What is Fat Tony?
Fat Tony is a band that plays blues, swing, and everything with a certain élan. This élan results from music propelled by an unusual three-piece rhythm section that supports two smokin’ soloists. Five guys create one fine sound that knocks ’em down in the greater Norfolk, VA area. Fat Tony got off the ground in 1998 when PAUL MULCAHY, a tenor guitarist (four, not six, strings); SANDY MARTIN, a harmonica player; and SAM HOCHBERG, an acoustic guitarist began to “sit in” on an open stage at the former Hilltop Brewing Company in Virginia Beach, VA. Their repertoire consisted of obscure blues’ covers. They were joined later that year by CHUCK “DUCK” MOEBUS, a saxophonist and ace electric guitar guru. They played almost every week, woodshedding on a very tiny stage. Things were starting to cook for the quartet and they were coming together as a band. In late 1998 they were joined by a washtub bassist CHRIS “C.J.” JONES. That’s right, a bassist playing a homemade instrument, aka “gut bucket”
Fat Tony is a band that plays blues, swing, and everything with a certain élan. This élan results from music propelled by an unusual three-piece rhythm section that supports two smokin’ soloists. Five guys create one fine sound that knocks ’em down in the greater Norfolk, VA area. Fat Tony got off the ground in 1998 when PAUL MULCAHY, a tenor guitarist (four, not six, strings); SANDY MARTIN, long time harmonica player for local blues band “Blues Exchange”; and SAM HOCHBERG, an acoustic guitarist, began to “sit in” at an open stage at the former Hilltop Brewing Company in Virginia Beach, VA. Their repertoire consisted of obscure blues covers. They were joined later that year by CHUCK “DUCK” MOEBUS, a saxophonist and ace electric guitar guru. They played almost every week, woodshedding on a very tiny stage for no money. The things you do for art …. Things began to cook for the quartet and they were coming together as a band. In late 1998 they were joined by a washtub bassist from “C.J.
