Frequently Asked Questions

How did this all start?

Steve Candelari and Stephen Arthur were working on a video project one late October evening in 2006 when Stephen said, quite casually, "You know, it would be fun to get some musicians together to just play stuff by the Byrds." Steve picked it up and ran with it, calling former bandmates Dave Blassingame and Rick Ehrlich, and very soon they were gathered in Steve's living room with their instruments. Robert Whitworth offered his living room for a rehearsal space, then Dave brought Alison Zollars, a percussionist he's worked with many times, to a rehearsal, and the stage was set. When Rick left, he was replaced by Joe Baiardi of Houston's own Fab 5. We are now getting started with our latest lineup, Steve Candelari (drums and vocals), Stephen Arthur (guitar and vocals), Alison Zollars Arthur (percussion, keyboards, and vocals), Cliff Caskey (guitar and vocals), and Robert McCorvey (bass and vocals).

Had you all worked together before starting the Mockingbyrds?

Many of us had, in various combinations. Steve and Stephen have played in many bands together over the years, and both have worked with Clif (sometimes even at the same time). Alison and Robert worked together in the band Tesseract in Houston.

Do you do songs by bands other than the Byrds?

We are primarily a Byrds tribute band, but we've begun adding other 60s songs to our repertoire. There are a lot of really good 60s tribute bands out there, and we don't want to go head-to-head with them, but there are some songs that we would really like to do. If I might borrow from our friends The Fab 5, "We want to be the band that we'd most want to see!"

How can I contact you if I want to hire you for a gig?

info@mockingbyrds.com will do it.

Have you ever met Justin Bieber?

No, and I'm afraid we don't have any openings in the band at this time.

Will you play at my wedding?

Sure. Just don't request "Every Breath You Take." Have you ever really listened to the words?!?