It's All About The Music
Lead Guitar/ Bass/ Drums/ Guitar/
Lead Vocals Vocals Vocals Vocals
Rodney Givens Jim Albrecht Tom Spahr Ron McGinnis
Lead Vocals Vocals Vocals Vocals
Rodney Givens Jim Albrecht Tom Spahr Ron McGinnis
MANAGER: LESA GIVENS
(pictured below)
All photos by Gap Photo,
Winlock, Washington
Reported by
by Firelyn
Private parties, local taverns, weddings, and the Lucky Eagle Casino all are part of the BACKFIRE Band’s regular tour in and around Lewis County, Washington. What can I say? If you've read any of my other reviews, you know my preferred genre of music is usually
something that would inspire a mosh pit. Well... not this time.
BACKFIRE BAND plays music that people can dance to. They are the kind of band that you go out with friends to watch and have a great time and good night. They have quite a local following, too. I had been noticing them for a while before this assignment. The first time I heard them play was at the Garlic Festival in Chehalis, WA. It was then that I learned I would be writing about them.
Categorizing them is not an easy task to accomplish, they play some classic rock with a southern feel, and some country music they play like the blues. A few weeks later they played in Winlock, WA., at a small, yet generous tavern called "The Club".
It was there that I realized how popular the Backfire Band truly is.
This particular show was sort of an encore to a recent Welcome Home show for the Stryker Brigade troops who had just returned to the Northwest after an extensive tour in Afghanistan (more on this at the end of this interview).
The crowd thoroughly enjoyed their original songs along with every thing that they did.
The show at "The Club" was at full capacity, and the crowd was dancing and having fun with the band. Interaction between the band and their audience is integral to
the show, and they pull it off. Every show that I've seen them play, there has always been audience participation and dancing, even outside in the rain at the Garlic
Festival. Backfire Band is kind of a southern rock and blues fusion, although I don't think it's done through intention; they just play - the people just love it.
I had only a short time to try and get to know them when I interviewed them at the "Little Red Barn', but I had fun doing it. I hope you out there will get an idea about who the Backfire Band
is. Keep your eye out for them and if you're in the area. I definitely recommend you go and see them...
The Interview
DGT: Tell me about your influences....
BFB: Waylon songs ….my brother played classic rock…. my dad played country music. My dad was a bass player MUSIC…. my dad was a bass player……
TOM……I grew up with the Beatles and Beach Boys. My greatest inspiration was Northwest drummer and vocalist Michael Kinder.
RONNIE: I heard music from my dad…… ……I cut my teeth on the Beatles, The Ventures….. Clapton…Mark Knofler…..
ROD: He didn't lie any crappy guitars did he?
JIM: He met me when I was a guitar picker but he needed a bass player.
ROD:First I met Jerry, Ron's brother…. …..Rick Anzelone was our first drummer.As we progressed I hired a guy named Chet Dawson for a while, maybe two or three years…..
DGT: I notice you guys get along really well….
BFB: Pretty good chemistry right off the bat!
LISA: And they all like each other ( LOT’S OF LAUGHTER ) most of the time!
Rod and Lesa Givens
BFB:.. Long as we don't play too often…..Then we start getting cranky. We start doing gigs every day, we start getting gripey at each other.
DGT: Like a family.
ROD: It is.
BFB:...It's like a big family…You gotta get along in order to do this .
DGT: Who writes for the band?
ROD: I write it all ( ANOTHER OUTBURST OF LAUGHTER )
JIM : He even wrote mine!
ROD: Jim's written a lot o songs. How many do you have?
JIM: Whole bunches of them at home in the studio. But only a couple so far for the band.
TOM: Songs that I've brought were written by a friend in another band by the name of Paul Goldsmith.
ROD: Most of the other music we're doing was co-written with other people.
BFB: Probably JIMMY RITCHIE has written or co-written with other people…he gave me a sack of demos and we have bene going through them, finding what we think is right for us and our sound.
LESA: Yes, there's a lot of great material out there which has never been released.
DGT: That's for sure!
BFB: In the words of Conway Twitty " why when there's so many great songs out there, would I try to write when I can sing them so well? "(chuckle)
DGT: You sing lead so well but I have seen you trade off and you all harmonize so well.
BFB: Thank you!
DGT: You also seem to have a big following
BFB: We love that support of the fans.
DGT: What are your plans for the immediate future?
ROD: To get a big motor home and head for Nashville! No, seriously our immediate plans are to get our CD out. We want to put it out there and see what happens.
LISA: We have definite goals to have this done by the end of the year.
ROD; Yeah, we'd like to have this completely finished before New Year's Eve. We have a lot of the recording done but we've got a lot more to do.
JIM: I worked on one of the songs today for about three hours.
ROD: Jim is the most dedicated one. That's for sure.
JIM: YOu guys didn't know it but all your harmony parts are done in "Baby Doll". I just want one from you and one from you to blend in now.
DGT NOTE...We were interrupted by a fan wanting to know when the band was going to start playing and the guys were very gracious, not rushing him off.
TOM: Back to the interview ( laughter breaks out )
DGT: When you put your sets together for a live show, what is the mix of originals to covers?
ROD: About two originals per set. We have nearly a CD worth of material right now that we play in our shows. When we opened for Travis Tritt , we did about ten originals and two covers. You know, we picked the material of other artists that we feel we do well and yet, in our own way.
JIM: When you play in bars, clubs and casinos...well casinos anyway you can play a lot more originals. In a bar the people are there to get out on the dance floor and have fun.
LESA: In a concert setting or festival it's different because in a sit down situation you can play a lot more original material and I think people are a lot more receptive.
RON: But they have been dancing to our original songs too!
JIM: Yeah it's cool to see them out there partying to our own.
DGT: I noticed a couple of weeks ago at a performance outdoors - when you guys were doing the original material people in the audience were singing along with all the words.
LESA: Yes and that's really encouraging!
JIM: Very much.
DGT: Growing up in a small town with a father who is a musician and a writer that was always an issue not being able to do a lot of originals but having a band myself for a while in Seattle, that was not such a problem.
Are you guys trying to get outside of your own area more so that you can eventually do even more of your originals?
LESA: Well, that's the problem trying to get the gigs you know, that make it worth the while. Outside of the gigs where it pays to do it and you're not losing money you know...in the Northwest soon as you say that the band is " country " a lot of doors get closed on us.
ROD: Our biggest issue is in the definition of what we are as a band. Much of our set lists don't really get played on Country music radio but yet we get labeled as a Country band a lot.
JIM: And we're really not. More of a Southern Rock band than a Country group.
DGT: More of a Bluesy Rock?
JIM: What we have is a young country boy and three old rockers!
ROD: Yeah God gave me a Honky-Tonk voice and told me to use it for something.
DGT: This year besides that huge Garlic festival have you guys been playing the Fair circuit?
LESA: We haven't been playing the circuit per se but we have been playing and booking some more of the fairs. WE played the Grays Harbor fair opening for Jake Owen, the Nashville recording star who is produced by our friend Jimmy Ritchie, and of course the SWW Fair.
JIM: We have a saying; we don't get paid to play, we get paid to pack our own gear
LESA: Yeah and when you minus the bar bill......
DGT: Do you have aspirations to really take this to the next level?
ROD: Oh, you never say never. If someone came up to me and said
" I really like what you're doing and think you've got what it takes to make it ", Then we'd do our best to oblige them you know and keep going.
JIM: Stuff us onto a tour bus , sending us across the country- paying us enough to make it justified then heck yeah! Who wouldn't want to do that?
LESA: I mean, we're not twenty years old. We're realistic so we're not going to pack up and move to Nashville.
ROD: It would have to be pretty lucrative because we'd have to quit our jobs in order to do that. You know, we've all gotta pay our bills!
TOM: We've got fans over in Germany who want us to come over there and play. You never know.
DGT: From what everyone is saying about Backfire Band although you've been together ten years it seems the past two years you guys have really been getting good and the band is tight!
LESA: It takes a long time to get the band together and tight as you say.
ROD: It's amazing how much you mature and get better and better!
LESA: The band has had some pretty exciting shows opening for Little Big Town, David Alan Coe, Jake Owens, Travis Tritt and Phil Vasser. Ronnie has even opened for Charlie Daniels, so the band has had a lot of experience doing bigger shows and venues.
TOM: I would like to mention also that we played for the Stryker Brigade who came back home after being in Afghanistan too! That was a great experience! I can't believe our local paper didn't write anything about that.
LESA: Yeah, they didn't mention a thing about it
I also want to say on the subject of the concert they played in FT.LEWIS for the returning Troops & the families of ALL the men and women who serve(d) our country- these guys are truly sincere. All in all my experience watching and listening to them was very enjoyable. Their material is great, when doing covers they can't help but put their own touch on things. Whether it's Hank Williams jr., AC/DC, Brian Adams,or Z-Z Top (which comes w/choreography)-it just sounds good. BACKFIRE BAND is a fun group to go out and see- Good Music that always makes for a great atmosphere, people will inevitably end up on the dance floor- consistently and continually...song after song, covers or originals- these guys play music so you can have a fun time. Check out their website: If you haven't seen them play...GO...you'll have a great time. If you are already a fan...Keep The Faith, their album will be available before you know it.
Click to visit Backfire Band @
Myspace
and
facebook!
BFB: Waylon songs ….my brother played classic rock…. my dad played country music. My dad was a bass player MUSIC…. my dad was a bass player……
TOM……I grew up with the Beatles and Beach Boys. My greatest inspiration was Northwest drummer and vocalist Michael Kinder.
RONNIE: I heard music from my dad…… ……I cut my teeth on the Beatles, The Ventures….. Clapton…Mark Knofler…..
ROD: He didn't lie any crappy guitars did he?
JIM: He met me when I was a guitar picker but he needed a bass player.
ROD:First I met Jerry, Ron's brother…. …..Rick Anzelone was our first drummer.As we progressed I hired a guy named Chet Dawson for a while, maybe two or three years…..
DGT: I notice you guys get along really well….
BFB: Pretty good chemistry right off the bat!
LISA: And they all like each other ( LOT’S OF LAUGHTER ) most of the time!
Rod and Lesa Givens
DGT: Like a family.
ROD: It is.
BFB:...It's like a big family…You gotta get along in order to do this .
DGT: Who writes for the band?
ROD: I write it all ( ANOTHER OUTBURST OF LAUGHTER )
JIM : He even wrote mine!
ROD: Jim's written a lot o songs. How many do you have?
JIM: Whole bunches of them at home in the studio. But only a couple so far for the band.
TOM: Songs that I've brought were written by a friend in another band by the name of Paul Goldsmith.
ROD: Most of the other music we're doing was co-written with other people.
BFB: Probably JIMMY RITCHIE has written or co-written with other people…he gave me a sack of demos and we have bene going through them, finding what we think is right for us and our sound.
LESA: Yes, there's a lot of great material out there which has never been released.
DGT: That's for sure!
BFB: In the words of Conway Twitty " why when there's so many great songs out there, would I try to write when I can sing them so well? "(chuckle)
DGT: You sing lead so well but I have seen you trade off and you all harmonize so well.
BFB: Thank you!
DGT: You also seem to have a big following
BFB: We love that support of the fans.
DGT: What are your plans for the immediate future?
ROD: To get a big motor home and head for Nashville! No, seriously our immediate plans are to get our CD out. We want to put it out there and see what happens.
LISA: We have definite goals to have this done by the end of the year.
ROD; Yeah, we'd like to have this completely finished before New Year's Eve. We have a lot of the recording done but we've got a lot more to do.
JIM: I worked on one of the songs today for about three hours.
ROD: Jim is the most dedicated one. That's for sure.
JIM: YOu guys didn't know it but all your harmony parts are done in "Baby Doll". I just want one from you and one from you to blend in now.
DGT NOTE...We were interrupted by a fan wanting to know when the band was going to start playing and the guys were very gracious, not rushing him off.
TOM: Back to the interview ( laughter breaks out )
DGT: When you put your sets together for a live show, what is the mix of originals to covers?
ROD: About two originals per set. We have nearly a CD worth of material right now that we play in our shows. When we opened for Travis Tritt , we did about ten originals and two covers. You know, we picked the material of other artists that we feel we do well and yet, in our own way.
JIM: When you play in bars, clubs and casinos...well casinos anyway you can play a lot more originals. In a bar the people are there to get out on the dance floor and have fun.
LESA: In a concert setting or festival it's different because in a sit down situation you can play a lot more original material and I think people are a lot more receptive.
RON: But they have been dancing to our original songs too!
JIM: Yeah it's cool to see them out there partying to our own.
DGT: I noticed a couple of weeks ago at a performance outdoors - when you guys were doing the original material people in the audience were singing along with all the words.
LESA: Yes and that's really encouraging!
JIM: Very much.
DGT: Growing up in a small town with a father who is a musician and a writer that was always an issue not being able to do a lot of originals but having a band myself for a while in Seattle, that was not such a problem.
Are you guys trying to get outside of your own area more so that you can eventually do even more of your originals?
LESA: Well, that's the problem trying to get the gigs you know, that make it worth the while. Outside of the gigs where it pays to do it and you're not losing money you know...in the Northwest soon as you say that the band is " country " a lot of doors get closed on us.
ROD: Our biggest issue is in the definition of what we are as a band. Much of our set lists don't really get played on Country music radio but yet we get labeled as a Country band a lot.
JIM: And we're really not. More of a Southern Rock band than a Country group.
DGT: More of a Bluesy Rock?
JIM: What we have is a young country boy and three old rockers!
ROD: Yeah God gave me a Honky-Tonk voice and told me to use it for something.
DGT: This year besides that huge Garlic festival have you guys been playing the Fair circuit?
LESA: We haven't been playing the circuit per se but we have been playing and booking some more of the fairs. WE played the Grays Harbor fair opening for Jake Owen, the Nashville recording star who is produced by our friend Jimmy Ritchie, and of course the SWW Fair.
JIM: We have a saying; we don't get paid to play, we get paid to pack our own gear
LESA: Yeah and when you minus the bar bill......
DGT: Do you have aspirations to really take this to the next level?
ROD: Oh, you never say never. If someone came up to me and said
" I really like what you're doing and think you've got what it takes to make it ", Then we'd do our best to oblige them you know and keep going.
JIM: Stuff us onto a tour bus , sending us across the country- paying us enough to make it justified then heck yeah! Who wouldn't want to do that?
LESA: I mean, we're not twenty years old. We're realistic so we're not going to pack up and move to Nashville.
ROD: It would have to be pretty lucrative because we'd have to quit our jobs in order to do that. You know, we've all gotta pay our bills!
TOM: We've got fans over in Germany who want us to come over there and play. You never know.
DGT: From what everyone is saying about Backfire Band although you've been together ten years it seems the past two years you guys have really been getting good and the band is tight!
LESA: It takes a long time to get the band together and tight as you say.
ROD: It's amazing how much you mature and get better and better!
LESA: The band has had some pretty exciting shows opening for Little Big Town, David Alan Coe, Jake Owens, Travis Tritt and Phil Vasser. Ronnie has even opened for Charlie Daniels, so the band has had a lot of experience doing bigger shows and venues.
TOM: I would like to mention also that we played for the Stryker Brigade who came back home after being in Afghanistan too! That was a great experience! I can't believe our local paper didn't write anything about that.
LESA: Yeah, they didn't mention a thing about it
.
Banner for the Stryker Brigade
photo by Gap Photo
photo by Gap Photo
A Note from Firelyn:
I think I should mention something about that (what the interview ended on); the show I mentioned earlier in Winlock, WA was kind of a follow-up on the show for the guy's coming home from Afghanistan.That was a Welcome Home party for the 5/2 STRYKER Brigade which was held at FT.LEWIS. I didn't get to see the show at FT.LEWIS, but the follow-up was an excellent show. It gave me a good indication of their following, no.1 and no.2- how proud BACKFIRE BAND was about being involved in SUPPORTING OUR TROUPS and doing anything that gives back to our community. The guys performed a great song dedicated to the STRYKERS called 'SOMEWHERE USA' which was written by Jimmy Ritchie (*see footnote)...a definite crowd pleaser. People really like BACKFIRE Band's original material. It's real music they can relate to and get up and dance to,( which believe me they do!) I also want to say on the subject of the concert they played in FT.LEWIS for the returning Troops & the families of ALL the men and women who serve(d) our country- these guys are truly sincere. All in all my experience watching and listening to them was very enjoyable. Their material is great, when doing covers they can't help but put their own touch on things. Whether it's Hank Williams jr., AC/DC, Brian Adams,or Z-Z Top (which comes w/choreography)-it just sounds good. BACKFIRE BAND is a fun group to go out and see- Good Music that always makes for a great atmosphere, people will inevitably end up on the dance floor- consistently and continually...song after song, covers or originals- these guys play music so you can have a fun time. Check out their website: If you haven't seen them play...GO...you'll have a great time. If you are already a fan...Keep The Faith, their album will be available before you know it.
For damngoodtunes.com .....
Firelyn-
burning off.
Firelyn-
burning off.
Click to visit Backfire Band @
Myspace
and
facebook!
*J immy Ritchie mentioned above was raised in Lewis County and now makes his home in Nashville Tennessee. His latest achievements include co-writer on the title track to the new George Strait CD " TWANG "and producing Nashville's own Jake Owen as well. The publisher here has known Jimmy since he was the young kid at the music store hanging out and asking for the latest guitar lick from the old pros. Like many, Jimmy Ritchie set his mind to it and worked very hard to be where he is today. However, in spite of his enormous success, Jimmy Ritchie loves his friends in BACKFIRE BAND and never forgets his family and friends when he visits Lewis County . He grabs a guitar and sits in with the BFB and just loves to jam with his buds. Jimmy Ritchie, a hard working producer and the one to keep your eyes on folks. Coming to a Platinum record near you!
