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Bill Thrall and Aaron Brown have known each other since meeting in a college music theory class in the early 90s. Back in February of 2005, they met Paula Denton on karaoke night at the Rustic Pub in Farmington and the three hit it off immediately. They decided to meet at Paula's house the following week for a jam session, and thus were The Copycats born.
Apart from lead guitar, Aaron also plays the odd mandolin, harmonica, and recorder parts. He has performed previously with the Grand Rapids-based Jawbone, and with Curt Tramel of Fonn Mor. His brother Mason and sister Katäri are also musicians.
Bill plays a Warwick bass, which is sometimes taken over by Paula or Aaron when his hands are occupied with the flute. Though he's been a musician for most of his life, he learned to play bass specifically for the Copycats. He's been a Beatles fan since he was seven.
Paula's main instruments are two acoustic guitars: a 1943 Gibson six-string that her grandmother bought for her Dad on his 13th birthday, and a 1984 Martin twelve-string. The Copycats repertoire, though mostly covers, includes several of her original songs. She has performed previously with the Petoskey-based Paula and the Tones, and the Dexter-based Cottonwood Project.