Our latest segment, "The Road to CukoRakko," consists of a series of interviews leading up toCukoRakko Music & Arts Festival this weekend at Horse Pens 40 in Steele, AL. We're continuing this segment by sitting down with Captain Midnight himself (aka Josh Cooker), who will be playing the late night set on Saturday, as well as a special tribute set on Sunday afternoon. The Captain Midnight Band was born in New Orleans, LA in 2002 and relocated to East Nashville following Hurricane Katrina. While various lineups have continued the band's legacy through 2002, The Captain has managed to solidify this band as a mainstay in the Southeast. Get to know this wildly entertaining band and prepare yourself for what will certainly be two of the most discussed sets of the weekend.
-
The Captain Midnight Band is scheduled to play the late night set on Saturday, October 8th under the pavilion at CukoRakko. They will also play a special "Dead set" on Sunday at 1:00 PM on the main stage. Share this post from Live & Listen's Facebook page and tag a friend in the comments for a chance to win two weekend passes to the festival.
You started The Captain Midnight Band in New Orleans back in 2002. Lets talk a little bit about your history down there. What comes to mind when thinking back to your NOLA days?
-
Midnight: I was originally involved with a bigger band called Cronk, and the band was basically a supergroup of nobodies. It was some of the guys that were in the band All That, a guy from Kermit Ruffin's band, a guy from Walter "Wolfman" Washington's band, UNO jazz guys who were sick of the doing the same old thing...oh, and me. I had just moved down there, and bascially, we had this band where everyone was writing and singing. I was writing a lot, and I wanted to do my songs, but there wasn't enough stage time to handle the amount of stuff I was writing.
-
So, I started a side project that allowed me to focus on playing my stuff. I was fortunate enough to enlist most of the people in that band. When Cronk was playing, everyone would sing and write. We would take turns, and I would maybe do three songs a night. I was trying to create an outlet to play the rest of my material that the band couldn't accommodate. I had the best people available to do it. I played with some really heavy cats down there. That's really where I really developed my style. Before I got down there, I was basically a rock player. Playing with horn players and jazz guys, you learn a whole new way to approach things.
-
One of the many things that originally intrigued me about your band is the phrase "waterbed rock and roll." I've definitely never heard that description before, but somehow it seems perfect for your music. How did you guys end up coming up with this?
-
Midnight: That's a good question. So, this friend of mine and I used to joke around about country music in the late 70's...like Mickey Gilley, Razzy Bailey, and some of those guys. We used to call it "waterbed country," because it was like, (sings) "Lookin' for love in all the wrong places!" It was country music with over processed drums and almost a sleazy vibe to it. Waterbed country was just how we described it, almost as a put-down. So, when I started doing my solo band, people would talk about how we go through all the extra trouble of the costumery, the stage show, and some even thought it was a little sleazy. I told them, "It's kind of like a waterbed. There's motion. You go through a lot more trouble to set it up, but the pay off is a lot better down the road."
There's also that implication that something is going to be done on that waterbed. Something dirty and worth it. It's not just going to sit there. It's also moving, you know? It is a pain in the ass to set up. Things can go wrong, but like a waterbed, if you want to go through the trouble, the payoff is grand.
-
Watch Captain Midnight Band perform "Common Law Hussy" here:
-
-
Anyone who sees you play will quickly realize that there is a heavy influence from The Dead. The first time I saw you guys, you busted out "Help On The Way" and "Dark Star." How did you get turned on to the Dead, and how much of an influence has Jerry and Bobby's guitar playing had on you?
-
Midnight: Man...this could be an entire chapter. I'm 43-years-old, so when I was an impressionable kid, that was in the hey day of the LA metal scene: Ratt, Motley Crue, Ozzy Osborne...and I'm not talking about the latter day stuff when it got real soft. I'm talking about 1983 and 1984, before it become a huge pop thing. As I got older, I started getting more into classic rock and my parents' records. I was also simultaneously getting frustrated with creative output of some of the bands that were softening and kind of losing their edge to money and success. The Dead really piqued my interest. Like a lot of people, I had my older brother's copy of Long Strange Trip, and the songs were just so different and weird to me. Also, I didn't have a lot of friends who were listening to it yet, so I kind of got it into it by accident. I stumbled upon it.
-
I was always intrigued with the fact that you can't go anywhere on the planet without seeing a "stealie" or some dancing skeletons or bears. That was kind of always in my face, especially growing up in Oxford (MS) and going to Ole Miss. Musically, I just found it to be so interesting, and I still do There is so much of it, and it wasn't like anything that I'd been listening to. I loved the idea later that you can go on stage, take a chance, and it may not work, but the audience was more excited about you taking that chance and it not working out than playing the same shit every night. You know? That really, really appealed to me.
-
When I started seeing the Dead in the 90's, I saw a couple of hot Jerry shows, but a lot of the time, it would be Phil or Bobby that was really picking up the slack. I don't want to say they were overcompensating, but when maybe Garcia was struggling a little bit, I would always gravitate towards Phil and Weir. I would pay a lot of attention to how they operated. That really gave me a great basis for when I moved to New Orleans and started playing with these horn guys, too. Phil and Bobby don't play like normal bass or guitar players. They used to get a lot of shit for it, too. Seems like folks are coming around though. They really developed their own style based on what the band became and evolved into. My stuff is more structured, I think, but I love to take the GD approach when we're jamming on the improv sections.
-
That was a big turn on for me. Obviously, I love the poetry of Barlow, Hunter, and Phil's guy Petersen. Those guys are amazing. I think the lyrical content is every bit as vital as the music. Not a lot is discussed about that in musical realms. What sealed the deal for me was seeing something that doesn't rely on pandering to anyone. They were basically up there doing whatever they wanted to. There is an unexpected thrill to it. Some of those long breaks on "Bird Song," obviously "Dark Star," and songs like that really appeal to me. Even just using different tones for songs that are played kind of straight. I felt like it was limitless, and that's what I wanted to do in music as well. That's what I do in my life, too, come to think of it.
-
-
Photo by Sundaze Media
-
I would totally agree with that. There's never been anyone like them, and there never will be again. I was lucky to stumble onto them accidentally as well, largely in part to older siblings. I got my first Dead album when I was nine or ten years old. Their music is inspiring on another level.
-
Midnight: And as your picking up these CDs, the cool thing is that you meet other Deadheads who insist on giving you tapes. "This CD is cool kid, but let me give you a sleeve of tapes." I was working at this record store in Oxford, and my boss was an old Deadhead. My other boss was a slightly younger Deadhead. These guys would just lay these cassette tapes on me. Back then, you had to know somebody to get that music. There was no internet. When someone gives you a sleeve of tapes from Barton Hall, Harper College, and Kezar Stadium, listening is all you're going to do (laughs). Holy shit! It was like gold, and it still is to me. I still have a cassette player hooked up in my basement, and I have about 25% of my original tapes. I lost most of them in Katrina. I still throw those on. Most of them sound like shit, but the music is there (laughs).
-
That's priceless. So, you mentioned Katrina. I wanted to hear more about how you ultimately landed in Nashville. I'm assuming this was shortly after Katrina?
-
Midnight: Oh yeah. I bought a house in New Orleans in the Spring of 2005, and on September 1st, it has four feet of water in it. A bunch of New Orleans people all moved to East Nashville, because they all worked in production. My roommate was a tech for the Radiators. My brother and a lot of us moved up here. We wanted to stay in the south and didn't want to have to deal with snow. Nashville was still a pretty small city back then. It was very comparable to New Orleans, in terms of size. We realized that we could probably do even more here. We could stretch out and tour in places that we couldn't before. You could go to Asheville, Atlanta, Indianapolis, and Chicago. If you're in New Orleans, and you're not on a major label, you're either going to Florida, Texas, or Jackson, MS (laughs).
-
Listen to "Witch's Tit" by Captain Midnight Band here:
--
--
That makes sense. Nashville is definitely a much more centrally located spot.
-
Midnight: Yeah...Katrina is what got me to Nashville. I stayed at my folks' house in Oxford for about 10 months. I had some insurance money, and I could have moved anywhere. Then I blew the insurance money going to Hawaii to visit Lil Rae Rae, who is now our keyboard player and lives in Nashville with me. So, it was a good investment (laughs). Of course, you still can't get seafood here, but they're trying.
-
I guess there are plenty of places having it shipped next-day, but you can't replicate the New Orleans cuisine.
-
Midnight: Totally. Getting it and cooking it properly are two entirely different things (laughs). Its actually getting a lot better. I'm probably bitching about too much. Nashville is cool. It ain't New Orleans.
-
That's for sure. So, I wanted to talk to you a little bit about the Captain Midnight catalog. First and foremost, we have to start with "Shady Box." I am convinced that the right music video could turn that song into an international hit. It has an explosive sound, and it makes people move. The story line intrigues me even more. Can you elaborate on that particular tune?
-
Midnight: Well, I have to confess, a lot of the songs that I write...there is a basis there. I don't know how printable this is, but sometimes you have a song idea. You have lyrics, and you have have a concept. Sometimes something happens to you, and you want to write a song about it. That's normally the case. Something occurs, and you start writing it. Regarding "Shady Box," I had that solo section that does all of the modulations. I had been fooling around with that for years...the guitar solo. I knew that I wanted to put it somewhere. I knew it was a little "heady." So at some point, I decided that I wanted to put it in the middle of a dance song and really fuck everything up, you know? It's got kind of a jam/rock/dance thing going on. After "waterbed rock and roll," we describe our music sometimes as "rock/jam/R&B." I think that song is really a flagship for that.
-
As far as coming up with it lyrically, no shit, I was sitting on my couch with my dog. I had eaten a bunch of mushrooms, and my girlfriend was out of town. Those lyrics were almost entirely stream of consciousness. So, sometimes you come up with a story that makes sense, and other times, you get these words that sound like that they need to be there. I'd hate to make up some story about it being an elaborate thing, but the reality is that it's kind of syllables to go to a dance beat. They just kind of came out on a psychedelic excursion on the couch with my dog. I'd look at him and just play something. When you're a litter "heightened" and there are animals around, you can get a vibe if they like it or not (laughs). So, if you like how that one came out, you can thank Klaus for that one, because we was sitting there wagging his tail and giving me a thumbs up on most of it.
-
Listen to "Shady Box" by Captain Midnight Band here:
-
-
That song has some really great one-liners. "Hope I didn't disappoint ya. Baby I just wanted to anoint ya" might be my favorite. It makes me laugh everytime.
-
Midnight: (laughs) Thanks man! That's the thing about that song. It's just a collection of one liners, really. I mean, "Beat the bible, holy roll. Midnight Band 'bout to shave your soul." I mean, there is no place for that in society, but it fits in that song. Maybe there is, but for me, that was one that came to me in like 10-minutes. That was after having the actual music for probably 10 years though.
-
I've noticed that there is a little bit of a common theme in your music. There is the fun, energetic, dance groove to it, mixed with catchy lyrics with just the right amount of humor to it. I'm talking about "Witch's Tit," "LaToya," "Jug of Wine"... I love listening to those songs. They make me laugh for all of the right reasons.
-
Midnight: Well thanks man. I never set out to be wacky, you know? You write what you know. I like to have fun. I like to laugh. And I like strong R&B grooves.
-
Defintely. "Jug of Wine" is another one that gets me every time. It's a totally different vibe than the other tunes I mentioned, but damn, that is a funny song too.
-
Midnight: That's an old one, man. I wrote that song in like 1992, before I moved to New Orleans. A lot of that stuff that I wrote with my old band in Oxford carried over. "Witch's Tit" is from 1996. A lot of these songs are really old, and many of them have been around more than half of my life. Even though not that many people know them, they're a huge part of who I am. I'll find myself on stage at SummerFest singing "Jug of Wine" in front of a ton of people, and it will just hit me like, "I can't believe that I'm saying this at age 43." How many people are gonna be hip to the Barney Miller Night Court musical reference in the center of it? I'm glad you dig it though. I try to make it real. If you're mentioning songs like "Jug of Wine" that you really dig, then stuff like "Shady Box," you're dealing with about 20 year bookends of music. That's crazy. I'm really pleased to hear that you like the old stuff and the new stuff.
-
Listen to "Jug of Wine" by Captain Midnight Band here:
-
-
You know how to kick off a song and get someone intrigued man. With "Jug of Wine," those opening lines are epic. "Well, the sun is getting hot, but you're girlfriend's even hotter." That's incredible. After seeing you guys that night, I kept hearing "Shady Box" and "Jug of Wine" in my head, and thanks to Spotify and Facebook, I was able to instantly connect.
-
Midnight: That's so cool, because if you can hear our stuff live, it translates over, and you go home and listen to it...what more can a person ask for?
-
It's funny how things work out sometimes man. So, in terms of CukoRakko next weekend, you guys are scheduled for two sets: late night on Saturday and a day set on Sunday.
-
Midnight: For the late night set, we're really going to peacock around and put our best original feet forward. We're playing with some great bands, and we're going to keep the dance vibe going. The late night spot is a heavy responsibility. We're going to play stuff that you can dance to, stuff that you can freak out to, and stuff that you can pump your fist to. That's what we're trying to do. I've talked with a couple of the Backup Planet dudes, as well as Kaitlin from Maradeen, and we may even take a segment to do a big collaboration for a song or two. We're all friends, and we all like each others bands for the same reasons.
-
For Sunday, we've been asked to do a Dead set, which we are very excited about. Sunday will be all Grateful Dead a la Captain Midnight Band. I believe everyone is doing a Dead set on Sunday, from what I hear. I hope that the bands communicate though. People ask us to do it, and we love doing it. We did Jerry Day in Atlanta this year, and we also did a show with Dark Star Orchestra. I hope the bands get together on who's playing what. The last thing we need is three Franklin's Towers to make you just hate the whole idea.
-
I like to mix it up, and I like diversity. Being a mostly original band, we focus mostly on writing our own stuff. We have a small, but ferocious Dead catalog. Like you mentioned earlier, "Help On The Way" > "Slipknot" takes a lot of work. "Terrapin" takes a lot of work. We've learned a lot of songs that we hope a lot of other bands aren't going to try to jump on, but you never know. A Dead cover band should have 100 tunes in their pocket, if they're going to bill themselves as that. If they don't, they should start learning them.
-
A band like us, we're playing our own songs 90% of the time, so we can't just go and learn 50 Dead covers. Maybe by the end of the Captain Midnight Band, we'll have 100 down. So, we're excited about the Dead set on Sunday. Hopefully, no repeats. Saturday will be a late night, Captain Midnight buffet.
Veteran jam rock band Phishrecently announced the release of it's 13th studio album, Big Boat. Very few details of the album were provided at the time, but we have since learned much more. While Phish has officially released two singles, "Breath and Burning" and "Blaze On," they are now allowing fans to stream the album in its entirety via NPR Music (see below). Fans will recognize tunes such as "Blaze On" and "No Men In No Man's Land," which were both debuted in the summer or 2015, as well as "Tide Turns," "Waking Up Dead," and "Breath and Burning," which were all debuted over this past summer's tour. We can't help but notice the absence of two of our favorites from 2016, "Let's Go" and "Ass Handed," but we're keeping our fingers crossed for another potential "bonus album" similar to Party Time after the release of Joy in 2009.
Big Boat was produced by Bob Ezrin, who also produced Fuego, as well as many legendary albums including Pink Floyd’s The Wall, KISS’s Destroyer, Alice Cooper’s School’s Out and Peter Gabriel’s Peter Gabriel I. The LP was completed during Phish’s Summer Tour as guitarist Trey Anastasio mentioned the band had completed the album prior to dedicating "Sing Monica" to Ezrin, who was in the crowd, at Bill Graham Auditorium in San Francisco, CA earlier this summer.
Anastasio elaborated on the album in an interview with Rolling Stone earlier this summer.
“We’re kind of all over the place, flying down to Nashville to work, and then I’ve been doing a lot of work on overdubs at Avatar, which is in Manhattan, and then we go to Burlington, and worked at the barn, and we’re even working at Page’s house and Mike’s house a little bit,” Trey said.
-
He added, “Page brought some great songs, Mike brought some great songs, Fish brought some great songs. I’ve got a lot of new songs. And everybody’s just diving in, in a unified way.”
Phish returns to New York at the end of the year to celebrate New Year’s Eve with a four night run at Madison Square Garden, beginning Wednesday, December 28th through Saturday, December 31st. The four shows will bring the band’s total performances at the world famous arena to 40 in the years since their MSG debut in December 1994. As with Phish’s two prior MSG runs, all floor tickets will be general admission.
An online ticket request period is now underway at http://tickets.phish.com, ending Monday, October 10th at 12 noon ET. Tickets go on sale to the general public beginning Friday, October 14th at 12 noon ET online at http://www.ticketmaster.com or charge by phone at 866-858-0008. Any remaining tickets may be purchased at the Madison Square Garden box office beginning Saturday, October 15th (Monday – Saturday, 10 am – 6 pm).
Phish and CID Entertainment are also offering travel packages for the New Year’s Run (which include hotel and tickets). Phish will be donating their proceeds of these travel packages to the WaterWheel Foundation. Travel Packages go on sale Thursday, October 13th at 12noon ET. Full details available at bit.ly/2cY6sVy
Watch Phish's "No Men In No Man's Land" Hourglass Jam from 12.31.15 here:
We have just heard some very disappointing news out of New Orleans, as prog-funk sensation Earphunk has announced that this weekend's performance at Bear Creek Bayou Festival will be the band's final show. Live and Listen was officially launched in August of 2014, and Earphunk quickly became the first band we had ever booked. It has been a true pleasure watching this band evolve and grow over the past seven years. We have been fortunate enough to host Earphunk at our inaugural Funksgiving in November of 2014, as well as The Blueberry Jam Sessions in November of 2015. Through these two events and countless shows in between, this band has helped us create some amazing memories over the years. We want to wish Mark, Michael, Paul, Michael, Christian, Josh, and Alex nothing but the best in whatever the future may hold. Thank you for the music and the memories that will last a lifetime. The band's official statement can be read in full below.
Dear fans, friends, and family,
We are sorry to announce that our performance at this weekend's Bear Creek Bayou Music Festival on Friday will be our final show together. We feel it is right that it will be at home in New Orleans as a part of the first festival we ever played. We have traveled throughout the entire country, made life long friends and we feel fortunate to have accomplished things as a band we never would have imagined when we first began. Please keep an eye out for our own individual endeavors as we move forward! Thank you all from the bottom of our hearts for the constant love and support over these past seven years.
The String Cheese Incident and members of the Grateful Dead have revealed plans for a brand new destination weekend dubbed "Los Muertos Con Queso." This event will feature three nights of SCI, along with three nights of Los Muertos, a newly formed supergroup featuring Bill Kreutzmann & Bob Weir with Dave Schools, Jeff Chimenti & Tom Hamilton. Official details on the destination event can be found below via LosMuertosConQueso.com. Stay tuned for future updates on this exciting event!
Los Muertos con Queso is an all-inclusive concert vacation in one of the most beautiful parts of the world. You’ll be whisked from the airport in special Los Muertos con Quesoshuttles and taken to your tropical resort, where your all-inclusive vacation will begin. You’ll experience four unforgettable nights of music on the beach: Bill Kreutzmann & Bob Weir with Dave Schools, Jeff Chimenti and Tom Hamilton (3 nights), The String Cheese Incident (3 nights), The Chris Robinson Brotherhood (1 night), an intimate, acoustic performance by Chris Robinson and Neal Casal, and much more. The Caribbean Sea provides a gorgeous backdrop for these beachfront concerts, with the state-of-the art stage just feet away from the clear blue waters.
The Barceló Maya Beach, an incredible all-inclusive resort, will play host to the concerts. The resort sits on a mile-long stretch of white sandy beach and stunning landscapes, with eight glittering pools across the property. You may reserve a room at the Barceló, or choose to stay at another one of our other carefully selected hotels. With the exception of the Rosewood, which is not considered all-inclusive, each resort features a variety of restaurants, multiple bars and daily activities, all included in your package price. Spend your days lounging by the pool and beach, or explore the nearby towns of Tulum or Playa del Carmen. Partake in exciting off-site adventures, or sleep off the night before and soak up some sun.
Each night, guests staying at the Barceló Maya will walk out of their rooms and take a short stroll to the beach to see the show. If you are staying at one of our other properties, a shuttle will deliver you within feet of the main stage.
Widespread Panic's smokin' hot fall tour continued last night in St. Augustine, Florida, as the band kicked off the first of a highly anticipated two-night run at the beach. With uncertainty as to just how much Widespread Panic we will see in 2017, the Georgia natives are treating the Panic faithful to what feels like one of their strongest tours in recent memory. Friday night's highlight's came in the form of a cover of War's "Slippin' Into Darkness," which featured the band's tour manager Steve Lopez on shaker, the always rowdy "Chilly Water" and a massive encore of "Good Morning Little School Girl" and Joe Cocker's "High Time We Went" featuring Derek Trucks and Susan Tedeschi.
The Florida-based couple are no strangers to the Panic family, as they have collaborated many times over the years, and Trucks' younger brother Duane recently took on full-time duty behind the drum kit for Panic. Fortunately, video footage from "High Time We Went" has surfaced via YouTube user Fred Ramadan which can be watch in full below.
Watch Widespread Panic perform "High Time We Went" w/ Derek Trucks & Susan Tedeschi here:
Umphrey's McGee and TourGigs have teamed up with Qello Concerts to offer a free live stream of this weekend's Chucktown Ball at North Charleston Coliseum. The band made the formal announcement on Thursday night, much to the pleasure of the UM faithful. Tune in at 8:00 PM EST each night and catch opening sets from Moon Taxi on Friday and The Floozies on Saturday night. See below for the official announcement via Umphreys.com.
Watch the FREE live stream of Umphrey’s 2nd Annual Chucktown Ball, powered by TourGigs! If you can’t make it to South Carolina, just kick back and watch from your couch or on-the-go through Qello Concerts.
While it's been nearly four weeks since the conclusion of LOCKN' Festival, certain memories continue to resonate with each day. Atop that list of memories is the double dose of Joe Russo's Almost Dead on Thursday and Friday night at the Blue Ridge Bowl. Thursday night's set followed action packed sets from Umphrey's McGee and Ween, while Friday night's set followed Ween and two full sets from Phish. We haven't been able to stop listening to these two sets since LOCKN', and thankfully, video footage from both sets have surfaced on YouTube.
See below for a footage of the entire Thursday 8/25 set, as well as various segments from the Friday 8/26 set. A direct link is provided to watch the entire Friday 8/26 set in Full HD. For all of the latest information on Joe Russo's Almost Dead, head over to the band's Facebook page and official website.
Joe Russo's Almost Dead - Setlist: Thursday 8/25
Space > Truckin'. St. Stephen >The Eleven. Brown-Eyed Women > The Wheel > Estimated Prophet, Tennessee Jed, Viola Lee Blues > He's Gone > Terrapin Suite
Joe Russo's Almost Dead - Setlist: Friday 8/26
Good Lovin' > Shakedown Street > China Cat Sunflower > I Know You Rider, Dancing in the Street > The Music Never Stopped > Turn On Your Love Light > Slipknot! > Franklin's Tower > Slipknot! > Throwing Stones
In the midst of preparation for the second annual Chucktown Ball, progressive jam rockers Umphrey's McGee has been forced to move this weekend's two-day event from Riverfront Park to North Charleston Coliseum due to recent heavy rains and water-logged grounds at Riverfront Park. The band made the official announcement on Wednesday via Facebook and issued a full statement via Umphreys.com, which can be read below. While this comes as disappointing news to many, rest assured that Umphrey's will adjust and rage properly, as they always do.
"The recent heavy rains experienced in the Charleston area have water-logged the grounds of Riverfront Park. With more rain in the forecast over the course of the next few days, conditions are likely to worsen. Thus, we will be unable to safely and expediently build the festival site as planned. With this in mind, Chucktown Ball is being moved to the North Charleston Coliseum. We take our fans’ safety very seriously and want to provide you with the best experience possible. All previously purchased tickets will be honored at the new venue and all bands will still perform as planned, with the exception of Dangermuffin, who are no longer available to participate. We intend to take the vision of Chucktown Ball and deliver an amazing experience alongside the accommodating staff of the the North Charleston Coliseum, who are thrilled to now be hosting our event. We hope you are ready for some arena rock!
The updated show times are as follows:
Friday September 23th Doors – 5:45 pm Dead 27s – 6:45 pm Moon Taxi – 8:00 pm Umphrey’s McGee (2 sets) – 9:30 pm thru 12:45 am
Saturday September 24th Doors – 5:45 pm The Hip Abduction – 6:45 pm The Floozies – 8:00 pm Umphrey’s McGee (2 sets) – 9:30 pm thru 12:45 am
The Chucktown Ball remains an All Ages event, and kids 6 and under are free. The North Charleston Coliseum is located at 5001 Coliseum Drive. If you take a taxi or uber, have your driver drop you at the south entrance off of West Montague Ave in front of the box office. Parking will be $5.00.
If you purchased a umVIP package, all package amenities will still be delivered as planned. Stay tuned for some correspondence from our umVIP team on updated details.
Just in case you weren't already excited enough about the upcoming CukoRakko Music & Arts Festival, further details on the Thursday night pre-party (Oct. 6th) have officially been announced. Nashville-based jam/rock quintet Maradeen will headline the pre-party, with direct support from Atlanta's Bird Dog Jubilee. Both bands had been previously announced on the festival lineup, which means festival goers will have the opportunity to get a double dose of both of these hot young acts. Make sure to head to the official Facebook event page for the pre-party for all of the latest updates on Thursday night's festivities.
Maradeen is an American rock band based out of Nashville, Tennessee. Founded by guitarist, Whit Murray, in the summer of 2014 with keyboardist, Kaitlyn Connor, and bassist, Sterling Miller, the band formed their initial roots as a high energy rock n roll quartet. With classical and jazz improvisation backgrounds they forged and evolved a unique and well-versed sound. In 2015 Tom Galloway moved to Nashville for songwriting and began collaborations with Murray. The band entered the analog studio "Welcome to 1979" in the spring of 2015 and recorded their first full-length LP entitled, "Mirage". The album features the initial hard-hitting rockers from the band's formative stage while revealing the new songwriting dynamic between Murray and Galloway.
Although the band was new to the scene at this time, the origins of Maradeen run deep. Murray played lead guitar for Galloway's band, Mama's Love, between the years of 2009-12. During this time they toured nationwide, developed a devoted fanbase, and recorded with renowned producers Tom Tapley and John Keane. Galloway continued fronting Mama's Love while Murray extended his education at The Berklee College of Music.
Mama's Love had shared the stage with the progressive rock band, Afro, several times in the past which featured Connor on keys. Connor met Miller through the MTSU music program where Miller majored in audio engineering and played with bands Harrison Anvil and The Bourbon Barrel Band. A long line of history, coincidence, and mutual passion brought together the group, and they continue to make strides as they climb the mountain of music.
Listen to Maradeen's new single "Livin' For The Weekend" here:
Official Music Video - "She Treat Me Like a Real Man"
Bird Dog Jubilee
Bird Dog Jubilee is a 4 piece jam band from Atlanta, GA whose sound blends classic and psychedelic rock with a touch of the blues. Formed in early 2014 playing private parties and outdoor festivals, they quickly developed their own style through different influences. Bird Dog Jubilee’s use of musical improvisation and blend of musical genres sets them apart from what you see on stage today. Inspired by The Rolling Stones, Grateful Dead, The Band, and Phish, Bird Dog Jubilee has crafted their own unique sound with catchy lyrics, intricate guitar riffs, and crunchy jams. Always playing a different set and using different theatrics, they will keep you begging for more.
The annual SweetWater 420 Fest in Atlanta, Georgia just made it's initial lineup announcement this morning, and this may be it's biggest splash yet. The news seems to have generated so much traffic that the festival's website temporarily shut down. Rounding out the top of the 2017 lineup is Widespread Panic (two nights/four sets), Trey Anastasio Band (2 sets), Slightly Stupid, Trombone Shorty & Orleans Avenue, Dark Star Orchestra, Anders Osborne, Twiddle, Sister Sparrow & The Dirty Birds, and The Hip Abduction. The announcement notates that the lineup will also feature over 45 additional artists. Early bird tickets are on-sale now and can be purchased at the festivals official website. Stay tuned for further updates on the 2017 420 Fest!
Watch the official 2017 lineup announcement video here:
Thursday night in Tuscaloosa was one that won't be forgotten any time soon, as jam veterans Widespread Panic and Umphrey's McGee joined forces for one of the better rock shows one could ask for. With Panic slated for two sets and Umphrey's getting a full 75-minute opening spot, the stage was set for a rowdy occasion at the Tuscaloosa Amphitheatre. This would be the first of a two-night Umphrey's/Panic run, and the music couldn't start soon enough.
Umphrey's took the stage promptly at 6:30 PM, opening up with "Similar Skin," the title track from the band's 2014 studio release. "Wappy Sprayberry" opened things up for some extensive jamming, before ultimately moving into a newer tune "Speak Up." Ryan Stasik then busted into the all-too-familiar opening notes of "Puppet String," one which always draws a strong reaction from the UM faithful. It was then time for Jake Cinninger (guitar) to take the lead on "Glory," one of the most peaceful, beautiful songs in the band's extensive catalog. "Educated Guess" provided another heavy-hitting rocker from Similar Skin, and "Women, Wine, and Song" made for one of the biggest sing-a-longs of the night.
-
-
Umphrey's McGee at Avondale Brewery - July 7th 2016
-
Next up was "Bad Friday," which quickly turned this occasion into Alabama's biggest dance party. Many of us felt like that might have been the end of the set, and thankfully, this was a false assumption. This band tackles cover tunes as well as any band in history, and David Bowie's "Let's Dance" was no exception. Cinninger handles Bowie's vocals with fine form, and you would be challenged to find a better rendition of this classic tune. A seamless segue back into "Puppet String" would bring this scorching opening set to a close.
-
After about 30-minutes of turnover, the lights went down, and Widespread Panic took the stage, much to the delight of the lively Alabama crowd. The Panic faithful was paying extra attention on this night, as the band had not repeated a song in its first six shows of the tour. Would they continue this trend and make it seven shows? It sure seemed that way as the set kicked off with Vic Chesnutt's "Le'ts Get Down To Business", "Travelin' Light," and "Little Kin." The trend continued with Bloodkin's "Henry Parsons Died," which always seems to light a fire in the set. Another nod to the late Chesnutt came with "Sleeping Man," before "Up All Night" brought about the first repeat of the tour.
-
-
While this was an entertaining and impressive streak, so much more was now on the table, and no complaints were issued on this night. The first taste of Street Dogs came in the form of "Cease Fire" > "Jamais Vu," a pairing that has become pretty consistent in the last few years. The party shifted into high gear as Jimmy Herring hit the first licks of The Guess Who's "No Sugar Tonight / New Mother Nature." Panic is known for their unique spin on countless covers, but this one is up there with the best of them. John Bell thanked and assured the crowd that they'd be right back, and that was it for the first set.
-
Set two kicked off in explosive fashion with a cover of The Talking Heads' "Papa Legba." Next up was "Happy," which JoJo Hermann ultimately took straight into "Greta," one of the bigger highlights of the night. Is there a better sing-a-long in the Panic catalog? I guess that's up to the individual, but "Greta" just never gets old. The segues continued and this time it was into a scorching take on "Solid Rock," which was proceeded by "Tall Boy." It's safe to say that JoJo brought his a-game to Tuscaloosa, and thankfully there was much more where that came from.
-
-
I'm not sure if there is a more quintessential Panic tune than "Surprise Valley," and the boys proved that yet again. That song defines the sound of the band for me, and I'd honestly be fine with hearing it at every show. A brief take on "Drums" came next, which moved swiftly back into "Surprise Valley." The darker, bluesy "Me and The Devil Blues" and "Holden Oversoul" would follow, before "Porch Song" closed out the second set in epic fashion. After a brief exit, the band returned to the stage and gave another nod to Bloodkin with "End of the Show." Everyone knew this would lead into another rocker, and JoJo took the lead on this one with "Blackout Blues." This one always seems appropriate at the end of a set or in the encore, and just like that, this massive occasion in Tuscaloosa had come to an end.
--
This was only my second opportunity to catch a show at the Tuscaloosa Amphitheater, and I can't say enough about this venue. In my opinion, this is the premiere outdoor venue in the state of Alabama. While Oak Mountain and The Wharf have plenty to offer, there truly is not a bad seat in the house in Tuscaloosa, and the overall design maintains an intimate element that can't be argued. Being able to catch Umphrey's and Panic on the same night was really special, and the fact that we get to do it all over again tonight is extremely convenient. One can only wonder what type of collaborations we can expect in Alpharetta tonight, and fortunately we only have to wait a matter of hours to find out.
Our latest segment, "The Road to CukoRakko," consists of a series of interviews leading up to CukoRakko Music & Arts Festival this weekend at Horse Pens 40 in Steele, AL. We're kicking off the segment by taking a look into a special reunion set from one of our favorite bands of the past, Mama's Love. Mama's Love was born in Athens, Georgia in 2007 and took the southeast by storm for many years. While various lineups continued the band's legacy through 2014, the core lineup will perform at CukoRakko for the first time since December of 2011. We recently sat down with Thomas Galloway (guitar/vocals) and Whit Murray (lead guitar/vocals) to relive some of the old memories and see what we can expect at Horse Pens 40 next month.
-
Mama's Love is scheduled to play on Friday, October 7th at 8:15 on the Main Stage at CukoRakko. Share this post from Live & Listen's Facebook page and tag a friend in the comments for a chance to win two weekend passes to the festival.
Let's start off by talking a little bit about the beginning of Mama's Love back in Athens, GA.
-
Thomas: The band formed back in 2007 in Athens, Ga. Most of us were in school there at the time. I had been playing with William Boyd (keyboards) since high school, as well as Patrick Atwater, the original bassist. So, there was already some chemistry going. Boyd looped in his cousin Ben Torbert who became the original drummer. Then we hooked up with Taylor Knox, the original guitarist, who had played with some of us in another project called The Shady Boys. We went through a few names while playing together and eventually became Mama's Love. Pretty soon after, we recorded our first studio album Willow Street Sessions, and we played around Athens and the southeast from 2007-2009 with that initial lineup.
Knox left the band towards the end of '09 to pursue another career so we were searching for a new guitarist. We had played with Whit's band, Perfect Colour, out of Raleigh, and he was friends with Knox and all of us. I think Whit was in a position to make moves to Athens, and he was interested in making it work. So, he came on board in 2009. We also changed things up with Bo Nicholson as our new bassist around that time of transition. Patrick went on to study Jazz bass in Colorado. Soon after, we went to Southern Tracks Studio in Atlanta and recorded the self-titled EP with Tom Tapley. We toured in support of that for a while, and eventually followed that up with a full length LP with John Keane in 2011 called, The Great Divide.
We toured around the southeast pretty heavily during that time. I guess soon after The Great Divide, different factors cause the band to dissolve. I was still living in Athens, and after some soul searching, I had the opportunity to get another really talented group of players together to keep the music going. We recorded the single, "Beyond the Divide" with Keane and we actually have a shelved album "Stone Farm Redemption" that I hope will see the light of day at some point. That lineup toured heavily between 2012-2014 and we still occasionally play a few shows from time to time
Listen to "Wake Up Woes" by Mama's Love here:
Very cool. So Whit, as you guys were saying, it was right around 2009 when everyone was finishing school, and you ultimately came on board. How did that come about in your eyes, and what drew you in to make the move down to Athens and take on this new venture?
Whit: I think it was a football tailgate in 2007 when I first saw ML. I was down in Athens, and my one of my good friends from home was living with (Taylor) Knox. I would visit Athens all the time from University of South Carolina, and I would stay with them. Knox and I would always play guitars, and he told me he was playing with his new band at the tailgate the next day and that I should sit in on a song. I remember it was "Mama Lay Your Hair Down." G Blues! He was telling me about Thomas, and how he had written all of these songs. He kept raving about how Ben was the best drummer he had ever played with, too. So, I met all of them and sat in. Then, the following summer, I worked at a summer camp with (Patrick) Atwater, and they had just recorded Willow Street Sessions. He played me the album and it was so good, especially compared to anything that anyone I knew was doing. Not many of our peers were writing their own music at the time. So, we got to be friends and they'd always let me sit in when I came to town and vice versa.
-
When I graduated from college in 2008, I moved home and nobody my age could get a job because of the crash. So I put a band together and really put my energy into that. Raleigh has a pretty cool, smaller music scene but I knew I'd have to move to a mecca if I really wanted to get involved and Athens at the time was buzzing. It was always in the back of my minds towards the end of college, then when I heard Taylor had left the band and they asked me to fill in temporarily, I went down for a week and checked it out. They had the open room all ready and the shows we played were so much fun, I just kind of stayed... for 2 and a half years. We toured and practiced a heavily and made two albums. It was a blast!
-
-
Mama's Love - Athens, GA - 2008
-
So, like you said, you had about two-and-a-half years of consistent touring and playing a lot of music together. You guys obviously got to play a lot of new cities and different venues. When you look back on that time, what are some of the memories that stand out the most?
-
Thomas: One of my favorites was going out west for the first time. Seeing and feeling the landscape change as you get further out. We got to open up for Mickey Hart (The Grateful Dead) and Keller Williams. Actually, that was in Driggs, Idaho, and some Jackson Hole shows. We did some Colorado and Texas dates too.
Whit: Yeah, I would say the same. I think that run was about three weeks. That was our first real tour. We were typically doing two to four nights a week before that. Going out west and playing for three weeks when we were fresh out of college was really cool. We got to go to a lot of places we'd never been and probably haven't been to since.
-
Thomas: That was fun, and you would think being younger and on the road would be easier to do personally, but I almost feel like it's gotten easier with age. I guess we're just more accustomed to it at this point?
-
Whit: There's some conditioning to it, but we were just a lot younger. We were probably partying a little harder than we can now (laughs).
-
Thomas:One of the really great memories I have was one night at the Georgia Theatre. Knox was still playing at the time, but we had Whit sit in on "Catch a Feelin". Almost a passing of the guitar pick foreshadowing moment, although none of us knew it at the time. It was pretty packed out, and we had a bunch of balloons drop during the peak of that song. That was pretty fun.
-
Whit: Oh yeah...that was so cool. The old Theatre, before the fire.
-
Was there any special occasion for the balloon drop that night?
-
Thomas:We were just trying to do something cool and different, so we blew up a bunch of balloons ourselves. They were stored at our house, and we snuck them into the theatre that night, and Big Mike our manager dropped them off the balcony at the right moment.
-
-
Thomas Galloway: ATHFest 2013
-
What else would you say was unique about both of your stints with the band?
-
Whit: I would say what really stands out to me was how close we all were. We were such good friends. For instance, if I had to partner off for lunch with someone, it didn't really matter who it was. Individually, we were all just really tight. In hindsight, that made the band special. We got to hop around college towns from night to night and pretend to be rock stars (laughs).
-
Thomas: I would say the same. We were very fortunate to have found each other. It wasn't just like, "We're going to start a band. Where can we find good musicians?" I feel like, when I look back at it now, Mama's Love is just a big brotherhood of outstanding musicians and people. That's what it was always about. We recently got to play again at Torbert's wedding, and it was very easy to get back up there and do it. It felt really natural, you know?
-
Whit: It's cool, because I've had a lot of people come up to me and say "Hey, you played our college formal" or some of my favorite memories were going to see you guys play, or something along those lines. We played a lot of frat gigs back then. Thomas and I pulled up to Hampden-Sydney last year, and these guys were blaring a Mama's Love album that we recorded 6-7 years ago. There's a poster at Washington & Lee from a show we played there in 2009 and it's still there! Having people come up and realizing that our music is still being passed down is really cool.
-
Listen to "Ragtime Rug" by Mama's Love here:
-
-
Yeah I can imagine that you hear a lot of those stories. Mama's Love played a major role in so many people's college experience. I can certainly attest to that. If you were at Auburn University from 2007-2009 and Mama's Love was in town, you made sure you were there. If you had a test the next day, you got a doctor's note.
-
Thomas:Another experience from that lineup that really sticks out was one of our band retreats. We all went up to Atlantic Beach for about a week. We stayed at Bo's family beach house. Most of that time was spent in the basement working on new music. The rest of the time was spent on the beach just having a lot of fun.
-
Whit: The band house was together for 3 years and it was everyday, you know. Not just playing music but trying to hone our vision and grow our business. I'd always wanted an experience like that and have really fond memories of that period.
-
-
Whit Murray of Mama's Love
-
So, as you were saying, you guys got to return to the stage just a few weeks ago at Ben's wedding at Lake Burton. That's a nice precursor to this reunion set coming up at CukoRakko in a few weeks. What is it like for you guys to have this opportunity, and how do you go about preparing for a set at this point?
-
Thomas:Well, we've already been talking a lot about the set. We're all working on re-familiarizing ourselves with certain songs again. What's nice about it is that Whit and I are here in Nashville, so we can get together and work on the material. Boyd and Torbert are in Atlanta, so they can get together. Bo might be the wild card (laughs) but I trust he'll kill it. I hope we can find the time to get at least one full rehearsal in as a band, but like I was saying, everything was really easy when we just recently played together. It was almost like time had not passed.
-
Whit: It's so engrained, you know. It's been a while, but it's in there somewhere. For it to be able to resurface is just really cool. You don't full remember until it happens though. One thing about this that is really cool is that it's pretty much been five years since we played a show. We were all at Taylor's wedding last December, and that was the first time that all of us have had a chance to hang out together since the last time we played. We kind of just let this thing happen with the CukoRakko opportunity coming up. We knew that we would do something like this again, but we wanted to let it happen organically. When the time's right, it's right. The wedding was such a cool precursor, because we haven't had a chance to play in such a long time. It's really cool how it's all unfolded.
-
Watch Mama's Love perform "Long Willie Jackson" > "Catch a Feelin" at Ben Torbert's wedding reception on August 20th, 2016 here:
Live & Listen is pleased to continue a new weekly feature known as Bands You Should Know. This new concept will highlight a different band each Friday with an interview, general background information, current happenings, as well as videos and audio from each band. After nearly two years of various interviews and artist spotlights, we feel that installing a consistent weekly feature is the best next step for Live & Listen.
For our ninth edition of Bands You Should Know, we sat down with Cy Simonton (guitar/vocals) of CBDB, one of the most promising bands Alabama has seen in years. This band has been turning heads across the southeast for the past five years, and its momentum continues to build with each year. Sometimes you get lucky and find that band who you just can't stop listening to, and that's been the story of 2016 with CBDB. Ranging from high-energy, progressive rock to laid-back, jazzy "joyfunk", CBDB offers a one-of-a-kind sound that anyone and everyone can get down to. We can't wait to watch the future unfold for these Tuscaloosa natives.
Let's talk about the early days for you specifically. When did you start playing the guitar? Who were you earliest influences? When did you realize this was something you wanted to pursue as a career?
-
Cy: Well, I played in a band in high school, but we didn't really play shows or anything. It was more so just having fun jamming in my friend's basement. Back in those days, it was all bad heavy metal stuff. At that point, I wasn't singing or anything. Later on, we started getting into better music, I guess, and that's when I started singing. Playing out in front of people really started in college. Around 2006, I would play at The Red Shed in Tuscaloosa. I was writing a good bit of music at the point as well. One day, someone who was supposed to play cancelled. We were already up there hanging out, so I grabbed my guitar and played a little bit. I guess I got hooked from there.
-
So early on, it was more on the heavy metal side. Who else do you look to as an influence on your style of play? How do you feel that you've developed your own sound?
-
Cy: It's so all over the place. I'm actually a pretty big hip-hop fan. I don't know if that influences the guitar at all. I definitely listen to a lot of it though. Paul Simon is a big one that I tried to emulate a lot early on in my songwriting. As far as the jam band scene, we're definitely big fans of Phish, Umphrey's, Widespread Panic, and all of the big dogs, amongst other stuff.
The band got started back in 2011 in Tuscaloosa. I know you and Kris originally met at The Bear Trap, and things started rolling from there, right?
--
Cy: Yeah. It started out with Kris playing this jazz-fusion thing up on the roof at The Bear Trap. He was doing all the crazy sweeping stuff that he does. I knew that I definitely wanted to talk to him. I had recorded a solo album at that point, which I gave to him. I asked him to check it out and told him that I'd love to start a band. That was really the start of it.
-
I would imagine that you guys started stacking the calendar with gigs around Tuscaloosa. There's obviously plenty of bars and a strong fraternity scene to support a young, up-and-coming band around there. How did those early days take shape?
-
Cy: We usually did Thursday through Saturday, all in Tuscaloosa, for a long time. The first time that I can remember seeing people actually sing along with us was at The Red Shed one time. I think the song was "Caroline." They were singing loud enough that we could drop it out and let the crowd sing. We were like, "Holy shit! I can't believe this."
-
Watch CBDB perform "Somewhere to Fall" at FAME Studios here:
-
-
The band went in a slightly different direction between Phone Keys Wallet and Joyfunk is Dead. I know "joyfunk" was a term that has been used to describe the initial sound. Can you elaborate on that at all?
-
Cy: The term "joyfunk" originally came from us. People ask you what style of music you play. You try to come up with something that sets you apart, without just saying "Oh, we sound like this band." We just wanted to have a word that was ours. I'm not even sure how much of a funk band we are. We definitely love funk music, and we try to get funky, but it doesn't necessarily mean that we're a funk band. I think the sound just comes from the five of us bringing our different influences, coming together, and all of us being really open to whatever happens. I think all of us are very open, and we all agree that's where the magic kind of comes, when it's just like, "Oh man. I didn't see it going that way." Just letting things mold like that.
-
You definitely have to let the sound develop naturally. So, you guys also had the privilege of getting up to FAME Studios to record the most recent EP. So much legendary music has been created in that room. How did that all come together? What was that experience like?
-
Cy: That came through some connections that David had with folks in Florence. We were playing a show down there at On The Rocks one night, and John Gifford III (Sound Engineer) was talking to us about recording there. We were skeptical that it was something we could do but after talking to him we were sold. That's really how it happened. FAME was incredible, man. You definitely feel the vibes when you walk in there. So much great music has been recorded there.
I had a chance to take the tour of the studio a few summers ago, and I'll never forget it. You can definitely feel those vibes that you mentioned. The history is all over the walls. It made me even more proud to be from Alabama.
-
Cy: It was a really cool experience. We watched that documentary (Muscle Shoals) probably three or four times just getting hyped up about it. It wasn't a nerve racking thing though. They made it really chill and easy to work in there. It was an awesome experience, for sure.
-
That will definitely go down as a major piece of history for the band. And you never know, CBDB might be one of those bands that people talk about once recording there at some point. Back in the early days...
-
Cy: Yeah man...I hope so. We've been recording a couple of tracks at another cool spot in Nashville.
-
That was the next thing I wanted to talk about. I knew that you guys had been back in the studio, and I was able to catch the debut of the new tune "She's Mobile" at The Werk Out last month. I'm sure there are plenty of others in the works. What exactly do you guys have planned for the next studio release?
-
Cy: Well, I think that the plan for the next one is to get another batch of new music out quick. We're planning on releasing these two new tunes as kind of a single. We've been talking about a 45 on vinyl, or something like that, single style. We want to get these two new songs out though, especially with Mike joining the band. It's not necessarily a new sound, but it is to an extent with a new band member. We want to get these out there and build a little momentum with some new music. We've definitely been writing a lot though. Mike and I were recently working on a new one. I think we're going to call it "Patterns". It's all sounding really good though. We're excited about it.
-
Watch CBDB perform "A1A" at FAME Studios here:
-
-
So the two new songs that you mentioned...that will be "She's Mobile" and what else?
-
Cy: It will be "She's Mobile" and "Old Dog". "Old Dog" is an old tune for me. It was actually on that solo album that I mentioned earlier. We reworked it and decided to go ahead and put it out.
-
Very cool. Is that a song that you guys have been playing live over the years, or something that will be brand new?
-
Cy: Yeah, absolutely. We've been playing it a little bit throughout the years, and a lot more here recently.
-
You mentioned the recent news for the band with David Ray stepping aside and Mike Sinopole stepping in. I know there has been a lot of familiarity with Mike over the years. He played guitar with the long-time Birmingham band Festival Expressions for years. Let's talk a little bit about how Mike came into this role, and how things have been going in this first month or so.
-
Cy: It first started when David let us know that he wanted to have a meeting. I think all of us kind of knew what was up with that. We all got together, and that split was 100% amicable. We're all still really close friends, and he's an incredible bass player. After that, we started thinking about new bass players, and we couldn't really think of an option that would be ready to be out on the road and ready for this crazy lifestyle that we live.
-
For me, I was racking my brain, and I couldn't come up with any great options. We were in Philadelphia, up on the rooftop of our friend Charlie's place, and Paul brought up Mike's name. I immediately thought, "Man...that sounds like it could work. He's definitely good enough that he could learn to play the damn bass." So, we sent him a message and asked if he could play bass. He messaged back and said that he could and wanted to know more. We kind of filled him in on the situation from there.
-
A few nights later, we were in New York at my friend Hoyt's place, sitting out on the New York-style escape porch. Kris pulls up this message of Mike playing "Ground Score," and it sounded damn near perfect. I think that I knew at that point. It was kind of a feeling of relief. The first time we got together and played, he really worked his ass off. He knew most of the songs by the first time we played them at practice. For him to have to learn all of that new music and be playing a new instrument, that is crazy. He's done such an incredible job though. We're all clicking really well right now. I'm really excited about it.
-
-
It's pretty amazing to see. Obviously you know this, but I was able to watch that first gig with Mike at The Werk Out, and it was amazing to watch. The guy next to me keeps mentioning how sick the bass player is. He was blown away when I mentioned that this was his first gig with the band. He seems very comfortable and grounded already.
-
Cy: Yeah for sure. It's definitely a different style than David. David has been playing bass for years, and Mike is coming at it from a new perspective. It's a little bit of a new sound, but we're digging it. We really threw him to the wolves. The first gig was at The Werk Out. That was crazy. A lot of people would have been pretty intimidated by that. Then the next show after that was in Tuscaloosa. That was a hometown show at Druid City with 500+ people in the crowd. He did great for that one too. We threw him to the wolves.
-
I guess that allowed you guys to get a good indication of how well it's going to work right off of the bat.
-
Cy: Definitely. We knew he was ready for it though, just by the way he would talk about it. He had been sounding great during practice. We knew there would be some mistakes, but the growing pains were going to happen regardless. A lot of mistakes end up turning into new ideas, honestly. It's like, "Oh man. We usually do it like this, but that actually kind of works." So a lot of the stuff has really molded. We've added some new intros and different things like that just from happy accidents.
-
I guess that helps you keep things fresh. So, you guys recently signed on with the Progressive Global Agency in Nashville. How big of an impact has this made on the band and its ability to play new cities, reach new people, and most importantly focus on the music?
-
Cy: We signed on with PGA at the end of 2015, and our first official shows under PGA were early 2016. Kris used to do the lion's share of the booking before that, and I know that was a big load on his shoulders, So for us to not have to worry as much about that...obviously we still think about it and throw our ideas in. It's a lot easier now. It has already opened some doors that wouldn't have opened before.
-
Watch CBDB perform "Ground Score" at FAME Studios here:
-
-
I'm sure it's nice to be able to focus on the music, while having someone with legitimate experience that you can trust filling out the calendar for you. That's critical. A lot of people from the outside looking in don't realize how much of a business factor there is with any band. You guys are making your money on the road.
Cy: Definitely. It's ticket sales and t-shirts these days.
-
Before we wrap this up, what are your personal goals and aspirations for the band over the next year? Any particular milestones that you have set on your radar?
-
Cy: Well, we're definitely excited about The Blueberry Jam down in Fairhope next month. We also have a Halloween show coming up at The Pour House in Charleston with a band called The Congress. We're excited about that one. Other than that, I think it's really just about writing music. It's definitely a new chapter now with Mike in the band. We're calling it 5.0 (laughs). We're just trying to write music at this point. I think the goal is to come up with a selection of songs that we're really proud of. I think we'll be ready for another full-length album shortly after we release the single. I want to make sure we have enough tunes that are well thought out and well rehearsed.
-
I almost forgot to ask, but what's the hopeful time frame for the release on the single?
Cy: Definitely before the end of the year. That's what we're hoping for. I think November has been the loose goal at this point. We're going back in on Sunday to do the final mixes.
-
You can catch CBDB this Saturday night (9/17) at Bourbon Street Bar in Auburn, AL. There will be a very limited amount of custom, screen printed posters (image below) for the show designed by Taylor Houston Morgan. Don't miss your opportunity to pick up a piece of CBDB history at the show!
If you're heading to Tuscaloosa to see Widespread Panic and Umphrey's McGee on Thursday night, make sure to save a little extra energy for the after party with Backup Planet at Druid City Music Hall. This is a band we have been following closely for the past year, and you don't want to miss this late night set. New Orleans funk group Gravy will kick off the after party at 11:00 PM, immediately following the conclusion of Panic's show at Tuscaloosa Amphitheatre. Plan accordingly, head directly to Druid City, and don't miss a note. Advance tickets can be purchased for just $5 by clicking here.
We're giving away a pair of tickets to the show, so here is your chance to win today. Share this article directly from our Facebook page, and tag a friend who you would like to take to the show in the comments. Make sure your Facebook settings are designated to PUBLIC, so we can see your share on our end. We will announce a winner at 3:00 PM CST on Thursday afternoon.
Backup Planet is a progressive funk-rock band based out of Nashville, Tennessee. To see Backup Planet perform live is to simultaneously travel back in time and forward into the future. Their truly unique sound emanates from a place that seems familiar, yet unchartered.
Elements of jazz, funk, roots, blues, electronic, and progressive rock all emerge during the course of their shows. Their sound draws from so much you’ve heard before—‘70s rock and funk, high-energy improv, a touch of pop, and a sliver of metal. But the members of Backup Planet mix and match those elements—with just a hint of modern tech to burnish a sturdy nucleus of retro-minded organ and guitar—in ways that never fail to astonish. With a fantastic repertoire of original songs, they’re able to build fluid sets interspersed with extended improvisation.
Incorporating some degree of uncertainty into live performances is innate to the improvisational, or ‘jam band,’ music scene. Audiences can sense when a group takes major risks onstage; the elements of surprise and unpredictability foster a level of joy unparalleled in other types of musical performances. Masters of this process, Ben Cooper, Gavin Donati, Blake Gallant, and Chris Potocik, are doing all of the above while their rapidly growing fan base nods in approval and shouts for more.
Just a few weeks ago, many of the festival scene's biggest names travelled to Montage Mountain for one of the summer's biggest annual events, The Peach Festival. Amongst these performers were Anders Osborne and Railroad Earth's Todd Sheaffer, who found time to sit in Osborne's tour bus and record a cover of the Neil Young classic "Mother Earth." This track was a part of Young's 1990 LP Ragged Glory. With Osborne, Railroad Earth, and The Chris Robsinson Brotherhood slated to perform together at Red Rocks Amphitheatre this Friday (9/16), we can only imagine that this performance is simply a taste of what's to come.
Watch Anders Osborne and Todd Sheaffer perform "Mother Earth" here:
Karl Denson’s Tiny Universe has announced a four-show run with guitarist Jimmy Herring scheduled for November 30th – December 3rd. The mini-tour kicks off at Georgia Theatre in Athens on November 30th. The following shows will take place at New Mountain Theatre in Asheville on December 1st, Neighborhood Theatre in Charlotte on December 2nd, and Terminal West in Atlanta on December 3rd. This mini-tour has obviously created much excitement, as Denson and Herring have become two of the biggest names in the jam/festival. Tickets go on sale Friday, September 16th and can be purchased by clicking here. Stay tuned for further details, as well as exclusive coverage/footage from each show of the run.
Watch Karl Denson's Tiny Universe with Jimmy Herring at Tipitinas in May of 2015 here:
Just last week, veteran jam rock group Phish announced the release of its 13th studio album Big Boat. Very few details of the album were revealed at the time, but we are learning more about the album, which is due out on October 7th, with each day. Earlier today, the band released "Breath and Burning," the first official taste from Big Boat. Fans who followed the band's 2016 summer tour will be familiar with "Breath and Burning," as the song was debuted at Klipsch Music Center (Deer Creek) in Noblesville, Indiana on June 28th and was performed a total of six times over the summer.
"I wrote this song on the beach after our three-night run in Playa Del Carmen, Mexico last January," Anastasio tells NPR Music in an email. "I loved watching the faces of all the people dancing and splashing in the ocean while we played. I kept thinking, 'This will all end sooner or later, one way or another. So I'm gonna enjoy every last second of it while we're still here. I'm not gonna wave away the dessert cart on the Titanic. I want to be like that string quintet that kept playing while it sank."
Big Boat was produced by Bob Ezrin, who also produced Fuego, as well as many legendary albums including Pink Floyd’s The Wall, KISS’s Destroyer, Alice Cooper’s School’s Out and Peter Gabriel’s Peter Gabriel I. The LP was completed during Phish’s Summer Tour as guitarist Trey Anastasio mentioned the band had completed the album prior to dedicating "Sing Monica" to Ezrin, who was in the crowd, at Bill Graham Auditorium in San Francisco, CA earlier this summer.
Listen to Phish's new single "Breath and Burning" via NPR Music here:
Tedeschi Trucks Band has announced a handful of shows for early 2017. They will be joined by former Allman Brothers Band guitarist Jack Pearson in Knoxville and Chattanooga, as well as Leon Russell in Savannah and the opening night at the Ryman in Nashville. Pre-sale tickets kick on 9/13 at 10AM EST. Further details an all official ticketing information can be found at the band's official website.
-
Tedeschi Trucks Band Tour Dates:
January 13 Mobile, AL—Saenger Theatre
January 26 Knoxville, TN—Tennessee Theatre
January 28 Chattanooga, TN—Tivoli Theatre
January 29 Savannah, GA—Johnny Mercer Theatre
March 2 Nashville, TN—Ryman Auditorium
March 3 Nashville, TN—Ryman Auditorium
March 4 Nashville, TN—Ryman Auditorium
-
Watch Tedeschi Trucks Band perform "Anyhow" in-studio here:
While very few details regarding Phish's 13th studio album Big Boat have been released, pieces of the puzzle are being put together one at a time. The latest info we have gathered is regarding the "mystery song" which is playing in the trailer Phish used to announce the album title and release date for Big Boat. The title of the song is unknown, but the Page McConnell-led tune was performed earlier this summer during soundcheck at The Mann Center in Philadelphia, PA on June 29th. Listen to the performance below via YouTube user Andrew Grey, and stay tuned for all of the latest info on Big Boat.
Listen to the Phish "mystery song" from soundcheck at The Mann here:
Live electronic veterans STS9 kicked off its annual weekend run at Red Rocks Amphitheatre on Friday night, and the band couldn't be coming in on a more positive note. Friday night marked STS9's 20th performance at the famed venue, and they come in fresh off of releasing their latest album, The Universe Inside. The show featured a numbered of debuts from the album, including the two opening songs "Supercluster" and "Out Of This World." An additional highlight came in the form of a guest appearance from vocalist Maureen Murphy on a cover of The Isley Brothers' "Between The Sheets," a song known by many thanks to Notorious B.I.G. and his use of samples on "Big Poppa." Murphy would ultimately return for an encore performance of the STS9 classic "Better Day," which featured Alana Rocklin on stand up bass and was followed by the debut of "Light Years." Fortunately, YouTube user J Mar has shared his footage from the show, and a full setlist courtesy of Church of STS9 can be found below. STS9 returns to the Red Rocks stage on Saturday night for what is sure to be a historic two-night run.
Watch STS9's entire 20th anniversary show at Red Rocks here:
Setlist: STS9 at Red Rocks Amphitheatre - Morrison, CO - 09.09.16
Set 1: Supercluster(*#)> Out of this World(*%)> Frequencies 2>3, To The World, March, Gobnugget>> Between the Sheets($&)>> Reemergence>> Between the Sheets, Vibyl(@), New Dawn, New Day
Set 2: Simulator> Grow, The Rabble>> Call Jam>> The Rabble, Elsewhere(*), Sun, Moon and Stars($*), Blu Mood> MOD>> Modular Improv>> MOD, World Go Round
Encore: Better Day($!), Light Years(*)
Show Notes:
* = first time played
# = band wearing space helmets
% = HB technical difficulties throughout song
$ = w/ Maureen Murphy on vocals
& = Isley Brothers Cover
@ = extended jam of Grandmaster Flash’s “The Message”
Birmingham-born soul sensation St. Paul & The Broken Bones officially released it's sophomore studio album Sea of Noise today, and the rave reviews are already piling in. Everything about Sea of Noise represents a major step forward for the band, one which has been anxiously awaited for since the band's debut album Half The City was released in 2014. With soothing melodies, extremely clever lyrics, and one of a kind production, Sea of Noise is without a doubt worth the wait. This band continues to prove just how poised and focused it is, and considering the monstrous success over the past two years, one can only imagine where this latest release will take them from here. Stream the album in it's entirety via Spotify below, and head over to the band's official website for all of the latest information.
Live & Listen is pleased to continue a new weekly feature known as Bands You Should Know. This new concept will highlight a different band each Friday with an interview, general background information, current happenings, as well as videos and audio from each band. After nearly two years of various interviews and artist spotlights, we feel that installing a consistent weekly feature is the best next step for Live & Listen.
For our eighth edition of Bands You Should Know, we sat down with John-Keith Culbreth aka "Cubby" (piano/synth/vocals) of Stop Light Observations, a Charleston-born band that we feel is on the cusp of becoming the next big thing. We were first introduced to SLO as an opening act for The Revivalists in 2014, and it has been a pleasure watching their constant success since then. With a modern rock sound reminiscent of bands such as Foster The People, The Raconteurs, and My Morning Jacket, this band carefully crafts its unique sound through each original track. Stop Light Observations brings a fresh, innovative element to the table, with just the right amount of mainstream appeal. Don't miss the bus on this band, as they're on the fast track to years of rock and roll success.
The idea for Stop Light Observations was born many years ago, when you guys were just teenagers. The pieces of the band ultimately fell in place in the years that would follow. Tell me a little bit about how this band came to be.
-
Cubby: We grew up in Old Village, which is kind of the first settlement of what would become Mount Pleasant, South Carolina. Louis (Duffie), the lead guitarist, and I were kind of learning to play guitar at the same time, and we were best friends growing up. We were always fishing, playing basketball, and just being super active kids. We were super competitive, and we started to become competitive with guitar. That's when I started songwriting. I remember hearing Bob Dylan's song "Hurricane," and I really wanted to try writing a "story song." I started writing songs, and when we were 13, I told Louis, "Let's join a band." We were in middle school and started having band practice twice a week, and the rest is really history. Members starting joining, and most importantly, Will Blackburn, our lead singer, joining in high school after I had a dream.
-
I heard Will sing one night, and I had always planned to be the lead singer of the band. Then one night, I heard Will sing. I went to middle school with him and knew him well. I had no clue that he could sing. Anyway, that night in my dream, God came to me. I'm not even religious, but it was this super unfamiliar, spiritual, vivid dream where the presence of God came to me and told me, "In the morning, when you wake up, you're going to call Will Blackburn and ask him to be the lead singer of your band."
-
So I woke up and...you know sometimes you wake and think, "Oh that was a funny dream," but once in a while you have that dream that really shakes you up. It was like that. It was super heavy. I gave him a call immediately and asked him if he wanted to come jam. So he came over, and before he left, I asked him if he wanted to join the band, and he said yes. So about six months later, we had our first show at a ice cream shop on Sullivan's Island. I used to live in Anderson, South Carolina, which is about four hours away from Charleston. I grew up next door to my preacher, who was Preacher Wilson.
-
After the show, Preacher Wilson was there. My dad was there, and he saw him and asked him what he was doing there. Preacher Wilson explained that he was there to see his grandson, who was the lead singer of the band. Anyway, every weekend when we were kids, Preacher Wilson would have his grandson Will come over to his house, and long story short, I had grown up with Will as a little boy for years and totally forgot about it. Years and years later, in the band together, after God told me we were supposed to be in a band together, I find out that this guy had been my very first friend as a little boy.
-
Watch Stop Light Observations' music video for "Dinosaur Bones" here:
-
--
That is unbelievable.
-
Cubby: Yeah. So crazy.
-
I've asked this question to a lot of bands at this point, and that is easily the best story that I have heard regarding how a band has come together. Wow.
-
Cubby: Yeah. It's really crazy. Will and I have such a cosmic relationship. All of the time I feel like I am getting to spend time with the next greatest rock singer of all time. I'm really picky about singers, and something about him is just special. He has a way of letting his spirit go through his voice. If you get to know him and spend enough time with him, you realize that he has no clue either. It's not like he's practiced and gained this incredible voice, it was just given to him. No vocal lessons or anything. The whole story behind it and how we grew up together...I get these werid deja vu moments where it feels like it was so meant to be. That's kind of the main thing, honestly, that keeps me going and makes my drive and ambition to really take this to the top as high as it is.
-
The way you describe it definitely sounds like the beginning of something great. I feel like so many of the great rock vocalists come from a similar place. It's a gift and not something that came through years of vocal lessons. So, when did you guys finish high school?
-
Cubby:We graduated from Wando High School in 2010.
-
Did you guys all end up going to the same college?
-
John: No. Only I went to the College of Charleston. Louis went to Clemson, and Will actually went to Noles for a year. That was really the point where I thought that the band was about to end. I thought it was really coming to an end, and I was sitting at the four-way stop light in Charleston at Houston Northcutt, where there was this guy named Hassie Holmes. I'm not sure if you've heard about this guy, but he was this old black man, who for 25 years in Charleston sold the largest stack of newspapers you've ever seen. Every day. He had thousands of daily newspapers and literally never sold any of them. He was this crazy character.
-
There were all these rumors that he was a genius that graduated with a degree in electric engineering. People would say that he was so smart that he just went crazy. So one day I was looking at him, at the stop light, and I thought, "No matter who you are in life, or how fast your life goes by, or how powerful, rich, or poor you are. We all sit and listen to this little light hanging up in this sky and have this brief moment to just really stop and make these stop light observations." I looked over as Hassie and said, "That guy is probably the king of stop light obersations." That was when I came up with the band name, and that was really a turning point. It felt so meant to be, and I called up all of the guys and told them that we were renaming the band "Stop Light Observations," and we aren't going to quit. I suggested that we go record a demo, so we went a couple of months later and recorded The Zoo, then we recorded Radiation and Hassie Holmes, the guy on the cover of our first album.
-
-
Wow. That's amazing. So that's what I wanted to talk about next; releasing your debut studio album, Radiation, in 2013. I would imagine you guys had put together quite a bit of original material by that point. Soon after, you were selling out The Music Farm and even appearing at Bonnaroo. What was the recording experience like, and just how big of an impact did that moment have on the band?
-
Cubby: I feel like we got an unusual amount of instant success on a DIY level. That's what really kept us going. Looking back on it, we released 26 recorded songs in a time span of ten months. That's a lot of content. I think that all of the hype came from releasing the music, and then after that, it took over two years to release another album. So now, since we have released our second album, we're already preparing to record our third. We want to make sure that never happens again. We want to keep releasing content.
-
Once we recorded The Zoo, we started getting in the studio to do Radiation, and I really started to feel at home. I'd never been in the studio before, and I felt like that was where I was meant to be. I guess I started to realize my natural ability to produce and work in a studio; thanks to the sound engineers and studio owners around me. That whole experience will forever be the stepping stone to what was a very impactful part of our lives. So much fun. So exciting. So fresh. So new. It was kind of the seed and fire that helped us realize that this was what we were supposed to be doing and just to keep going.
--
I can only imagine. That's a lot of big moments happening at once. So, since then, I know that you guys have recently linked up with Mark Bryan from Hootie & The Blowfish, who is now managing the band. How did you guys hook up with Mark, and how have things progressed since?
-
Cubby: I think that he's kind of been our savior. I sent him the album, and he was just completely ecstatic about it. He wanted to shop us around for management and find the right manager for us. I kind of relate it to the movie Hitch. Have you seen that movie with Will Smith?
-
I have, but it's been a while. I think I saw it once, right after it came out.
-
Cubby: Well, pretty much in the story, he's helping this girl find a man. In the meantime, he falls in love with her. That's kind of what happened with Mark. He was finding us a manager, and in the meantime, we kind of fell in love with him, and he fell in love with us. We made a decision to stop looking for a manager and go ahead and call it a team. We wanted to start working for the next album release. He's never been a manager before, but I swear he is destined to be a well-known, great manager. He is such a great people-person, and I feel like that is a really big part of being a great manager.
--
He's really authoritative too. I feel like, as a manager, you have to be able to lay the hammer down. There are the stories of the asshole managers that get shit done, but they're just ruthless. He has a certain, timeless classic...I don't know if you know who Dale Carnegie is. He has a old school business mentality of being just a really all around, good person, and that's how you get stuff done. It's been a really cool thing to be around.
-
Watch Stop Light Observations perform "Aquarius Apocolyptic" at The Windjammer here:
-
-
Definitely. There has to be an even balance there, as is the case for most things in life. It sounds you guys found the right recipe, and that situation ended up working out the best way that it could.
-
Cubby: Yeah...I think so too.
-
I know that y'all's touring schedule has really expanded in recent years. You have had a chance to grown and move far beyond the Carolinas. How has this year panned out thus far? What have been some of the highlights from the road?
-
Cubby: I think Brooklyn Bowl in New York has definitely been a highlight. We always love playing in New York. Also, Otis Mountain was a small music festival that we played less than a year ago up in New York. It totally surprised us. Easily the coolest music festival that I've ever been to. I highly recommend that you, and anybody else, check it out. It's well worth the time. Have you ever been to Burlington, Vermont?
-
Unfortunately I have not.
-
Cubby: So, pretty much, all of the Burlington people take a 30-minute ferry ride across this lake. Then they take 30-minute drive up into these gorgeous mountains. They go up into the middle of nowhere into the Adirondacks. It's the most crystal clear sky that I've ever seen up there. The festival is up on this young kid from Burlington's farm. He throws together this music festival where there are no rules about headliners or anything. They just pick bands that they like. It has nothing to do with how big you are or anything like that. They obviously can't afford to bring in big name acts, but every band that was there was one of the dopest, coolest bands I had ever heard. It was like 2,500 raging Burlington kids. That has to be the highlight of the past year.
-
For the future, we have about 30 shows on the books for this fall, and a decent amount of fraternity shows. I love playing at those fraternity shows. That what George (Claussen) is helping us out with right now. I think that where even two or three years ago when we were playing fraternity gigs, it was just kind of a wild party, and they hired a band just to have background music. I think that with the recent explosion of festivals, and I think Spotify has kind of turned every single person into an A&R person. Every single person gets stoked about finding new artists. The frat shows have kind of turned into these tiny music festivals. That's the most exciting part to me.
--
-
That's a great point. I could kind of see that shift starting to happen when I was finishing college in 2009. Everything was moving in the direction of these weekend-long parties with more strategic lineups featuring bands of actual substance, rather than an 80's or hip-hop cover band. You started seeing those "festival-like" lineups with music that made sense flowing into one another. That's a trend that I'm happy to see has continued.
-
Cubby: Exactly. It's a great thing to see.
-
So aside from the busy fall tour ahead, what do you see as the overall vision and goals for the band over the next year. What's on the agenda, as far as what you hope to accomplish and what you see as possible?
-
Cubby: In the next year, if I had it my way, I would definitely like to get on next summer's festival circuit. I would like to shoot for the goal of playing on a late-night TV show. I would also like to try to break a million plays on one of our songs, if not multiple songs, on Spotify. That's really the hard line goals. As far as more transcendental goals, just growing our sound and growing our vibe as a brotherhood in team. Getting closer to one another and developing our musicianship and song-writing. Getting back into the studio and starting to record our third album.
We've been looking forward to this Saturday night in Birmingham for some time, and we're here to share that excitement today. Zach Deputy and Ballyhoo! are bringing the "Dance 'Til You Fall Tour" to Zydeco, and there will be plenty of reggae rock dance vibes to go around. As part of our preparation for the show, we're giving away a pair of tickets, and here's your chance to win. Simply 'share' this post from the Live & Listen Facebook page and tag a friend who you would like to take to the show. Make sure your settings are on "public," so we're able to see your post.
You will want to plan accordingly in order to catch opening sets from Bumpin' Uglies and Sun-Dried Vibes. Doors open at 7:00 PM, and tickets can be purchased in advance by clicking here. Make sure to keep an eye on the official Facebook event page, in order to make sure you have all of the latest information on the show.
Zach Deputy
Zach Deputy has a diverse ethnic background, having Puerto Rican, Irish, African, British, French, and Cherokee heritage, which opens him to influence from Latin, Caribbean, and African music. Deputy's music is often about "the highs of life," and he has said that songwriting is a way to "take pictures of the things that I want to remind myself of 10 years from now."
Deputy began looping when his bass player couldn't make it to a show and Zach decided to use a delay pedal as a looping pedal rather than cancel the gig. When he plays live, he will loop and layer chord progressions, bass, beat boxing, drum sounds, vocals, and guitar. He performs with four microphones: a vocal synthesizer for choir sounds; one for high-hat, snare, and back-beat; one for main vocals, and one for vocal bass or bass drum.His looping shows are known for their variety. "There are so many different ways it can happen. I can loop my guitar first, go into drums or loop a vocal riff first or straight into beat boxing and loop it or just go acoustic. It's very free formed. Every show can be extremely different from another. I try to have little consistency when it comes to my show. I never want to get bored with myself." His fans will seek out live recordings of particular shows because each is so unique.
Watch Zach Deputy perform "Put It In The Boogie" in Vail, CO in July 2016 here:
Ballyhoo!
Ballyhoo! is a rock, pop, punk, and reggae band from Aberdeen, Maryland. The group has sold over 30,000 copies of its 5 albums and more than 200,000 digital tracks. Ballyhoo! played the House of Marley Stage on the Warped Tour 2012. The band has opened up for bands 311, Dirty Heads, Tribal Seeds, and Slightly Stoopid on previous tours. The group played over 166 shows in 2012. Ballyhoo! started out in July of 1995. The band's self-released album Do It For The Money! contained the songs “Cali Girl” and “Cerveza.” The follow-up, Cheers!, was produced by Scotch Ralston (311). The album also features mix work by 311 drummer, Chad Sexton. Ballyhoo! released a single, "Front Porch," in October of 2010.
The band's album Daydreams was the group's first release under Pepper's LAW Records. The 12-track album was recorded and produced at Sound Lounge studios in Orlando, Florida by Greg Shields and Mike Stebe and released in September of 2011. The band’s "Daydreams" single “Last Night” saw rotation at various alternative radio stations including WHFS Baltimore, WRFF Philadelphia, KUKQ Phoenix, Star 101.9 Honolulu, & SiriusXM/Faction, as well as various specialty shows around the country. The band's single "Walk Away" is next and poised to open even more doors at radio with its melodic chorus and sing along vibe. Yesod Williams, owner of the band’s label LAW Records says of his newest addition, “Having BALLYHOO! join the LAW family is a perfect fit. They are an incredibly talented band with a really catchy style”.
Watch Ballyhoo!'s official music video for "girls." here:
-
