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| The Buzz Here you'll find the Fact Sheet, Instrumentation, Biography, Reviews, Discography, and Information on the Music. Fact Sheet 
Band Name—Larry Perkins Instrumentation
Lead Guitar—Ray Brand Alternate players: Biography Blend of Santana, Steely Dan and the Allman Bro with a jazzy feel and a funky beat—A sound all its own—what these guys play, they mean to play—something here for everyone. The music has: How It Came Together When I was 9 my mom came in one day and said, "you are going to have to take either voice or piano lessons." the voice teacher being a little uncertain of his gender, I chose piano and played classical for 10 yrs during which time I was introduced to John Lennon and Paul McCartney. It wasn't the band that was the bottom line for me , it was the writing. They were my initial tutors. I went back finally and studied jazz harmonies and arranging with Roget Pontbriand at MTSU. Then in nov 1999 after having known the Crawlers for 3 yrs in Huntsville, Al I decided to get off my butt make some demos of songs I had written but on hearing the material Ray and Billy encouraged me to go ahead and make a master. One month and one song into it enters Jessica Wagner and for the next 2 yrs I was priviledged to know her and listen to her sing. We became close friends but it would be another yr before the final wrap on the project. Reviews Larry Perkins has a winner on his hands Reviewer: Harry Jacob Hansen First, let me say that there’s little in my resume to qualify me as a music critic, but one listen to Larry Perkins / Jessica Wagner - Nite at Willie Joe’s and I was inspired to write. Larry’s song writing is superb, the arrangements top notch, and the talent on this project abounds. What started as a demo recording has turned out to be a first rate production. Congratulations, Larry! "Down To Willie’s" - They say Willie Joe’s is in Huntsville, but the sound took me straight to the Jersey shore, Asbury Park, a club called The Stone Pony, Southside Johnny, and The Boss himself, Bruce Springsteen. The Intro to "No Light In The Window" contains strong hints of Christopher Cross’ - "Ride Like The Wind" but a surprising augmented chord in the verse was all it took to tweak my musical ear and grab my interest. Then the rest of the arrangement and Jessica’s vocals held on and wouldn’t let go. The website http://www.cdbaby.com/cd/perkinswagner mentions a Santana influence and the tone of the guitar on the opening of "Cold Hearted Woman" brings that to light. It’s as though Carlos were in the studio that day. The tune itself would make B.B. King proud! Just as the fairly standard sounding "Open Ground" had me thinking I had a bead on what direction the album was taking, along came "Tell Me Your Heart" and once again my ears were smokin’! This is a wonderful tune with some surprises all it’s own! "Leavin’ Tomorrow" - Part show tune, part pop, part lite rocker, this thought provoking tune crosses several musical boundaries in the first minute and forces the listener to pay attention to where this one is going. Love the tension in the horn parts on this one. "Say What You Mean" - Traces of Steely Dan influence can be heard here, but the song has more to say than just "we like Steely Dan music." It says Larry Perkins knows how to turn a phrase and he has something to say that’s all his own. "You’re The Reason" - The chord voicings on this song are most impressive! The rainstorm at the intro took me by surprise. I used a thunderstorm intro on one I wrote called "Just As Long As You’re Here". Very effective on this beautiful song with classic jazz and R&B feel. "1st Day of What Now" - When I heard this song I thought, "I’m pretty sure Leon Russell did this one." Well, if not, he should have! Here’s a great tune with a New York kind of blues feel and some very nice sax work. "Be My Love" - Just when I thought I knew where this song was coming from and where it was going, (at around 1:05) came the key change and sax solo. My ears went, "Whoa, wait just a minute! This is going to be an interesting musical excursion." And I was not disappointed. Let’s go again! "Without You Here" - "Hmmm...here comes that Steely Dan influence again," I thought. But harmonies on the chorus reminded me of Joe Jackson. Nice stuff here, Larry. "The Break Song" - Ahh, yes...we’ve all played this one... "Stick around, folks. We’ll be right back. And don’t forget to tip your bartenders and waitresses." This one has more than a few chuckles and seems appropriate for a closer. It leaves us waiting to see what delights the next set from Larry Perkins will bring. A worthy representation of the musical ability of Larry, Jessica, and a host of others, and an outstanding testament to the profusion of talent at Mill Kids Music, Larry Perkins / Jessica Wagner - Nite at Willie Joe’s is definitely one to add to your collection! Reviewer: JOHN WYKER aka SAILCAT This music does not sound like your run of the mill average rock band. It has an air of sopohistication about it while still maintaining a slinky funky attitude. The tracks are strong featuring four vocalists, giving the album a diverse sound with each singer taking center stage and adding their own interpretation to the flavor of the music. The style of music is timeless and almost borders on the big band sound of the WW II era.... But the music NEVER sounds Quite that antiquated. It's just too hip, bottom heavy and powerful to actually be mintaken for that bygone style of music. Interesting shifts in rhythms, mixed together, are designed to keep your foot tappin. The beautiful goddess, Jessica Wagner, handles most of the vocal chores and does it with flair, command and control. The bottom is nailed down by the get down man, Owen Brown, along with Larry Perkins, on bass with interplay of excellent drumming by Billy Teichmiller. Master guitarists, Ray Brand, John Huber and Danny hall, apply interesting guitar sounds and textures. LarryPerkins, keyboardplayer / singer / songwriter / producer / optometrist from the Rocket City is the songwriter and mastermind behind this profect. He also handles the keyboard with the touch of a seasoned professional studio and road musician who plays the keys with a Steely Dan style that's hard to beat. Discography
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Information on the Music The songs deal with the real life pain of a relationship going bad and the pleas to take a step toward me—we can save this--as seen in the exact sequence they appear on the cd—No light—Cold Hearted Woman—Open Ground—Tell me your Heart— etc —down to the point of looking back after it is over—as in '1st Day, Be my love—summed up in one song at the end 'Wthout You here' and presented as an onstage performance at Willie Joe's.   |
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