It is not unheard of for patrons to be asked to pay a cover charge when local groups play in Tuscaloosa. However, it is a little more uncommon for those paying patrons to get something to take home with them.
When local groups Blaine Duncan and the Lookers and Lee Bains III and the Glory Fires take the stage at 10 p.m. tonight at Mellow Mushroom, concertgoers who pay the cover charge will get a Blaine Duncan and the Lookers CD to take home.
“Sure, I’ll [give a free CD to those who pay the cover],” said Blaine Duncan, front man for Blaine Duncan and the Lookers. “I have no problem doing that. If people are willing to pay a cover, I’m willing to give them music to take home.”
Opening the show will be Duncan and his band. The group has been together since February 2007, though lineup changes have made Duncan and lead guitar player David Phillips the only remaining original members left in the group.
“The original drummer sort of got the band together after hearing me play a songwriter night at the Mushroom in 2006,” Duncan said. “We sort of put the band together after that, and we’ve had some lineup changes, which is pretty normal.”
The current lineup for the band includes Duncan on guitar, harmonica and vocals, Phillips on guitar, Adam Ridgeway on drums and Kendall Rich on bass guitar and backing vocals. Duncan describes the band’s sound as “country-rock” and “along the veins of Ryan Adams or Lucero.”
Duncan also plans on playing some new music during the show at Mellow Mushroom.
“We have about three songs that are pretty new,” he said. “We’ve only played them a couple times as a full band. In fact, we’ve played them two times as a full band.”
After Duncan and the Lookers play, experienced guitarist, singer and songwriter Lee Bains III will play with his band, the Glory Fires. The Birmingham native is involved in several different groups, including Arkadelphia, Duquette Johnston’s Rebel Kings and the Dexateens.
“I’ve been working with Blaine and booking him for two-and-a-half, three years,” said Shane Lollar, the booking agent for the Mellow Mushroom. “It’s a newer lineup, but they’re still a good local rock band with a good following. And Lee Bains is the guitarist for the Dexateens, and the Glory Fires is his side project. The Glory Fires are scary good. It’ll be a real good night of full-on southern rock and roll.”
Duncan considers himself a huge fan of Bains and his work.
“I’m also really looking forward to Lee Bains,” he said. “His band is just awesome, and it will be a real treat to play on a stage with him. He’s a really nice guy and a really good musician.”
The country-influenced rock group is made up of Bains on vocals and guitar, Justin Colburn on bass, Trey McLemore on guitar and Blake Williamson on drums.
The show starts tonight at 10 at the Mellow Mushroom on University Boulevard in downtown Tuscaloosa. The show is open to those age 19 and up, and there will be a $5 cover charge.
More information about the musicians can be found at myspace.com/blaineduncanandthelookers and myspace.com/leebains.
