By Shannon Sturgis Mr. Happy, from left, Eric Ellis, Scott Hairston and Luke Tibbett, will provide the musical entertainment at this year's Passion for Fashion event at The Rep.

LITTLE ROCK — Passion for Fashion

Monday, June 15

Arkansas Repertory Theater

6:30 p.m. champagne and wine

7:30 p.m. runway show

Tickets $75

For more information, call (501) 378-0405.

The Arkansas Repertory Theatre's annual fashion fundraiser will have a rock backdrop as it takes place on the set of The Who's Tommy.

Attendees will hear music from the '70s, and, of course, some "Pinball Wizard" as models strut down the catwalk wearing clothes from Barbara Graves Intimate Fashions.

The Rep's director of development and marketing, Kelly Ford, said the event is a fundraiser for the theater's education and mainstage programming.

Ford chose local cover band, Mr. Happy, to perform during the show "to add a lot of fun to the evening." The band is known for its high-energy and funky hats at every show.

We caught up with band frontrunner Scott Hairston to talk about Mr. Happy's history and his feelings about providing entertainment for a fashion show.

When did you start the band:

Hairston: July 1993. I'm the last remaining original member. When we first started, we played original songs. We signed a record deal in 1995 and opened for bands like Extreme, Cheap Trick and Melissa Etheridge.

What happened?

Hairston: We found there wasn't a whole lot of money playing your own music. The record deal wasn't a bad deal but it didn't have much money behind it. We just haven't tried to get another record company since then.

Do you still write your own music?

Hairston: Eric [Ellis] is a really good songwriter, and he's written a few things for us.

What are your favorite songs to play?

Hairston: "Tye Dyed Eyes" That's one that we wrote. I also like "Every Breath You Take" and we have a funk medley that I really like. It's about 13 minutes long and has all of our favorite songs from the '70s.

What songs are most often requested?

Hairston: We get a bunch of requests for Prince and some Justin Timberlake. Then there's always a request for "Brown-Eyed Girl" or "Footloose."

What was the inspiration for the band name?

Hairston: It was originally a sarcastic remark by the drummer. He thought it would be funny if we were sarcastic about being happy all the time, and it just turns out that we are happy all the time. It started out sarcastic and it just became true.

What are you going to play at Passion for Fashion?

Hairston: We've got nine songs, and we're doing an upbeat dance thing. There's a Timberlake medley and the '70s funk medley and "Kiss" by Prince.