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August 2008
Further Adieu comes alive - at Thumper’s
These guys never fail to surprise me - they always sound fresh and spontaneous and their shows are always energetic. I saw them Aug. 16 - or was it Aug 17? - at Thumpers in Elizabeth City. They always seem to draw a good size crowd, too, from what I’ve seen at pretty much every venue they’ve played in town. I see a lot of the same faces, which tells me they have a regular following - of course, this is a small town, but still, every band or performer has to start with a local following. I like how the night starts out with JJ and Nick as ‘Without Further Adieu,’ then later morphs into a full band. Good move. These guys can really groove on some covers - ‘Fire’ by Jimmy Hendrix is one song these guys do really well. Robbie and Josh really have the groove down on that song, from the funky drum beat to the walking bass line, and the vocals are smokin’. I can’t remember who played lead guitar on that - either Nick or JJ - but whoever it was was shredding like Jimmy. Yet the band always adds their own flavor to every song, which is a great thing. They also do a great version of Stealers Wheels’ ‘Stuck in the Middle’ complete with slide guitar. That’s a tough song to do right - I’ve tried it - and these guys do it. They also do a killer, laid back version of The Beatles’ ‘Come Together,’ which is also featured on their MySpace page. But of course, it wouldn’t be Further Adieu without their great original songs. One of my personal favorites is still ‘On the Line,’ which holds the line with any cover song the band does. It’s such a hook heavy, poppy kind of rock song with great harmonies between Nick and JJ and solid beat and guitar riffs. And that’s just one song - pretty much all their songs are like that, though some may rock out a tad more than others. And if you doubt their popularity, check out their MySpace page - over 10,000 hits and climbing. I can’t wait until you guys put out a CD - I’ll be first in line. Seriously.
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Guta, Further Adieu making big plans
I recently spoke to Robbie Raper of the band Further Adieu, who played at National Night Out on Tuesday, Aug. 5. Robbie says the band is working on their latest CD at singer/guitarist JJ Jernigan’s house. They will be appearing at Coasters on Aug. 30, and JJ and Nick Simmons, the band’s other singer/guitarist, will also be playing at Thumpers Aug. 16 under the name “Without Further Adieu.” The duo will be playing original songs that they don’t get to play in the band, Raper says. He said the band will be trying to get more gigs in the Hampton Roads area, as well, to avoid overexposure in the Albemarle. Christian ‘Swine’ Mara of the band Guta says he will soon be heading west to Colorado to pick up singer/guitarist Teddy Sablon and then they will head to Arkansas, where they will join up with a new bass player, who is replacing former bass player PJ Donahue. They will then stay in Arkansas and play around the state for a couple of months, Mara said. The band has been enjoying the company of Tiffany Christopher, who has been filling in as bass player for the band temporarily. The band has also been acting as backup for Christopher, so the deal has been mutually beneficial, it seems. Tiffany and Guta will be at Coasters on Aug. 29, and they will also have a cello player joining them. Mara says they will be playing their version of Led Zeppelin’s “Kashmir,” and other songs, so it should be interesting. Don’t miss them before they leave the state.
