They were great live too. Do you know, they were the studio band for Cyndi Lauper's 1st album? She's So Unusual.
One of them (Rob Hyman) co-wrote her "Time After Time" hit, and one of them (Bazilian) co-wrote that song"One Of Us" by Joan Osbourne. The same guy - can't remember his name - produced all three (those songs and the Hooters).
Speaking of stories, bear in mind I play guitar - badly - and was at the time playing guitar and banjo in a Mummer's string band in Philly. So I don't know this guy (Bazilian) from a row of assholes, so I go to this little choir thing at school where my daughter and her classmates are singing. I get there early and there's this guy tuning up some weird mandolin looking thing. I'm a big shot so I say "so you're daughter's singing?" Yep! "So you play a little?" Yep! "Yeah so do I; I'm in a band in Philly, Avalon String Band" Oh that's nice, he says with zero apparent interest.
So the kids sing and at the end the principal says "thanks to all our kids, and a very special thanks to our special guest, Eric Bazilian, taking time off from his tour to join us today. So special!" And I'm thinking, "I'm such a loser." He's in a band that tours the world (The Hooters were the first band on stage in Philly for Live Aid), and I play banjo for a stupid string band in South Philly. It's like walking up to Kyle Busch and saying "yeah, I drive a car!". Or up to a pro baseball player and saying "yeah, I play a little rec league softball..." My daughter laughs at me over this to this day.