Colman Connolly

Tag: classic rock covers

  • Rosanna by Toto: How The Low Darts Master the Shuffle

    Rosanna by Toto: How The Low Darts Master the Shuffle

    Few drum grooves intimidate working musicians the way the one in Rosanna does. The Low Darts take it head-on. The five-piece classic rock, pop, and soul band, fronted by keyboardist and singer Colman Connolly, filmed a live cover of the Toto landmark that honors every moving part of the original.

    Toto built Rosanna as a clinic in groove and arrangement. The song opened the band’s 1982 album Toto IV and went on to win the Grammy for Record of the Year, so a faithful cover sets a high bar from the first bar.

    Lock in the Rosanna shuffle

    Drummer Jeff Porcaro created a half-time shuffle for the track that players now simply call the Rosanna shuffle. He blended a Bernard Purdie feel with a Bonham-style swing, stacking ghost notes between the backbeats.

    A live band lives or dies on that pocket. Sean Byington carries the groove on drums while Luke Foote anchors the bottom end, and the two lock the feel so the song breathes the way the record does.

    Stack the keyboard layers

    David Paich and Steve Porcaro layered overlapping keyboard solos through the middle of the original using Minimoogs, CS-80s, and a Hammond organ. Those parts give Rosanna its shimmer.

    On stage that texture falls to Colman and Sebastian Rodriguez, who split keys and vocals. Colman trained as an audio-production student and an Irish-trad piano accompanist, so the harmonic detail of a Paich arrangement sits squarely in his wheelhouse. You can hear the full arrangement across the band’s live performance catalog.

    Watch the clip above, then dig into more Low Darts live covers of Toto. When you want a band that respects the source material as much as the crowd, book The Low Darts for your next event.

  • Africa by Toto: The Low Darts Recreate Every Layer Live

    Africa by Toto: The Low Darts Recreate Every Layer Live

    That opening marimba figure announces Africa before the first word lands. The Low Darts rebuild it from the ground up. The five-piece classic rock, pop, and soul band, led by singer and keyboardist Colman Connolly, filmed a live cover of Toto’s biggest song that treats the studio production as a blueprint rather than a backing track.

    Toto packed Africa with sounds that hide in plain sight. David Paich and Jeff Porcaro wrote the track for 1982’s Toto IV, layering a marimba and kalimba hook against wide synthesizer beds and one of the most recognizable group vocal choruses in pop.

    Rebuild the percussion hook

    The looping mallet pattern drives the entire song, and it never lets up under the verses. A live band must reproduce that motion without the studio’s overdubs.

    Colman and Sebastian Rodriguez handle the layered keyboard and synth parts, recreating the marimba line and the airy pads that frame it. Colman’s grounding as a producer shows in how cleanly those layers separate on stage. Hear how the parts stack across the band’s live music section.

    Blend the group harmonies

    The chorus of Africa stacks several voices into a single wall of sound, and a thin harmony exposes the gap immediately. Four of the five Low Darts sing, so Luke Foote, Sebastian, and drummer Sean Byington surround Colman’s lead with the full vocal blend the chorus demands.

    That depth comes from real musicianship, the kind rooted in Colman Connolly’s musical roots in trad piano and audio production. Watch the live clip above, then catch their take on another Toto classic done live. To bring this level of detail to your stage, reach out through the band’s booking page.

  • Reelin’ In the Years: The Low Darts Tackle a Legendary Solo

    Reelin’ In the Years: The Low Darts Tackle a Legendary Solo

    Jimmy Page once named the guitar solo in Reelin’ In the Years his favorite of all time. The Low Darts step up to it live. The five-piece classic rock, pop, and soul band, fronted by Colman Connolly on keys and lead vocals, filmed a cover of the Steely Dan classic that gives the song its full bite.

    Steely Dan opened their career with a guitar showcase. Reelin’ In the Years appeared on the 1972 debut Can’t Buy a Thrill, and session ace Elliott Randall reportedly cut its dazzling solo in a single continuous take.

    Honor the one-take solo

    Randall’s lines move fast and never repeat a phrase, weaving melodic runs through the bridge and outro. Players spend years learning to phrase like that under pressure.

    Guitarist Jonas Brown carries those passages live, trading the energy of the original while keeping the melodic logic intact. The whole band frames him with the driving feel that pushes the track forward. Hear that interplay across the band’s live cover library.

    Drive the rhythm engine

    Underneath the guitar, Reelin’ In the Years runs on a tight, propulsive rhythm section and crisp piano stabs. The pocket has to stay relentless for the solo to land.

    Colman anchors the keys while Sean Byington and Luke Foote keep the engine churning, and Colman’s lead vocal carries the bright, conversational melody. That balance reflects Colman Connolly’s musical background as a trained accompanist and producer. Watch the clip above, then hear their version of another Steely Dan deep cut. When your event calls for a band that plays the hard stuff right, book The Low Darts today.

  • Superstition Cover: The Low Darts Resurrect a Funk Classic

    Superstition Cover: The Low Darts Resurrect a Funk Classic

    Few opening riffs grab a room the way the clavinet stab of Superstition does. The Low Darts open with it cold, and the floor moves before anyone sings a word.

    The Low Darts are a five-piece classic rock, pop and soul cover band built around 1970s and 1980s music, captured live on camera. Colman Connolly fronts the group on keys, guitar and lead vocals, and this performance puts his keyboard work front and center. Sebastian Rodriguez, Jonas Brown, Luke Foote and Sean Byington fill out the rhythm section that drives this Superstition cover.

    Decode the funk Stevie Wonder built

    Stevie Wonder wrote and recorded Superstition for his 1972 album Talking Book, and it hit number one in early 1973. He played nearly every part himself, layering drums first, then a Moog bass line, then the song’s signature hook on a Hohner Clavinet.

    That clavinet riff defines the track. The instrument bites and snaps like a funk guitar, and the syncopation between the keyboard and the backbeat creates the relentless pocket that made the record a landmark.

    Hold a pocket this tight on stage

    Recreating that groove live demands ruthless rhythmic discipline. The drums and keys must lock to the sixteenth note, the bass has to sit dead in the center, and the horn-style accents need to land exactly on the upbeat.

    Colman handles the clavinet part while singing lead, which means his hands carry the engine of the song as his voice carries the melody. That split of attention separates a trained player from a hobbyist, and you can study his musical range and influences across the band’s catalog.

    The Low Darts treat covers as living arrangements, not karaoke. To follow how a college-age band ended up reviving funk and classic rock with this much precision, read the story behind the band, then queue up their live Bennie and the Jets performance for another keys-driven showcase.

    Press play on this Superstition cover and watch a young band command a funk standard. Subscribe to the channel, share the video with a fellow Stevie fan, and explore how to book or work with Colman Connolly.