A couple of weeks ago, we had a surprising “first” on the Buzzcutz podcast as local singer/songwriter Rob Russell announced his candidacy for First District Congressman of Tennessee. Rob is running as an independent on the slogan, “Change…why the hell not!” Although he speaks about his campaign with a sly smile, he has a real passion for politics and with a day job as an American Lit professor at ETSU, he’s certain to be a gadfly for debate and attracting more young people to vote.
We congratulate Rob on his decision and we continue to hold the highest regard for him and his band the Sore Losers as they continue to entertain crowds in East Tennessee. Last Saturday, we interviewed him and the boys at Gatsby’s in Johnson City. This popular night closed their doors for the last time on February 16th and The Sore Losers along with The Swinging Pachyderms put on a fine show performing a tribute set to Tom Petty and Drive By Truckers.
Gatsby’s has long been one of the most popular rock and roll venues in Johnson City and they are shutting down for a while as new owners come in and retrofit the club into a place they are calling ‘Capones.’
The new owners are also affiliated with the Second Level dance club and purport to revitalize this venue to “something more like The Orange Peel” in Asheville with a variety of music. The name is fitting too because Johnson City has a legend and nickname of ‘Little Chicago.’ According to urban legends, gangsters including Al Capone frequented Johnson City as an occasional hideout during the 1920s and 30s.
Johnson City’s main street was on simmer when I arrived around 9pm. A band was setting up in front of Halo, there was a “For Sale” sign in the window of the former gay cabaret Pharaohs and several bands were unloading gear at The Hideaway.
There was a $7.00 cover charge tonight and inside Gatsby’s there was already a good crowd and Rob’s band had just finished loading their gear on the stage – performing a sound check of Tom Petty’s ‘Free-Falling.’
Gatsby’s was a great music venue. My favorite personal memory is the night I had a chance to perform with John Cowan several years ago with Tad Dickens, Terry McCoy, Brad Tester and Bo Bradley. It’s kind of three rooms in one. They have a seating area with a long bar, another narrow room for the stage which is flanked by two story brick walls and a back room where they used to have a DJ. They also have an upstairs that looks down to the stage where they have several pool tables and a balcony. I couldn’t forget the life-size Elvis and Marilyn Monroe that rise above the stage.
The club has had some bad press of late because of violence on the streets and although the general condition of the club is memorable, the condition of their bathrooms and the lack of improvements over the years has left this venue with a much-needed face-lift.
Our video crew and photographers made the hike upstairs to set-up our lighting equipment and get ready to stage interviews for both bands. Matt and Jared had everything set up in a short amount of time and after the sound check, Rob’s folks took off to get dressed and we grabbed the Swinging Pachyderms for their first rounds on camera.
We had the Pachyderms on the podcast several weeks ago too and I was eager to hear the band live. They have plenty of players and you can’t but be impressed by their enthusiasm. They’re a new band on the scene and producing a volume of original material. As we turned on the lights and strapped the microphone on each of the players, they seemed to enjoy the limelight as Jared worked through a battery of questions.
There were plenty of familiar faces at Gatsby’s tonight and looking down from the balcony, I was surprised to see John Smith, the former bassist for Brian and the Nightmares. He was in town for a funeral and we enjoyed catching up on a decade or two since he had been in town. He’s working at an IT firm in Nashville and still sees Brian Relleva on a regular basis and performs occasionally with experimental projects.
Keith Smith with EKS Sound came through the door later in the night and was excited to share with me that he and Hans Rottenberry with The Shazam are going out to LA later in the week to record with legendary Queen producer. I admit a little envy too because this sounds like a fun trip. Keith is making the journey as the band will also appear at the Knitting Factory. The Shazam has one of the best pop rock sounds that’s ever come out of East Tennessee and we wish them all the best. He promised a podcast when he gets back in town too and we certainly look forward to that.
After the Pachyderm interviews, Rob’s band returned from their apparel upgrade and we interviewed each of the guys from our upstairs perch. Guitarist Chad Light, Bassist Todd East, Drummer/Brother Andy Russell, Keyboardist Don Eanes and Guitarist Dave Light were great interviews and it was especially interesting to hear Rob’s comments. He was dressed ala Petty with a King of Hearts playing card in his hat and answering Jared’s questions about where he gets his inspiration for songwriting. His comments ranged from sadness to current events, but of late his inspiration comes from ‘Happiness.” Rob was recently married, has a baby on the way and has a new degree of joy in his thoughts as he described his current status and that’s always good to hear from anyone.
By the time the band hit the stage, everyone was ready for the music and there was a packed house tonight too as Rob and the boys always draw a good crowd. Teamed with the Pachyderms street crew there was a shoulder to shoulder fan base wrapped around the bar to the back of the room.
The music was terrific too. Rob and the band had worked up all the memorable and cryptic Tom Petty songs that you could ever want to hear. Old stuff, new stuff, songs with Stevie Nicks and more. Rob played a double-neck guitar that was a real attention-getter and welcomed several vocalists on-stage including Catbird Seat’s Brandon Story and my good friend Jared Bentley who sang ‘Stop Draggin’ My Heart Around’ and a Traveling Wilbury’s number. The band sounded great and the audience was rockin’ all the way through the first set.
After the first set, the boys from the Swinging Pachyderms got all their gear onstage and started a rowdy set of Drive By Truckers. I was most impressed with their guitarist who roared through several blues solos with screaming passion and the three-guitar sound from this young group of musicians was quite impressive as they slammed through a great rock set of covers. They’ve got plenty of passion toward their craft and although I enjoyed the cover set, I think I’m more impressed with their original songs and look forward to the next time so I can hear some of those live.
Rob Russell and The Swinging Pachyderms are scheduled to perform more shows together in the near future including a trip to Knoxville in the next few weeks to duplicate this tribute set and we wish them the best along the way.
As for Gatsby’s, we have certainly enjoyed the many years of live music and look forward to the coming months as the place gets a much-needed face lift. We’ll look forward to another night of great fun and impressive live performances and we’ll see you next time around at Capones!