There was this one gig scheduled for late December where we were to provide a musical remedy to some of the most harmful symptoms of the pandemic. A remedy so badly needed by folks right now that we just couldn't wait till then. So, we're bringing it forward. 10-10-2020 is now the official date when the medicine will be distributed to combat the dangerous side effects of social distancing.
You see, when this scourge hit, folks suddenly disappeared from the planet. Poof! Vanished! They went missing behind masks, and screens, and plexiglass, and text. Some began to feel invisible. Some felt horribly lonesome.
Well, if there's a musical antidote to the side effects of social distancing, it's hootenanny - that special concoction of the Bodarks which captures the energy of a riotous backyard party. We've bottled this sound in our 4th album, Side Effects, and will unleash it on 10-10-2020, live, at Love & War in Texas. Of course, there'll be plenty of space on that sprawling patio in Plano, for safety purposes, but the hootenanny will be as tangible as ever in the 6-foot gaps between attendees. But, WARNING: With limited space, and it being a FREE shindig, you'll wanna round up the posse early to grab a spot.
This here show is gonna be a triple-dose, with Honey Folk taking the stage at 6:30pm, Mockingbird at 7:45pm, and The Bodarks at 9:00pm. We've known Regina Debilio and Rags o'Hooligan of Honey Folk for years, and have shared a few stages with them in earlier incarnations like Straw Hat Society and The Gawd Almighties. Here's ya a sneaky-peek:
And when Stacey Shope marches Mockingbird to the stage, better keep your mask on 'cuz, WARNING: They gonna melt your face off. We've been mingling with these cats for awhile in various ensembles, from Whistlestop Jamboree scramble bands, song-swap groups, and Frisco Music Scene events. In fact, Stacey, and guitarist Matt Hinchey, and I launched the Frisco Music Scene a few years back (an attempt to cattle-prod some original music in our hometown). Ben Wade's played drums with The Bodarks on a number of occasions. And Pete Duncan and I have both done keyboard duty with Spencer Cole Band.
Here's one Mockingbird original you can expect to hear on their own soon-to-be released album in November:
If there's any bright side to the pandemic, it's been more time at home to develop the album further, and to release it sooner than planned. We were even able to put a few videos together for its single releases. (Check 'em out below!) Fortunately, we'd already done most of the production work with Bart Rose at Fort Worth Sound studios before the world shut down and folks started vanishing.
We did a bit of mopping up on a few of the songs while quarantined, ping-ponging tracks back and forth. "The Fiddler's Bride" was done entirely from our homes, as was "Whole Lotsa Trouble," which was just a scratch recording with an iPhone one night when I mighta had too much whiskey. All the tunes on Side Effects are originals, except for the Bodarked covers of Alice In Chains, Aerosmith, and Tom Petty.
The release of Side Effects, and the album launch party, may be just what the doctor ordered for all our solitary blues. But, WARNING: Hootenanny is a highly contagious form of social UNdistancing, and is sure to leave you itching for more.
Cheers!
Jeffro
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Because "Maps ain't made by those who stay behind."
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