Why I love those boys....#396
Dec. 16th, 2012 10:54 am![[personal profile]](https://www.dreamwidth.org/img/silk/identity/user.png){kind=small}
ravenswordSo, Ryan Baker and Jason Southard are extraordinary musicians. I of course, met them through Kane, but right from the start, I was interested in what else they did, because it was clear that Kane was just the tip of the iceberg.
I wasn't wrong.
I got my hands on CDs that both of them had played on, first for a group called Blues Love Undiscovered and then for The Common Revolution, and as different as the two are from Kane, they are also different from each other.
Then, I get this invite from another Phoenix based musician to come check out this group "Great Gig in the Sky"...and I haven't always been a huge Pink Floyd fan, but I'm familiar enough with the music to understand the kind of musicians it requires to really play it well...and Ryan was playing drums and Jason was singing lead as well as playing lead guitar...and I decided to check that shit out.
I saw them first in July, made a weekend of it. Flew down for the gig, shot a ridiculous number of pictures, had lunch with Ryan and his gorgeous and amazing wife Hashana and did a little shopping before heading home. The gig was an unbelievable experience and I "met" a ridiculous number of people, including the music teacher that apparently taught both Ryan and Jason.
There have been a few shows since then that I've missed. One was just before the flight to England. One was in Flagstaff on a weekend I just couldn't swing it.
But when they announced a gig for this past Friday night a few weeks ago, and I had exactly one vacation day left on the year, and Southwest was running a sale, and I had enough Hilton points for a free hotel room? I said yes please and thank you I think I will.![[livejournal.com profile]](https://www.dreamwidth.org/img/external/lj-userinfo.gif)
darling_lisa drove up from Tucson to meet me.
Aside from a small problem with finding the club, we arrived without incident and found ourselves in the tiny parking lot of this tiny dive bar called The Sail Inn. Originally, the gig had been planned for the outdoor stage, which apparently was much bigger than the tiny stage they crammed those people onto. Great Gig is a big band, with five primary members (who each bring a TON of equipment, plus a sax guy and two female vocalists who join in from time to time.
So, Lisa and I walk into this bar, getting a look around, and the first person I see is Jason, who is looking at us with this smile and look of disbelief on his face, and he's standing up and moving toward us so we sweep in for hugs (Jason Southard hugs are fucking amazing, y'all) and while I'm hugging Jason I can hear Ryan saying "No fucking way," as he's hugging Lisa. He said it about three times in the first few minutes.
We got hugs and chatted a bit, then Lisa and I withdrew to the bar for drinks and to contemplate food. We ended up ordering sandwiches from Jimmy Johns to be delivered while we sipped on drinks and watched them work on getting set up. There's so much equipment that goes into making Pink Floyd music work, because it isn't just the music. There's the lights and smoke and the sound effects and then there's the band's stuff.
Elliott Scott plays keyboards and has quite the set up over in the corner of the stage. Ryan plays drums and has a full drum kit, plus an electronic drum kit and a keyboard, because yes, there's a song in the set he plays keyboard. Chris Forenz plays rhythm guitar, and he had at least one electric and one acoustic guitar on stage. Jason plays lead guitar, and he had at least two electrics and an acoustic on stage. Lucas Marks rounds out the five main members, on bass. I believe he's the one man on stage with a single instrument.
Every single one of these guys is a supremely talented musician. The music they make together is incredible.
As is my usual, well before a crowd had begun to gather, I found my spot at the stage, set up my gear, bantered with the band as they set up, etc. There were people all over the place that came up to say hi, some of whom I likely met at the first show, but I met SOOOO many people that night it's hard to remember. At least two people came up to talk cameras, both had brand new canon DSLRs, because they'd shot other shows on an iPhone and a small point and shoot, saw my pictures and decided to take the leap. Talked a lot with one of them about how to get the most out of it at a gig like that.
I stopped trying to count the number of people who said they'd seen my work, including the one female vocalist, who wasn't even the same girl as the last gig I was at, she was filling in. She came up and asked me if I had a business card, and of course, I had forgotten to bring any. Apparently Ryan and Jason have done some bragging on me. *blush*
They did two full sets of music, played for nearly three hours when all was said and done. At one point Jason even called us out from stage. We got cheers, though I'm sure most of those cheering had no clue who we were. I got handed business cards because people wanted me to send them pictures. I got groped by some very drunk woman who couldn't find her own ass if she needed to.
When all is said and done, it was a night of good music and good friends...and really, just knowing how much those boys appreciate the fact that we show up? It makes me want to continue to do it. What started out as just me taking pictures as a means to deal with my anxiety at a gig in Portland, has turned into friendship, not just with Ryan or Jason, but with a growing number of musicians and artists that gather to appreciate good music, their wives, girlfriends, boyfriends, etc, and other fans.
And really, it's what they give me that keeps me coming back. Not just the music, but the sense that they love what they do, the passion with which they give themselves over to the music. And it doesn't hurt that when we walk into a place they drop what they are doing to say hello, I'll be honest. And that hug at the end of the night, when they thank us for being there and tell us how much it means to them....yeah, that's a big reason I keep coming back too.
I love those boys in ways I don't know how to articulate. And yes, I'll be back. Hopefully I can catch one of their other bands in action too.
I wasn't wrong.
I got my hands on CDs that both of them had played on, first for a group called Blues Love Undiscovered and then for The Common Revolution, and as different as the two are from Kane, they are also different from each other.
Then, I get this invite from another Phoenix based musician to come check out this group "Great Gig in the Sky"...and I haven't always been a huge Pink Floyd fan, but I'm familiar enough with the music to understand the kind of musicians it requires to really play it well...and Ryan was playing drums and Jason was singing lead as well as playing lead guitar...and I decided to check that shit out.
I saw them first in July, made a weekend of it. Flew down for the gig, shot a ridiculous number of pictures, had lunch with Ryan and his gorgeous and amazing wife Hashana and did a little shopping before heading home. The gig was an unbelievable experience and I "met" a ridiculous number of people, including the music teacher that apparently taught both Ryan and Jason.
There have been a few shows since then that I've missed. One was just before the flight to England. One was in Flagstaff on a weekend I just couldn't swing it.
But when they announced a gig for this past Friday night a few weeks ago, and I had exactly one vacation day left on the year, and Southwest was running a sale, and I had enough Hilton points for a free hotel room? I said yes please and thank you I think I will.
darling_lisa drove up from Tucson to meet me.Aside from a small problem with finding the club, we arrived without incident and found ourselves in the tiny parking lot of this tiny dive bar called The Sail Inn. Originally, the gig had been planned for the outdoor stage, which apparently was much bigger than the tiny stage they crammed those people onto. Great Gig is a big band, with five primary members (who each bring a TON of equipment, plus a sax guy and two female vocalists who join in from time to time.
So, Lisa and I walk into this bar, getting a look around, and the first person I see is Jason, who is looking at us with this smile and look of disbelief on his face, and he's standing up and moving toward us so we sweep in for hugs (Jason Southard hugs are fucking amazing, y'all) and while I'm hugging Jason I can hear Ryan saying "No fucking way," as he's hugging Lisa. He said it about three times in the first few minutes.
We got hugs and chatted a bit, then Lisa and I withdrew to the bar for drinks and to contemplate food. We ended up ordering sandwiches from Jimmy Johns to be delivered while we sipped on drinks and watched them work on getting set up. There's so much equipment that goes into making Pink Floyd music work, because it isn't just the music. There's the lights and smoke and the sound effects and then there's the band's stuff.
Elliott Scott plays keyboards and has quite the set up over in the corner of the stage. Ryan plays drums and has a full drum kit, plus an electronic drum kit and a keyboard, because yes, there's a song in the set he plays keyboard. Chris Forenz plays rhythm guitar, and he had at least one electric and one acoustic guitar on stage. Jason plays lead guitar, and he had at least two electrics and an acoustic on stage. Lucas Marks rounds out the five main members, on bass. I believe he's the one man on stage with a single instrument.
Every single one of these guys is a supremely talented musician. The music they make together is incredible.
As is my usual, well before a crowd had begun to gather, I found my spot at the stage, set up my gear, bantered with the band as they set up, etc. There were people all over the place that came up to say hi, some of whom I likely met at the first show, but I met SOOOO many people that night it's hard to remember. At least two people came up to talk cameras, both had brand new canon DSLRs, because they'd shot other shows on an iPhone and a small point and shoot, saw my pictures and decided to take the leap. Talked a lot with one of them about how to get the most out of it at a gig like that.
I stopped trying to count the number of people who said they'd seen my work, including the one female vocalist, who wasn't even the same girl as the last gig I was at, she was filling in. She came up and asked me if I had a business card, and of course, I had forgotten to bring any. Apparently Ryan and Jason have done some bragging on me. *blush*
They did two full sets of music, played for nearly three hours when all was said and done. At one point Jason even called us out from stage. We got cheers, though I'm sure most of those cheering had no clue who we were. I got handed business cards because people wanted me to send them pictures. I got groped by some very drunk woman who couldn't find her own ass if she needed to.
When all is said and done, it was a night of good music and good friends...and really, just knowing how much those boys appreciate the fact that we show up? It makes me want to continue to do it. What started out as just me taking pictures as a means to deal with my anxiety at a gig in Portland, has turned into friendship, not just with Ryan or Jason, but with a growing number of musicians and artists that gather to appreciate good music, their wives, girlfriends, boyfriends, etc, and other fans.
And really, it's what they give me that keeps me coming back. Not just the music, but the sense that they love what they do, the passion with which they give themselves over to the music. And it doesn't hurt that when we walk into a place they drop what they are doing to say hello, I'll be honest. And that hug at the end of the night, when they thank us for being there and tell us how much it means to them....yeah, that's a big reason I keep coming back too.
I love those boys in ways I don't know how to articulate. And yes, I'll be back. Hopefully I can catch one of their other bands in action too.
