Shinybass Journal Entry 08-26-20

The Edwin factor

Since there aren’t many shows going on, and you are sick and tired of hearing about my children and my ‘Dad wins’ (The inflatable pool made it almost 4 months without a hole and this morning I walked through a darkened house with a full cup of coffee and stepped on zero Hot Wheels or Legos, so TAKE THAT), I decided to continue my championship run for most meandering run-on sentence and give you some insight as to who I am, what makes me tick, and offer some insight into the people who have shaped my direction.

In 1984, and I was on a school field trip to Washington DC. It was on this trip that I was coerced by a drummer friend, Alan Hayth, to buy a bass guitar when we returned home. I was with two other friends who wanted to start a band, and the cringe-worthy band VEX was hatched. Naturally Alan (the one with a pro drum kit) was the only true player in the outfit, seasoned beyond his years, and the driving force in our band. We ended up learning 3 songs for our first gig in a living room at a friend’s house.

Fast forward 11 years, and after college I was in Nashville, trying to figure out life. (Or is that 2020?). My friends from college called several times for me to come back down to Hattiesburg, Mississippi, which held less glitter than the thought of living in Nashville, to join a band they had put together. My calling was the ‘real world’ I’d say in every conversation, so several times I declined. I guess the last phone call was the one, and I drove down to see what this band was doing. It turns out they were doing a lot, and my roommate and I packed the trucks and moved south.

Talk about not knowing how good it was at the time… My car note was like $100 a month, my rent $125. But don’t get me wrong – I was broke. And honestly, never really happy about that portion of my life. But we pressed on, some 200 show a year, and the buzz for the band started. As we continued to crank up miles on the van and get a footing in the touring circles of the Southeast (and once we sort of musically got our act together), then we started doing shows with other bands.

When you become the opener for someone with some success, you just want to soak, learn, ask all the questions and be a big of a pain in the ass as you are unintentionally trying to be. I mean, they have made it, (right?). What’s the secret? What’s the magic thing? We’ll do it! We’re hungry. We need gas money, and dammit, I want the Muppet Movie standard ‘Rich and Famous’ Contract. Luckily we were assigned to open for Edwin McCain. I want to say it was for several nights in a row, but for some reason I only remember two. But that’s all it took, really. (Someone correct my memory)

For those that don’t know, Edwin McCain has been called all the things – a gypsy, troubadour, songsmith, and all those other labels that album reviewers use to make themselves sound smarter. (I should know – I’ve been reviewing musical gear for years). On the surface, Edwin is those things, and entirely and wonderfully human just like the rest of us, and with a voice that sings to the heavens. Much like Rick James and his ‘aura’, Edwin had an angelic glow around him as we watched him perform. Here was someone close to our age, in a tour bus, playing music that wasn’t bad, who did a duet with HOOTIE (more on that in a minute), and well, he wears jeans and a T-shirt. And has a VIDEO.

And if you go past the ‘Wedding singer’ moniker which was emblazoned by two power ballads that moved Edwin from The Ivory Tusk to red carpet, then you hear a band that could actually play. All of the musicians were intertwined with our lives somehow, with his bass player Scott being a huge playing influence on me (I bought my Warwicks because of him), and Larry played on our Halo record. Dave was also in consult on that record, played with us for a weekend as we were between drummers, and remains close with us to this day. Craig, the silent warrior, ‘likes’ my posts from time to time, and if ever he would want to play on something of mine, I would be honored. And truth be told, I’ve always wanted to play a full show with this band. Just once. There: It’s out there.

So we watched this perfect storm happening in front of us and it gave us some hope. We played a show at the Hard Rock in Memphis during Memphis in May, and who saunters in after his set with the #5 song in the country? Edwin. So he comes up and plays with us for 45 minutes – and mind you, we were still mostly a cover band – so he sang ‘Let’s Go Crazy’, ‘Ants Marching’, and ‘Feelin’ Alright’ (of course into the Jeffersons theme), and handled it all like a boss. He showed us how to put ‘So Lonely’ in the middle of ‘No Woman, No Cry’ on the spot, which became a King Konga staple. Here is a true rock star jamming with the likes of us. We were on top of the world.

I was fortunate enough to play a couple of Make-a-Wish events with Edwin, one of which was particularly memorable because we spent a lot of time hanging out, which is more fun when we don’t have to ‘work’. And Hootie and Blowfish were there too, with those guys all setting the bar high for the ‘Southeastern touring band can do it’ olympics. And Darius needed a solo country career to stop being called Hootie. Shameful. It’s when they stop calling you something the worry starts, I suppose. Anyhow, back to Edwin. To start one particular MAW function, we was sitting in the hotel lobby crooning his heart out, and with the echo of the room, the vibe of the red wine and small gathering, it was wonderfully memorable.

As was the night he and I sang Karaoke in Printer’s Alley in Nashville. What’s funny is that I don’t remember why he was in town, why I was there, or how we ended up there. But that’s the beauty of it all.

Recently Edwin was interviewed by Sister Hazel for a web show we’ve been working on.(John Mayer told me to NEVER name-drop) He was the litmus test – the first artist on the show, and to hear him speak of his passion and charity work was truly inspiring. He supports a myriad of causes with his weekly online live shows, and to keep doing that throughout this separation of, well, everything, is beyond noble. It’s borderline Saintly. There’s the Edwin he won’t want to show off, the charity without thanks. It was remarkable for me to come full circle, reconnecting with someone who made such an impact on my formidable years. And he still sings like an angel.

Once it’s online, it’s there for good, right? Well, there we go. If I may say it publicly, thanks Edwin. From the back of the stinky-ass-broken down van somewhere between Pumpkintown and Anderson. Thanks for giving all the kids with acoustic guitars hope, as well as all those kids you are helping in Greenville and around the country.

So now I want a little feedback from you. Who or what made an impact on you to get you moving in a certain direction? And let’s branch outside of our family. Hopefully our parents or grandparents did something to get us moving, but maybe there is another force in your life? And it doesn’t have to be someone you know. Maybe you took notes from afar? I have always been a Police fan, and again, the chance to play a few bars with Andy and Stewart would make this boy’s dream complete. Again, just throwing that out there if someone can make a call…

I hope this finds you inspired, pulling from wherever you need to get you going on your life or project. We all need a kick in the ass from time to time, and maybe a story from somewhere else reminds you as to what makes you tick. So get a-ticking!

See you on the virtual road!