MARQUETTE -- Whether it's scat or an upbeat rendition of Sade’s "Smooth Operator," the Derrell Syria Project truly delivers whatever you'd like to hear.

"It's pretty much uplifting music that we play,” explained the band’s founder, Derrell Syria.  “A wide range anywhere from Crosby, Stills, and Nash to the Cars or Sting."

The four-piece band is made up of Marquette musicians that perform popular tunes from the 1960s through the 1990s around the U.P. with a flair all their own…a treat for audience members over 30.

"We'll rearrange them like songs that were once rock; I'll rearrange them into a reggae rhythm or sometimes a little ska or a little punk sound,” Syria said, who is also the band’s lead singer and guitarist.

Taking risks musically comes naturally to Syria, who began playing when he was just five years old.  "I come from a musical family, and I used to play with my parents.  I used to play the drums with them.  Then, I played with my brother, and we would play clubs throughout the Upper Peninsula."

Those interested in hearing remixed versions of their favorite songs can catch the Derrell Syria Project on Thursday night, February 12, at Marquette Mountain.