Saturday 12 May 2007
With strong, soulful songwriter and Southern rock influences making their way to the surface in sizzling melodies which have been likened to “Southern-fried Dashboard Confessional” (http://www.225batonrouge.com), Greg Talmage (the band) will shatter the stereotype of what a singer/songwriter-based band should, and can, be. “We wanted to take the likeable nature of a Ryan Cabrera-type act, with his massive pop appeal and give it balls…” says Talmage on what exactly inspired his departure from traditional acoustic-dominated front man style. Raised on the classic sounds of artists such as James Taylor, Joe Cocker, and Bill Withers, as well as drawing from contemporary artists such as Gavin DeGraw, Jason Mraz to name a few, Greg has been treating audiences in Baton Rouge to a musical delight, often unexpected in a town (Baton Rouge, LA) full of what Greg refers to as a “flock of cover bands.” And this was all when he was a solo artist.
The transition from solo acoustic act to full band took place when front man/namesake, Greg Talmage, and lead guitarist, Brandon Bagby met one evening to discuss the possibility of building a music project that would grow beyond Baton Rouge, beyond Louisiana, and beyond the Southeastern United States into something truly huge. Two phone calls later, to Zach Ingram (drums) and Jordy Wax (bass guitar), Greg and Brandon knew that the potential for great music was certainly there. One week and 15 hours of practices later, as Greg Talmage, the band, left Lafayette, LA’s 307 venue speechless (for just a moment before an eruption of applause) as an opener for local favorite, John Peterson, they knew they’d struck gold. “Yeah, we rocked that place out,” said Bagby in reaction to the bands performance at 307.
Three months later, the band had finished its first demo recordings and has been building a large and eclectic following in their hometown of Baton Rouge ever since, attracting fans of acts such as The Beatles and Bob Dylan all the way to heavier acts such as Pantera. Be warned: this is no “softies only” acoustic set. “It’s always funny to me,” remarks Talmage, “when we unload our gear at a ’songwriter night’ and see the other bands jaws drop as they see what appears to be a rock band’s setup taking shape on stage. They just give us this look like, ‘What the hell are WE gonna do?’” If you’re a musician or one of the many fans, and you’re on top of your game, you’ll listen. And smile.