I started this blog a couple of years ago, and really had great intentions on updating it weekly. The issue is that when you are working on the other 30 things you have to do to make a band successful, the blog unfortunately is at the bottom of the list.
Everything we have done to this point, we've done ourselves with help from God and of course a few friends.
So, let me sum it up for you in it's most simplest complicated form. Obviously there are some great stories in between the lines, and I don't mean to omit anyone, we'll save the rest for the book someday.
Chris Tapp and Brian Mullins were in a band called Shelby.
We showcased for some record labels, won some stuff, no magic happened and we retired.
A few weeks later we decided to jam. We had no intentions on doing anything with it.
Minus a bass player, I began to experiment with playing the bass via the guitar and constructed a monstrosity of a rig that sounded like 3 people. It was too huge sounding not to at least play out once. So we played the Duck Inn-Evansville IN.
First gig got a better reaction than anything either of us had done before.
More gigs came.x100
More fans came.x200
More money came.x2
Recorded an EP in Ohio, sold a bunch.
We played a gig at 3rd and Lindsley, and owner Ron Brice was the first Nashvillian to get on board. He would be instrumental in building our confidence and providing motion forward.
In 2010 We entered this Hard Rock Cafe "Ambassadors of Rock" contest in Nashville.
Hmmm. Won the contest beating out all other rock bands from Nashville. In my opinion these bands were the best in the country. And we came in 2nd Internationally.
Did TV appearances on Fox morning show Nashville, Fox, CBS, NBC, Evansville IN.
Did tons of press interviews answering the same questions over and over.
Write ups and offers from industry folks like Gibson, Peavey, Campbell, DeLisle.
We were promised a spot on Nashville's "Live on the Green" concert series after the Hard Rock win. Never happened.....
Played some dates with Rocco Deluca, Bob Schneider, Roman Candle, The Verve Pipe, to name a few.
Better gigs came.
We went to Indy and recorded another EP "Hot Like Waco" with the Johnsons/Pop Machine over a weekend.
Sold a lot of CD's.
Played more gigs, playing sometimes 4 times a month in the same markets and still gaining crowd numbers each gig.
Entered lightning100's "Music City Mayhem" contest in Nashville. We won 4 weeks in a row, and made it to the final 4 concert at The Exit In. Came in 2nd place. (the winners were a Vandy band...cut us some slack).
More gigs, more cities. More write ups, more press.
Started selling out shows, and getting more frequent encores.
Fans started telling folks about our band, that told folks that knew folks.
Ray Kennedy showed up at our Hard Rock show in Nashville.
Ray offered to help. Ray got on board.
Everything we have done to this point, we've done ourselves with help from God and of course a few friends.
So, let me sum it up for you in it's most simplest complicated form. Obviously there are some great stories in between the lines, and I don't mean to omit anyone, we'll save the rest for the book someday.
Chris Tapp and Brian Mullins were in a band called Shelby.
We showcased for some record labels, won some stuff, no magic happened and we retired.
A few weeks later we decided to jam. We had no intentions on doing anything with it.
Minus a bass player, I began to experiment with playing the bass via the guitar and constructed a monstrosity of a rig that sounded like 3 people. It was too huge sounding not to at least play out once. So we played the Duck Inn-Evansville IN.
First gig got a better reaction than anything either of us had done before.
More gigs came.x100
More fans came.x200
More money came.x2
Recorded an EP in Ohio, sold a bunch.
We played a gig at 3rd and Lindsley, and owner Ron Brice was the first Nashvillian to get on board. He would be instrumental in building our confidence and providing motion forward.
In 2010 We entered this Hard Rock Cafe "Ambassadors of Rock" contest in Nashville.
Hmmm. Won the contest beating out all other rock bands from Nashville. In my opinion these bands were the best in the country. And we came in 2nd Internationally.
Did TV appearances on Fox morning show Nashville, Fox, CBS, NBC, Evansville IN.
Did tons of press interviews answering the same questions over and over.
Write ups and offers from industry folks like Gibson, Peavey, Campbell, DeLisle.
We were promised a spot on Nashville's "Live on the Green" concert series after the Hard Rock win. Never happened.....
Played some dates with Rocco Deluca, Bob Schneider, Roman Candle, The Verve Pipe, to name a few.
Better gigs came.
We went to Indy and recorded another EP "Hot Like Waco" with the Johnsons/Pop Machine over a weekend.
Sold a lot of CD's.
Played more gigs, playing sometimes 4 times a month in the same markets and still gaining crowd numbers each gig.
Entered lightning100's "Music City Mayhem" contest in Nashville. We won 4 weeks in a row, and made it to the final 4 concert at The Exit In. Came in 2nd place. (the winners were a Vandy band...cut us some slack).
More gigs, more cities. More write ups, more press.
Started selling out shows, and getting more frequent encores.
Fans started telling folks about our band, that told folks that knew folks.
Ray Kennedy showed up at our Hard Rock show in Nashville.
Ray offered to help. Ray got on board.
We played the WC Handy Blues Festival in Henderson KY for the first time.
Dorin Luck helped. Dorin got on board.
We went back in the studio with Producer/Engineer Chris Grainger and Tres Sasser.
Recorded 5 new songs for an EP.
Director Ryan Smith called after hearing it at Chris Graingers place. Very excited.
Ryan Smith got on board.
We shot pictures with Ryan for the EP we did with Chris Grainger.
We had more management and label interest and requests that we sit on the EP for the time being until we sort it out.
Which brings us to now.
We've built this up with hard work and relentless touring for almost 3 years.
We've had a lot of things happen, and we've had a few things fall through that would have been life changing. Everytime I've felt like throwing in the towel, someone at a show says something amazing afterwards and we push on.
I could name drop- or quote some music critic person who said this or that about us, or is interested or....whatever. But I won't. ----
Because we are a working mans band. We are a middle class band. We play rock and roll. We are not in the hipster scene. We are not a passing fad. Your favorite band does not want to follow us on stage.
The greatest compliment we've had in 3 years came one night at 12th and Porter. The bartender came over after our set and said he had worked there for 10 years and that was the best set he'd ever seen.
That's better than any article by some critic who's never seen us, or by some label A&R guy with a funny last name.
That's in the trench rock and roll honesty, and that's what we are about.
Dorin Luck helped. Dorin got on board.
We went back in the studio with Producer/Engineer Chris Grainger and Tres Sasser.
Recorded 5 new songs for an EP.
Director Ryan Smith called after hearing it at Chris Graingers place. Very excited.
Ryan Smith got on board.
We shot pictures with Ryan for the EP we did with Chris Grainger.
We had more management and label interest and requests that we sit on the EP for the time being until we sort it out.
Which brings us to now.
We've built this up with hard work and relentless touring for almost 3 years.
We've had a lot of things happen, and we've had a few things fall through that would have been life changing. Everytime I've felt like throwing in the towel, someone at a show says something amazing afterwards and we push on.
I could name drop- or quote some music critic person who said this or that about us, or is interested or....whatever. But I won't. ----
Because we are a working mans band. We are a middle class band. We play rock and roll. We are not in the hipster scene. We are not a passing fad. Your favorite band does not want to follow us on stage.
The greatest compliment we've had in 3 years came one night at 12th and Porter. The bartender came over after our set and said he had worked there for 10 years and that was the best set he'd ever seen.
That's better than any article by some critic who's never seen us, or by some label A&R guy with a funny last name.
That's in the trench rock and roll honesty, and that's what we are about.
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