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Some bands play original material. Other bands play cover songs to put a dance floor in motion, which can translate into hearing Kool & the Gang’s “Celebration,” Bruno Mars’ “Uptown Funk” and Chappell Roan’s “Hot to Go!” in a 15-minute run that spans decades.
Perhaps the trendiest bands are tribute acts focused on performing songs by a single artist, which could be Led Zeppelin, Journey or another major hit machine.
But 45 RPM seems to be its own animal in the Indianapolis music community. (And if that “animal” reference reminded you of the Animals and smash 1965 singles “Don’t Let Me Be Misunderstood” and “We Gotta Get Out of this Place,” 45 RPM is on your wavelength.)
The quintet performs songs associated with British Invasion bands such as the Beatles, Rolling Stones and the Hollies, as well as hits by U.S. bands that offered a musical response—the Lovin’ Spoonful and the Monkees, for instance.
“We are a tribute band, but we’re not a tribute band to a particular artist,” said Doug Wilson, who plays drums and sings in 45 RPM. “We are a tribute band to an era of music.”
Wilson said selecting 1964-68 as the band’s sweet spot was an easy decision.
“It’s the greatest music of all time,” he said.
The members of 45 RPM—vocalist-guitarist Bill Rumely, bass player-vocalist Jack Fazio, guitarist-vocalist Richard Breedon, keyboard player-vocalist Mik Hedig and Wilson—look the part onstage. They sport matching formalwear that would have been in step with a band making its debut on “The Ed Sullivan Show” in the mid-’60s.
Aside from keyboard player Hedig, who’s too young at age 60, the members of 45 RPM caught the Beatles when they broke through with a “Sullivan” performance on Feb. 9, 1964. Technically, guitarist Breedon is an exception, because he grew up in England. His first exposure to the Beatles was watching a live TV performance from London’s Palladium in 1963.
Fazio, the oldest member of 45 RPM at 75, was a working rock musician before the Beatles issued their “Revolver” album in 1966. Fazio played bass in the Ryells, a popular high school garage band in Chicago. In 1965, the Ryells issued a 7-inch single featuring a cover of Chuck Berry’s “Roll Over, Beethoven.”
“Music, to me, is a time machine,” Fazio said of playing with 45 RPM. “It just takes you back, and there’s nothing else that can make you have the same feelings like you had back then. When we’re playing ‘Windy’ [by the Association], it takes these people back to when they were dating somebody. It’s like you’re there again.”
Wilson and Fazio founded 45 RPM in 2014. Vocalist Rumely, who previously played solo acoustic sets at Indianapolis City Market, was next to join.
At 71, Rumely retains a youthful tone when singing Paul Revere & the Raiders’ “Kicks” and the Mamas & the Papas’ “California Dreamin’.”
“The two hours before and the two hours after the gig are not so much fun, but once we start it’s such a blast to see people of all ages loving it,” Rumely said.
Breedon joined the band a decade ago, and Hedig—a former hockey arena organist for Detroit Red Wings home games—is 45 RPM’s fourth keyboard player.
The band played about 30 shows in 2024, and 45 RPM will perform indoors at the Rathskeller’s ballroom on Feb. 15. During the summer, the band is in demand on the fair and community festival circuit.
It’s impossible to say artists from the British Invasion era no longer resonate with listeners. At Sunday’s Grammy Awards ceremony, the Beatles picked up the trophy for 2024’s best rock performance and the Rolling Stones won in the category of best rock album.
“We work really hard to faithfully reproduce songs,” Rumely said. “If a song that you heard on a 45 was 2 minutes and 37 seconds, our version is going to be 2 minutes and 37 seconds.”
“Our goal is for the people to think you just dropped the needle on the record and that’s us,” Wilson said.
45 RPM
- When: 7 p.m. Feb. 15
- Where: Rathskeller, 401 E. Michigan St.
- Admission: $10
- Info: Visit 45rpm60s.com.
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