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Come out to Emilio’s on Thursday, September 20. We’ll be throwin’ down in grand style with the full compliment of horns thanks to Roberto Curtis and Alex Power of the Richmond Afrobeat Collective, the much fabled rhythm section of the Southside Future Squad: Josh Santamaria on drums and James Chalifoux on bass, the ever-enlightening Justin Huppman on guitar and myself on Rhodes, organ and synth. Be there.
Over the last few months, I’ve performed semi-regular gigs at Cafe Diem with a alternating cast of drummers, bassists, and welcomed a number of friends and fellow musicians to sit in, adding guitars and the occasional horn to the mix. I’m happy to announce that we’re scheduled to perform the third Wednesday of each month at least through June, July and August, with additional dates to be announced. Thus far, the lineup has included Forrest Young, Dave Decker, Joe Timberlake, Lee Allen and Lee Francis as drummers, Kai Eason on bass, Kyle Kilduff, Christian Brian, Ken (?) and Tyler Holley sitting in on guitars, Mary Francis adding vocals and sitting in on keys and Dave Brogan contributing a healthy dose of trombone to the mix.
While considerable rehearsal has preceded the shows, they often include extended improv sections and spontaneous jams and are rippled with experimental grooves. Working with such an eclectic cast has been both a learning experience and a proving ground, and the end products have been surprisingly strong and cohesive, thanks to these guys stepping up and really going the extra mile. We look forward to these upcoming shows, and the chance to hone the act into a cohesive band worthy of stepping out on the road with. Don’t miss the next show on June 20 at 9:30p.m., Cafe Diem is located at 600 N. Sheppard and admission is free.
This coming Wednesday, June 13 I will be performing at Bogart’s Back Room at 9:30p.m. with Lee Francis(drums) and Kai Eason(bass) of the Richmond/Harrisonburg band Intense City. Kai and Lee bring rock, jazz, funk and soul sensibilities to the table, and we are excited to get out and play together again. Following our first appearance together at Cafe Diem last month, we have practiced steadily and pieced together a set based around several original tunes, covers from the likes of the Meters, MMW and James Brown, and a healthy dose of improv.
Come on out and support!
Check it out, we’ve got two big shows coming up that you won’t want to miss. Joe Timberlake and myself will be performing as the Boulevard Duo this Thursday, the 12th of April. We’ll be putting together an early opening set for the great Modern Groove Syndicate starting around 9 or so at Cary St. Cafe near the corner of Boulevard and Cary in the Fan.
Next Wednesday we’ll be playing throughout the evening at Cafe Diem, 600 N. Sheppard near Bandito’s. Kicking off around 9p.m., we’re scheduled to play till around midnight. If you haven’t heard this ensemble yet, you should definitely come check it out. Joe has played in a variety of bands throughout the years on bass and drums, and he brings a modern, subtle touch to the kit. At times break-beat, rock, funk and assorted other styles, he keeps us on our toes. You can download and print your own flyers from the gallery page to your right.
Modern Groove Syndicate has been raising the bar for the last 8 years, playing progressive instrumental jazz/funk around Richmond and the East Coast. I’ve had the honor of providing lighting and projections for their shows for the majority of their 2005-6 shows, many samples of which can also be seen in the much-lauded gallery space. The Cary St. gig will be a much-worth-it $5, Diem next Wednesday will be free. That’s right. Free. We’ll be accepting canned food donations for the “Diamond Joe Feeds the Starving College Students” Fund.
Modern Groove features Daniel Clarke on Roland A-90 synth, Roland VK-8 organ and Hohner melodica. The A-90 features excellent Rhodes and acoustic piano tones, the VK-8 is a thick and hearty B-3 organ simulator. The melodica is a wind-driven, piano based instrument not dissimilar to a harmonica. It has a piano-style keyboard generally spanning 3 octaves and provides a similar tone to a harmonica. You will occasionally see John Medeski and a number of other pianists break one out for some acoustic jamming, and it features prominently in the Modern Groove tune “Bunky Flues”, which is expected to be on their upcoming album “Miss Popular”.
Todd Herrington alternates between an Alembic bass and a Fender P-Bass, depending apparently on the flavor of the evening. He is hands-down one of the best bassists around, and plays regularly with the DJ Williams Project as well as Modern Groove.
JC Kuhl plays tenor and soprano saxophones with the band, teaches through VCU and elsewhere, and performs with John D’Earth’s band among numerous other ensembles throughout the area. Joel DeNunzio has kept the beat for the band for the past six or so years, played in the bands Buzby and Regan (I think) and keeps the cars on the road working for V-Dot.
I have great respect for these guys and have learned a lot about not only music, but the business itself and the long uphill climb that is making yourself heard throughout the region and beyond.
Wanted to extend a special thanks to everyone who’s come out to support the Challengers and the Boulevard Duo through our first gigs. Friends and neighbors have done a lot to make them a success. We have a lot of new ideas in the works and look forward to sharing them with everyone.
The Challengers includes:
Dave Decker on drums
Drew Sessler on basses
Tyler Holley on guitars
Dave Klemencic on keys and assorted noisemaking devices
The Challengers pulled together three Bogart’s shows in the last two weeks, the first on Monday, March 5 was an exciting debut for us, bringing to light material that’s been months in the making and was ready to be put through the paces only live performance will provide.
Drew is an outstanding bassist, coming out of the west end of Richmond with funk, jazz and samba backgrounds. He alternates electric basses incorporating synth-driven effects with some uprate action on a vintage upright baby bass. Tyler brings a funk and progressive rock sensibility to the band via Fender Stratocaster with wha and delay effects and some solid acoustic playing. Dave Decker pulls together some very eclectic roots into a rock/jazz/funk style of drums and percussion that is remarkable in its breadth and versatility. He is very solid and can shift styles and modes on a dime. I’ve been working with him since early summer 2006, and have progressed from a vintage Thomas organ to a Fender Rhodes, Farfisa organ, Optimus synth (generally used for bass and ambient effects), Roland Juno-D synth (great organs, nice EPs and wide variety of synth and orchestral effects) and Boss Dr. Sample. This setup is used with both the Challengers lineup and the Duo format.
Thanks to Intense City for the opening slot on Saturday, March 10, had a great time and incorporated some of their gear into the set to a fun effect. We look forward to working with them more in the future. Check them out on Myspace, at http://www.myspace.com/intensecity
The Boulevard Duo, our most recent collaboration brings together Joe Timberlake of Southside Funk Brothers and Existor fame and myself (Davis K) for an organ/rhodes and drums combo. Our first show last night at Cafe Diem was well received, bringing together tunes from the Challengers and Existor catalogues, a number of covers, some originals and some heavy improv sections. Tyler Holley, Kyle Kilduff and Christian (Brian?) alternated as featured guitarists throughout the second set. It’s especially exciting to see Diamond Joe re-emerge on the scene behind the drum kit as opposed to his familiar bass rig. His drumming is reminiscent of his past musical efforts, putting out a high-energy, modern sound that is instantly ear-catching. The duo format and his patience allow for quick changes in pace, open ambient sections and free-for-all grooves. The future is bright for the duo as we hone chops, put new material together and lay out some more shows. Check back often here and on jambase for more dates and samples of the music.
Thanks again cats, it’s been a lot of fun stepping out there and belting out some tunes.
-Dave
Mark your calendars for Monday, March 5 at 9:30 p.m.
Tyler, Drew, Dave and myself are stepping out there and performing at Bogart’s on Lombardy St. in Richmond. The bass/drums/guitar/keys ensemble will be performing as The Challengers, kicking out tunes that have been in the shop for the last 9 months and are finally ready to see the light of night. Should be a lot of fun, our premiere aside from last Fridays performance for Kali’s birthday and the infamous apartment sessions, in which we berated my neighbors with our musical abilities through the walls, floors and ceiling. Bogart’s is a great sounding, atmospheric venue with cheap food and drinks and a friendly crowd and staff. Don’t miss it.
Elgin Park AKA Mike Andrews of the Greyboy Allstars. Check out ElginPark.com