The Heroes are back to rock Hoyt Park
By Ashley Shah
The Heroes will return to Hoyt Park once again to entertain the crowd in the Scripps Ranch Symphony in the Park free summer concert series on July 12.
The Heroes perform every year at this traditional Scripps Ranch event.
“We love performing at the Symphony in the Park series,” leader of the band Tommy Boyd said. “I live in Scripps Ranch. I love seeing our community show up for us. The sound system is superb.”
The band plays a wide range of music.
“In recent years, we have been playing at a lot of corporate events and fundraisers. These events typically have themes, so we just follow whatever the theme is,” Boyd said. “We have played Elvis shows, disco, music from different eras and more.”
Boyd serves as a member of the committee that chooses which bands will be performing during the concert series.
“Because we know what music the other bands will be playing, our band works around the other bands that perform,” he said. “We had the Mar Dels last month that played ’50s and ’60s music. We have Big Time Operator! that specializes in big band music. So, we will avoid those genres. We will be playing fun rock and more current music.”
Boyd described what he would like to see from the audience this year.
“The goal every year is to get people dancing. We play to the crowd. We come in with a set list, but are always willing to change it based on how the audience reacts,” Boyd said.
There are seven members in The Heroes: Mattie Mills (vocals), Amber Lee Duke (vocals), Laymon Davis (bass guitar, vocals), Mark Moorhead (keyboards, vocals), Art Fisher (saxophone, flute, percussion, vocals), Val Kostodinov (guitar, vocals) and Tommy Boyd (drums, vocals).
The Heroes have been performing since 1981.
“When our band first formed, we started at clubs. Then, we had an amazing opportunity to perform on a DOD (Department of Defense) tour during Desert Storm. We played for the troops and their families. When we came back from that, we shifted into playing more for private events,” Boyd said.
“I am such a strong belie-ver in live music and families getting together. What is so special about these concerts is that they really are for our community. The bands do not advertise to their own fan bases, so that we can preserve the concert for Scripps Ranch families,” he said.
The July concert will be sponsored by Collins Family Jewelers.
The concerts are free and held from 6 to 7:30 p.m. in Hoyt Park. Members of the audience are allowed to bring their own beverages and food. The audience is encouraged to bring low-back chairs and cloth blankets for seating.
Visit symphonyinthepark.org.