THE
3rd Annual BLAST FROM THE PAST and
Springer Jam WENT
OFF at the Acca Ballroom on August
21st, 2004.
Besides having a kick-it PARTY,
the idea was to get as many Springer
musicians together to construct
NEW memories of yesterday's bands.
An
Open Call went out for all Springers
to come and play.
The Barracudas opened the show and
played the first and last sets, bringing
the crowd to their feet with classic
tunes from the 60s to the 80s.
Mike
Parker,
Butch
Everhardt, Sam Shaw, Donnie Thurston,
Jeff Warburton and J.W. Belden sound
better than ever. Gray McCalley from
Short Cross joined them onstage for
a great harmonica solo.
The room got hushed as
Short Cross prepared to play their
first show in 30 years. When the original
band, including Velpo, Gray, Butch
and Dudley, began to play, the audience
moved toward the stage to get a closer
look at this legendary band. They were
rewarded with four songs by the band,
which only served to whet the appetite
for more. Short Cross will return as
the host
band for next year's 4th Annual Blast
From the Past!
After a short break, Loose Gravel,
with Bill Coon and Bubba Guilford got
on stage. Loose Gravel formed last
winter and have been playing just about
every weekend (keep up with their schedule
on this site). The band is really tight,
and it showed. Bill just loves the
microphone, and Loose Gravel played
a great set.
Then Loose Gravel played as BACKUP
BAND for other Springers, including
members of Soul, Inc. (who ran an awesome
saxaphone line), and my old buddy,
Lou Rodriguez.
The 'Cudas came back on stage to wrap
up the night with a strong set and
all the folks were dancin' past curfew.
The clock got set back again and again
until we all had to leave. We didn't
have to go home, but we couldn't stay
there.
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