Leader, frontman, rhythm guitar and vocals
Starting at age 15, Pete's career has taken him from high school stages to concert halls, smoke-filled barrooms to festivals, opera houses, radio shows and most every imaginable venue in between through 19 states, three countries, a half million miles and several thousand shows. Pete has entertained crowds from the Caribbean Islands and the beaches of Florida to the ski resorts of New England, playing acoustic guitar and harmonica and singing the songs he and his audiences love to hear.
His fellow musicians have described him as the best front man they've ever worked with; a consummate performer with an innate sense of theatrics complemented by a funky, offbeat sense of humor, unlimited energy, a strong voice and the ability to portray, rather than simply deliver, a song.
Pete's website is petemerrigan.com, where both The Mad Beach Band and his solo albums are available.
Lead guitar and vocals
Born in Ohio and raised in St. Petersburg, FL, Lenny has been playing guitar since he was nine years old.
His experience ranges from top 40 to blues bands and to popular bands playing mostly Lenny's own compositions. Other local bands Lenny has played with over the years include Tom Gribbin and the Saltwater Band, TC Carr and the Catch, and Gravy. He was featured in the March 1987 issue of Guitar Player magazine.
In 1989 Lenny joined Dr. Hook and toured the US, Canada, Norway, Sweden, Britain, Iceland and Australia. Following two years on the road with Hook, Lenny earned a B.S. in Music Education and teaches guitar and music theory in addition to performing.
His CD Here At Last is available through lennyaustin.com.
Rhythm guitar and vocals
Dave is a full time songwriter and musician. His songs are slightly off the main road and sometimes even around the corner or back in the alley.
Starting in the ’60s, Dave performed in coffee houses and folk clubs. In the ’70s, as bass player and harmony singer for Don Williams's band, he did concerts, TV shows, radio, and feature films. Two of his songs were released on Don Williams’s hit albums Visions and Expressions.
Dave performs regularly in the St. Petersburg/Tampa area. He has recorded two CDs, Collection and Ready to Run, and also produced records for several other artists.
Dave’s Facebook page is here.
Harmonica and vocals
A Florida native and dedicated singer/songwriter, TC Carr has earned a reputation as one of the premier harmonica players in the United States and Europe. His strong lead vocals and unique harp work demand an audience’s attention and he is a fan favorite wherever he plays.
Playing the blues with a passion few can express, TC brings a formidable mix of rock, soul, backstreet blues, country and bluegrass. He is in great demand for studio work in commercials and CD projects.
TC has several CDs available through his website, tccarr.com.
Bass guitar
Vinnie’s love affair with the bass guitar began while in high school, and like any good relationship, it has grown stronger with time. Leaving New York in 1977, he moved to the Tampa Bay area. Not long after arriving, he joined The Mad Beach Band.
Equally at home on stage and in the recording studio, Vinnie has performed and recorded with many well-respected area bands, and toured Europe with Tom Gribbin and the Saltwater Cowboys. He produced Pete Merrigan’s CD A New Day…with old friends, and has many other studio credits to his name, including recent work at legendary Sun Studio in Memphis, TN.
Currently, Vinnie is very active on the Blues circuit, often gigging with three or four artists in a given week. He is also a full-time member of the award-winning blues band TC Carr and Bolts of Blue.
Vinnie’s Facebook page is here.
Drums and vocals
When he was a child prodigy, TK was recruited by the Quarrymen of Liverpool, England, and played with the band through several name changes. Unable to secure the required work-permit when the band headed to Germany for an extended engagement, TK was forced to give up the gig and return to the US.
His reputation as the go-to man on the skins was solidified when he was the drummer and back-up singer for Jimi Hendrix's legendary rendition of The Star Spangled Banner at Woodstock.
Later, he was under contract to Spinal Tap during their Smell the Glove Tour. Unhappy with the terms of the contract, which required him to play suspended upside-down, he staged his own death during the final rehearsal prior to the tour. "I hit the bass drum with a vengeance and disappeared in an expanding red mist," he says. "They’re still trying to figure out how a red mist was able to cash the last check three weeks later."
He also briefly toured with the Sex Pistols, but parted ways with the band when he refused to play The Little Drummer Boy on their Christmas album, deeming their version of the song to be the most repugnant ever conceived.
[Editor’s Note: This is all TK could share for now via a collect call. When he gets out, we’ll try to update this. Though he’s still not quite sure how he got here or what he’s doing, he wants all to know that he’s a Mad Beach Band fan for life.]