You might need a calculator to figure out all the recent changes in the band 3 For The Road.
The formula goes something like this: 3 For The Road Plus 1, minus 1, plus 2. No wonder this group has a split personality and uses two names.
During the past six months 3 For The Road lost a founding member; replaced him with another buddy, and, then, in the great Spinal Tap tradition, added another guy who is not only a drummer but a brother. And if that’s not enough to confuse you, a couple of the guys also play in another local band called Flipside.
Don’t try to figure it out, because it’s the music – not the numbers — that matters for 3 For The Road Plus 1. The group performs at 5 p.m. Sunday, June 14 at Brownwood Paddock Square.
This band started out as three acoustic guitarists. Now they’ve got drums, amps and rock out on everything from Chuck Berry licks to the classic sounds of the Beatles and the uptown funk of Bruno Mars.
In fact they are two bands: 3 For The Road at smaller gigs, and 3 For The Road Plus 1 (with drums) for appearances at The Villages Town Squares and larger venues.
“Being in this band is a constant evolution,” said keyboardist Larry Zepernick. “We’re not only changing people in the band, we’re trying out new songs all the time.”
It’s all about retired musicians finding a second life and adventure in The Villages.
You can see a clip of the band performing on the Villages-News.com Facebook page:
https://www.facebook.com/TheVillagesNews
“We’re living out our rock and roll fantasies,” said guitarist Gary Senator, sounding a little bit like a Bad Company song. “It’s great playing for people in The Villages,” Senator added. “They know and appreciate our music and the best part of it is seeing them smile when they hear the songs.”
The group was formed about three years ago when Zepernick, Senator and Bill Davis met. They didn’t know each other but had one thing in common: music.
They started jamming and began getting gigs.
“Nothing was planned, it just happened,” said Davis, who left the band last December and was replaced by Ray Lamia. “We all got along and just hit it off.”
The band almost became too popular. Davis is best known as director of The Villages Pop Chorus, which has about 190 members. He also directs local theatrical productions and performs in stage shows and musicals.
“I got so busy I just couldn’t keep up with the band,” Davis said. “These guys have grown so much, as a band and as musicians. I loved playing with them and it was hard to leave.”
But, he added, “Ray Lamia is perfect for this band. He fits right in. They couldn’t get anybody better than Ray to replace me.”
Lamia is a close friend of Davis and was also a member of the Pops Chorus. “It’s not easy to replace Bill; it took me a couple of months to jell with the band,” Lamia said. “But we’re getting better all the time and I think the music is getting better.”
Lamia has added to 3 For The Road Plus 1’s harder-edged and more soulful sound and so has another newcomer—drummer Richard Senator. He happens to be Gary’s brother. They both played in a rock bands back in their hometown of Rochester, N.Y.
“I joined this band and felt comfortable right away,” Richard said. “I feel like I fit right in. We’ve been playing this music all our lives and it’s very special to be playing it in The Villages.” The bands 3 For The Road and Flipside will be part of a cruise next year. “A lot of good things are happening for us,” Gary Senator said.
In some ways, the band members reflect what The Villages is all about .
“It’s a place where you can really live out what you want to do with your life,” Zepernick said. “This is a place and a time of life where you can indulge yourself with all the things you never had time to do when you were working fulltime or raising kids. Now, we’ve got the time and we can rock.”
It’s not just about the music.
“These guys just jell together; not just their musical skills but their personalities,” said Sandi Senator, Gary’s wife, who manages the group. “It was hard to lose Bill, but we kept going and things are working out.”
Davis recently joined the band for gig at City Fire. He played a couple of songs and was back in rocking form.
“It was cool,” he said, “but I can’t do it all the time.”
Back in April, Davis was leading a Villages Pop Chorus concert when he spotted the band members in the audience. He seemed choked up and held back tears as he introduced them. They band members were just as emotional.
“It was a quite a moment and so emotional,” Sandi Senator said. “I think it showed how much these guys care for each other and that means just as much as the music.”
