Featured Ticket: Hazy Shade of Winter

Sister Hazel, the platinum-selling quintet, hit the road in support of Chasing Daylight, the band’s forthcoming release. Friday, Sister Hazel will rock Twilight at 10 p.m.

Having missed the fans who put them on the map, Sister Hazel kicked off its first tour in two years Jan. 9 in Milwaukee. The month-long tour has already hit 17 cities including Chicago, New York and Boston, and comes to an end Saturday with a performance at the Culture Room in Ft. Lauderdale.

It’s been 10 years and more than a million records sold since the group’s five distinct personalities came together in the college town of Gainesville.

At the time, the Southeast was a place more of camaraderie than competition and a hotbed for homegrown talent. Sister Hazel worked out of the area, quickly establishing a reputation as one of the strongest, most consistent draws of the grassroots circuit.

Lead singer Ken Block, bassist Jeff Beres, rhythm guitarist Andrew Copeland, lead guitarist Ryan Newell, and drummer Mark Trojanowski have powered radio airwaves ever since with minor hit singles, such as “All For You,” “Happy” and “Change Your Mind.” The latter was featured in the end credits to 2000’s Bedazzled, a remake of the 1967 classic, starring Elizabeth Hurley and Brendan Fraser.

Tuesday marked the release of the band’s third CD Chasing Daylight, its first independent release since 1996’s Somewhere More Familiar, which features the lead single, “Your Mistake.”

The group is currently involved in Lyrics For Life, an organization that sponsors charitable events to raise money to promote awareness about cancer research and the annual Rock Boat, a fan-driven mingling featuring multiple artists that makes waves across the Caribbean annually.

With Chasing Daylight, Sister Hazel has moved to further reinforce a commitment to its fans by opting out of its deal with Universal Records to maintain control not only of the music but its means and rate of delivery.

No matter what is said of Sister Hazel’s music, one thing is certain: The band is known for putting on a simple show that entertains and is driven directly by audience interaction.

Contact Pablo Saldana at oraclepablo@yahoo.com