Weekend returns to Legends after release of new album

Dan Frasier - Contributing Writer

Weekend Excursion will perform tonight at Legends for the first time since their new album, “Take Me Home,” was released. The local favorites have strong ties to Boone through friendships and relationships they’ve experienced while residing here. Their evolution as a band has been witnessed and supported by their large fan base here, which makes Weekend Excursion indebted to and inseparable from Boone.

Weekend Excursion performed their first show as high school seniors and juniors in drummer Cas Edmunds’ basement on Jan. 20, 1995. A few months later they were playing shows in local bars around their hometown of Greensboro. The band soon achieved a high point after they landed a gig at the now-defunct Zoo Bar, which was the popular local place for shows. Their fast-paced popularity was just getting started.

Original singer Aaron Shepherd, lead guitarist Chris Groch, rhythm guitarist Jeff Foxworth, drummer Cas Edmunds, and bass player Danny Donovan eventually all relocated to Boone by 1996 for work or school at Appalachian State University while still maintaining the band. Fiddle player Mike Ferry moved to Chapel Hill to attend school at the University of North Carolina but still remained in the band.

“Our first show in Boone was pretty sad,” recalled Groch over the phone from the band’s house in Cary. “It was at my fraternity’s party. We only played four songs before the cops came and broke it up.” The band went on to play local shows at Klondike Cafe and released their self-titled debut EP in 1997.

The band’s weekend gigs and practices in between school days made the band’s moniker more appropriate. “We always like to say that the name made us a whole lot more than we made the name,” said Groch.
“We didn’t put much thought into what our name meant; we just liked the way it sounded. Over the years it meant a lot because we basically developed our careers through college and the only way to do that was
play on the weekends.”

For their first time performing in Boone’s largest venue, Weekend Excursion drew one of the largest crowds ever for an opening band in Legends. They landed the gig for the opening slot for Cravin Melon through the help of Legends manager Randy Kelly. “When we first found out we made it to Legends we were so pumped,” said Groch.
“As soon as we knew we had the gig we just started telling everybody.” Around 400 people covered the dance floor during the band’s set that night. By the time headliners Cravin Melon had taken the stage, Legends’ crowd had thinned out drastically. They opened again in Legends for Jump Little Children and Gibb Droll. Since then, Weekend Excursion has been headlining Boone and making their concerts a requirement for a complete Appalachian experience.

NEW CD, LEAD SINGER
By late 1999, the band had already released its second EP titled “Five From Six” and was in the middle of recording its next release in Durham when the band received a phone call from their lead singer Shepherd. He was still in Boone while the band was waiting for him to come to Chapel Hill to perform for a show that night.

“He said, ‘Look, I’m not coming and I quit,’” related Groch. The band had to cancel their show that night and begin their search for a new singer. The search would not last long.

A week later, singer/songwriter Sam Fisher was performing in Appalachian’s Cascades Cafeteria entertaining students at lunch. Kelly set up an audition with the band and Fisher went and met them.

“As soon as I opened the door and saw Sam, I knew that he was our man,” said Groch.

Fisher would be truly tested as their new lead singer at his first live performance with the band in front of one of their largest fan bases at Legends one week later on Nov. 18, 1999. “That was the most nervous we have ever been before a show,” said Groch. “It happened so quick to us, none of us really remember the show.” That night the crowd embraced Fisher by chanting his name and helping him sing the words to the songs as he pointed the microphone to the audience.

Weekend Excursion released their third EP, “Radioactive,” in early 2000, remixed with Sam’s vocals. The following two years would provide the band with much success, as their total album sales surpassed 20,000 and shows began to sell out. Songs were featured on MTV’s “Real World” and the WB’s “Dawson’s Creek.” The band has since been regularly touring Florida, Georgia, South Carolina and Ohio in addition to their sell-out shows in North Carolina.

Last July, the band lost fiddle player Mike Ferry as he got married and decided to continue his education. The fiddle’s parts in songs have been replaced with piano, played by Foxworth, and more guitar work, said Groch. This past New Year’s Eve, Danny Donovan performed his last show with the band, forcing them to recruit Cup O’ Joe guitar player Josh Perryman as a touring bass player.

NEW ALBUM, LABEL
The band has continued on by releasing their first full-length album, “Take Me Home,” on March 26. The band took another step by signing to The Redeye Label to handle the postproduction of marketing and promotion. This is the first album to be co-written with Fisher and without the work of Ferry’s fiddle. Parklife’s Rob Clay and Donovan both contributed bass parts for the album. The album was primarily produced by Durham producer John Plymale (Athenaeum, Squirrel Nut Zippers, Jump Little Children). Plymale also produced all of the band’s previous albums.

Atlanta producer Rick Beato (Flickerstick) produced the final two tracks on the album. The album also contains guest appearances by trombonist Dave Wright and saxophonist Tim Smith of Squirrel Nut Zippers on “I’ll Never Fall In Love Again.” Jay Clifford, guitarist and singer for Jump Little Children, arranged a string section created by bandmate Ward Williams for “Push Me Away.”

Weekend Excursion plans to continue playing as long as things are on the rise, said Groch. “Our philosophy has always been not to be a band just trying to get a record deal, but to be a band trying to develop a strong fan base,” said Groch. “We’re looking to just keep doing what we’re doing, and hopefully a label will want us bad enough they need us more than we need them.”

Weekend Excursion performs tonight at 9 p.m. at Legends, with The Clarks opening. Tickets are $7 in advance and $8 at the door. This event is BYOB and brought to you by A.P.P.S. Stage Shows. For more information visit www.weekendexcursion.com or www.apps.appstate.edu.

Unique ‘jam band’ Townhall to play local venues

Kevin DeLury - Entertainment Beat

It seems to have become an increasing trend in local music to write off every touring band performing at certain venues as a “jam band.”
Townhall could easily fall prey to this categorization, but one listen to their music will set them firmly apart from any other band on the music scene.

Townhall will be returning to Boone for back-to-back shows at Murphy’s Monday and then at the Red Room at Geno’s Tuesday.

The members of Townhall come through with a sound drawing from every facet of music, giving each song a distinct feel. Listeners can be reminded of Brit-pop bands like Blur mixed with the classic rock of the 1970s on certain tracks, but just as quickly as a set sound is established, the band will turn gritty soul music tinged with classic jazz and blues.

Townhall consists of George Stanford, Nate Skiles, Mark Smidt, Tim Sonnefeld and Kevin Pride. All five members were jazz majors at the University of the Arts in Philadelphia when they met and started jamming. Within months, Townhall had established their unusual sound and began to play out live. It wasn’t long before they were performing with such national acts as Pete Yorn, Afroman and Guided by Voices.

The band’s ability to take their sound anywhere they please comes from the diverse array of instruments each member plays. With the exception of drummer Kevin Pride, every member of Townhall plays electric and bass guitar and also contributes vocals. Members then stray into different styles and their corresponding instruments, such as the banjo, doboro, trumpet, trombone, flute and various percussion instruments.

Though the music is appealing, there is one facet of this band’s makeup that prevents them from getting lost in the fold of local acts:
touring.

Townhall has spent their first year as a band touring relentlessly, playing 175 shows in 2001. Their trek across the nation began only three months after their first show. Their tour will carry them through August this year, stopping at notable festivals such as the O.U.R. fest in Woodstown, N.J., and Springfling 2002 in Afton, N.Y.

Keeping with the spirit of live music, Townhall’s debut release was a live album, simply titled “Live at the Point.” Besides being masterfully recorded, this 18-song, 2-disc live CD takes you on a journey through the trials and tribulations of everyday life. Their lyrics tackle issues like failed relationships and failed endeavors. The appealing aspect of such dismal topics is the humbleness with which they are approached, with lyrics ranging from tongue-in-cheek to sincere and contemplative.

John Rush, who handles booking for Murphy’s, has become a fan of Townhall after their first performance in Boone.

“It’s really exciting,” says Rush of Townhall’s live show. “Everybody just watched for the first 15 minutes. It wasn’t a normal show and people had to figure it out. If there’s a band that going to take over the world that comes through town, right now it’s Townhall.”

Townhall’s first stop at Murphy’s will begin at 10 p.m. and admission is $5. This show is restricted to ages 21 and up.

Tuesday’s show at Geno’s will begin at 10 p.m. and cost $7. Opening up the show will be Lazy Birds, with admittance to ages 18 and up.

To find out more about Townhall, or to hear music and see streaming videos, visit their Web site at www.townhallmusic.com.