music is superb,the stage presence is awesome, and Johnny Mandell does Elvis so well, you would swear it was really Elvis.'

Members
Reno Tandy - Drums
Mark Nix - Lead Guitar
Regina Odom - Vocals
Cicely Clark - Vocals
Daniel Van Auken - Bass Guitar
Johnny Elvis Mandell - Rhythm Guitar
Jeremy Holmsley - Rythm Guitar, Keyboards


John Mandell as Elvis
Lead Vocals, Rhythm Guitar
John Mandell was born in Central Texas June 29. He started singing at age 5 and was not "discovered" until 1999 by the Nix boys. After hearing his voice, they finally convinced him to join the Muddcatts and perform Elvis tunes. Johnny was always into music, though. His favorite band is Stevie Ray Vaughn and Double Trouble. He also likes Elvis. Favorite Elvis song...Suspicious Minds (which he does very well...). He got his brown belt in Tai Kwon Do at age 24. You can almost always find him with a Coca-Cola in his hand (his only "vice") and probably eating a greasy hamburger (his favorite food). His dream is to play a major arena concert with the MuddCatts, with a full orchestra and backup singers. With his talent, we think that could very well happen. His favorite thing about performing is seeing the audience having a good time. His humble attitude, amazing voice, showmanship and striking resemblance to the "King" make him one of the top Elvis acts in the country.

Jared Shaw as Paul
Bass Guitar, Backup Vocals
Jared Shaw was born in Waco, Texas, on February 16th. He picked up the bass to become a musician. He has been a musician for some years and has learned much. Jared is a fan of various styles of music, with his favorite Beatles song being "All My Loving". When he's not playing music, he's most likely to be found at MCC. He is fairly friendly, so come say hi to him.

Mark Nix as John
Lead Guitar, Backup/Lead Vocals
This co-leader of the MuddCatts has way more energy than the average person and has been that way since October 31. Mark was a star quarterback in high school but his first love was music. He went on to get a Bachelor of Science degree in Classical Music after spending years playing on his own. His influences range from B.B. King to Judas Priest so he can do it all. He is a perfectionist when it comes to playing and performing. Mark also loves deep-sea fishing and watching sports. His favorite team...Green Bay Packers (Bret Favre is his hero). Mark is a huge Beatles fan and respects the impact they made on modern music. He loves Sushi and Big Red soda. Loves performing and getting the audience up. Mark is married and his wife's name is Regina. He is really into Star Wars. He is also an accomplished song writer and frequently wakes in the middle of the night to jot down song ideas. Keeping up with Mark is a full-time job.

Reno Tandy as Ringo
Drums
Reno is a native Texan, born August 15th. He attended school in central Texas and played snare in the marching band in High School. Obviously, he excelled at that and pursued additional percussion training in college. Reno enjoys working with computers and electricity when he is not performing. He has a very dry sense of humor and often contributes one liners that crack up everyone. Reno loves Dr. Pepper and Italian food. Reno's favorite Beatle tune is 'Tomorrow Never Knows'; Elvis tune, 'Promised Land'.

Reno is a technician when it comes to music and usually has some sticks close by to practice his licks. Reno enjoys movies and is a fan of Star Wars, Lord of the Rings and action movies.

Danny Shoemaker as George
Rhythm Guitar, Keyboards, Lead/Backup Vocals
Danny Shoemaker resides in Austin, Texas, and was born on May 12th. He holds a Bachelor's degree from Florida Southern College and a Master's Degree from Florida State University, both in classical guitar performance. Additionally, he has performed in many masterclasses with Odair Assad, Scott Tenant, Pepe Romero and Roland Dyens in places as far as California, Canada, and France. Other music endeavors have included playing in a classical guitar quartet, a flute and guitar duo, a bossa nova guitar duo, and a jazz quintet playing the tango music of Astor Piazzolla. When not performing with the Muddcatts, Danny teaches at Orpheus Academy of Music and runs an active guitar repair shop, Straightfrets. Danny's hobbies include drawing and photography; his drawings can be found in the guitar manuscripts of Tuscany Publications, and his photography can be found in the most recent issues of Soundboard magazine. His hero is architect Frank Lloyd Wright and his favorite quote comes from Jimi Hendrix: "When the power of love overcomes the love of power, the world will know peace". His favorite Beatles song (this week) is A Day in the Life, and his favorite Elvis tune is American Trilogy. Danny portrays the George Harrison role for the Beatles side of the show, but also plays keyboard and rhythm/lead guitar for the Elvis half.