We snapped a few pics before we played our set at the Revel last week. I thought I'd share!
I'm normally busy in July, but this year takes the cake. Fortunately this week, I get to rest up a bit before we descend upon Muddy Waters. The band and I had a great time playing in May. This time should be a trip as well. Props as always to Kerry Faler for the great flier above!
It should be a fun day, if we survive. But it just goes to show you that even with adversity can come opportunity...
So I got a call last week from Kenny Brown, our bassist extraordinaire. It turns out this his daughter's graduation is that night and he's going to be hard pressed to make the Muddy Waters show. I can completely understand this, but an electric show at a new venue without Kenny is not a prospect I like.
But I had an idea. I called up Wes McKinney, because you never know. Wes is not only a talented singer/songwriter/guitarist, but he's no slouch on bass either. We even played a show or two with him on bass in the early days of Gypsy Mountain. So I called and Wes agreed to come, thus saving the day.
So Wes, Bryan and I will be playing a show together for the first time in a year and a half. This could be interesting. While I'd like to believe you might see the resurrection of Gypsy Mountain down the road, it's too soon to tell. Whether this leads to more shows together or this is a one time thing, I can't say. What I can tell you is that it will be a great show.
Before we get to Muddy Waters, the usual line up of the Usual Suspects is playing the Mudbug Madness Festival. I say it a lot, but I LOVE playing festivals. I'm even pulling out the Rickenbacker guitar for a few songs. Bright, chiming guitar dead ahead!
OK, so I'll be the first to admit that we are a strange fit for a biker bar. While Harley's probably is more "weekend rider" than "Hell's Angels," I'm really looking forward to an unfamiliar crowd. That's partially because I'm feeling like a good challenge and partially because I know just how good my bandmates are. I sometimes take it for granted, but the guys in the Usual Suspects and I have been playing together for a long time. Heck, in the case of Bryan Shelby, we first played together at Semolina's in 2002. That's many miles!
So we're ready to tear it up Saturday. Come join the fun...
No, it's not an Easter reference. All kinds of musical threads are spinning at the moment. Most immediately, Kenny and I are playing the Naked Bean on 4/15. We're going to be playing with acoustic guitars, which is something we only do a couple times a year. Playing like this is more challenging, but it's also a lot of fun. I'm always amused by the dynamics demanded by different venues and types of shows. Playing acoustic forces us to approach the overall sound differently: we have to really dig in deeper with the vocals and rely less on the guitar/bass/drums contribution.
As I've mentioned ad nauseum on the blog, we're working on a number of the old songs from That Great Connection. Travis, Kenny and I tried out our headphone system the other night. Our first recording session should go down the week after Easter. I'm hoping to finish that project up by the end of summer. I'll keep posting about it on this very site.
I'm also looking ahead to May when Kenny, Bryan, Mike and I are playing a pair of electric shows. First, we're playing Harley's on May 7th. Next, we'll play Mudbug Madness on May 28th. These will be fun if we get off on the right foot. Fortunately, we play well together.
Last but not least, I'm looking forward to recording an entire album of new material. This is a bit of a longer-range project, though I have a tight enough bunch of songs to record today if I was ready otherwise. Once the right band is assembled and the right recording situation is decided, then we'll be off...
Revel Time Again
Hey everyone,
I'm sorry I've been MIA for the last couple months. I've been steadily plugging away with various projects: firming up my batch of newer songs, playing guitar on Bryan Copeland's Skulks project, working as hard as ever and writing RPG material with my main man, Jim Ed Brewer (in case anyone reading this blog doubted that I am a big nerd). I'm itching to get down to recording my new batch of songs, but that will probably have to wait until at least December.
But tomorrow I'll be playing the Revel with the Usual Suspects. This year the Suspects' ranks are going to going to be more numerous than ever before. Kenny, Travis, Bryan, Mike and even Wes will be joining me, so we ought to sound full, especially in the vocal department. The weather looks to be perfect and I'm glad to be playing on a weekend day. I hope everyone comes out to hear us, because I have a very good feeling about this show...
Kerry has made a cool flier, as usual, which I'll post below!
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