southernfriedmagazine.com - Interview with Gator Alley Band

I had the pleasure of hooking up with three very special men that play for a Lynyrd Skynyrd Tribute Band. They call themselves, “The Gator Alley Band”. I saw their logo on an advertisement light board and took it upon myself to investigate them. It didn’t take long before I found Mike, one of their guitarists on MySpace. I emailed him and asked for an interview for 43 the Hawk, Southern Fried, and DSJ.

For me, this first time out to do an interview was absolutely amazing. These three guys made me feel so at home and just like the Southern hospitality you always see and hear about: they were no different. They were fun, serious, relaxed, and not once made me feel out of place or nervous.

We met at the Shamrock Irish Pub in Alameda, CA. Randy and I arrived and were met by Cutty and Pat -- two guys that just keep you laughing and smiling. Couldn’t ask for two nicer guys. Mike arrived with his wife and son. He has got the most beautiful woman I have ever seen. And his son was quiet but so well mannered, that it just blew me away. We decided to leave the Shamrock Pub due to the noise. So we moved across the street to a bar and grill. Much quieter and more room. This is where the interview began.

How did you get your name, Gator Alley Band?
Cutty: Mike and I had just got done doing a tour and we were down in Florida. We saw a sign on the I-75 turnpike that read, “Welcome to Alligator Alley”. Mike and Carl were talking about how that would be a great name for a Southern Rock Band. About a year later, Mike got the band Gator Alley together; that was about 1994. I was playing with Fast Eddy and opened a show for Gator Alley and told Mike, “I should be playing with this band.” I grew up playing Skynyrd.

Mike and I took a few years to get the band together. A few guys were not working out and we needed a guitar player. Mike asked me if I knew someone. I said yeah, and that is where Pat came into the band. He loves Skynyrd more than most guitar players ever will. He came in and sounded like Steve Gaines, Gary Rossington and Allen Collins and it wasn’t long before he was correcting us on what we were doing. It wasn’t long before we knew that we had to get that sound. The fans know the licks in the music and we had to get it perfect.

We don’t wear the wigs to try to look like the band members. We want the music to sound like Lynyrd Skynyrd. We don’t want to look like them; we want to sound like them. And looking like them would take away from the music and sounding like them. Mike says you just can’t do the music without 3 guitars sufficiently. You just can’t.

Q: Of the original Lynyrd Skynyrd band who was your favorite, excluding Ronnie?
Mike: I loved Steve Gaines’ strat playing hillbilly chicken picking style. Cutty loves Gary and his laid back playing. Pat loves to watch Allen jump up on stage and the way he could jump so high.

Q: Do any of you come from musical families?
Mike: Yes, my Grandfather was a composer and my dad had an acoustic guitar and I used to sneak in his closet and play anything I could which wasn’t much but the music bug had bit me.
Pat says his great grandfather had a musical talent. He played the piano and could play it by ear. Just listen and play. None of us had any formal training. We just play it by ear.
Cutty, his grandfather played and at this time, Cutty’s 13 yr old son plays drums. So the talent carries on.

Q: Other than southern rock. What music do you like?
Mike, other than southern rock. Hard rock bands such as, Judas Priest, Scorpions, Pete Frampton and classics like Aerosmith, Ted Nugent, April Wine, Thin Lizzy, Outlaws, and Black Oak Arkansas. Cutty, Led Zeppelin, Beatles, Pink Floyd, Aerosmith; but Pat sticks with southern rock, country and loves guitar players.
Mike, Cutty, and Pat all agree that LS has been the biggest challenge of all to play.

Q: How do you feel about Johnny Van Zant fronting the band and standing center stage now?
Mike: What other person could be better than Ronnie’s brother.

Q: Do you think that Johnny has done a good job in his brother’s shoes?
Mike: Oh, yes.

Q: What do you think of the record industry?
Mike: You know what I think? Nowadays, you don’t need to have a record label to do it anymore. I think if you are smart, you have good material, and can get it out on the Internet, you can be successful. You’ve got MySpace, personal web-sites and a multitude of other ways to get your music out there.

Q: How does Southern Music affect you guys?
Its part our life, we grew up with it. We are in our 40's now and Southern Music has affected us since day one.

Q: Who are your musical heros?
Jimmy Page, John Lennon, Paul McCartney, Michael Shenker, Dickie Betts, Gary Moore, Glenn Miller, Benny Goodman, Ed King, Allen Collins, Steve Gaines, Mark Knoffler, .38 Special, Doobie Brothers, and the Eagles.

Q: Who do you think is over-rated?
Pat: Kid Rock, he’s a rap artist.
Cutty: Some of the country music is like pop.
Mike: I’m easing up on Kid Rock purely ‘cuz he did sing Give Me Back My Bullets on Vicious Cycle.

Q: Tell me about your personal lives.
Cutty: I am married, have a beautiful wife, three kids and I’m a grandfather.

Mike: I’m married, have five kids and two granddaughters.

Pat: I got a lovely fiancée.

In the meantime. I suggest that you visit their web site. www.gatoralleyband.com or, go to their my space http://www.myspace.com/gatoralleyband .

CUTTY CANAS - GUITAR
PAT SMYTH - GUITAR
MIKE BARGAS - GUITAR
PAUL SIMPSON - DRUMS
JIMMI WARD - BASS
MEL SNIPES - VOCALS
VIRGINIA CLARK - BACKING VOCALS
JENNIFER SMYTH - BACKING VOCALS
BRETT MINKIN - KEYBOARDS