It all started one day when Shannon invited Jeff King and Mark Morris over for a few (two) basement jams to see if the project had any chemistry. Although it was obvious that Shannon needed to pick back up on his chops to hang with Mark and Jeff, there wasn’t a doubt that we had enough chemistry to make something come of it.
Mark and Jeff, both being professional musicians, obviously couldn’t make this a ‘basement jam’. Shannon went out to a venue called The Rock Cafe one day to talk with the general manager there about booking bands. The two of them started talking ‘jam bands’ and soon enough The Rock asked us to be their backing band for their weekly open mics. “You can use the night as your rehearsal night’, they told us. The band wholly agreed on it and took The Rock up the gig.
It quickly became apparent that adding a keyboardist to the mix would really round the mix out and the search began. Shannon was working at Bonnaroo ’09 and worked in the same department as Jeff Bujak. Needless to say, Shannon came back with a keyboardist to add into the mix.
Scott Guberman and Tony Lee Thomas were added to the mix as fill ins musicians down the road… and now there is just a rotating crowd of talented musicians up on that stage playing their hearts out! Guberman & Bujak also now alternate Wednesdays, as Guberman has a classic & jam sound to him, whereas Bujak has a elctronica & jazzy sound to him, creating an entirely different sound week after week.
One year after the conception of our project, the band attracts Open Mic participants from miles and miles away. It has been regarded as ‘the open mic for musicians to come and relax’ and as the most fun most of our participants have ever had at an open mic.
The band is all about sharing the stage, is it your turn yet? Makes no difference what you play, style or instrument, because there’s no discrimination here!
Unfortunately The Rock Cafe closed there doors, but fortunately Theodores’ BBQ took us in open armed. The combination of a such a highly regarded venue and this fun loving band really make Wednesdays the night night to be out.