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South
Regional Report
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Edited by Mike Jones and
Chip Schramm
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Memphis All-Star Jam: The Taphouse, hosted by The Patrick Smith Band
As the burgeoning live music scene in Memphis continues to flourish, Monday night has quickly become the most interesting night of the week for local music. Although Memphis musicians are known to share the stage with each other all the time, The Taphouse is home to the Monday Night All-Star Jam once a week. What started as an inspired dream by Yamagata manager Clay Mattox and Taphouse owner Brian Lurie has turned into one of the most talked about musical events in the city. The fact that they serve 2 for 1 drinks and only charge a $5 cover certainly doesn't hurt. So far, bands represented at the first handful of jams include but are not limited to: Big Ass Truck, Banyan, FreeWorld, Jones, Yamagata, CYC, Wise Monkey Orchestra, and Boondoggle (with the former two being special guests on tour.) Each week one band "hosts" the jam and starts out with their full lineup on stage. They usually play a couple of originals and expand into more wide-open space from there, sometimes switching instruments between themselves. After they have a chance to kick things off, other musicians casually trade off until the lineup (and of course the music) has taken a totally different direction. What made this evening unique was the fact that the Patrick Smith Band wasn't really from Memphis, but hailed from various parts of Mississippi. It was only their second time to play Memphis, but their billing was well deserved. Patrick Smith is from Vicksburg, Mississippi and plays a Roland keyboard as well as acoustic guitar. His clean-cut look and demeanor belie the fact that he can play blues and funk on the keys like nobody's business. His 7-piece band includes a full horn section and rhythm crew. They are mostly older musicians, and it seems almost as if Smith recruited them each individually to the band for a specific purpose. Career players, these guys could be transplanted onto the streets of Chicago or New York and hang with anybody. I mean it. The lineup for the Patrick Smith Band consists of: Rodney Moore on guitar, Dale Morris on bass, Derick Martin on drums, Adib Sabir on percussion, Jesse Primer on Sax, and Kimble Funches on Trumpet. The jam on this night would truly start with an actual jam, leading from the soundcheck into a full-blown instrumental. Smith started out sitting at the keys, working the bass line with his left hand as the band constructed a Chicago-style blues standard around him. At one point he even had his v-shaped acoustic guitar in his lap while he was playing the keyboard, alternating between the two, as he would do for most of the night. They moved from there on to funkier territory, touching the edges of some jams that sounded very much like the Meters. Smith switched back and forth between the organ tone of the Roland to a clavichord sound on his synthesizer. All the while he was working multiple pedals with his feet and looking back at the drummer to signal changes in the jam. His hands were a blur at this point, but all the members of the band were in perfect sync with him. For a while it seemed as if they would hold the All-Star Jam all by themselves for the entire evening. The funk would continue as the band jammed into a respectable version of Herbie Hancock's "Chameleon." They would also work in a very jazzy interpretation of the Stones "You Can't Always Get What You Want," with Smith managing to sound very much like Chuck Leavell, despite the fact that the studio version doesn't really feature him prominently. From there, they played an excellent version of "Superstition" with Adib Sabir singing the vocals in a deep baritone. For his part, Smith slapped at the keys of his clav-induced keyboard, trading licks with bassist Dale Morris. As if they hadn't laid enough funk down to this point, they teased some Parliament Funkadelic with a little "We've Got The Funk" jam. From there things got a little out of hand. Derick Martin suddenly stood up in his stool and started playing his sticks against the side wall of the Taphouse stage, never missing a beat. As I sat there, quite amused, my humor turned to total amazement as he approached the tables around where I was sitting and started to drum on every inanimate object within his reach. At one point, he approached my table where 3 pint glasses stood, each filled with a different amount of beer. He played them like they were a xylophone, never losing track of the jam behind him on stage. He jumped over the table and landed on a railing, dancing along and hitting the roof of the ceiling, grinning like a Cheshire cat. Right about that time, the band behind him broke into the most well timed rendition of "Thank You For Lettin' Me Be Mice Elf" that I have ever heard. They moved quickly into "Brick House" (my all-time most despised cover song, but still enjoyable nonetheless) and "Sex Machine" as the local sisters swayed in motion directly in front of the stage. As this point, the other musicians in the house were wondering what was going on. These guys seemed like they could jam by themselves for the rest of the night without any need for backup. But, being gracious musicians, they called on the rest of the players in the house to join them onstage. That was the point, of course, so Prentice Wulff-Woesten and Steve Dolan from FreeWorld picked up their trombone and trumpet respectively and jumped aboard. Immediately the flavor of the musical stew began to shift, heading for more southerly latitudes and calypso rhythms. After playing with the newcomers for a second, most of the members of Patrick Smith Band gave way to members from other bands: Pat Fusco from CYC played keys for a while as Smith moved back to acoustic guitar. Eventually Matt Oliver from Jones joined in on electric guitar and Jeff Walden from FreeWorld played a little sax. Without a doubt, the highlight of the evening was yet another cover song. Varying parts of the aforementioned lineup played one of the longest, most intense versions of Widespread Panic's "Stop-Go" that I've ever heard. There is a certain risk associated with bands that cover Widespread Panic since they themselves are still going strong, but on this night the musicians would not disappoint. Lee Sharp from CYC picked up a saxophone to join the horn section already onstage and simply shredded the song, soloing throughout a large portion of the middle jam. The rhythm of the song was a very Latin interpretation, sounding almost like "Fire On The Mountain," when they first jammed into it. They would move on to cover some Dead, too, as the cast of musicians played a very jazzy, almost be-bop version of "Friend Of The Devil." Popular cover songs seem to be a good way to get both the musicians all on the right page, and the fans in the audience up on their feet. This All-Star Jam lasted long into the night, past the time that your narrator had to take his rest. If there was two things to be learned from this evening of live music, they were the Patrick Smith band is a group on the rise, and the All-Star Jam is an event that's time was long overdue. There were actually some musicians who came with instruments and left without getting to play, which is a telltale sign of how many talented people there are playing music here. Without a doubt, the All-Star jams will grow bigger in time, and Memphis will be ready.
Charlie Mars Band Rick's Cafe Starkville, MS As usual, Rick's was filled up very well because the Charlie Mars Band was in town. This was one hell of a set! The song, Maybe His Name Was Jay, from the band's first album, Broken Arrow, had to have been the best that I've ever heard it. After listening to my tape of the show, I still haven't changed my mind about that! The slow building jam at the end of the song was damn near perfect. The band has really taken this song to a whole new level over the years, more so in the past year than anything. Another song was played this night....an untitled song and it was only the second time the guys had played it live. I heard it during soundcheck and was loving it. The song has a bar song kind of feel with a very bluesy overtone. I am very interested to see where Charlie takes this song in the future. Another highlight of the show was when bassist Andy Sample, ended the song Looking For A Heart, with quite a unique sound coming from a new foot pedal. I don't really know how to describe it, I'm not sure of the actual name of the pedal but it sounded like a spacey yet Beavis type noise. Sounds a little Pink Floydish if that helps any.... The band also threw in a new cover, Refugee by Tom Petty and the Heartbreakers. Starkville is one of the bands better markets and I know alot of the fans in that town really love it when the guys are in town. I have seen some of the same people there everytime the band is in town over the past few years. Gotta love those dedicated fans....
Interview with Atlanta-based band, Modern Hero BIO Modern Hero has carved a niche of their own with fascinating, uninhibited pop music and seamless lyrical creativity. Modern Hero is penetrating tired ears, reviving Atlanta's passion for the craft of real live music with an invigorating blend of artful pop and good old fashioned song sense. Modern Hero was formed in June of 1999 and have played the Lucky Strike Band to Band Combat, The Atlantis Music Conference, and the Atlanta Local Music Awards. The band features Jeffrey Butts as lead songwriter, guitarist and vocalist. Jeffrey has performed around the southeast since 1992 with the popular band, Shock Lobo. He won the grand prize at the '96 and '97 Georgia Music Festival Songwriters Showcases. He has also been named ASCAP Songwriter of The Year in '98. His former band, Shock Lobo, was named VH1's Indie Band of the Year in '99 which landed them a spot opening for John Fogerty at the Rock 'n Roll Hall of Fame. Modern Hero's work is very well represented through their live performances. The diversity in race, sex, and musical background the band comes from helps them come together to create a Modern Hero for the new millennium.
Modern Hero members: MJ: How did everyone in the band meet or how did Modern Hero come about? TB: I was at the Fountain Head one night and I ran into Jeffrey's manager and asked her what Jeff was up to. She said he was putting together a new band and was (looking for) shy a bass player. My response was I am the new bass player. She put me in touch with Jeff we started hitting and the rest they say is history. KGa: Karman is from Knoxville TN. We met her through my boss Mark Willis. He manages Stuck Mojo and Karman had toured with the band for awhile. I mentioned to him we needed a bad ass drummer and put me in touch with her. Our guitarist, Jimmy Byrd has played in Atlanta bands for a long time and also owned and managed his own recording studio called King Mattress Studio. Jeff ran into him at the Cotton Club very recently and they started jamming. Together the band has an undeniable chemistry and they get better every time they perform. MJ: Do you consider Atlanta a tough market to "break through" in? JB: It is a challenge because clubs are mostly 21 and up and many young fans can not come out and see us perform. It seems like back in the days when clubs were packed they were all ages or 18 plus. The best clubs for us in this town are all 21 and up and that makes it tough. MJ: How would you describe the Atlanta scene today for the unsigned rock 'n roll band? JB: It is a good town to rock in! I have been playing in Atlanta for a long time and even though I am not selling out every time I play, there are some great music lovers in this town that will come out an support! Atlanta has some great clubs and great radio. The challenge is to get them to embrace us and we are working on it. MJ: What do you think of 99X canceling their Locals Only show? JBy: It is very sad for the scene. 99X has always led the pack by supporting their local scene first. I think when they changed the local time slot from 6:00pm to 10:30pm it just killed the ratings. However, I know folks that would stay up to listen to it or set their alarm to remind them it was on so they could tune in. What other show would get those kind of listeners at 10:30pm on Sunday night?! MJ: How is the latest studio effort coming along and is there a release date that we can look forward to? KGo: We start tracking in the next two weeks at Five Star Studios in Alpharetta, GA. We are hard at work on pre-production right now. We want to know the songs inside and out before we hit the studio. We are re-recording a few songs off the demo and we have some great new tunes we cant wait to record! We are hoping to have our CD out in May. MJ: A few "quintessential" questions that are a part of every interview...Who has influenced you as a musician?
Karman - Led Zeppelin
MJ: If you could pick one artist living or dead to work with, who would it be and why? Tony - John Bonham. I am also a drummer and I want to learn
his tricks!
MJ (For jeffrey): You have gathered some attention for your songwriting, going from a local/regional level up to the national level, is there a certain way or a specific method that you go by to write songs or do you just write "when it hits you", so to speak? JB: My rule is never live home without it (my Dictaphone that is)! I have been known to sing into it during a movie, in the middle of the night or while driving. Whenever an idea hits me I want to be ready. Granted a ton of these ideas never turn into songs but almost all of the 50 plus tunes I have written started on the Dictaphone. MJ: Your previous band, Shock Lobo, was named VH1's Indie Band of the Year last year.....how did that entire process occur and what are some big things that you learned by going through that process? JB: That was one of my greatest moments!! The folks at VH1 treated us like kings!! It all started with our manager taking a package to the Guitar Center. Each regional Guitar Center had a contest to pick the region's best band to open for a national act. Shock Lobo won the southeast region. We were flown to Cleveland, Ohio to play the Rock n Roll Hall of Fame opening for John Fogerty. It was a blast!! By far one of my fondest memories of the Shock Lobo days. After all the regional bands performed VH1 selected one band from all the winners to be VH1 Indie Band of the Year. They chose Shock Lobo!! MJ (For Karman): Can you explain why you are sometimes referred to as "The Drum Charmer"? KGo: In 1991 I was in a glam band. A local Knoxville DJ loved the band and would come to our shows and introduce us. He started calling me the "Drum Charmer". And because I really didn't like it, 9 years later it is still with me. You know how friends are, they found out about the name and just wont let it die. I guess there are much worse things they could call me! Be sure to stop by http://www.modernhero.net and check for more info on the band, upcoming tour dates, as well as contact info for the band and it's management.
Will Hoge: Rock 'n Roll Is Back (with a touch of soul) How good this band is is difficult to put into words. It's not everyday that a band can incorporate so many different styles into their music to make it all their own and be able to do it well. You can hear hints of everything from guitar work of Chuck Berry to the vocal power of Bruce Springsteen and the overall power of someone like AC/DC. Every song has it's own unique blend of music that came before it. It's not difficult to hear the influence of some great bluesman in the music and I mean the likes of B.B. King and Muddy Waters. Can you tell me the last time you heard a band that could claim all of the above as their influences and that could mix them all into their own style and do it right? Will Hoge is one of the very few that can do that. The show at Zydeco's was an opening slot for Gran Torino. There was a decent crowd on hand but most were socializing or playing pool when Will and the guys walked on the stage. Before the band was three songs into the set, the crowd had moved forward and were gettin' into the groove. By the time the band had finished their hour long set, they had converted quite a few people. Walking through the crowd, trying to get from one side to the other, I know I passed at least ten different groups of people that were saying how impressed they were. If anyone knows anything about the Birmingham music scene and especially the crowd that usually makes it to Zydeco's, that's big news. Highlights of both shows was the segue into the theme music from the tv show, The Jeffersons. Ya know, the whole "movin' on up" bit?! I think when the band went into that, the crowd was floored. The band did this during their last song of the night and was one hell of a way to leave the stage and it left a good impression on the crowd. At the show at Pounder's, the band did the same thing but they also included the first verse and chorus to L.L. Cool J's "Mama Said Knock You Out". How's that for variety? That should give you a small insight to the diversity this band can claim with it's musical influences. This band is headed for bigger and better things. I highly recommend you catching a show if they are in your area. I can't say enough good things about them. They are a great group of guys and have the musical talent to leave any crowd with their jaw on the floor in sheer amazement. Check out http://www.willhoge.com for more info and tour dates. I also have a copy of the Tuscaloosa show on analog if anyone is interesting in checking out the band, just send me an email and we can work something out no problem. |
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