Don't stop thinking about tomorrow….
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
Tags: boulevard