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Sometimes it just takes one small touch to get everything in motion, especially when all the dominoes are already in place. As an example, we have the Domino Theory Band. Formed in 2007, the band at first consisted of Tony Royster, “Big Mark” Polite and Keith Brown. The trio played a cross-section of feel good tunes, from jazz and Motown to rock and country.
The band gathered a following, but it wasn’t until they hooked up with singer Candace Woodson, fresh from Nashville, in 2010 that they got that small touch they needed to get moving. The dominoes quickly fell into place and they started performing from Savannah to Beaufort. The band also believes in giving back to the community and has performed at benefits for well-known non-profit organizations including the Gullah Museum of Hilton Head Island.
Monthly sat down with The Domino Theory Band for a Q&A about music, cowboy boots and alligators, and the origins of their name.
What can people expect from a Candace Woodson and the Domino Theory Band show?
Tony: We put on a show, which we can do because we have Candace in the front. I’m just the guitar player, but we all come together with singing, backgrounds, and just really good music.
Candace: Our shows feature a lot of interaction between the band and the audience. We like to get them involved. We produce a lot of energy on stage — our style does not allow anyone to keep from gravitating toward that electrifying spark we give.
We take our performances very seriously. Whether there’s one person or 1,000 in the audience, it doesn’t matter. They’re going to get the same show. We do this because we love it.
Do you strictly play covers, or do you mix in some original material?
Candace: We do both. We have original tunes — in fact, we’re recording an album right now that will feature some of our own songs, as well as a few covers. We combine both in our shows, where people can expect to hear songs from the ‘60s, Motown, classic soul, ‘70s hits...
Tony: Anything from the ‘60s on up to more recent material.
Candace: Right. We cover Whitney Houston, Jennifer Hudson, Natalie Cole, Chaka Khan, Bonnie Raitt, Stevie Nicks ... we have such a vast variety. We’re not limited to strictly female artists — we can cover Kool and the Gang, Earth, Wind & Fire, and Stevie Wonder.
How does the name Domino Theory Band apply to your music?
Tony: That’s on me. That goes back a little bit -- I was in a band maybe five years ago, and we were looking for names, and that’s the one I came up with that the rest of the guys liked. We didn’t know what it meant at the time, we just thought it was cool, so we stuck with it.
That band faded away, but I kept the name, because when people saw me, they’d say “Hey, Domino Theory! That’s the guitar player from Domino Theory.” And then when Candace came along, I felt like we had to make a change, because it wasn’t just us anymore. I let her decide.
Candace: Candace Woodson and the Domino Theory Band. You have to say it all! It doesn’t work otherwise.
Candace, the story of how you came to be part of the Domino Theory Band is an interesting one.
Candace: My son is a junior tennis pro, and he had the opportunity to come to Hilton Head and attend the Van Der Meer Tennis Academy. I was already doing things in Nashville with my music, and trying to stay connected to the industry there, but coming here definitely gave me a new opportunity to continue my career.
Although my son may have brought me to Hilton Head, I’m so glad I came, because getting to work with Tony and the band has been the highlight of my adventures in music.
Tony: How much did I pay you to say that, Candace?
Candace: I want my money! That check better be in the mail! [Laughter]
Tony, I know the Domino Theory Band was around for awhile before Candace joined. Can you describe how your sound has changed?
Tony: Well, the music has changed. We were doing more old school music before -- older R&B songs. We really didn’t have a lot of variety. We knew we had something that our audience enjoyed, and we stuck with that. But when Candace came along, we had a far greater variety of material to choose from. She’s female, so she can cover songs from the female perspective, but she’s good enough that she isn’t just limited to that -- so we can go just about anywhere. We’ve taken it to another level.
Candace: The truly fortunate thing about us coming together is the way we’ve been able to combine our experience. Tony has worked with a lot of people in the industry, and that has given him some powerful insights when it comes to what we need in order to keep building momentum.
Candace, what’s your perspective on going from the Nashville to the Hilton Head music scene?
Candace: Oh my goodness. Well, Hilton Head has alligators and Nashville has cowboy boots. [Laughter] But really, the music scene in Nashville is so busy -- everyone is trying to make it, and everything they do is about the music. In Hilton Head, they’re big on shag music -- beach music. They move a little slower in terms of adapting to something new, and we’re very fortunate to have accomplished as much as we have in just a year’s time, because that’s what we’re offering -- R&B, jazz, country, we do it all in one setting. They weren’t used to that much variety at one time.
By Jeff Giles
