HAYSEED DIXIE for many different bands it is plain to all that he has inherited Dave ’ s musical prowess . I also listen to what other musicians say and no one has a bad word to say about him - which doesn ’ t surprise me , the whole family are lovely . www . xanderandthepeacepirates . com
Alan Fennah - percussion You may know Alan from Alternative Radio , a duo he has with his brother Rob . There is no doubt in my mind that Alan is the single best percussionist around . He is incredible to watch and pleasant on the eye if you don ’ t mind me saying !
Jade Thunder - vocals and guitar The newest member of the band and yes , my daughter . Jade is now a full-time member of the band and enjoying every moment . She is a talented vocalist and can drop a harmony on anything . She is also an accomplished rhythm guitarist . www . jadethunder . com
Regular guest appearances include : Brian Jones - Saxophonist Brian is a founder member of the 60 ’ s band The Undertakers and has performed all over the world with many different bands . He is still playing in his 80th year and still wows the crowd with his undeniable passion for his craft . For my mind , he is the best sax player in the world . www . briansaxjones . com
Gary Brown - vocalist A rock voice to end all rock voices . Gary is Robert Plant , Bon Scott and Axel Rose rolled into one . Give him a rock song to sing and he will knock it out of the park . I first saw Gary many years ago singing Rock and Roll by Led Zepplin and I was hooked . He is a great frontman and a top bloke - someone I would have loved to duetted with back in the day .
Craig Murphy - vocalist I am ashamed to say that I didn ’ t even know that Craig could sing ! He was my carpet guy , my daughter ’ s friend and Gary Murphy ’ s nephew ! It isn ’ t enough that he is a good-looking dude , he also has an immensely powerful and melodic voice . I was totally shocked the first time I saw him but absolutely delighted for both him and his parents Larry and Karen , I felt proud enough , I can ’ t imagine how they felt ! By the way Craig , I will be in touch for more carpets soon !
You can catch The Gary Murphy Band at The Floral Pavilion , New Brighton , on Friday 19th August for the Music and Laughter Show starring Ricky Tomlinson , Sean Styles , Elvis Clayton , Brian Saxophone Jones , Clark Gilmour and Jade Thunder . Tickets £ 26.75 from The Floral Box Office .
It ' s not a bad accolade to have both Brian May and Gene Simmons sing your praises . That is the case for Hayseed Dixie . Their journey began one innocent Summer day in 2000 when John Wheeler and Mike Daly drank roughly enough whiskey to float a battleship from the Florida Coast over to Portugal and back and decided to play around in John ’ s studio .
Having spent the previous few years touring around with assorted country hatacts , John had assembled a proper pile of recording equipment . Thus , when he and Mike discovered in their drunken epiphany that the Lost Highway of Reverend Hank Williams and the Highway to Hell of Bishop Bon Scott were indeed the same identical stretch of tarmac , they were well and truly prepared to document this revelation in situ .
East Nashville , Tennessee in the Summer of 2000 was a proper Bohemian party place , and a few friends stopped by , drank some of John ’ s whiskey , and played and sang on this recording here and there , as was the custom of the times . And ten AC / DC songs were suddenly reimagined and recorded forever anew , entirely reinvented as Appalachian Mountain hillbilly rave-ups . Everyone danced ( oh how they danced !) around the studio room and out onto the porch and drank more whiskey . ( You should have been there . Really . You should have .)
Now , functioning well as “ Exhibit A ” in the demonstration of how one ’ s beginnings rarely know one ’ s ends , Hayseed Dixie have evolved into a proper force , one that most people either love , hate , or have never heard of . There isn ’ t really any middle ground , nor should there be . But fourteen albums - consisting of both original material and reinterpretations of previously rendered songs - and global physical sales in excess of half a million copies , with over 1,200 live shows in 31 different countries testify : Hayseed Dixie are the undisputed creators of the musical genre , Rockgrass . There are many copycats , converts , and disciples out there . Accept no imitations .
And now , holding up their own idiosyncratic mirror to an unsettled and unsettling 2017 , Hayseed Dixie offer up their 15th studio album , a collection of both original songs and reinterpretations of R & B and Soul classics . Dance with them as they probe the queries : “ Why do we still believe there is such a thing as ‘ race ’?” “ Are concepts like ‘ nations ’ and ‘ nationality ’ really useful to people who lay bricks or perform kidney stone surgeries ?” and “ Why does every song always sound better with a banjo in the mix ?” The boys are seeking after the root core categorical commonality that runs like an eternal golden braid throughout all of humanity . Then they will buy it a drink !
You can catch the boys at The Chester Live Rooms on 8th July . www . hayseed-dixie . com wirrallife . com 67