You might wonder, ‘What do doctors do in their spare time?’ Well, some create bands.The aptly-titled band, Musical Malpractice, will be performing at Rick’s Cafe tonight as a quintet that covers popular songs from a variety of genres and decades.
“We play several genres including Rock, Pop and Country songs from the ’70s, ’80s and ’90s and today,” Byron Palmertree, who handles sound, light and overall setup, said.
To be exact, not all of the band members are doctors (two doctors, a nurse, an accountant and a professor), but all have a connection with Oktibbeha County Hospital. The band began about six years ago with three original members Dr. George Lyon, Dr. Roger Clapp and the late Wayne Todd. John O’Hear, Patricia Palmertree and Davis Kelly joined in the following months.
“The band started out playing for friends and family and later developed into what is known today as Musical Malpractice,” Palmertree said.
The group/coworkers are set with Patricia Palmertree playing keyboards, harmonica, percussion and one of the lead vocals.
“I originally was asked to join as a backup singer and percussionist,” wife Patricia Palmertree said. “After several months I began playing the keyboard and singing lead vocals.”
Davis Kelly is the lead guitarist and another lead vocalist. The third vocalist is Roger Clapp who also plays guitar and keyboard, while founder George Lyon works as the bass guitarist and John O’Hear plays the drums.
“The band name came about as a joke,” Patricia Palmertree said. “Someone mentioned malpractice since we were doing something that we weren’t supposed to do. We all were learning what each one had to offer in music and thus Musical Malpractice was born.”
Rick Welch, owner of Rick’s Cafe, said he is delighted to finally book the band and host such a unique group.
“This will be the first time that Musical Malpractice has performed at Rick’s,” Welch said.”The band and I have talked for over a year about a date and I’m excited that we could finally work something out. I encourage everyone to come out and enjoy their show with me.”
Byron Palmertree said he is thrilled for the group to be at Rick’s.
“Rick’s has been a place where locals and great artists over the years have come and really enjoyed playing for great crowds,” Byron Palmertree said. “When you come as a spectator or an entertainer, the experience is one that you’ll remember for a long time.”
While this will be Musical Malpractice’s first show at Rick’s Cafe, they have performed at several other local events, including the Cotton District Festival, Junior Auxiliary Fund-Raiser and the last two New Year’s Eve parties and Main Street’s State Theatre.
“We really don’t know what to expect,” Patricia Palmertree said. “So we prepare our music to fit a wide variety of people. One of our favorite songs to play is ‘Separate Ways’ by Journey. It has an impact that seems to carry over the toughest of crowds.”
Musical Malpractice is slated to start at 10 p.m. with a $7 admission charge.