“Diamonds” – now available for download!

Happy February, everyone!  It’s the first day of the new month, and has been the case for the previous five, Mediocre Bad Guys are psyched to share with you our latest original tune for your audial consumption, “Diamonds!”  Simply click on the pic below to go to the download website! (click HERE if the picture isn’t showing):

By now you know the drill – you can stream the song by clicking on the play button.  Assuming you’ll then want to immediately download it as your own, simply click  the “Buy Now” link to start the download process.  You get to name your own price – and if you’re one of the first 200 to download the tune, you can get it for free!  How cool is that?!

In your rush to enjoy the MBG goodness, don’t forget to click the Facebook “LIKE” button under the album cover art and tweet it as well.   We greatly appreciate any help getting the word out about the new tune.  And please feel free to head over to our Facebook page and leave a comment there letting us know what you think.

Thanks for checking it out – enjoy the song!

Les, Jerry, Doug and Steve

A new twist on an old song – Steve’s thoughts on “The Dance”

Okay, so it’s not really an “old song.”  In fact, “The Dance” came into being a mere eight months ago if you’re counting its first release date; twenty months if you’re talking about it’s original inception.  And it’s not really a “new twist,” either, because the funny thing is, the Bad Guys’ version is how I intended for the song to sound all along.

Let me backtrack a bit: May 2010.  I was coming home from an awesome week in Austin, TX; doing nothing but soaking in the rich and fertile music scene that has blessed that town.  I was on a three-month sabbatical that summer in an attempt to reclaim my creative musical muse and regain some confidence in my songwriting chops.  I boarded the US Airways flight and found my seat.  As I was putting my bag in the overhead compartment, I noticed in the row behind me a young woman, sitting there with a little kid in her lap.  I’m going to guess he was 10 or 12 months old.  Normally this quick visual would mean little to me, vanishing from my consciousness as soon as I turned to sit down.  But for some reason this stuck with me.  Maybe it was that muse starting to show itself again.  Maybe it was odd effects of a plane cabin being pressurized for flight.  Whatever it was, I ran with it.  As soon as the pilot gave the ok, I opened the laptop and began typing lyrics, imagining this story that I’m sure had no grounding in reality, about this woman and her child, returning home to her husband or boyfriend whom she had left a few months before.  A song of redemption and second chances and starting anew.  I began switching back and forth to GarageBand, clumsily using the keyboard to type in guitar chord progressions and a rough melody line.  By the time my plane landed in Charlotte I had the makings of a new song.

The funny thing is, songs have a habit of evolving on their own in ways that sometimes surprise even the person who wrote it.  Take a moment to listen to how this song came out on my solo album last May, Let Go:

You’ll notice the tune is piano-based, more free-flowing.  And, of course, the “Hey Jude” moment at the end.  I couldn’t be more pleased with how it all came together.  But the thing is, this is not how I originally imagined the song.  I wrote it to be a full-band tune, much more up-tempo, very Jayhawks-ish.  When it came time to record the Let Go project, however, I knew I wanted a piano number to close the album on.  I tried writing one, but couldn’t really settle on anything.  On a whim I decided to try my Austin-plane flight tune on the ivories, and knew immediately I had what I wanted.

Back to the Bad Guys.  In this Download-A-Month project of ours, Doug has pressed the rest of us hard to write, write, write and submit songs for band consideration.  Initially I hesitated throwing “The Dance” in the mix because I already recorded it; and the last thing we wanted this MBG project to be was simply a rehash of Jerry/Doug/Steve solo songs.  But the more we played “The Dance” in that originally-intended up-tempo style, the more we liked it.  In the end we decided it was different enough from the “Let Go” version to merit as a Bad Guys single.  See what you think:

This was a fun tune to record, as I got to play all three of my instruments: acoustic, piano and Hammond.  Listening to Les’s smooth vocals wax poetic on my lyrics is a treat every time I press play.  I’m especially stoked about the backing vocals that Jerry, Doug and I recorded, ala “Bohemian Rhapsody,” where all of the band members of Queen recorded each of the various parts individually to give it that choral feel.  We decided to give that a shot here, and in my opinion it more than paid off.

I like the fact that music can be interpreted, experienced and re-experienced in so many different ways.  There’s a universality about that which is especially intriguing to me.  I think that is what keeps guys like me, and bands like the Bad Guys, doing what they’re doing.  We sure appreciate you coming along for the ride.

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TO DOWNLOAD JANUARY’S SONG “THE DANCE,” CLICK HERE

TO SIGN UP FOR MBG’S EMAIL LIST, GO TO: www.mediocrebadguys.com

FAN US ON FACEBOOK                 FOLLOW US ON TWITTER

Mediocre Bad Guys in concert with Tin Can Sailor, Old #10!

It’s Monday night, and that means band practice.  But before we head to the “Bat Cave,” as we call it, and crank out some tunes, we wanted to let you know about a pretty cool concert coming up in a few weeks.

On Saturday, January 21st, Mediocre Bad Guys will share the stage at Old North State Winery with two other bands for a rare Mount Airy concert trifecta.  Tin Can Sailor is a band of N.C. State students, including our community’s own Logan Draughn.  If you know Logan, you know he’s incredibly musically-gifted.  The cool thing is that he’s found some other guys at State who are equally talented – which translates into a super-tight band with originals that defy their young age.  Also joining our bill is Old #10, a new Mount Airy group that specializes in some pretty groovy folk/bluegrassy tunes.  And last but not least, MBG will be joined on a few tunes by Meredith Slate and her vocal prowess.  If you noticed the similarity between her last name and our drummer, give yourself a gold star and ask Les next time you see him how psyched he is to be performing with his daughter!

Tickets are on sale right this minute at Old North State Winery on Main Street in Mount Airy.  They’re only $10 – quite a deal for 3+ hours of some incredible music.  It’s not often Mount Airy has such an event, so we’ll hope you’ll be there to support not just us, but all of the great music that you’ll hear.  We promise you, you won’t regret it!

MEDIOCRE BAD GUYS // TIN CAN SAILOR // OLD #10

SATURDAY, JANUARY 21st – 7:00PM

OLD NORTH STATE WINERY IN MOUNT AIRY

CLICK HERE TO RSVP TO OUR FACEBOOK EVENT

“The Dance” – now available for download!

Happy New Year!  Not only is it the first day of 2012, it’s also the first day of the month.  And you know what that means – a new MBG tune!

We appropriately start the year off with “The Dance.” Simply click on the pic below to go to the download website! (click HERE if the picture isn’t showing).

By now you know the drill – you can stream the song by clicking on the play button.  Assuming you’ll then want to immediately download it as your own, simply click  the “Buy Now” link to start the download process.  You get to name your own price – and if you’re one of the first 200 to download the tune, you can get it for free!  How cool is that?!

In your rush to enjoy the MBG goodness, don’t forget to click the Facebook “LIKE” button under the album cover art and tweet it as well.   We greatly appreciate any help getting the word out about the new tune.  And please feel free to head over to our Facebook page and leave a comment there letting us know what you think.

Thanks for checking it out – enjoy the song!

Les, Jerry, Doug and Steve

“There It Went” – now available for download!

It’s the first of the month and you know what that means – a new MBG song!

We know you’ll enjoy our latest tune, “There It Went” – written by Gary Manfredi, original Bad Guy guitarist and well-known Phase 90 innovator.  Simply click on the picture below, or click HERE.

By now you know the drill – you can stream the song by clicking on the play button.  Assuming you’ll then want to immediately download it as your own, simply click  the “Buy Now” link to start the download process.  You get to name your own price – and if you’re one of the first 200 to download the tune, you can get it for free!  How cool is that?!

In your rush to enjoy the MBG goodness, don’t forget to click the Facebook “LIKE” button under the album cover art and tweet it as well.   We greatly appreciate any help getting the word out about the new tune.  And please feel free to head over to our Facebook page and leave a comment there letting us know what you think.

Thanks for checking it out – enjoy the song!

Les, Jerry, Doug and Steve

Why I’m an MBG Fan – Jerry’s thoughts on “How Did I Get Here”

Following the “Download of the Month” release, members of MBG will share their thoughts about that song in subsequent blog posts. We hope it’ll give you a greater appreciation for the tune and all that went into writing and recording it. Enjoy!

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I’m listening to the new MBG tune, “How Did I Get Here” (and you can listen to it and download it HERE).

“What’s that?” you say. “Jerry, you don’t seem conceited. Why are you listening to your own music?”

“Because it’s a good song,” I say (as are the others we’ve released, and yet to release).

I read an interview with Robert Pollard from Guided By Voices, wherein the interviewer asked him if he ever listened to his own material. I expected him to shrug it off and say no. He said something like… “Of course I do. If I don’t enjoy my own music, how can I expect other people to like it.” Sweet, no?

So, I’m not sure about the other boys in the band, but that’s where I stand on MBG tunes. That said, you probably don’t like some of the music we like, so I can’t promise you’ll like all of our songs. I can promise that we won’t release songs we aren’t proud of. And we won’t use the robot voice effect. And we won’t add dance routines to the shows. But we will use explosions when we can afford them.

Doug blogged about “building a house” in his last post. Have you guys ever gone on a mission trip or spent a day with Habitat For Humanity? You should. Anyway, it’s a lot more fun to do that work in a group, isn’t it. I’m finding that to be true in songwriting. Don’t get me wrong. I will always continue doing solo shows and putting out solo albums. My ego (nor my singing voice, hopefully) hasn’t completely vanished. For the time being, though, I’m happy seeing the direction the songs take without me completely steering them (even though I am an avid backseat driver).

Wait, have we moved from house metaphors to cars? Let’s go with it. An example: We’d all like to think that we’re capable singers, but we’re more than happy to hear Les take the lead. Why? Listen to the song, silly boy. And I can’t play piano & organ (and sing high) like Steve. And Doug wrote the verses whereas I stopped at the chorus. See? We all have our spiritual gifts.

Wait, did I just move from cars to religion? Let’s go with it. Obviously, things like blogging & “getting to the point” & “making sense” are not among my gifts. If there is a point to be made, though, it is this: MBG is a good band and you should like them.

Jerry

P.S.  Happy Thanksgiving!

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TO DOWNLOAD NOVEMBER’S SONG “HOW DID I GET HERE,” CLICK HERE

TO SIGN UP FOR MBG’S EMAIL LIST, GO TO: www.mediocrebadguys.com

FAN US ON FACEBOOK FOLLOW US ON TWITTER

Co-writing a song is like building a house – Doug’s thoughts on “How Did I Get Here”

Following the “Download of the Month” release, members of MBG will share their thoughts about that song in subsequent blog posts. We hope it’ll give you a greater appreciation for the tune and all that went into writing and recording it.  Enjoy!

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Back in February ’09, Jerry challenged me to work with him on a project for “National Album-Writing Month,” whatever in the world that is.  I’m a sucker for a good project like that, but I wanted to get focused.  My twist on the idea was that this could be a perfect platform for jump-starting the original music side of MBG, something for which I’d been angling for a while.  We got a really good start on the project, with 10 pretty solid initial ideas, but we got sidetracked, and nothing would come of those songs for nearly two years.  “How Did I Get Here” was the first of that batch of songs to see the light of day; I suspect that you’ll hear at least five or six more, eventually.

Jerry and I have co-written many tunes over the years, but one of the primary ways we’ll work is that he’ll send me snippets of songs and let me take them from there.  I keep imagining that I’ll finish a draft, and that he’ll edit and send it back, but somehow we keep ending up using whatever I sent for a first draft, which keeps me on my toes!  Sometimes, when Jerry and I build these houses together, he’ll send me a complete structure, and I’ll just stick on a roof.  Sometimes, it just needs a good coat of paint by the time it gets to me.  Sometimes, he’ll send a door mat over and say, “build me a house!”  Well, metaphorically, anyway.  He’s never actually said that.  In this case, what Jerry contributed stuck around pretty much unchanged as the final chorus and hook of the song – you can hear it yourself in this original demo snippet that he sent.

 

Not sure at all what I had in mind with the writing on this, but I imagine that the singer is a happier relation of the guy from “Gonna Get It Right” – the lyrics are definitely working a similar vein of the same desperate need for redemption through love, and all that sort of thing.  I just know that when the guitars and the big harmonies kick in during the instrumental break and the last chorus, I get a big arena-sized rush of adrenaline – it’s definitely one of the more fun tunes that I ever get to play.

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TO DOWNLOAD NOVEMBER’S SONG “HOW DID I GET HERE,” CLICK HERE

TO SIGN UP FOR MBG’S EMAIL LIST, GO TO: www.mediocrebadguys.com

FAN US ON FACEBOOK                      FOLLOW US ON TWITTER

“How Did I Get Here” – now available for download!

So we’re now three months into this “Download-A-Month” thing – three songs, and we appreciate all your great support!

You’ve already heard “I Will” and enjoyed “Gonna Get It Right” (if you haven’t, click on the links to do just that)

And now today, we’re proud to bring you our most epic song to date: “How Did I Get Here”!  You know the drill – just click on the pic below, or click HERE.

By now you know the drill – you can stream the song by clicking on the play button.  Assuming you’ll then want to immediately download it as your own, simply click  the “Buy Now” link to start the download process.  You get to name your own price – and if you’re one of the first 200 to download the tune, you can get it for free!  How cool is that?!

In your rush to enjoy the MBG goodness, don’t forget to click the Facebook “LIKE” button under the album cover art and tweet it as well.   We greatly appreciate any help getting the word out about the new tune.  And please feel free to head over to our Facebook page and leave a comment there letting us know what you think.

Thanks for checking it out – enjoy the songs!

Les, Jerry, Doug and Steve

New MBG song, “How Did I Get Here,” out tomorrow!

Heads-up, folks: holding true to our “Download of the month” plan, the four of us – Les, Jerry, Doug and Steve – are looking forward to sharing our latest song with you tomorrow.  It’s called “How Did I Get Here,” and we’re uber-excited about it.  Easily one of our favorites of the new batch of tunes we’ve been working on.

So have fun trick-or-treating tonight, and then keep an eye out for an announcement sometime tomorrow!

Steve’s thoughts on random band connections and “Gonna Get It Right”

Following the “Download of the Month” release, members of MBG will share their thoughts about that song in subsequent blog posts. We hope it’ll give you a greater appreciation for the tune and all that went into writing and recording it.  Enjoy!

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If you haven’t checked out our latest single, Gonna Get It Right, please do.  Not just because it’s a nifty little tune, but because it’s proof positive of an iron-clad truth: Doug Davis can write some awesome songs.

In one of life’s wonderful twists and turns, Doug and I knew each other long before we shared the stage as Mediocre Bad Guys.  Way back in the 80’s, we were classmates at Wake Forest University.  Fraternity brothers, even. Yep, Doug was a frat boy.  I guess that’s no less surprising than me being one.

Doug was in a nifty little band called Easily Suede that was 3/4 Chi Psi, our fraternity; which meant whenever we had a Chi Psi party we had a 3/4 chance of booking them to play.  They were solid.  And yes, I managed to find my way onto their stage a grand total of two times: once to sing U2’s “I Will Follow” at some outdoor gig; and second to (no snickering) play bass for our Greek Week song.  It was Georgia Satellite’s “Battleship Chains,” except we changed the lyrics: You got me tied down in plastic wrist bands / Seven different colors and it’s getting out of hand.  True poetry.

After graduation I lost touch with Doug, until some fifteen years later when I moved to Mount Airy and met Jerry, who had long run in Winston-Salem music circles with Doug.  It was a very cool sense of deja vu when Doug agreed to join MBG as our guitarist and fourth vocalist and we got to share the stage again.  And I’ll give him credit for pushing the band to start working on originals, tapping into a mess of talent we didn’t fully knew we had.  I still recall one of his emails to Les and Jerry and myself, talking about this song he’d written specifically for Les’ voice, and how it was going to bring tears to his eyes hearing him sing it.

That song, if you hadn’t already guessed, was Gonna Get It Right.  It may even bring tears to your eyes, too.  Let me tell you, it’s a whole lot of fun making music with crazy-talented people.

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TO DOWNLOAD OCTOBER’S SONG “GONNA GET IT RIGHT,” CLICK HERE

TO SIGN UP FOR MBG’S EMAIL LIST: www.mediocrebadguys.com

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