The Tuscaloosa News reports that Steely Dan will play the Tuscaloosa Amphitheater Aug. 20 as part of its national tour.
Red Mountain Entertainment said sale dates and ticket prices have yet to be set.
(Photo by Kevin Griggs)
Abby GoGo made early noise in the Tuscaloosa music scene upon its formation roughly five or six years ago, but in the past two years, they decided their dreamy, self-proclaimed “shoe-gazing” sound wouldn’t really cut it anymore in the Druid City.
So they made way for Atlanta in 2007, where members Bon Allinson (guitar), Jon Allinson (guitar), Ian McDonald (drums) and Chris Vaughn (bass) found their voice would be heard a little more clearly. Ever the homebodies, the Abby GoGo guys have nothing against Tuscaloosa, not even its music scene. They even insist bands can thrive here, depending on the specific sound of the artists.
On Monday, Abby GoGo will return home for a gig at Egan’s, where they were regulars back in the not-so-distant past, where they will play alongside Atlanta buds Mermaids before both head out to Austin, Texas, to play the popular South by Southwest Festival. Guitarist Bon Allinson took some time to tell us what he and his band mates have been up to since they journeyed onward.
Ben Flanagan: What kind of feeling to get about playing Egan’s again, and more specifically, Tuscaloosa?
Bon Allinson: I always have fun playing Egan’s. We have been down a couple of times since the move. It’s a good stop if you are on tour. You can make some gas money and hang with some old friends. As far as playing Tuscaloosa, it’s cool to see my dad and stay at his house, especially in the summer when his pool is open.
BF: Compare the local music scenes of Tuscaloosa and where you are now. What are some things that your city is doing that Tuscaloosa could also do to improve the culture?
BA: Atlanta has a very healthy scene right now. It has a lot of bands and cool clubs, plus it’s a bigger city. I don’t think Tuscaloosa could ever keep something going because with the college people’s time is limited. The ones who start bands in college are gone in three years, and the ones who take it seriously are going leave for a better city. You could do great in a that town, just not with the music we want to make.
BF: What compelled Abby GoGo to leave Tuscaloosa in the first place? I know the band sort of went on hiatus there for a while and re-grouped. Does a bigger city just provide more opportunities for what you were trying to do artistically and commercially?
BA: Me personally, I had to move. I was 22 and had been there my whole life. We picked Atlanta was because we had friends there that were making cool music [All the Saints, Sovus Radio] that we would play with when they came through town. It just seemed like something was going on here, and we were right.
BF: Talk a little bit about the new album. Has Abby GoGo’s sound changed at all? If so, in what ways?
BA: We just put out a full length back in December. A lot of the songs on there were older. Some of the stuff we played in Tuscaloosa. But we are working on new stuff at the moment. It’s a lot heavier, more affected. That’s the stuff you will hear in the set we play now.
BF: Are you guys pleased with the response you’re getting in Atlanta? Has it been difficult finding an audience for what you do?
BA: We’ve been very pleased, and to be honest, it hasn’t been difficult at all. We’ve just been really lucky. We’ve played bigger shows. It’s just like a natural progression. We moved here to do this, and we’re just doing it. Once we started playing here, it just worked.
This Q&A appeared in today’s Tusk Magazine.
Look for a Q&A with friend Bon Allinson, guitarist and singer for Abby GoGo, who will play Egan’s next Monday alongside Mermaids.
Check it out this Friday!
Now that Tuscaloosa can sell alcohol on Sundays, that means bars and bands get another day to work. Egan’s got started yesterday with a Sunday Brunch Dance Party and Rock ‘n’ Roll Show, featuring Baak Gwai, Blaine Duncan & the Lookers and The Black Willis Band.
Our friends over at WellThatsCool.com posted the following video of Duncan, Baak Gwai’s Adam Pate and drummer Adam Ridgeway performing at the event.
Can’t wait for more Sunday shows.
Getcha pompadours ready! Bruno Mars and Janelle Monae will headline this May’s Jubilee CityFest in Montgomery. Impressive booking for the Gump.
How can Tuscaloosa answer?
So the Tuscaloosa Amphitheater will open soon with acts like Kenny Chesney, the Avett Brothers, Patti LaBelle and Sugarland. Not a bad way to open things up, but I look at what’s in store for Montgomery, and I get a little jealous.
With Wilco on the way, along with recent performances from Willie Nelson and other big names (Michael Bolton, comedian Mike Epps, among others), including a pair of MAJOR pop stars that will play this summer, it seems Montgomery already has more appeal than Tuscaloosa as a live music destination.
But why? I understand Montgomery has established venues like the Montgomery Performing Arts Centre and the Davis Theatre that serve as solid housing for acts like this. I just don’t get how Tuscaloosa (with enough other venues to get it done) continues to be bypassed by acts like these.
So hopefully the amphitheater will shift the discussion in the Druid City’s favor. Here’s hoping!
This is an article I wrote for the T-News last fall that was turned down. I had volunteered to write a regular feature that profiled some of Tuscaloosa’s talented musicians. I appreciate the opportunity to publish it here. Cheers, Doobie Wilson
Carroline Shines - Tuscaloosa’s Queen of the Blues
The sky is cryin’, look at the tears roll down the street
The sky is cryin’, look at the tears roll down the street
I’ve been looking for my baby, and I wonder where can he be
Tuscaloosa’s own Queen of the Blues belts out her favorite Albert King song, the agony of lost love bleeding from every word. Carroline Shines commands the stage at Little Willie’s, a “Cinderella diva” channeling the spine-chilling vocal power of her famous father, bluesman Johnny Shines.
Born on December 26, 1966 and raised in Holt, Alabama, Carroline was the only child of Johnny and Hattie Shines, but shared their modest home with six older grandchildren of Johnny’s from a previous marriage. Dinners were followed by impromptu jam sessions on the porch that included the likes of Johnnie Taylor, Bobby “Blue” Bland, and B. B. King. The children were particularly happy when Mavis Staples would show up, always with a box of popsicles. “Uncle” Robert Junior Lockwood was her father’s best friend and would visit every summer. Visits by giants of the music industry were just an ordinary occurrence during her childhood.
Carroline’s musical roots include gospel, from choir music of her 2nd Baptist Church in Holt and the Jackson Southernaires, to Lee Williams and the Spiritual QC’s. She also loves the country music of Justin Moore, Colt Ford, and especially Toby Keith. Blues, Gospel, Country: all music that tells a story.
Carroline was schooled in Holt and loved playing clarinet and cymbals in the band. It must have been a sight to see 15 year old Carroline out on the field crashing the cymbals, eight months pregnant with her first child. By age 20 she was raising three girls, Angel, Sylvette, and Anastasia, working full time, and continuing her education at Fred Technical College. She is currently a housekeeping supervisor at Bryce Hospital.
She auditioned for the 1997 Tuscaloosa Talent Search but was told she couldn’t compete. Why? She was too good! Instead she opened and closed the show and was paid $500 for the performance. It was a great professional debut.
Carroline has been married twice but unlucky in love – her last husband actually shot her while she held her four month old grandson. She might hold the Alabama record for fastest divorce, “shot on Monday, in the hospital on Tuesday, released on Wednesday, and divorced on Thursday.” No one will question Carroline’s credentials to sing the blues!
Once again single, and with grown daughters, Carroline was free to pursue her love of blues music. She worked with Debbie Bond and the Alabama Blues Project to teach young Tuscaloosans how to sing the blues. Her first major performance took place at the Jupiter in 2002, backed by members of the ABP. Although quite nervous before the show, she felt very comfortable when she finally took the stage. Now she is a regular performer at festivals around the country. In Tuscaloosa, her favorite venue is Little Willies. She loves the magical atmosphere and intimacy with the audience.
What are Carroline’s plans for the future? She is ready to break out as a major star of the blues genre. She would like to make a record of original songs and tour Europe with her band, who she describes as her “brothers”. She dreams that one day her band will include her four grandsons (ages 2-5) who are the center of her life. And then there is Toby Keith. Carroline reveals a most rapturous smile as she describes Keith as the man with whom she would most love to record a duet. Toby, if you are reading this …
Her most difficult performance had to be at her father’s funeral in 1992. He certainly touched many lives along the road, so she chose a favorite gospel song. Listen to Mahalia Jackson’s recording on YouTube while imagining Carroline standing at the foot of her father’s casket, singing:
If I can help somebody while I’m singing this song
Then my living shall not be in vain
Here’s another can’t-miss show in Tuscaloosa. Blaine Duncan and the Lookers will perform at Egan’s tomorrow night (free cover, of course), starting around 10 p.m.
It marks the first show of the spring semester for the group and their first show in Tuscaloosa this year.
The Only Sons, from Tennessee, will also perform.
Both bands will play alongside Model Citizen tonight in Auburn if you’re in the vicinity.
Following The Avett Brothers and Band of Horses’ April 1 opener at the Tuscaloosa Amphitheater, Ms. Patti LaBelle and The O’Jay’s will bring a little hot buttered soul to the Druid City April 2, according to The Tuscaloosa News.
Good get, if a little anti-youth. Still, it should put some butts in the seats. That’s the prime directive at the moment. Plus, Avett Brothers will get the kids in the house the night before, so a little double feature for all ages is welcome.
