|
 The final concert of Highlands Hammock State Park’s “Music in the Park” series is Saturday, May 21st at 7:00 p.m. The band performing, previously advertised as Final Cut, will be replaced by the Country-Rock ensemble, Dock 7.
Dock 7 includes members Rich Shepard on bass guitar, Waylon Baker on guitar, Rick Daniels on drums and Robyn Cole singing lead vocals. The band performs a mix of contemporary country, classic rock and their own original music. You can sample their sound at www.dock7music.com and hear their current single, “Crazy Over Me.”
“Our sound is influenced by everything from rhythm and blues to Van Halen, KISS, Brad Paisley and also artists like Hank Williams, Waylon Jennings and Alabama,” says Rich Shepard. “We’ve been entertaining in central Florida since October and our band includes two founding members of the highly successful Robyn James Band.”
Waylon Baker, one of those two, hails from Plant City as does wife Robyn Cole and drummer Rick Daniels. Robyn has been singing on stage since she was five years old and while she performs in several genres, Country music is her home. She and husband Baker are the chief song writers of the group. “It’s always a team effort though,” says Robyn. “The guys always throw out an idea or two and will tell us if they don’t like something.” Robyn’s stage presence and vocal ability is well known as a “show stopper” due to the soul and sound she brings to the stage.
All the guys started their careers a bit later than Robyn, each picking up their preferred instruments around age twelve. Their musical influence is as varied as the band themselves. Rich Shepard was a founding member of the California Toe Jam Band, while Daniels mentions his previous performances with King’s Ransom Band. “Although we have all played in a number of bands around Florida, Dock 7 is our home now,” asserts Shepard. “We just get along so well, musically and personally.”
You can hear Dock 7 at the Hammock on Saturday, May 21st beginning at 7:00 p.m. Bring a lawn chair or blanket to sit on, a flashlight, bug spray and a picnic basket or cooler. Concert admission is $5.00 per person with accompanied children age 12 and under admitted free of charge. Park admission will be waived after 6:00 p.m. on the concert night, making this a very affordable evening out for the whole family.
“The annual concert series has proven to be an excellent fund raiser for the Friends of Highlands Hammock during the nine years the park has sponsored this event,” says Park Specialist Dorothy Harris. “The board is currently working on next year’s concert line up and we should be able to post the fall and winter dates to the park website soon.”
View all the upcoming events at www.FloridaStateParks.org/highlandshammock or call (863) 386-6094 for more information.
|