Well, seeing as it's been roughly a month since the last update, I figured I ought to drop in on you folks that keep up with us here, and let you know we're still alive.
We've been off for a few weeks, our last gig being 3 Brothers Deli in Murfreesboro, which turned out to be a cool night. It was a bit snug on their stage, but we made it work, I think. We closed the evening, so we got to play a little longer set than usual, which is something that looks to be the theme for our next month or two of dates. As such, in our time off from gigging, we've thrown ourselves into the task of boning up on some of the back catalog that we've either never played or been overlooking since adding the '4' material to the set. Along with digging into our own vaults, we've worked up a few new cover tunes that may or may not be familiar to the public at large, to help us fill out a few of the significantly longer nights we have ahead of us.
But first, we headline a little show at The Rutledge in Nashville this Friday(5/24), with the utterly badass Black Shag opening up, and the countrified rock & soul stylings of The August in the middle slot. We've been looking forward to this bill for a while, so please try to make it out. This one's gonna kill. Doors at 8.
The following Saturday(6/1), we're headed up to The Crowded House, in Madisonville, KY, for a 2-hour full-band acoustic show. We play from 7:30-9:30, which means we'll be back in Nashville in time for a nightcap. Perfect.
Then we're off to Cincinnati/Newport on June 8th for a full night in The Southgate House lounge(3 sets/FREE/we kick off at 10 sharp), right after these new t-shirts arrive. By the way, you can pre-order these now, from our store page: http://dennysmithmusic.com/store/ , and as soon as they arrive at "headquarters", I will personally see to it that yours is packaged and out the door ASAP.
Speaking of orders, I've added a link to buy the 2 compilation CDs we sell at shows, "fORMERLY" and "First Good Memories", so anyone new to The Great Affairs wanting a relatively cheap way to catch up can grab these things, which are available exclusively through the band, as a set.
Back to shows in June…
June 15th The Loft Columbus, GA Again, 3 sets. 10PM
June 22nd BRITISH AUDIO OUTDOOR ANNIVERSARY BASH(Nashville). We headline this year, a parking lot party on Charlotte Ave., in front of B.A. and New Life Records, across from The Great Escape. Free. Details TBA.
June 28th Preservation Pub Knoxville, TN w/Ravenhill, and Far far Away. This one is gonna be a blast. We do double duty with a 1-hour acoustic set upstairs in the SpeakEasy around 8, followed by a full-band electric set downstairs in The SmokeEasy around 10 or so.
June 29th O'Mainnin's Pub Bristol, TN FOUR sets 10PM Our first time in Bristol. Also our first time doing that many songs in one show. I'm glad we have the next day off.
That's it for June, but before I get to what's going on in July, I wanna mention an artist I'm working with by the name of Tommy Edwards. Tommy sings for a Central Illinois-based band called Bubblegum Jack, but he's been working on a solo project recently, for which I've contributed a handful of new songs. Tommy is a phenomenal vocalist, and he's done a great job of bringing this first one to life. Check out "If You Stay": https://www.reverbnation.com/bubblegumjackb
I produced the tracks right here at Pastry Park, save for vocals and some overdubs done at Dark River Studios in Peoria,IL by Mr. Colt Capperune, who also did a bang-up job of mixing it.
There's plenty more where this one comes from, so stay tuned.
Speaking of new tunes, click on the audio player to check out the first mix of "I Am Reborn" from the "Nothing's Broken" record Kenny & I have been working on in our spare time. This one was written by Chris Carmichael, and it was an honor to get to sing this, as it's been a favorite of mine for years. Guests on this include Dave Webb on bass, Nick Nguyen on lead guitars and violin, and Heather Luttrell on backing vocals. I'll leave this up for a few days, but it'll be coming down sooner than later, so get some while you can.
OK, this is running long, so here's what July looks like at the moment.
July 5th, John Brown's On The Square Marion, IL 8PM 3 sets.
July 6th Trendz Creve Coeur,IL 8PM Patrick & I get to play for our hometown(or close to it) crowd, finally. Brent Stortzum band opens up. We play 'til they make us stop.
July 25th tentative TBA, Los Angeles, CA…I have the details on this acoustic show, but I'm waiting for some specifics about just who will be playing with me before I post any more info. Stay tuned.
July 26th Molly Malone's Hollywood, CA I'm playing an acoustic set with my old Best Of Seven bandmates Shane & Joshua at 7PM, and then a TGA acoustic set at 9PM, as part of The International Pop Overthrow Festival.
OK, I think that's it. As always, you can keep up with us at http://www.facebook.com/thegreataffairs & http://www.thegreataffairs.com (where you can currently hear 2 new covers we cut recently, from Fleetwood Mac & KISS), and of course my semi-regular rants for The Times Newspapers are available here: http://www.mortontimesnews.com/section/blogs01?taxid=878
Until next time, be good to each other…and yourselves.
-Denny