HERE'S A COPY OF LAST YEAR'S MORE SUGAR COVER ARTICLE ON THE BAND. ENJOY!:

HEY BABY BAND June 2005 Article

BUDDY OX! What does that mean? If you’re a fan of Westchester’s own HEY BABY BAND you’d know! This band has been rocking the Tri-State area for 21 years with their style of RnB and high powered brass & roll versions of your favorite 60’s and 70’s songs. We’ll talk more about “buddy ox” later. Let’s talk about the band! Way back in 1984, the airwaves and local music scenes weren’t doing it for two local boys by the names of Jimmy Ekizian and Don “Diego” Emery. They had a vision to put together something different from what was out there. Something bolder: a rocking rhythm and blues band. A band that could brass out the sounds of Chicago and Blood Sweat and Tears one moment, funk out to James Brown and Sly Stone the next, trip you out with the psychedelics of the Beatles and Santana, then rock you out with the Stones and Cream. This idea might work…”Hey Baby” was born! It took a few years for the “classic” Hey Baby lineup of Jimmy, Don, Dave Pisani, George Giapzis, J.J. Jackson, Bruce Peeters, Mike Rizzuto and Bobby Ox Ekizian to come into place, but once it did it didn’t stop! This band knocked ‘em dead wherever they played. They built a following that was legendary and earned the respect of all who had the pleasure of being at a Hey Baby show. They did opening sets for the likes of Southside Johnny, NRBQ, Three Dog Night, and had the honor of playing at Yasgur’s Farm for the 25th anniversary of Woodstock celebration. But all things must come to an end so to speak. The local scene was changing again, band members were coming and going, so the band retired in 1998.

Jump ahead to the spring of 2000, two other local boys by the names of Skip Langworthy and Bobby Max Bauer from the band Free Radicals were putting together a benefit show in Mahopac featuring Pat DiNizio of the Smithereens. They wanted this to be an extra special show and thought “wouldn’t it be great to put together a rocking opening band for this event? We could even be Pat’s backing band!” Phone calls were made to some of Skip and Bob’s favorite players from around town – the first call to a Mr. Jimmy Ekizian. Once Jimmy signed on the rest was simple and the players were assembled. The show went off without a hitch, the band and Pat DiNizio were amazing, and “Radical Baby” was born! (get it: Free Radicals + Hey Baby = Radical Baby. Not rocket science – just a goofy name!). For the next few years Radical Baby tore up the town playing mostly a mix of songs from the Hey Baby catalog and some favorites from the “new boys.” This was a different band from the old days, not in a negative way, just different. Jimmy thought he’d take a stab at the music scene in Florida. With the news of Jimmy’s plan the band did a little soul searching and decided it was a good time to take a break. So now it’s 2004. The Florida music scene was nothing special. Jimmy makes the call to Bobby and Skip and says he’s coming home. “Let’s get this thing rolling again. Let’s get the songs and sounds of the old days back together. Let’s bring back a horn section. Enough messing around…we will be HEY BABY!”

And who is in the Hey Baby band now you ask? We’ll, there’s Cortlandt boy Mr. “Buddy Ox” Jimmy Ekizian on lead vocals, trumpet and percussion of course. Jimmy’s one of the most talented and kindest people on the planet. He’s the center of the band and is the definition of what you want to see in a front man. And he LOVES the Beatles! Jimmy’s version of “Got to Get You Into My Life” is a show stopper! There’s the rhythm section of Skip Langworthy on bass and vocals and Bobby Max Bauer on drums and vocals that have been perfecting their duo chops together since 1990 in various local bands. Skip’s a rhythmic pocket player that enjoys getting out there and rocking away on songs like the Who’s “the Real Me.” He lives out in Sherman, CT and is Hey Baby’s go-to guy for promotion and the like. Bands like The Smithereens and the aforementioned Who are big influences on his playing. See and hear his tasty licks soon! Bobby Max has been solidly drumming around this rock & roll scene for close to 20 years. He’s a Mahopac boy who loves the ‘Reens too, as well as being influenced by all types of rock from punk to prog! He keeps himself busy in a bunch of bands and stays out of trouble by being a big vintage drum collector too! Check out his playing on the Allman Brothers classic “One Way Out.” Great stuff! The “all important to the Hey Baby sound” percussion chair belongs to Mahopac’s own, Eddy Murphy. Catch Eddy’s work on the Santana tunes and you will be hooked – his conga and percussion playing is unmatched. He’s a rocker and jazzer and everything in between. He’s a drum teacher all over the area and is a true pro. Brewster boy, Cary Fields handles the keys and harmony vocals. His playing and lead vocal singing on the Who’s 515 gives you chills! He’s been around forever and enjoys staying busy on the music scene in various groups. He’d love to sell you a car too, so speak to him at a show and he’ll be happy to give you a deal! Brewster’s own Mr. Steve Kaplan is on tenor sax, percussion and vocals. He’s been saxing it up since his early teens. He’s always a pleasure to see. Check out his solos especially on the old RnB numbers and the Doobie Brothers songs and you’ll be blown away! He’d also like to sell you a car too (there’s a little rivalry between Steve and Cary for sure!) Bert Haspell finishes up the crack horn section with his alto and tenor saxes and flute and vocals to boot. Yes, he sings and plays flute on Jethro Tull’s “Locomotive Breath” masterfully. It’s always a pleasure when the band includes that one in their set! Bert’s a Westchester boy and is a lover of all that is rhythm and blues. (Steve + Bert = “the Juice”) Last, but not least, is Hey Baby’s hired gun John Scavelli who’s masterfully holding down the fort on guitar. John is a full time player in Jimmy’s sister Andrea’s band and is kind enough fill the spot for Hey Baby for a majority of their shows. If anyone wants to see chops and finesse all wrapped up in one, then John’s your man! Since you now know who Hey Baby is and have a pretty good idea of what they do (if you haven’t had the pleasure to see them recently), where can you find them? Everywhere! You can find them playing this spring and summer at Pete’s Saloon, Molly Darcy’s, the Sand Bar, McGuire’s Pub, Crystal Bay, Oxford Ale House, Striped Bass, Rock n Horse, and beyond! They also can be found playing private parties, local benefits, and even a wedding or two! You can be sure to find out their schedule by visiting their webpage at www.heybabyband.com, sending them an email to heybabyband@yahoo.com or by reading More Sugar of course! Give Skip a call at (860) 355-7544 to book the band today! Hey Baby is an area legend. A Hey Baby show is an experience. Hey Baby rocks out to the best of the 60’s and 70’s and always is sure to satisfy. It’s a never ending feast of sight and sound that keeps you dancing and rocking till the last note is played. They are a great bunch of guys that give their all at every performance. To think of Hey Baby is to think of “Buddy Ox.” Buddy Ox encompasses all that is good: happiness, love, pleasure, good friends, good times and more. The band says that Hey Baby fans are the greatest too. After all, in the great words of Jimmy E. “who’s better than you, buddy ox?”