A Night of Bud, Bourbon & Blues with Specials & Giveaways all night!
Join host, JOHN STRAW, every Wednesday night from 8-11pm @ The Melting Point for the JOHN STRAW WEDNESDAY BLUES showcase featuring local, regional and national BLUES artists weekly.
Wednesday May 14th, 2008 features.... THE AVERY DYLAN PROJECT
$5.00 advance OR $5.00 at the door evey Wed
Doors open @ 6pm for dinner & drinks
Blues music from 8-11pm
18 & up general admission show
The Avery Dylan Project is formally know as Dylan Blues Project, which was formed in ..99 by Avery Dylan. In the later part of 2007 it was decided that the name should be changed to the Avery Dylan Project due to confusion of the Dylan Project, (Bob Dylan’s blues project) and some changes in the line up.
-Groups members are front man Avery Dylan on lead/rhythym guitar and vocals with Clint Swords on bass and Mike Strickland on drums. All three have dedicated their lives to music and have lived the lives of true musicians. They have all been on the road, recorded, and performed in their music careers. The band has a lot of inspiration, energy, talent, desire, and professionalism among them.
-Avery Dylan was born in South Carolina, raised in N. Carolina and Virginia. He’s been gunning at this music thing since the age of 7. In and out of bands (Sonic Leon, College Boy & the Townies, Haze, Dylan Blues Project, & more)in the Va. area, playing up and down the east coast, he decided to moved to Athens, Ga in 2003 in persuit his music career. Hooked up with different musicians & bands (Cadillac Johnson, Petey Wheatstraw, D.B.P, & more) along the way and has finally ended up with the Avery Dylan Project. Hope you like it :) Influences are Stevie Ray & Jimmy Vaughan, Jimi Hendrix, BB King, Buddy Guy, Robert Cray, Warren Hanes, and many, many others. Avery Dylan uses Fender Amplifiers and Fender Guitars, Ernie Ball strings, and pedals consist of Ibanez, Dunlop, Boss, DOD, MXR, DigiTech.
-If you like Texas blues, southern rock, or just jammin, you’ll love this blend. -This is what the Flagpole of Athens, Ga had to say about the the Possum Hollow Road album:
"With “Dylan” and “Project” in its moniker, one might first mistake the longtime local blueshounds in the Avery Dylan Project as creating an homage to the froggy Mr. Zimmerman. However, the trio, led by Athens,Ga -based guitarist Avery Dylan (Dylan Blues Project, Petey Wheatstraw, Cadillac Johnson, and more), has churned out some seriously bluesy Southern rock in the Athens area, east coast and beyond for the better part of the last 10 years.
Commanded by Dylan’s sinewy Stratocaster licks and rough-hewn vocals, the bandmembers do on record what they do just about any other night of the week - serve up no-nonsense, floor-tom-rattling bar blues with little frills attached. Whether it’s the suave, near Lyle Lovett-sounding “Back on Track” or more aggressive, Hendrix-inspired fare like “What It Means,” Possum Hollow Road is a fitting souvenir of this group’s final chapter and, we can only assume, a partial preview of what’s to come from Dylan and his new ’mates."
Possum Hollow Road is actually the final release for the Dylan Blues Project proper, though Dylan plans to carry on with a new band (the similarly titled Avery Dylan Project) comprised of different members. On Possum Hollow Road, though, Dylan, drummer Brian Crum and bassist Britton Posey sound like they’re just getting warmed up.
Thursday May 15th, 2008 features.... The Tiny Jazz Arkestra
Only $3.00 at the door!
Doors open @ 6pm for dinner & drinks
Live Jazz from 7-10pm
The Tiny Jazz Arkestra plays music influenced by the last half century of Jazz. From the golden age of Blue Note to the post modern sounds of the Knitting Factory, if it's good, it's an influence. Although experimental in nature, the Tiny Jazz Arkestra is always accessible without succumbing to smooth jazz or urban contempo. Consisting of Darrin Cook on bass, Jamie DeRevere on drums and Mike Jones on tenor sax, the Tiny Jazz Arkestra provides a swinging way to spend an evening at the Melting Point.
**½ price bottle wine specials for Jazz night
Copperidge Chardonnay, Cabernet Sauvignon, Merlot and White Zinfandel $10/bottle
Estrella Chardonnay, Cabernet Sauvignon, Merlot and White Zinfandel $12
The Melting Point presents........a special co-bill with 16 TONS (featuring Kaitlin Jones & Brian Connell) & CURLEY MAPLE
Tickets are $8 adv (+$1.50 conv fee) - $10 at the door
Doors open @ 6pm - Music @ 8:30pm
This is a general admission show
16 TONS: From the traditional music scene of Athens, Georgia comes 16 Tons, a hard-driving band playing Bluegrass and mountain music. 16 Tons is led by Andy Martin on banjo & vocals, a veteran of the Georgia Bluegrass scene. The band also features John “Johnny Fabulous” Evans on guitar, Bryan Varin on mandolin & vocals, Rich Mullinax on upright bass, Brian Connell on harmonica and Kaitlin Jones on guitar & vocals.
16 Tons began the way most Bluegrass bands do; out of a weekly pickin’ session. On New Year’s Eve ‘03, banjo ace Andy Martin was asked to perform as “Andy Martin & Friends” at a club in downtown Athens, Georgia. Andy asked John Evans, Bryan Varin & Rich Mullinax to join him, all regulars in the local jams. Rich had just started playing bass and Bryan hadn’t even started the mandolin, but they had a blast. And so did the audience. In the coming months, Andy put his music education degree to use. With John’s help, he set out to teach 2 beginners the basics of playing in a Bluegrass band. Both apprentices eventually became journeyman and the band began playing clubs and private events. The band consistently drew capacity crowds at what is now the Melting Point, NE Georgia’s finest listening room.
16 Tons has enjoyed remaining faithful to the principles of Bluegrass; acoustic instruments, Scruggs style banjo and the 1 - 4 - 5 chord progressions. The traditional tunes are sentimental yet sometimes tragic, and the instrumentals express emotions that lyrics never could. But 21st century audiences and bands occasionally like their Bluegrass flavored with other genres, and 16 Tons is no exception. Many bands have fused Bluegrass with jazz, pop and rock, but 16 Tons enjoys covering the hard-driving, blue-collar songs from the likes of Merle Haggard, Johnny Cash and Charlie Daniels.
The band later enhanced their sound by recruiting Brian Connell to play harmonica, an instrument that was more common in early Bluegrass bands. Connell is an Athens songwriter and performer whose penetrating lyrics can be heard on his latest release, “The Sordid”. (myspace.com/brianconnell)
Athens lyricist and vocal talent Kaitlin Jones frequently appears with 16 Tons. Whether performing one of her haunting originals or a Hank Williams treasure, Kaitlin performs with a simple elegance that is becoming increasingly hard to find.
In 2007, band leader Andy Martin relocated to Albany, GA to go into private practice as a mental health therapist. That same year, bass player Rich Mullinax began commuting to Miami, FL every week for consulting work. With other commitments looming, the outfit gave the club and festival gigs a rest.
But the band continues to appear at private events all over Georgia. At elegant functions such as wedding receptions, corporate banquets and art openings, Bluegrass has gone from novelty to mainstream. 16 Tons is delighted to be a part of this trend, often being selected over jazz combos & doo-wop groups.
And every 6 months or so, the band gets together to perform in Athens clubs such as The Melting Point. 16 Tons is thrilled to be counted among the many talented bands in the thriving Athens Bluegrass scene.
For more info on this artist, please visit........ 16 Ton's Myspace
CURLEY MAPLE: Athens, Georgia string band Curley Maple has elicited appreciation from fans of all styles of acoustic music for its inspired embrace of traditional fiddle music and contemporary stylings. The renowned and creative playing of ace fiddler David Blackmon is the driving force behind Curley Maple, complemented by the tight harmony singing of Noel Blackmon and Christian Lopez and their inventive work on guitars, mandolins, and bouzouki. An unconventional "trad. band," Curley Maple's figures drone and swirl, nodding to both old and new and branching across time with a blend of old-time and Celtic fiddle tunes, songs, ballads and original compositions. Curley Maple gets its playful name from the figured tonewood, and a hiking shelter on the Tennessee/North Carolina border, deep in the heart of a region known for its distinctive Southern Appalachian and British Isles-influenced fiddle sounds... and from David's secret yearning to be a Stooge.
David Blackmon is a well-known mandolin and fiddler whose roots are firmly planted in traditional and bluegrass music. In the 80's, he toured and recorded with country music legend Jerry Reed. David is also a founding member of Blueground Undergrass, a veteran of the Normaltown Flyers and has shared the stage with the likes of Vassar Clements, Sam Bush and Jerry Douglas. Having toured and recorded extensively with Widespread Panic, David is considered by many to be a pioneer in fusing bluegrass with blues, jazz and rock. He plays a five-string fiddle made by Barry Dudley. This is David's second Dudley five-string and it's made from curly English sycamore and Englemann spruce. It is slightly deeper in the ribs for the low C to growl and to withstand David's sense of humor.
Noel Blackmon's multi-instrumentalist work ethic is well known in the Athens music scene. A veteran of many bands and groups over the years, her work is far-reaching, from the acclaimed world-music band Calliope Fair to the Irish band Short Road Home, to performing her original works and backing up Athens songwriters Megan Baer and Dodd Ferrelle, and singing with the Athens Chamber Singers. Noel is equally at home on upright bass, accordion, piano and percussion, but it is her lead and harmony singing and elegant guitar and mandolin playing that stands out in Curley Maple. Noel is without doubt one of Athens, Georgia's hardest-working and most talented musicians. In 2005, Noel and David married in North Carolina at her family home in the Blue Ridge Mountains. In 2008, David bought her an Irish bouzouki and now she'll hardly play anything else.
Singer-songwriter and mandolin player Christian Lopez is a native son of Reno, Nevada. His path has taken him from the West to Austin, Texas to Athens, Georgia where he's also been a sideman in several string bands playing festivals and dances. In 2004, he released the acoustic Down By The Drowning Creek, a "through-the-glass-darkly look back into the 19th century" which garnered favorable reviews from the local press for its dark and lyrical ballads. His mandolin style combines fiddle and clawhammer banjo sounds to back David's fiddling. Christian proudly plays an Old Wave oval-hole mandolin made by Bill Bussman and will put it up against any other oval-hole out there.
Chris Enghauser plays acoustic and electric bass around the Athens & Atlanta areas, has a Masters degree in music performance from the University of Georgia and a Bachelor’s degree in music performance from George Mason University. Chris recently won a position in the Macon Symphony as section bass, and plays with jazz, folk, bluegrass and other classical outfits in Georgia. Chris is presently an Academic Program Specialist teaching jazz bass in the Jazz Studies Program at UGA and is also an electric and upright bass instructor at the Athens School of Music. Chris appeared on the debut album of Jeff Coffin (of Bela Fleck and the Flecktones), "Commonality" which received a nomination for “Indie Record of the Year in JazzTimes magazine. Chris was featured along with Buddy Spicher on Mike Dowling’s "Swing Guitar" for Homespun Videos and has recorded for National Public Radio, Sugar Hill Records and Compass Records, and is a former member of Roy ’Futureman’ Wooten’s "Roy-El Phi-Harmonics Orchestra" and of Badabing BadaBoom. Chris has also appeared with, Mac Davis, Sara Evans, Bela Fleck, Pat Flynn, Futureman, Crystal Gayle, David Greir, Paul McCandless, Jeff Mosier, Felix Pastorius, Victor Wooten, the Augusta Symphony, the Athens Symphony, the Columbus Symphony, the Gainesville Symphony, the McLean Symphony and the Seattle Mandolin Ensemble.
The Melting Point presents...... JIM WHITE with special guest William Tonks
Tickets are $12 adv (+$1.50 conv fee) - $15.00 at the door
Doors open @ 6pm for dinner & drinks
Show @ 8pm
This is an 18 & up general admission show
Transnormal Skiperoo is a name I invented to describe a strange new feeling I've been experiencing after years of feeling lost and alone and cursed. Now, when everything around me begins to shine, when I find myself dancing around in my back yard for no particular reason other than it feels good to be alive, when I get this deep sense of gratitude that I don't need drugs or God or doomed romance to fuel myself through the gauntlet of a normal day, I call that feeling 'Transnormal Skiperoo.’ Jim White Jim White traveled many a junkyard road to get to Transnormal Skiperoo. Raised in Pensacola, Florida, a town crushed between the church and heroin, Jim’s songs reach deep into the underbelly of the South. One time Pentacostal, fashion model, New York taxi driver, drifter, pro-surfer, photographer, film-maker, his music is the conduit for all the stories he collected along the way. His previous albums ‘Wrong-Eyed Jesus’ [1997], ‘No Such Place’ [2001] and ‘Drill a Hole in That Substrate…’ [2004] were acclaimed as masterpieces of ‘outer space alt.country’ and established Jim as a phenomenal maverick talent. Jim also starred in the BBC4 film ‘Searching for the Wrong-Eyed Jesus’, an award-winning road-movie exploring Southern culture through its music and stories. Now living in an old farmhouse in the backwoods of Georgia, Jim White may have finally reached a place called home, but his other search, for what he calls ‘the gold tooth in God’s crooked smile’ continues in this new set of backyard tales. Transnormal Skiperoo was produced by Joe Pernice and Michael Deming, recorded with the band Ollabelle, and also features tracks with Tucker Martine and Laura Veirs, local Georgia legend Don Chambers & Goat, bluegrass duo Jeff & Vida and percussionist Mauro Refosco. Jim White is a highly original voice in the immense Southern gothic tradition. When broken humanity aches for grace, music like his may give you a shot at redemption.
The past year was a good one for JazzChronic. The line-up solidified with the addition of Justin Willis (guitar, vocals) and Kurt Blankenship (bass) to the already solid foundation of Leon Campbell (drums), Gnarly G (saxophone, vocals) and Howard Stroud (keyboards). The music has taken a turn toward harder funk, reminiscent of the horn led bands of the late 70’s. Recently, the band has started to incorporate vocals into the mix.
A little bit of this, a little bit of that. JazzChronic hits you with a blend of jazz, funk, old school and new school to “Smack the taste outta yo’ mouth!”
Tickets are $10 advance (+$1.50 conv fee) - $12 at the door
18 & up show - Doors open @ 6pm for dinner & drinks
Show @ 8:30pm
Originally formed in 1986, after John Keane left Phil & The Blanks, the "Flats" play psychedelic tunes from 1967 - 1972 by artists such as Jimi Hendrix, The Doors, Cream, Steppenwolf, Santana, Led Zeppelin, Deep Purple and the Beatles. Strawberry Flats was started as a fun cover band to pay tribute to the psychedelic music of that era. The band also performs some oddball one-hit wonders like "Hot Smoke and Sassafrass" by Bubble Puppy. Overall it's a lot louder and more testosterone driven than the Blanks stuff. Strawberry Flats consists of veteran local musicians John Keane on vocals and guitar, Tim White on keyboards, Scott Sanders on bass and backing vocals, and Deane Quinter on drums. Come re-live the late 60's/early 70's once again at The Melting Point!
The Melting Point presents.........Bell X 1 from Ireland with special guest Brooke Waggoner
Tickets are $8 adv (+$1.50 conv fee) - $10 at the door
Doors open @ 6pm for dinner & drinks - Music @ 9pm
This is an 18 & up general admission show
Bell X1 and Damien Rice used to be a band called Juniper. Juniper berries are used to make gin. "Gin and tonic dressing gown..." is a lyric from Bell X1's debut album, Neither am I, released in 2000 in Ireland.
Ireland used to be poor, and now it's blingin, with scattered showers. Showers of critical acclaim followed the release of their (multi platinum n ting) second record, Music in Mouth, in 2003 in the UK and Ireland; the public too were keen. Keane, Snow Patrol, The Frames, Bon Jovi (?!) and Elliott Smith are some of the people that Bell X1 have toured with.
With the song Eve, the Apple of My Eye on the latest OC soundtrack, the band recently played in New York and LA, where some of the OC cast came to see the show. Showing their ignorance, the band didn't know who they were being introduced to, bringing to mind the meeting of Homer Simpson and Billy Corgan - "Billy Corgan, Smashing Pumpkins" ..."Homer Simpson, smiling politely".
Their current record Flock was released in Ireland and went straight to number 1 in the pop charts, followed by many sold out shows and all that jazz.
Flock was released in America on Feb 19, 2008 and across Europe in April 2008.
BROOKE WAGGONER: "Brooke Waggoner unleashes a farrago of Southern gothic charm with Cat Power-meets-Rachmaninov explosions of power on her piano. Songs such as ’My Legionnaire’ are laced-collar tales of sweaty-fingered impropriety in tool sheds that have got a lot more to do with Mrs. Dalloway than Dolly Parton." - NME Magazine
"...Waggoner’s melodies uplift and carry you away with a youthful strength tendered by lush vocals and delicate instrumentation." - American Songwriter Magazine
For more info on this artist please visit....... Brooke's Myspace
A Night of Bud, Bourbon & Blues with Specials & Giveaways all night!
Join host, JOHN STRAW, every Wednesday night from 8-11pm @ The Melting Point for the JOHN STRAW WEDNESDAY BLUES showcase featuring local, regional and national BLUES artists weekly.
Wednesday May 28th, 2008 features.... THE HEALERS
$5.00 advance OR $5.00 at the door evey Wed
Doors open @ 6pm for dinner & drinks
Blues music from 8-11pm
18 & up
After a respite of nearly six years, a long-standing Athens-based blues band is poised to make a return to the local music community.
The Healers, which built a loyal following with its "Blues Night" performances at the old Rockfish Palace (opening for the likes of Matt "Guitar" Murphy and Tinsley Ellis) and its informal residencies at the Road House and Half-Moon Pub, will bring its bluesy blend of musical styles to The Melting Point on Wednesday January 16th.
Donny Ray Simonds, the band's vocalist, harmonica player and leader, says his interest in the blues stretches back to his pre-teen days, when he heard the first album by those London sensations, The Rolling Stones.
"I realized that on that album, the Stones only wrote one or two songs," says Simonds, 50. "The rest of the songs were written by guys like Muddy Waters and Little Walter Jacobs. Back then I was hungry for the blues."
The Los Angeles native moved to Athens in the late 1970s and has been here ever since, forming The Healers in the late mid-1980s. He is the band's lone founding member, although several band mates - including drummer Jeff Gill and guitarists Jimmy Bolman and John Davis - were part of the fold for a considerable number of years.
Simonds says there had been no consideration on his part regarding a Healers reunion until an Atlanta-based blues institution took an influential first step.
"Some friends of ours from Atlanta, Felix and the Cats, got back together for a show at the Northside Tavern," says Simonds. "Afterwards, Jimmy Bolman called me and suggested we should think about getting back together."
While employing a succession of players through the years and recording an album in 1995, members of The Healers went their separate ways in 2000.
"Everybody who's played in this band has been a hardcore Healer," says Simonds, who is married to Mamie Fike, a member of the long-rocking Athens mainstays Jackpot City. "But we're not going to be as busy as we were in the past. We've got jobs and wives and kids now. But we can keep coming back to this music because it's timeless."
One aspect of this version of The Healers (which includes Atlanta bassist Keith Adderbeck) that's much different from previous incarnations of the band is its dedication to practicing.
"We've been rehearsing a lot, which is something we didn't do that much before," says Simonds. "I guess that was because we always were playing somewhere."
Promising a mix of traditional, contemporary and original selections, Simonds says he's looking forward to visiting with folks who saw the band during its heyday.
JazzEnigma is: Sax (alto), Melvin Mathurin Guitar, Craig Griffin Bass, Robby Handly Drums, Darren Stanley
"They say there is a war raging in the world of jazz" - Joshua Redman.
jazzenigma is on the front-line of this battle! Pushing the music forward with honest homage to the masters of yesteryear, jazzenigma presents a fiery, yet sincere approach to the jazz. With John Coltrane, Ornette Coleman, and Charlie Parker as their close advisors, jazzenigma is sure to pull the listener to the end of their seats, while pushing one's imagination of what jazz is, past the limit. Saxist Melvin Mathurin, with his keen and poignant presentation of the jazz idiom brings a cellar set with pianist Kevin Hyde, bassist Robby Handley, and drummer Darren Stanley.
The Melting Point presents......Sons Of Sailors: a Jimmy Buffett Cover Band (featuring members of The Tony Pritchett Band)
Doors open @ 6pm - Music begins @ 8:30pm
Tickets are $10 adv (+$1.50 conv fee) - $13 at the door
You'll think you're at a Parrothead concert with all the Coral Reefers. Tony and his crew will satisfy your appetite with their "All You Can Party Buffett". The ship sails at 8:30 pm sharp!
The Melting Point presents.....an evening with the EG Kight Band
Tickets are $12.00 advance (+$1.50 conv fee) - $15.00 at the door
Doors open @ 6pm for dinner & drinks
Music begins @ 8:30pm (performing two sets)
EG Kight was born in Dublin, Georgia to a musically engaging family. She was encompassed by music from the day she entered this world. Her mother was a gospel singer and her grandmother a guitar player. The music was intensified by her grandfather, a southern preacher. By four, EG was singing solo at the church, at 15 she was performing country music at civic events and festivals. Distraught after a teenage heartbreak she penned her first song at 16, a pivotal moment that gave birth to a songwriter. She discovered the ability to grasp the emotion, write about it, put it to music, and tell the story from the heart. The songstress was soon performing on stage with some of country music's greats like George Jones and Jerry Lee Lewis. She was appearing regularly on TNN's Nashville Now in 1989. Prior to 1995, EG's exposure to the blues consisted mainly of BB King, Bobby Blue Band, Sonny James, and Elvis Presley. That year, she heard an astonishing voice that would leave a lasting impression. For EG Kight, a window was thrown open and Koko Taylor's voice flew in like a hurricane. As a result EG's music took a dramatic turn towards the blues. Her music now crosses many borders that tastefully incorporate jazz, country, southern rock, gospel and funk, but according to Kight, the blues has become the backbone of her music for the past seven years. EG considers herself a singer first, but her writing abilities are a vital component of her artistry - sharing her words gathered from inspirations of everyday life with the ears of the listener. She wants to touch a feeling or sentiment in every lyric and in every note. EG Kight is now well positioned in the blues world, honored with three prestigious W.C. Handy nominations in 2004. Her song, "Let the Healing Begin," was selected in the final round of the International Songwriting Competition (ISC). EG's songs were chosen for two successful NARM/BMA compilations (Get the Blues! and Get the Blues 2!), each maintaining Billboard chart positions for more than a year. In addition to her own live performances (both solo/acoustic and with her band), EG has shared the stage with such notables as Taj Mahal, Delbert McClinton, Phoebe Snow, Merle Haggard, and Little Feat during the past year.
Takin' It Easy is the fourth CD release for EG Kight on Blue South Records. Consistent with her previous recordings, Southern Comfort (2003), Trouble (2001), and Come Into the Blues (1997), Takin' It Easy includes a combination of eight thoughtful originals and four carefully selected covers. The predominant use of acoustic instrumentation throughout the project gives the listener an immediate sense of simplicity and calm. Known for her passionate and heartfelt delivery of ballads, EG penned "When You Were Mine," a song that can hold up against any timeless classic. Seven more Kight compositions adorn this project which includes "Nothin' Ever Hurt Me," a tale of universal hurt; "Coming Out of the Pain," about recovery from a breakup; and the pleading "Stay Awhile." The clever "Peach Pickin' Mama" and the title track provide EG's signature glimpse into her Georgia roots. EG shares her jazzy side with the swingin' "I Don't Wanna Start Over" and the Ellington gem, "I Ain't Got Nothin' But the Blues." There is no shortage of energy and sophisticated arrangements as evident in her rendition of the Allman's "Southbound," the sassy "I Ain't Got No Business Doin' Business Today," and the opening track, "I'll Believe It When I Feel It." EG masterfully makes the gospel-infused Marc-Alan Barnett tune, "Can't Blame Nobody But Me," her own. For this release EG has employed the talents of guitarist Chris Hicks (Marshall Tucker Band), tenor sax player Greg Piccolo (ex-Roomful of Blues), and pianist Ann Rabson (Saffire - the Uppity Blues Women). Looking ahead, EG Kight is already writing new material for her next project and continues to broaden her fan base by touring nationally and exploring international opportunities.
The Melting Point presents.... an evening with the DEL MCCOURY BAND
Advance tickets are $35 (+conv fee $2.50) - $40.00 at the door
This is an 18 &up general admission show
Doors open @ 6pm for dinner & drinks - Music @ 8:30pm
Delano Floyd McCoury was born in Bakersville, North Carolina on February 1, 1939. At an early age, the McCoury family relocated north, just above the Mason-Dixon Line in York County, Pennsylvania. It was his older brother G.C. who introduced the young Del to bluegrass through the music of Flatt and Scruggs. "I learned to play music from my older brother, and we always listened to the Grand Ole Opry. In 1950, he bought some 78 RPMs, and one of them was Flatt and Scruggs. When I heard them playing 'Rolling in My Sweet Baby's Arms,' I just couldn't leave that record alone…I wore it out!" Del was so impressed by bluegrass music that he decided to take up the banjo. Although members of the extended McCoury family were versed in old-time music and clawhammer style, finding pickers familiar with the then-new Scruggs style proved more difficult. "Not many people played banjo like Scruggs. I didn't know anyone who played three-finger style, so I had to learn from records." One of Del's early musical partners was Keith Daniels, a native North Carolinian living in Maryland at the time. The pair appeared on local radio with the Stevens Brothers, then founded Keith Daniels and the Blue Ridge Partners in 1958. During the fifties and sixties, the Baltimore area was a breeding ground for bluegrass talent. Receiving a medical discharge after a stint in the military, Del and younger brother Jerry worked in the Baltimore honky-tonks with the Franklin County Boys and then Jack Cooke's Virginia Playboys. Cooke had recently quit Bill Monroe's band. It was the gig with Cooke that brought Del to Monroe's attention. "I was playing banjo with him one night when Bill Monroe just walked right in and sat down in front of us…scared me to death!" Both Del and Cooke filled in for a brief tour with Monroe, but Del was soon invited to become a full-time Blue Grass Boy in early 1963. Under the impression he was trying out for the banjo job, a surprised Del was offered the guitar slot instead. Upon arriving in Nashville he contacted Monroe from his room at the Clarkston Hotel, right next door to the National Life and Accident Insurance Building, sponsors of the Grand Ole Opry. "I called Bill when I got to my room and he said to meet him in the restaurant. I went down carrying my banjo and saw this other guy in the lobby with his banjo. The other banjo player was Bill Keith, or 'Brad' as Monroe called him. You see there was only one Bill in the band so he called him Brad, which was his middle name. Bill bought both of us breakfast and then we went up to the National Life and Accident Building. Bill said to me, "I want you to audition on guitar." I thought it was strange…I had never even told him I could play one, even though that was the first thing I had learned as a kid. I took out Bill's guitar and played it. He then told me he needed a lead singer. So he hired Bill Keith right then because he needed him for a new recording. He told me he'd try me out for two weeks and then get me into the union, which he did." Del was a Blue Grass Boy from February 1963 until early 1964, when he and his new bride Jean moved to California.
After a disappointing stint with the Golden State Boys, Del decided to return to York County, Pennsylvania. He spent time as a construction worker at a local nuclear power plant, then was employed in the logging industry. Bluegrass gigs were much more plentiful back east, and Del would spend the next two decades as a part of the bluegrass scene in the Maryland, Pennsylvania and Virginia area. Fiddler and Blue Grass Boy alumnus Billy Baker made the trip to California with Del, and upon their return they formed the Shady Valley Boys. It wasn't long before Del soon had his own band, Del McCoury and the Dixie Pals. "In 1967, I started my own band without Billy...that was the Dixie Pals. Billy eventually came back and played fiddle on that first record, on Arhoolie Records." Constant personnel changes were a matter a fact for most bluegrass acts of the day, especially given the pressure of keeping full-time employment while maintaining a band. "Back then I didn't take it as seriously as I do now. It was more of fun thing. Musicians would come and go. I played the bluegrass festivals on weekends, sometimes a thousand miles away, just to keep a band together. I did that all through the seventies. I recorded some pretty good albums and had some good bands, especially for being just part time."
In 1981, Del's son Ronnie began playing with the band on a part-time basis at age thirteen. Among those who encouraged the young Ronnie was Bill Monroe himself. "I took Ronnie with me to a gig at the Lincoln Center. Monroe and a bunch of others were on the bill. He really took a liking to Ronnie and let him play his mandolin. It must have made an impression on Ronnie because when we got back home, he wanted to play mandolin. He was good enough after his first year to play rhythm in the band. I thought he might lose interest because not everyone's cut out to be a musician. But once the boys started playing, they never quit…never put their instruments down." 1987 saw the debut of Robbie McCoury with the band, first on bass then moving to banjo the following year. As the sound of the group evolved, Del was persuaded to change the name of the Dixie Pals to the Del McCoury Band. Albums such as 'Don't Stop the Music,' 'Blue Side of Town' and 'The Cold Hard Facts' helped propel the band to the forefront of the bluegrass world, along with relocation to Nashville in 1992. With Mike Bub and Jason Carter on bass and fiddle respectively, the group has developed into one of the finest units to ever grace a bluegrass stage. The list of International Bluegrass Music Association awards garnered by the band over the next decade is too numerous to mention.
Ronnie and Robbie McCoury have developed into two of the finest instrumentalists of their generation. The brothers' contributions to the success of the group should not be overlooked. It was their input that helped revitalize Del and gives him the inspiration to carry on. While both grew up absorbing Dad's influence, they aren't afraid to bring fresh contemporary arrangements and material to the group. The savvy Del knows better than to dismiss their ideas and treats the boys as musical partners. "The boys think of music like I do, so their ideas are similar to mine. When you have that chemistry, it's much easier to play. If I hear a song I know right off if I'll like it or not. The boys are really good at that, so I'm letting them do more and more these days. I used to have to do it all…material selection, lead singing and teaching everyone the parts. Now these young guys are hearing much more different music than I am. They hear all kinds of styles."
Throughout the nineties, the Del McCoury Band has embodied the best qualities of bluegrass. They have received exposure in the mainstream media for collaboration with the alternative rock group Phish. Another big fan of the Del McCoury Band is Steve Earle, with whom the band recorded 1999's 'The Mountain.' "When Steve came up with the idea, I thought about it and figured it would help both of us as well as the music. He has admired bluegrass ever since he came to town." Another factor cited by Del that piqued his interest in Earle's project was the wealth of new material, a meaningful subject in Del's opinion. "Back when Bill Monroe first started playing, he didn't have songs of his own. But once he started to write his own songs and later when Lester Flatt joined the group writing songs, bluegrass had its own style. We have to get new songs into the bluegrass genre to keep it fresh and up to date. You have to keep things growing." After a highly successful relationship with Rounder Records, the Del McCoury Band recently signed with Ricky Skaggs' Ceili Records. The first project to test the new relationship, 'The Family,' was also released in 1999 to wide acclaim from fans and critics alike. He is revitalized, re-energized and making the best music of his illustrious career. Today, the Del McCoury Band enjoys the praise of traditional bluegrass lovers and tie-dyed clad 'Del-Heads' alike. Del has proven not to be a relic of bluegrass music's past, but an architect of its future.
"McCoury is a national treasure." -Washington Post
For more info on this artist, please visit....... Del's website
The Melting Point presents.......Tommy Talton Band CD release party
Tickets are $12.00 adv (+$1.50 conv fee) - $15.00 at the door
Doors open @ 6pm for dinner & drinks - Show @ 8:30pm
This is an 18 & up general admission seated show
Tommy Talton was a founding member of 70s Capricorn Records group Cowboy. While in Macon, Ga. Through most of the 70s, Tommy was a studio musician recording with artists such as Bonnie Bramlett, Martin Mull, Corky Lang (West, Bruce and Lang, Mountain), Gregg Allman, Dickie Betts, Clarence Carter, country legend Kitty Wells, Alex and Livingston Taylor, Arthur Conley of Sweet Soul Music fame, and more. He toured exclusively throughout the U.S. with Cowboy and with Gregg Allmans Laid Back tour, from Carnegie Hall (as special guests) to Fillmore West in San Francisco and most cities in between. Tommy lived and toured in Europe throughout the 90s and formed a group there, called The Rebelizers, with members of Albert Lees band Hogans Heroes. Tommy is now joined by three spirited, creative musicians from the southeast (Tallahassee and Birmingham).
The Melting Point is thrilled to present an evening with the legendary POCO
Tickets are $30.00 adv (+$2.50 conv fee) - $35.00 at the door
Doors open @ 6pm - Two sets beginning @ 8pm
This is general admission seated show
Poco was one of the first groups to pioneer Country-Rock music. The harmonies and instruments of Country mixed with Rock'n'Roll rhythms, paved the way for supergroups like the Eagles and while hits for Poco were few, their influence runs deep in both Country and Pop music. Richie Furay (b. May 9, 1944, Yellow Springs, Ohio) and Jim Messina (b. December 5, 1947, Maywood, California) formed Poco after Buffalo Springfield broke up in 1968 when Stephen Stills and Neil Young left the group. Rusty Young (b. February 23, 1946, Long Beach, California) had come from Colorado to play pedal steel guitar on the last Buffalo Springfield album. Furay loved what Rusty played on his song, Kind Woman and invited Young to join Poco. Auditions were held for the other band members and among the hopeful was Gram Parsons. He played with Poco for a few weeks but things didn’t work out and he left the band. Eventually Rusty Young suggested bringing in two of his friends from Colorado to join the band. Drummer George Grantham (b. November 20, 1947, Cordell, Oklahoma) and bass player Randy Meisner (b. March 8, 1947, Scottsbluff, Nebraska) moved to California and signed on as Poco’s rhythm section. Poco originally called themselves Pogo but changed their name when cartoonist Walt Kelly, creator of the "Pogo" syndicated strip, instigated legal proceedings to prevent the use of the name. Poco began performing in Hollywood at clubs like The Troubadour and gained the attention of several record companies. They signed with Epic in the fall of 1968 and released their debut album Pickin’ Up The Pieces, in 1969. Randy Meisner left the band after the first album to play with Rick Nelson & the Stone Canyon Band. A few years later, he became a founding member of the Eagles and wrote and sang lead on their hit, Take It To The Limit. Jim Messina moved to bass to cover the spot Meisner left until Timothy B. Schmit joined the band. Following their second album Poco, in 1970, the band recorded a live album called, Deliverin' (released in 1971). The singles, You Better Think Twice (1970), and C’mon (1971) made a brief appearance on the Pop singles chart. In the fall of 1970, Jim Messina decided to leave Poco to spend more time with his new wife and work as a staff producer for Columbia Records. He was assigned to work with a new artist named Kenny Loggins and the two worked together so well in the studio that they decided to form a band together. Loggins and Messina went on to record nine albums and several hit singles including Your Mama Don’t Dance. Singer, songwriter, guitarist Paul Cotton joined Poco in 1970 after leading the popular Chicago-based band, Illinois Speed Press. Cotton contributed Bad Weather and Railroad Days on the album From the Inside, produced by Steve Cropper and recorded in Memphis. Furay began to share more of the songwriting and lead vocals and Tim Schmit also sang two songs on the album. Poco recorded their next album, Good Feelin’ To Know, in Chicago and returned to Los Angeles for the making of their Crazy Eyes album. Furay left Poco in 1973 to form the attempted supergroup, the Souther-Hillman-Furay Band. Richie recorded two albums with J.D. Souther and Chris Hillman, but commercial success eluded the group. From 1973 to 1977, Poco toured and recorded as a four-piece with Cotton and Schmit sharing songwriting and lead vocals. Rusty Young began to contribute as a writer and vocalist on Poco’s first album for ABC, Seven (1974), with Rocky Mountain Breakdown. Over the next four years Poco released the albums, Cantamos (1974), The Very Best Of (1975), Live (1975), Head Over Heels (1975) (that produced the Top 50 Pop hit, Keep On Trying), Rose Of Cimarron (1976) and Indian Summer (1977). The title tracks of both the last two albums were Pop chart singles with Rose Of Cimarron going Top 100 (1976) and Indian Summer going Top 50 (1977). More personnel changes came in 1977 when George Grantham moved to Nashville to play drums for Ricky Skaggs and then Steve Wariner. Timothy Schmit also made his exit from Poco to replace Meisner in the Eagles. He recorded The Long Run and Live albums with the supergroup and wrote and sang the hit, I Can’t Tell You Why. Rusty and Paul again held auditions in Los Angeles to find a new rhythm section. They hired Englishmen Steve Chapman (drums) and Charlie Harrison (bass, vocals) who had been members of Al Stewart’s band. This sixth re-formation of Poco proved to be the magical one. They released the Legend album for ABC in 1978. Crazy Love, written and sung by Young, became Poco’s biggest hit reaching the Top 20 on the Pop singles chart and crossing to the Country Top 100, the following year. Paul Cotton’s Heart Of The Night also became a Top 20 Pop hit and helped propel sales past the 500,000 unit mark. Poco earned their first Gold disc and the Legend album eventually passed the one million sales mark to be certified Platinum. The title track of Poco’s 1980 album Under The Gun, reached the 40's on the Pop chart and Midnight Rain went Top 75. The band recorded the Civil War theme album Blue And Grey (1981) and Cowboys And Englishmen (1982) for MCA before moving to Atlantic Records in 1982. The Ghost Town album provided the Top 50 hit, Shoot for the Moon. Their second Atlantic album was titled Inamorata and featured a reunion of sorts when Furay, Grantham, Meisner, and Schmit joined Poco in the studio to sing on a few tracks. In 1984, Poco decided to take a break from recording and touring. Chapman took over management of his former employer Al Stewart. Bassist Harrison stayed in L.A. and formed a new group. Cotton and Young relocated to Nashville to focus on songwriting and session work. Later in the 80’s, Rusty and Paul occasionally performed as Poco with various Nashville studio musicians providing the rhythm section. Young played steel guitar on albums for many Country artists and toured for a while with Vince Gill. In 1989, Young and Furay thought it would be fun to get the original Poco back together to record an album. Grantham, Meisner, and Messina agreed and they began writing and rehearsing at Messina’s Santa Barbara, California studio. Poco signed a new record deal with RCA and released Legacy in 1990. The reunion album produced the pre-released 1989 Top 20 Pop hit and video, Call It Love and Poco embarked on a worldwide tour to support the album. They had a 1990 Top 40 Pop hit with Nothin’ To Hide, which was co-written and produced by Richard Marx. Poco today led by Rusty Young, Paul Cotton and Jack Sundrud with the addition of drummer George Lawrence continue to be a recording and touring force logging in 100 shows a year. In addition to releasing a new studio CD: “Running Horse” in 2003, a live DVD: “Keeping The Legend Alive” in 2005, “Bareback At Big Sky” in 2006 and an unplugged CD: “The Wildwood Sessions” in 2007. They will continue to tour in 2008 celebrating their 40th Anniversary.
