In December 2005, Randy Fletcher was playing a solo acoustic gig at a hometown venue, when Al Bowman, the producer of the Los Angeles Music Awards (LAMA), heard him play one of his original songs, ?Surviving Fallujah.? Al had recently completed a trip to Guantanamo Bay, Cuba, where he was escorting a group of performers in support of our troops there. Explained Al, ?I was so deeply moved by the lyrics, Randy?s voice, and melody of that song, I signed him on-the-spot to perform his material as a headline act at my upcoming 2006 LAMA show. Having personally seen the faces of those soldiers when I bring music to them, I knew that Randy?s sound and material would mean something special. All he needed was a band and a finished CD to be part of LAMA followed by Guantanamo Bay, which he didn?t have at that time.? In January 2006, ?5 On Tap? was formed. It was ?kind of a fluke? explained Randy. ?I had known and jammed with Jimmy Harrell, 5 On Tap?s future lead guitarist, for a couple of years, but other than him, didn?t have a stable group of musicians whom I would ask to go the distance with me. There are a lot of big egos out there!? Under pressure to form a band and to get his material recorded, Shauna Wells, the group?s future drummer, contacted Randy. ?I had met Shauna a few months earlier while I was fixing her business? computer. During our conversation, she had mentioned that she played drums and that her husband, Eric Wells, played bass guitar. We had planned to ?jam? back then, but it never materialized. All of a sudden, months later and out-of-the-blue, Shauna calls telling me that they wanted to play some music. This occurred two days after I joined LAMA. Coincidence? I don?t think so,? explains Randy. ?It feels more like intervention!? Randy recruited Jimmy, a country performer in his own right, and the band?s first practice session was scheduled. Recalls Randy, ?when I showed up to the first one, I was introduced to a friend of Eric and Shauna, Dee Dee Bernal. I thought that she had come to watch, but was told that she played the keyboard and would like to play a few songs with us. Initially, I hesitated, because I wanted to keep it small. I acquiesced though and after hearing her play, was glad I did.? Over the next couple months, the group, in preparation for the recording studio, learned and rehearsed Randy?s original material. They also practiced a plethora of cover tunes anticipating gigs at large venues in their area. ?It was crazy,? said Randy, ?In three short months, we put a band together, rehearsed, recorded and created a CD, played a couple large gigs, created a website and participated in two LAMA showcase events. Oh, did I mention that all of us have businesses, families, and full-time jobs! We?ve all been playing music since we were little kids,? said Randy. ?I?m guessin? we have over one hundred years of combined musical experience. That made the learning curve quite steep.? Since that time, in addition to the four original tracks on their debut EP CD: ?Surviving Fallujah,? Randy has written several additional songs that have not yet been recorded. ?You haven?t heard nothin? yet,? said Randy. ?I?m overflowin? with song ideas. We?re gettin? ready to go back to the studio without the pressure of a deadline. I?m very much looking forward to that.? In April, Randy was nominated as one of three, 2006, LAMA ?Independent Singer/Songwriters of the Year.? The winner of this prestigious award will be determined by popular vote in October ?06, when the group plays live at the famous Whisky-A-Go Go, in Hollywood, CA. It will be announced when the group again plays live as a headline act for the Los Angeles Music Awards, at the Henry Fonda Theatre, Hollywood, CA, in November ?06. ?Keep your fingers crossed,? says Randy. ?There are some really good singer/songwriters out there that I?m competing with. But, win or lose, you haven?t heard the last of us!?