Brantley Gilbert took the Big Revival tour to SPAC in Saratoga Springs, on August 16 with great success. He was supported by Lee Brice and Cam who each brought their own unique flare to the evening.
First to take the stage was the up and coming singer, Cam. Cam was named one of Rolling Stone’s 10 New Country Artists You Need to Know for Spring 2015 because of her strong entrance to country music. She drew the attention of her current label Arista Nashville through her Kickstarter campaign to finance her first album. Fans in attendance seemed very receptive to her upbeat stage presence, strong voice and persona, and emphatic performance. Cam played songs off of her current EP, Welcome to Cam Country including “Half Broke Heart” and “Runaway Train” as well as some other songs all of which got the crowd to their feet and dancing along. Fans really started to get involved with singing along for her two last songs, also off her current EP, “Burning House” and “My Mistake”. Both songs were recognizable to a good amount of the audience based on crowd involvement. Cam did a good job engaging those who were not familiar with her or her music but had arrived early to enjoy the entire show.
Lee Brice took the stage next with a strong entrance getting attendees off their feet from the start with two fan favorites, “Drinking Class” and “Hard to Love” off of I Don’t Dance (2015) and Hard 2 Love (2012) respectively. This set the tone for the rest of his set with fans engaged and involved from the very start. This tour was a good fit for Brice as it allowed him to showcase his well crafted songs with strong lyrical content which is lacking in some of the more popular party country that has become mainstream recently. “A Woman Like You,” “I Don’t Dance” and “I Drive Your Truck” are among the most popular songs that have earned strong recognition and favor throughout the genre with their well written and heartfelt lyrics that are impossible not to sing along to. The crowd’s reaction to the songs demonstrated how strongly these songs have resonated with fans. Brice certainly does a great job of building his fan base through live performances, he is the type of artists that grows on listeners more with each listen but really makes a strong impression after hearing the songs live and feeling the emotion behind what he’s singing about. He closed out his set with a song that has become a staple for Brice since its release in 2012. “Parking Lot Party” may not be in keeping with his usual style but this upbeat song is always well received live and brings the energy in the venue up to the next level. He had everyone singing along and warmed up for Brantley Gilbert by the end of his set.
Brantley Gilbert is another artist that started to make quite the name for himself despite being outside of party country mold since his 2010 release Halfway to Heaven, however he has grown exponentially into the top-tier of A-list country stars since the release of Just as I Am in 2014. Gilbert singed to Valory Music Co. for the re-release of Halfway to Heaven and has remained there since. He kicked off his set with “Kick it in the Sticks” a single off of “Halfway to Heaven” which went platinum in the U.S. Fan favorites also played off of that album included “Hell on Wheels”, “My Kind of Crazy” and “You Don’t Know her like I Do,” all of which have become staple songs for Gilbert. “My Kind of Crazy” and “You Don’t Know Her Like I Do” were extremely well received showing off the more sensitive side of the edgy, self-proclaimed “bad boy” and never fail to make the women in the crowd dreamingly sing along. Gilbert has released his share of songs with a more party vibe mixed with rock edge that have been extremely well received and are always extremely popular live. Both “Bottoms Up” and “Small Town Throwdown” quickly became staple songs for live performances and garnered a great deal of airtime on the radio with “Bottoms Up” earning double platinum certification and “Small Town Throwdown” earning gold. These are two songs that never fail to engage the crowd and have the entire building, or amphitheater off their feet and singing along word for word. Other noteworthy songs played off of Just as I Am included the more serious “Guns and Roses”, “One Hell of an Amen”, “Lights of My Hometown” and current single “Stone Cold Sober”. Despite his “bad boy” edgy personality many of Gilbert’s most popular songs have been his more sensitive lyrically strong songs which sets him apart from many of his fellow top-tier country artists.
A word that comes to mind for many who have seen a Brantley Gilbert show at any point of his career is genuine; a genuine passion for what he does, a genuine personality, determined to hold to his southern roots and morals no matter where he goes, and genuine talent for writing and performing his own work. All throughout his work this is evident, however it becomes especially so when it comes to his morals. Two songs that have become extremely popular that exemplify his strong sense of morals are “Take It Outside” and “Read Me My Rights”. Both songs always get a strong rise out of the crowd but “Read Me My Rights” elicits such a strong response that it too has become a staple song. Gilbert always explains before the song that it is important to him because as a proud southern gentleman he would take the law into his own hands if he ever saw a man put his hands on a woman or if someone entered his home and threatened his family. He even goes on to explain that he will do what he feels needs to be done then sit with his hands behind his back waiting for the police and “politely tell the officer to read him his rights” which is his transition into the song and starts the screaming and cheering from the crowd. He closed out his set with this song and a strong U.S.A. chant. He did however return as expected for an encore with the ever popular “Country Must Be Country Wide”. This was a phenomenal song to end the night with as it is something country fans can relate to anywhere in the country.
Oregon-based bluegrass singer/songwriter Ken Chapple is debuting his first album, Crossing the Black, September 18. It is a compilation of 10 original acoustic songs featuring his flatpicking guitar prowess and vocals, and collaborations with a collection of other local musical talent. Accompanying him on the album are Lex Browning (fiddle, vocals on Cutie Pie, See Where She Goes, Black River Cabin, Salvation and Sweet White Clover), Rob Wright (bass, vocals on Cutie Pie, Black River Cabin, Salvation and Sweet White Clover), Peter Schwimmer (banjo), Martin Stevens (mandolin) and Julie Schmidt (vocals on The Wheel). Every song is written, arranged and produced by Chapple, and the album was recorded at Big Red Studio with Billy Oskay engineering.
Chapple has been playing guitar since he was twelve-years-old, and his proficiency on guitar is apparent. Having released two albums with bluegrass group Wayward Vessel, Chapple’s debut album has been a long time coming. His warm, gentle voice makes listening to his album a relaxing endeavor, which may be best suited for lounging on a warm summer’s night with a few candles burning nearby. His songs carry themes of love and following the heart.
“Pair Of Twos” begins with an easygoing elegance, featuring Browning on fiddle. Uttering the words, “Why settle for a pair of twos. Mama said there’s so much more I can do. Be an artist or be a fool but don’t hold back now,” — Chapple seeks to inspire listeners to follow their dreams. “Without Your Warmth” quickly transitions from a pensive introduction, increasing tempo as Chapple sings of a deep need for a loved one, proclaiming, “Without your warmth I will die.” The title track “Crossing the Black” is an all instrumental piece opening with intimate guitar, followed by a simple but pronounced bass line. Fiddle soon joins, which momentarily takes a backseat for mandolin, and then guitar. All instruments have their moment to shine, and this track truly showcases Chapple’s guitar work, providing a wholesome, satisfying feel.
A variety of limited edition music packages and pre-order options are available here. Check out Ken Chapple’s SoundCloud and Bandcamp profiles, or his Facebook page for more information about his work and upcoming events.
Key Tracks: Pair Of Twos, Without Your Warmth, Crossing the Black
On Sunday, September 6, 2015, Van Halen brought their massive North American tour to Bethel Woods Center For The Arts. Fans arrived early and tailgated outside in the late summer heat. Those who didn’t want to stand outside in the heat, chose to explore the Woodstock museum located right on the concert grounds. Complete with air conditioning, a cafe, and gift shop, the museum is the perfect place to explore before any show at the amphitheater.
When doors opened, people rushed inside to secure their spot on the lawn or get to their seat in time for opener Kenny Wayne Shepherd. Kenny and his band came out and played a nine song set. The night for Kenny and his band was highlighted by a fantastic cover of “Voodoo Child” by Jimi Hendrix. With a loud applause, the Kenny Wayne Shepherd band exited the stage and fans awaited Van Halen.
Kenny Wayne Shepherd Band
As expected, what was once a generally filled amphitheater ended up being packed house. Van Halen started the show off with “Light Up The Sky” and immediately went into “Runnin’ With The Devil”. After a battle with the flu early the week before, David Lee Roth seemed back to his old self. Although Diamond Dave gets criticized for his vocal abilities, he certainly gives it his all. After being on the road for a solid 2 months now on this tour, Van Halen seem to be rolling full force with no signs of letting up. Eddie, Wolfgang and Alex Van Halen sound near perfect and together with David Lee Roth put on a great performance.
Van Halen seems to be sticking to the same setlist every night, but without any complaints from the crowd. Mixing things up from a wide array of songs from albums such as 1984, Van Halen, Van Halen II, Women and Children First, A Different Kind Of Truth, Fair Warning and Diver Down, Van Halen has something for everyone to sing along to. With such a big catalog, Van Halen does a perfect job of mixing classics with new material as well as songs your biggest Van Halens fans may have never heard live before. Before the tour started, Wolfgang told fans that this tour would have some special songs in the setlist that haven’t been played in a long time. Sticking to his word, Van Halen put together a setlist that everyone should love. Some of the other songs that the band jammed were “Somebody Get Me A Doctor,” “Little Guitars” and “Ice Cream Man”. The beginning of “Ice Cream Man,” David Lee Roth came out onstage alone with an acoustic guitar and a harmonica. Then the rest of the band came out to finish that song together then play “Unchained.”
Eddie Van Halen And David Lee Roth
During Eddie’s guitar solo it was proven that he is human and experiences issues from time to time. Having issues with one of the effect pedals on his board, Eddie had to delay some of his licks for a moment. While trying to do the melody from “Cathedral” off Diver Down, Eddie ran into some pedal issues. While his tech came out to replace some cables and find the issue, Eddie said to the crowd, “Something is very wrong back here” to which Bethel Woods chanted Eddie. Not before long, Eddie was cranked back up to 11 and finished the solo with “Eruption” and started into “You Really Got Me”.
The night was ended with “Panama” and “Jump” off of Van Halen’s 1984 album, which turned into a giant sing along for the people of Bethel Woods Center For The Arts. Diamond Dave and the rest of Van Halen took the stage afterwards for a bow and left the crowd in high spirits. This show would have been the perfect way to end the summer for Bethel Woods Center For The Arts, but they do have one more show booked for later in September.
Eddie Van Halen
Van Halen is now working their way down south hitting up numerous states and then working their way west. The tour wraps up at the Hollywood Bowl in Hollywood, CA on October 4. You can find all the tour dates and ticket information at Van-Halen.com.
Setlist: Light Up The Sky, Runnin’ With The Devil, Romeo Delight, Everybody Wants Some, Drop Dead Legs, Feel Your Love Tonight, Somebody Get Me A Doctor, She’s The Woman, China Town, I’ll Wait, Drum Solo, Little Guitars, Dance The Night Away, Beautiful Girls, Women In Love, Hot For Teacher, In A Simple Rhyme, Dirty Movies, Ice Cream Man, Unchained, Ain’t Talkin’ ‘Bout Love, Guitar Solo, You Really Got Me, Panama, Jump
The feathery, jazz-infused voice of Yankee Blood singer/bassist Ruth Kelly, supported by guitarist/vocalist James Karp and drummer Adam Verone, filled downtown Funk ‘n Waffles Thursday, September 3, with a lighthearted yet full sound that would never suggest they were short a keyboardist. A healthy crowd had gathered even before Yankee Blood got the show started, who were opening for local band Grayak. All three musicians casually donning t-shirts and jeans, the lazy, bluesy feel of their second song, “Sioux City” got the crowd swaying in an almost dream-like state.
They performed a brand new song titled “Savage,” which will be included on their EP coming out in October. The track started off as a slow rock number, but carried out a heavy instrumental buildup with head bang worthy beats. The egg crate stuffed into the bass drum quivered in approval. After their performance of “Blue Eyed Lover,” Kelly divulged how she normally plays the tune on upright bass, but winged it (very successfully) on her red lacquered Gretsch hollow-body electric bass.
Yankee Blood’s second to last song, “Beekeeper,” will also be featured on their EP. Kelly made sure to alert the crowd of Karp’s ironic fear of bees before adding that once the EP is out, copies will be distributed with jars of honey. Her witty quips between songs revealed an endearing and sharp sense of humor, painting the trio as the sort of people that would be fun to hang out with and share a few beers. Softly crooning the line “I want someone to love,” during “Beekeeper,” followed a theme present in several Yankee Blood songs concerning an honest yearning to share such tenderness with someone.
The five members of Grayak, who had been mingling in the crowd during Yankee Blood’s set, coalesced on stage to commence part two of the evening’s entertainment. Frontman Phil Grajko, sporting suspenders and a metal canteen slung across his torso, looked ready to embark on an intense musical expedition. Thinking logically, he opted to set the canteen by his feet rather than trying to rock it while simultaneously playing guitar. With Hannah Grajko assisting on vocals, Brendan Gosson on fiddle and mandolin, Blake Propst on upright bass and Tyler Dattmore on drums, they opened their set with a bouncy, optimistic tune titled “Seek It Still.” It describes a personal quest of persistence and determination to find truth and meaning in the world even if the path is rough.
The song functioned as a fitting kickoff for Grayak, a project which Grajko has been nurturing for quite some time, often playing solo, but finally able to showcase with a full ensemble. The crowd, heavily speckled with friends and fans whom have seen Grajko develop and transform his musical repertoire over the years, welcomed the distinctive guitar/fiddle intro to “Have a Beautiful Now,” quickly getting into a flowy dance groove and happily singing along to a song many audience members share a personal connection to.
The more reggae-style instrumentation during “Maya” provided a slight divergence and nice addition to the folk-centered genre Grayak largely falls under. The playful fiddle part literally chases the lyrics “I run, I run, I run…” adding an intriguing audio element that emphasizes the vocals. Before beginning “Together” Grajko announced, as he always does, “This is a love song but it’s also sort of about the apocalypse.” The introduction usually provokes people to smile and possibly feel slightly confused. After the song concluded, Grajko noted his musical troupe has only been playing together for a few weeks, adding to the impressiveness of their collaboration. The band polished off their set with Grayak’s title track, “Made of Light.” Opening with a low-key bass solo, the lyrics speak to the connectedness of humankind. It slowly builds with up-tempo guitar and runaway fiddle parts that might make someone wish they were standing in a breezy meadow on a warm summer’s day.
As the summer festival season draws to an end, next week’s Catskill Chill Music Festival which takes place September 18-20, a week later than it is usually held, also marks an end of an era. The 6th annual festival, which has grown in popularity each year, will be the last one held at its original home of Camp Minglewood in Hancock, NY before the party moves elsewhere next year.
Fittingly, upstate NY jam legends moe. will serve as musical headliner and Particle, the only band to play every Chill, will close out the weekend in grand fashion along with help from a number of other guests and friends.
This year’s festival also offers a number of other intriguing musical collaborations as this seems to be a theme for the weekend. In addition to their own sets on Sunday, Dopapod and Turkuaz will be combining forces on Friday night and recreating a night at Studio 54. Shwizz and Fikus will follow their Saturday sets with a joint one featuring musical selections from the ‘80s before the Chillfam All-Stars perform what is sure to be an entertaining tribute to Herbie Hancock. This isn’t even the only All Star band of the weekend as the Stratosphere All-Stars, featuring members of Lotus, Particle and Digital Tape Machine, will help usher in the Saturday night dance party.
If a band on this bill isn’t collaborating with another one, there’s a good chance they’re pulling double duty and performing multiple sets. Consider the Source will be doing both an acoustic and an electric set on Friday and Twiddle will be performing a set of Grateful Dead covers in addition to a set of their own Saturday night.
Other notable performers this weekend include upstate NY’s own Aqueous and Solaris as well as Lettuce, Zappa Plays Zappa, The Motet and Electron.
Catskill Chill is known for its home of Camp Minglewood and the purely intimate setting it provides with summer camp style cabins for lodging close to all the stages and designated camping areas strewn between them all. RV parking is also available for $150 and the festival offers both VIP ticket purchases and upgrades. In addition to an incredibly packed musical docket, there’s also Open Mic sessions being offered on Saturday and Sunday afternoons as well as yoga classes.
Tickets for $195 and one last chance to experience one of the true hidden gems of the festival circuit can be purchased here.
Bring Me the Horizon, formerly of Epitaph Records have done something many rock bands can only dream to accomplish; they have singed to Columbia Record, a mainstream label outside of the typical “scene labels”. Although these labels, Epitaph, Fearless, Hopeless, etc. do a phenomenal job of promoting their bands most bands on these labels do not see much radio air play or large-scale success with touring beyond club tours and the occasional smaller arena tour with co-headliners.
Bring Me the Horizon have joined some of the most recognizable rock artists on Columbia, including AC/DC, Nine Inch Nails, and System of a Down among many with many other great artists. Bring Me the Horizon released their highly anticipated fifth studio album, That’s the Spirit on September 11. This record had a great deal to live up to with the band’s last record, Sempiternal (2013,) receiving great recognition including winning the Album of the Year at the first annual APMA’s. Bring Me the Horizon also won Best International Band that year, a much deserved award after an incredible year of touring to support the well received album. Bring Me the Horizon was at the peak of their career with the release of Sempiternal but have continued to grow and gain notoriety with each single they have released off of That’s the Spirit.
Lead single, “Drown” released on Epitaph Records has been heard throughout NY on rock stations which may come as a great surprise to seasoned Bring Me the Horizon fans as they previously have been a band that was not associated with rock-radio. Typically, their singles have been a bit too heavy for mainstream rock radio but with this single they showcase a different skill set with the same ability to captivate an audience and draw in new fans. “Drown”, was extremely well received despite having a very different sound than what is typically expected of Bring Me the Horizon and sets a good tone for what listeners should expect from the album as a whole. The next single off of the record, “Happy Song” received such an incredible reaction from both fans and other musicians with countless bands taking to social media in support of the song that almost becomes an anthem for rock music and the bands that fall under the Warped Tour genres. Despite some strange backing vocals that almost take the form of cheerleaders the lyrical content of this song will set it apart from so many. Bring Me the Horizon managed to capture in words the power of music and the feelings of being at a concert. With lyrics like “You want to give up, gave it all you’ve got and it still doesn’t cut, but if you sing along a little fucking louder to a happy song, you’ll be just fine” Sykes and company manage to summarize the power of music and it’s cathartic effect in one verse. After a complete listen of the entire album fans will be satisfied with a good mix of the older unclean vocals that frontman Oli Sykes became known for, but surprised with the equally talented clean vocals Sykes started to explore in Sempiternal.
The entire record is extremely well written as a whole with very emotional tracks like “Drown” and “What You Need” that address the feelings of depression that have always been a central element to their albums while blending the new-found clean vocals with the raw unclean vocals that have always matched the tone of the lyrics. Sykes does a phenomenal conveying the strong emotions behind his words on this record with both his unclean and clean vocals which speaks volumes about his talent as a frontman. The only thing more expressive of the emotions behind their songs is seeing them preformed live with the full emotion and production behind each song, which will undoubtedly remain for their upcoming U.S. headliner in support of this record which kicks off this October.
In the mood for some great music and Ben & Jerry’s? Who isn’t, right? This weekend marks the annual Grand Point North Festival in Burlington, VT. Right on Lake Champlain, at the waters edge with a beautiful view of the Adirondacks, this festival paints a picturesque scene while offering some to today’s greatest music.
Photo by Laura Carbone
With a star studded lineup, local legend Grace Potter, will once again headline the event and bring music back to her hometown.
Photo by Laura Carbone
Saturday 3pm Gates
8:55 Grace Potter
7:45 Shakey Graves
6:40 Mike Gordon
5:55 Amy Helm & The Handsome Strangers
5:10 Odessa
4:40 Madaila
4:10 Maryse Smith w/Michael Chorney
3:40 Mal Maiz
3:15 Harwood Union High School Assembly Band
Photo by Laura Carbone
Sunday 2pm Gates
8:00 Grace Potter
6:35 The Flaming Lips
5:35 Greensky Bluegrass
4:55 Marco Benevento
4:15 Spirit Family Reunion
3:45 Soule Monde
3:15 Heavy Plains
2:45 The Snaz
2:15 Barishi
Doors open Saturday at 3pm, and Sunday at 2pm. Box office will open at 11am each day, and the festival is rain or shine so plan accordingly for the best possible time while there.
Photo by Laura Carbone
Tickets can be purchased online, charged by phone at 877-987-6487, or in person at the Higher Ground box office, 1214 Williston Road, South Burlington, VT. Make sure you take a peek at the site as well for those items that are and are not allowed.
moe.’s Tropical Throe.down planned for January 2016 has combined forces with Little Feat’s Feat Camp.
Little Feat is no stranger to these types of trips: Feat Camp will be Little Feat’s 14th annual Feat Fan Excursion.
Island Gigs representatives have assured moe.rons attending the Jamaica jaunt that Little Feat’s presence will not interfere with moe.’s performances at all. But it will give attendees access to three full Little Feat shows in addition to three moe. shows at night, plus an acoustic day set (for the first 200 people who booked) and three shows from special guests Medeski Martin and Wood.
The addition means the sale of packages for Throe.down were put on hold temporarily, but they will be available for fans to purchase again at 10 a.m. Monday, Sept. 14. According to moe.’s website, “Space is limited and fans are encouraged to book early, as the rooms are expected to move quickly.”
The joint festival will be held Jan. 10-14, 2016, at the all-inclusive Jewel Paradise Cove Beach Resort & Spa in Runaway Bay, Jamaica, though Feat will play an extra show on Jan. 9 for those who choose to add the extra pre-night to their vacation.
This is not the first time moe. has collaborated with Little Feat. The Hollywood-based band played at moe.’s 2007 Snoe.down in Lake Placid, and Little Feat keyboardist Bill Payne played with moe. for the band’s Big Lebowski-themed Halloween show in Las Vegas last year.
A few weeks ago I shared with you Part 1 of a two part interview with legendary keyboardist, and original founding member of REO Speedwagon, Neal Doughty. As REO rolls into town again this weekend, September 12, 2015 to the Seneca Allegany Casino in Salamanca, NY, it only seemed fitting to share the remainder of our conversation as a prelude to their upcoming show so that you could appreciate a backstory of their musical journey to today. Over a 48 year career, this group found a way to share their stories through their music, lyrics, and performances capturing the attention of generations of fans.
Before I pick up where I left off, let me recap for you a bit. A lifelong fan of this group, I couldn’t help but gush a little as I spoke with Neal about their beginnings in Illinois at the University of Illinois, some of their earlier gigs when they started out, their work on albums, the progression in song writing from their earlier works to those songs that brought them the most attention during the 1980’s, as well as how they have managed all these years keeping audiences coming back, all while not killing each other on the road.
Touring non stop since their inception, Neal’s analogy of how they have developed into an old married couple, seem spot on as these five men have gone through the highs and lows together for most of their adult lives, and have withstood all that the music industry has thrown their way while staying true to their sound. You could say they’ve ridden “…The Storm Out”. See what I did there? Okay those REO Speedwagon fans will definitely get that pun. Not familiar with the band yet, please take a moment to visit Part 1 if you haven’t had the opportunity to read it yet, then come back here so I can fill you in on where we left off of this amazing conversation Neal and I shared.
Kathy Stockbridge (KS): You have had the chance to do some pretty amazing gigs over the years. Talk to me a little about your time at “Live Aid”.
Neal Doughty (ND): That was kind of unreal almost because everybody was there. We played very early in the morning, which we weren’t used to anyways, just getting up that early made it surreal. Then we get to the show, and back stage is every famous musician in the world walking around back there. People we idolized. It was so hectic too, because they were getting bands set up. They had a revolving stage where there was never a break between bands. We had our two hits songs ready to go, we climbed up on stage while it was still turned around away from the crowd, and they said “okay, as soon as the stage rotates into view, start playing”. They had some technical glitches with the thing and as I began playing “Can’t Fight This Feeling”, nothing was coming out of the piano. So I stopped. Come to find out it was coming out to the feed that was going on television but we weren’t hearing it. So you hear me start the intro to “Can’t Fight This Feeling” twice, because the first time I wasn’t hearing it at all. I looked over to our monitor guy and go “you ready?”, then I start playing it again, and then this time I could hear it. So if you watch that old tape from Live Aid you’ll see me play about 2 bars of “Can’t Fight This Feeling”, then stop and go “are you ready?” The sound literally was not coming to the band at all.
KS: That had to be the most amazing experience though just being there in front of that audience.
ND: Oh yeah. They were telling us there were about 1 billion people watching us on television. Then when I hit the first note of our biggest song, and nothing comes out…guess that shows whether it’s 1 billion or a crowd of 1 person, you never know when something will go wrong. It’s actually scarier playing in front of a smaller crowd where you know people in the crowd. When it’s 1 billion people and they are watching on tv, that’s not REAL from where you are sitting. Of course, the 100,000 people sitting there live, well that made us a little nervous. After a while, you feed off the nervousness though. I usually play best when I’m really nervous. Which doesn’t happen often any more. I’ve done this enough now, that I’m probably going to make it through the song. We just recently played on Jimmy Kimmel with Imagine Dragons. He does this band name mashup, where we were dubbed Imagine REO Speed Dragons. That was “live” television, and in those situations you can fix something I believe up to one hour before it airs in New York, but we didn’t have to with this performance.
KS: Wow, that had to be the best. I just covered them and they are such an energetic band, that loves to play to their fans. That had to be one hell of a mashup.
ND: They were the greatest guys to work with, with so much respect for us. It was nice to have a band that hot, selling out the Forum tonight, at the peak of their career, wanting to be on tv with us. We get there and they feel the same way, they were think how do we get to be on tv with them? It was mutual respect from the minute we met each other. It went great. We did “Roll With The Changes” and we changed the beginning of it to sound a little more like an Imagine Dragons song. They have those jungle drums going…
KS: Yes they are very percussion heavy in their sound, where you guys are very heavy guitar and keyboards.
ND: We let them start the song with their big drums and then we went into “Roll With The Changes”. It was very interesting. Then we watched them play five songs on Kimmel’s outdoor stage, and they were just great. But it was so nice of a feeling for a relative new, very hot band, to be doing something with us on nationwide television, that I want to add we worked up that afternoon together.
KS: You’re being very modest I must say. You guys are legendary.
ND: I’ll accept that in the sense that yes, everybody’s heard of us. When you’re around this long…
KS: You are a legendary band, highly respected, during the 70’s and 80’s you were “THE” band to see live. So I do believe that Imagine Dragons probably grew up, like I did listening to you.
ND: Oh yes, they acted as though they were really impressed to be playing with us. We sometimes forget, as we have become very down to earth about the whole thing. We feel lucky to still be doing this, we’re pretty nice guys, and actually we are pretty modest about the whole thing. We’ve just been doing it so long that when we walk out on stage and there are 10,000 people there we say “Bless their hearts, they are still showing up”. It’s just so gratifying to feel that respect. We’ve been together so long and people will still show up by the thousands to see us play. It’s really a heartwarming feeling. Then when you have the hottest band in the country meet you and their star struck…sometimes we just forget. I’ve never thought of myself as some sort of rock star. When I’m home, I’m building a roof on the patio. People come over and see that I’m just a regular guy. Yep. Regular guy that lucked into a GREAT job!!
KS: So glad you did.
ND: The first ten years, there were a lot of moments where I thought, I should have stayed in college. Where I would be sitting on a rock by the ocean saying, “what have I done”? People would walk by and go, “are you okay buddy?”. I would say, “yeah, I just think I screwed up my life, that’s all”.
KS: In 2013, being from the Midwest myself, storms and tornadoes are unfortunately common place for the area, and due to the storms that devastated that area, you coordinated “Rock To The Rescue.” Can you tell us a little about what that was all about?
ND: That was an amazing experience where everybody we called to play this show said “heck yeah, I’ll be there”. The storms happened very close to where Gary Richrath, our guitar player, grew up, in Peoria, Illinois. Bruce, our bass player lives down in Florida and plays golf with Larry The Cable Guy, or Dan (his real name). He is a really nice guy, who volunteered to MC the whole thing. Every band we called, and most of them were from Illinois, said yes it was amazing as we threw together things so fast. Not only having Gary come up and play with us on a song or two our great friends from these Illinois based bands, like Styx and Survivor, are great buddies. Cheap Trick wanted to make it but they couldn’t do it due to their schedule, but they would have been there had things worked out as we had all hoped. These are all bands that have been our friends for decades. So to have them all in one building was amazing in itself. Back stage was like a high school reunion catching up with each other. Then having Dan go out there, MC and telling jokes, while not charging us a penny. He actually does stuff like that all the time. His showing up made the show all fit together seamlessly with no confusion between bands. It was old home week for a great cause.
We actually took the tour bus out to the neighborhood that was hit the worst and it was unbelievable. It was as though you were looking at special effects in a movie scene. As far as you could see, every house was down, furniture was in the trees, no leaves left on the trees, cars overturned and wrecked vehicles. It was like a spectacular scene from a science fiction movie, only it was really there. You can’t imagine the power of nature until you visit a scene where nature has destroyed everything for miles. And there are people who are suppose to be living there. You see a teddy bear lying in the gutter and you think, gosh that’s some childs teddy bear. Their house isn’t even there any more, but their teddy bear is there. So you think, someone has to help all these people. There is progress occurring already getting everything rebuilt, but it will take years before it goes back to the way it was. Basically we raised half of a million dollars to help take care of the people during their transitional time. You of course will not build a town with a half of million dollars, but for those whose houses blew down, you can give them some help. That was the purpose of the fundraising. We knew we couldn’t rebuild the town. Once again it was a heart warmer event as all your buddies from all the years just go “We’ll be there tomorrow”.
This job never gets boring, but then when something like that happens, it reaffirms that “man I’m never going to stop doing this”. People even ask if we get tired of playing the same songs. We say “Are you kidding me? Nobody gets to have this kind of life.
KS: Well again I want to commend you on what you did for those folks. The following year after this project you were once again out on the road together with the band Chicago. Talk to me a little about that tour.
ND: That’s probably the most fun I’ve ever had on stage. Chicago and REO started the same year, in Illinois, and until then we had never played together. Right when our band first started, their first album came out and it was a masterpiece. While living in Los Angeles, Robert Lamm, who is a songwriter, keyboard player, and one of the singers lived only two houses away from me. We used to come over to each other house and we had still never played together. We were neighbors thirty years ago and finally had a chance to play together recently. The promoters were wondering if the two groups would be able to mesh up correctly, and it just turned out so well. We each did our own shorter set, then we came out for an encore where we did three of each bands biggest hits with everybody on stage.
KS: Wow that must have been so spectacular with the horns accompanying you on your songs too.
ND: Someone asked me what it sounded like when REO and Chicago played together? I said…like Chicago, (as he laughs). Because those horns are such a distinctive part of their sound. Playing “Keep On Lovin’ You” with a horn section or “Roll With The Changes” with all the horn mix playing…well by the second or third night of that tour I was laughing out loud on stage because it sounded so good. They are all great guys and and wonderful musicians and we had such respect for each other that we just hit it right off instantly and I really hope we get to do that again. They felt the same, that we gotta do this again. We don’t want to do it exactly the same the next year, so we’ll wait a few years but we definitely want to do that again. Because that worked out way better than any of us thought. I think every show was virtually a sell out.
KS: I want to truly thank you Neal for doing this interview with NYS Music. As I mentioned to you before, I’ve been a huge fan for so many years, and this truly has been a highlight in my career.
As I basked in an afterglow of “Wow, I just interviewed Neal Doughty, one of the founding members of the my favorite band of all time”. If you were to ask me who was my favorite band of all time was, I would hands down say REO Speedwagon. They represented so much more to me than just a musical group. The immediately bring me back to my school days, with dear friends, and a place I hold dear to my heart, Illinois. Their earlier music was compelling and audioritoially moving. A huge keyboard lover, their keyboard solos paired with guitar riffs captured my heart and from “157 Riverside Avenue” to “Time For Me To Fly”, to “In Your Letter”, they had my complete and total attention and dedication for the moment I first heard them.
Written in 1968 by Kevin Cronin, “Ballad of Illinois Opry” would not be recorded until 1996 on their Building The Bridge album. This song emulates everything special about REO Speedwagon; how they continue to pay homage to their Midwest roots, how they saw their dreams of one day being on the big stage and never lost focus of that dream, and of course that classic rock and roll sound of guitar solos, strong keyboards, and stellar vocals, that we all fell in love all those years ago while standing in a horrific Midwest storm cheering for them to return to the stage.
The humility this man possessed still today when talking about his career, totally touched my heart. My favorite musicians are those that connect with their audience. Whether it’s on stage…a gesture to a fan who wants a meet & greet, or how they engage the audience and their fans while performing. Truly he didn’t think of himself as a superstar of any sort, and my clearly unprofessional means of gushing had to be apparent throughout the interview. And the fact he was touch and bewildered by reactions of others to him and his band mates was refreshing. To me it was a sign he was in it for the music, not for the fame. Fame came and stays because of the other. To him REO still was a group of friends from college in rural Champaign, Illinois just jamming and making the music they loved.
Ending our conversation as we could have continued to talk for a good long time past what we had, I was nervous and didn’t want to over stay my welcome. It was okay because I knew that although I didn’t get to cover one show here locally, I would be traveling to the beautiful Niagara Falls area to take in the show there, and once again relive all those wonderful moments I had shared with family, friends, and days gone by.
Lockn’ Festival is upon us. The third year festival is all set for launch on Friday, September 11 in Arrington, Virginia and features some of the biggest names in the jamband world. Originally scheduled to begin September 10, a destructive storm passing through decided to parlay activities for the first day’s events. Thankfully no one was injured, and festival crew are now busily cleaning up and getting ready for the upcoming events. Delays shouldn’t discourage attendees as that gives festival goers more time to ready for a stellar weekend of camping in the Blue Ridge Mountains. Preparing for an overload of interlocking musical sets to draw the summer to a close.
The festival has become a haven for jambands that span decades of influence and performance across the country. Classic jambands such as Strangefolk, Soulive, Little Feat, North Mississippi Allstars, Hot Tuna, and Karl Denson’s Tiny Universe will all be on hand for hour-long sets on the Oak/Ridge stage. Some of the larger jam acts include String Cheese Incident (two stand alone sets, along with a set featuring The Doobie Brothers, aka, The Doobie Incident), Widespread Panic (one stand alone set, one set with reggae legend Jimmy Cliff), and Umphrey’s McGee (late night).
Two very special sets take place on Friday night – Jorma & Jack, aka Hot Tuna, will celebrate 50 years of Jefferson Airplane alongside Rachel Price, GE Smith, Larry Campbell, Teresa Williams, Jeff Pehrson, Justin Guip and Bill Kreutzmann. Mad Dogs and Englishmen will pay tribute to the late Joe Cocker with an all-star lineup that includes Tedeschi Trucks Band, Leon Russell, Dave Mason, Rita Coolidge, Chris Robinson, John Bell, Claudia Lennear and many more. Both of these sets are MUST SEE once in a lifetime events.
Lastly, Led Zeppelin frontman Robert Plant brings his Sensational Space Shifters for two completely different sets on Saturday and Sunday, a wonderful end to a weekend packed with music.
Still need tickets? Pick them up and don’t miss out. Stay tuned to Lockn’ Festival’s Facebook Page for continued updates on campground openings and for all the latest news and events for the festival.
Check out the schedule here. As updates come in, we’ll be sure to update all attendees.
Fittingly, upstate NY jam legends moe. will serve as musical headliner and Particle, the only band to play every Chill, will close out the weekend in grand fashion along with help from a number of other guests and friends.
