- The Chee-Weez
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The Chee-Weez
The Chee-Weez performing at a sold out show at House of Blues New Orleans on June 23, 2007.Background information Origin New Orleans, Louisiana, United States Genres Rock, Country, Disco Years active 1997–present Labels unsigned Website http://www.cheeweez.com/ Members Todd O' Neill
Matt Richard
Dan Dicharry
Joey Mangiapane
Mark HebertPast members Alan Calegan (1997–1998)
Nick Calligaro (1997–2001)
Steve Marse (1997–2003)
Rob Pourciau (1997–2004)
Brandon Foret (2006–2009)
Kris LaCoste (1997–2010)The Chee-Weez is a New Orleans, Louisiana area cover band that was formed in 1997 by Kris LaCoste shortly after parting ways with his previous cover band "Black Diamond". After Kris left, its remaining members went on to form Tom's House and played original music until they disbanded just prior to Hurricane Katrina. The Chee-Weez originally covered only Disco tunes but now has branched out and evolved to a variety of music genres from the 1970s to today. Another feature at almost every show is the costumes that the band members wear which is in constant rotation and changes. Past and present themes include disco garb, patriotic themes, various superheroes, Blue Man Group, New Orleans Hornets jerseys, LSU Tigers football jerseys, New Orleans Saints jerseys, The Blues Brothers, Mickey Mouse Club, Dog the Bounty Hunter, Top Gun flight suits, World War II style Army gear and GEICO Cavemen.
Contents
Band members
The band currently comprises Todd O Neill (vocals), Matt Richard on guitars, Daniel Dicharry on keyboards, Joey Mangiapane on bass guitar and Mark Hebert on drums. All band members are also capable of playing other instruments and vocal duties as sometimes you will see Daniel on the drums performing a cover of "Man in the Box" by Alice in Chains and Mark on lead vocals. Ironically, two of the newest band members Joey Mangiapane and Mark Hebert were also Tom's House and Black Diamond band members. The band had always been had five members until June 2, 2006 when Brandon Foret formerly of Foret Tradition was officially added to the roster. On May 11, 2009 it was announced that Brandon is leaving the band to pursue a solo career, and now is the lead singer of The Brandon Foret Band.
Appearances
Southeastern Louisiana
- Boomtown Casino New Orleans (Harvey)
- The Buzz (Hammond)
- Cinco de Mayo at Chevys Fresh Mex (Metairie)
- The City Club of Houma (Houma)
- Graces Lounge (St. Amant)
- House of Blues (New Orleans)
- Last Call (Thibodaux)
- Mike's Club and Lounge (Plaquemine)
- New Orleans Hornets pregame show outside New Orleans Arena
- New Orleans Original Daiquiris by Lakeside Shopping Center (Metairie)
- No Problem Raceway (Belle Rose)
- Old Firemen's Hall (Westwego)
- Raxx Bar and Grill (Erwinville)
- Southport Hall (Jefferson)
- Stevie G's (Pierre Part)
- Tommy B's (LaPlace)
- Treasure Chest Casino (Kenner)
- The Varsity Theatre (Baton Rouge)
Southwestern Louisiana
- The Keg (Lafayette)
- L'Auberge du Lac Casino (Lake Charles)
- NiteTown (Lafayette)
- Rox in Shorty's (next to Cypress Bayou Casino) (Charenton)
Mississippi
- The Bottling Company (Hattiesburg)
- Hunt Club (Hattiesburg)
- Beau Rivage (Biloxi)
- Hard Rock Hotel and Casino (Biloxi)
Festivals and special events
- ArenaBowl XXI weekend festivities at Spanish Plaza (next to Riverwalk Marketplace) in New Orleans (opened for Styx)
- Bennigan's Grill & Tavern St. Patrick's Day Blarney Blast (Lafayette)
- Creole Festival on the Teche (Jeanerette)
- Headline Act at Ernst Cafe Bacchus Bash (held annually on every Sunday just before Mardi Gras) in New Orleans
- Festival of the Bonfires (Lutcher)
- French Food Festival (Larose)
- Gheens Bon Mangé Festival (Gheens)
- Gretna Heritage Festival
- Jambalaya Festival (Gonzales)
- Lacombe Crab Cook Off Festival
- Laketown Festival (Kenner)
- Louisiana Crawfish Festival (Chalmette)
- Louisiana Gumbo Festival (Chackbay)
- Louisiana Shrimp & Petroleum Festival (Morgan City)
- Mandeville Seafood Festival
- Mike Bruno's Northshore Harley-Davidson Bayou Thunder Bike Fest (Slidell)
- Plaquemines Parish Seafood Festival (Belle Chasse)
- St. John Andouille Festival (LaPlace)
- Slidell Heritage Festival
- Thibodaux Firemen's Fair
- Westwego Cypress Swamp Festival
- Zurich Classic of New Orleans
- Local area parochial schools' festivals (usually held around the months of April and October)
- Krewe of Endymion (various events including riding and performing with Kid Rock on his float in 2009)
- Krewe of Orpheus
- Wedding receptions (only by special request)
- Swingers conventions
Local media
The band has been featured live numerous times on WWL-TV's "Eyewitness Morning News" and WCKW-FM's morning show. The band has also received airplay on Bayou 95.7's (WKBU-FM) "Under the Covers". It was a twice a week segment that features local bands' covers of popular songs. The band has also appeared in The Times-Picayune newspaper.
Out of state venues
Venues played outside Louisiana/Mississippi include:
- Capt'n Fun Beach Club (Pensacola Beach, Florida)
- Annual/Semi-Annual cruises departing from New Orleans on Carnival Cruise Lines (MS Holiday (2003 and 2004), Carnival Sensation (2005) and Carnival Fantasy (2007))
- Ski trips in January with Louisiana area College students in Crested Butte, Colorado (2005) and Keystone, Colorado (2006 and 2007).
- Club Overboard (Destin, Florida)
- House of Blues at Mandalay Bay Resort and Casino (Las Vegas, Nevada)
- Seville Quarter (Pensacola, Florida)
- Spinnaker Beach Club (Spring Break 2003) (Panama City Beach, Florida)
- Club Rain (The Palms casino & resort) (Las Vegas, Nevada)
Recordings
Their first and currently only CD was recorded on November 27, 2002 at Last Call in Thibodaux, Louisiana in front of a live audience. The title, "As Cheesy As They Wanna Be, LIVE!" was officially released on January 11, 2003 at the sold out CD Release party at House of Blues in New Orleans. A DVD and long awaited second CD is currently in the works and the release dates have not yet been determined.
Awards and achievements
- Best New Cover Band of 1999 by Offbeat Magazine[1]
- First cover band to sell out at the House of Blues in New Orleans on January 11, 2003[2]
References
- ^ Offbeat Magazine http://www.offbeat.com/artman/publish/article_458.shtml?PHPSESSID=633529f5626102e3f76f5c51416d5626
- ^ House of Blues New Orleans sold out shows on Fotki
External links
Categories:- Musical groups from New Orleans, Louisiana
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