Waylon Jennings "Nashville Rebel DVD" (RCA/Legacy)

This collection of 20 video segments includes vintage television appearances, live concert footage from Opryland, music videos and a pair of TV commercials. It''s a superb look at Jennings as both a live performer and a commercial commodity. The program opens as then-defunct hippie affectations were cropping up in the oddest of mainstream places. The 1970 appearance on the Johnny Cash show still finds Jennings Nashville-slick with his well-kempt hair, but the band displays extra-Nashville influences with a double-neck guitar and a flower-power sticker on the electric bass.

The leap to track 2 picks up four years later with a signature appearance on Don Kirshner''s Rock Concert television program. These segments find Jennings'' hair and beard grown out, and his music and band tuned to fit a rock audience. Jennings plays country rock (including excellent versions of Billy Joe Shaver''s "Honky Tonk Heroes" and "Slow Rollin'' Low"), but with the showmanship of a rock band. Aside from Red Rhodes western shirt, Jennings'' group looks like a rock band, and they play with enough aggression to please the longhairs, headbands and rednecks in the audience. The staging and camera work are superb.

Next up are five segments taken from Jack Clement''s TV show that feature a similar band, but with a different vibe. Set in a studio Jennings and band pull back ever so slightly, playing as much for each other as for the cameras. Jennings smiles his way through an extended take of "I''m a Ramblin'' Man," offering up some awesome lead guitar as the band jams; Willie Nelson''s "It''s Not Suppose to be That Way" shows Jennings gripping presence as a ballad singer. A sit-down solo acoustic take of "Waymore''s Blues," complete with lit cigarette in his guitar''s headstock, is mesmerizing in the ease with which he segues from singing to chatting with his wife, Jessi Colter. The camerawork isn''t up to that of the Kirshner shows, with zooms and tight close-ups that create more of a documentary feel.

Film of a 1978 Opryland concert finds Jennings still a potent force on stage, but working through a catalog of chart-topping hits is simply a less urgent showcase. The difference between the Kirshner and Opryland audiences is stark, with the former standing and hollering their encouragement, and the latter (primarily industry executives) seated, listening and applauding politely. "Are You Sure Hank Done it This Way" would surely have had the crowd on their feet just about anywhere but Opryland. The video is well shot and edited, with multiple cameras, video overlays and dissolves.

The mid-80s music video for "The Conversation" features Jennings and Hank Jr. in a barroom, engaged in a musical discussion about Hank Sr. "Never Could Toe the Mark" is choreographed as an intimate band sound check and "America" is a highly-produced piece whose stock images seem more like the director''s vision that Jennings''. All three are interesting additions, but none of them pack the charge of the live appearances. The closing pair of TV commercials, particularly the 1976 spot for "Wanted! The Outlaws," are a treat, particularly for those who came to Jennings after his mid-70s peak.

This DVD is a superb companion to RCA/Legacy''s recently released 4-CD Waylon Jennings box set. The earlier segments demonstrate the rock-like edginess Jennings brought to his music and the stage, and the later segments show the mainstream eventually catching up. Throughout, Jennings comes through as an individual bent on playing his music his way. The video transfers are excellent, and the sound is very good throughout. [©2006 redtunictroll at hotmail dot com]

Note to Jennings collectors: this is *not* the 1966 American International Pictures film of the same title.

Waylon Jennings “Nashville Rebel” (RCA Nashville/Legacy)

Jennings catalog has seen its share of reissues, in both original albums and anthologies, but never before has a box set captured the full story of his career. Reissues of original albums have told Jennings'' story in bits and pieces, single-disc anthologies have cherry-picked the chart highlights, and Bear Family''s import box sets "Destiny''s Child" and "Six Strings Away" have laboriously cataloged the details of his pre-outlaw career. But with the release of this beautifully produced 4-CD collection, RCA provides both depth and breadth, essaying Jennings transition from a protégé of Buddy Holly to purveyor of folk- and country-rock hybrids to increasingly uncomfortable Nashville cat to rebel immortality and self-direction. Jennings'' transformation is highly personal yet shared out loud with his audience; and especially visceral when condensed from thirty-seven years of individual albums to a four-disc box-set.

The earliest side here, one of three cut under the direction of Holly in 1958, is a version of the Cajun classic "Jole Blon" featuring a ''50s-styled sax and a waltz-time saunter. The collection''s second track, "My Baby Walks All Over Me," dates to Jennings'' initial early ''60s residency in Arizona, with Ray Corbin''s twangy lead guitar retaining the sort of energy laid down by James Burton on early tracks by Ricky Nelson. Next, the set jump-cuts to Jennings mid-60s beginnings at RCA where the sound was more polished (and in stereo), the jumpier tempos had relaxed to a cantor, and Jennings voice turned to an earthy croon.

Jennings'' enduring legacy was minted by his fight for artistic independence in the early-70s, but his initial RCA sides are just as worthy as his outlaw breakthrough. He may have felt constricted by RCA''s factory song construction, but the results included some of his most endearing sides, including "Stop the World and Let Me Off," "(That''s What You Get) For Lovin'' Me," "Mental Revenge," "Only Daddy That''ll Walk the Line," and "Brown Eyed Handsome Man." Even with Chet Atkins'' and a studio full of Nashville A-listers smoothing the background, Jennings gravitas carried every single.

The late-60s original "Just to Satisfy You" shows Jennings at the peak of his pre-outlaw period, with a stripped down arrangement and lightly jazzed beat accompanying his commanding baritone. Ironically, it was an earlier, more raw recording of this same song that had brought the Jennings to RCA''s attention several years earlier. Lesser remembered treats from this era include a hit duet with Anita Carter on "I Got You," a soulful duet with Jessi Colter on her "I Ain''t the One," and the title track to the American International Pictures film "Nashville Rebel." The latter, recorded in 1966 by Harlan Howard, was tremendously prophetic, with lines like "I''ve got things to do, and things to say in my own way."

By the end of the decade, the Nashville system – writers, producers, studios and session musicians all supplied by the label – left Jennings unfulfilled. He did indeed have things to say in his own way, and that included a broader choice of writers and recording venues, and most importantly, the familiarity and warmth of recording with his road band. RCA''s way of doing things wasn''t producing the commercial success he felt he could achieve, and so Jennings found himself compromised both artistically and financially.

The end of the ''60s provided the circumstances for Jennings to make a change. He''d grown increasingly uncomfortable with RCA''s cookie-cutter style, married Jessi Colter (his third and lasting marriage), and been given time to think by a bout of hepatitis that temporarily ended his touring. Willie Nelson had decamped to Austin with similar thoughts of independence, and Jennings longtime drummer Richie Albright suggested that they push for the sort of artistic freedoms afforded RCA''s rock acts. By mid-decade, Jennings had released the successful "Honky Tonk Heroes" and "Ladies Love Outlaws" LPs, and with his RCA contract up for renewal, he held a strong hand.

By the tail-end of his initial contract he''d already begun to wrest control of his recordings away from RCA. 1972''s slowed-down take of Buck Owens'' "Under Your Spell Again" is sung as a duet with Colter, a pair of tracks from "Lonesome On''ry and Mean" features Jennings'' roadband, and a co-producer credit on "You Can Have Her" pointed to the following year''s independence day. Jennings hired himself a New York City manager and gained the desired concessions in re-signing with RCA. He was now free to record what he wanted how he wanted and with who he wanted to play and produce.

The initial fruit of this new-found freedom was 1973''s legendary "Honky Tonk Heroes" LP. Jennings co-produced with Tompall Glaser and recorded an album of songs by Nashville-outsider Billy Joe Shaver. The album''s title track begins in tribute to Jimmie Rodgers before segueing to a twangy guitar-and-drums sound that hadn''t much been heard in Nashville. The stripped-down arrangements have a more live feel than anything Jennings had recorded before, and Shaver''s songs were fresh and direct.

To further insulate himself from label pressures, Jennings moved his recording sessions from RCA to Tompall Glaser''s independent studio, subsequently dubbed "Hillbilly Central." The initial LP from this arrangement, "This Time," gave Jennings his first #1 single with its title track. Thus began a streak of spectacular albums, including "The Ramblin'' Man," "Dreaming My Dreams" and "Are You Ready for the Country," and a string of iconic hits that included "I''m a Ramblin'' Man," "Rainy Day Woman," "Amanda," and "Are You Sure Hank Done it This Way." Jennings toured extensively with this material, and disc 3 opens with a trio of cuts (from 1974''s "Waylon Live") that shows off his towering talent as a stage performer.

Jennings fame crossed over to the pop charts with "Mamas Don''t Let Your Babies Grow Up to Be Cowboys," and his involvement with "The Dukes of Hazzard" brought his theme song and narration to televisions nationwide. His albums of the early ''80s continued to track new ground, and his singles, including duets with Willie Nelson, and covers of Otis Redding, Little Richard and Eagles hits, kept him on the upper-reaches of the charts.

In the mid-80s Jennings recorded an album with Willie Nelson, Johnny Cash and Kris Kristofferson as The Highwaymen and moved his solo career from RCA to MCA. At MCA, producer Jimmy Bowen crafted a decidedly more modern sound (gone is the steel, in is subtle synthesizer), but Jennings still sounds great, and the material is well chosen. A 1990 move to Epic yielded the top-10 "Wrong" before diabetes and carpal tunnel syndrome slowed Jennings work. A few more albums for indie labels (not anthologized here) found his artistic flame undimmed. The collection closes with the well-chosen, "I Do Believe," from 1995''s reunion of The Highwaymen. Jennings song is resolutely independent, yet faithful, as had been his entire career.

Completists will note a few omissions (nothing from his lackluster stint with A&M is included, nor is the Grammy® winning take of "MacArthur Park"), and fans may miss a few favorite album tracks, but that isn''t the purpose of this set. Further, this isn''t filled with rarities and alternate takes; again, that''s not the point of this box. Instead, these 92 selections paint the full picture of Jennings artistic arc, from proto-rock ''n'' roller, to industry man, to his own man. Across four discs, Jennings talent can''t be denied, whether singing within the confines of Nashville''s system, or flung wide-open to his personal interpretation.

Lenny Kaye''s introductory essay is written as both a friend and biographer, filled with warm remembrances and penetrating insights. Rich Kienzle''s liner notes provide detail on Jennings'' career, recording the pivotal moments that created these recordings. This is a superb introduction to Jennings'' career, and a wonderfully listenable condensation for fans. [©2006 redtunictroll at hotmail dot com]

Johnny Cash “At San Quentin (Legacy Edition)” (Columbia/Legacy)

The 2-CD/1-DVD Legacy Edition series has taken a number of approaches to expanding classic releases, but none has been so holistically inviting as this deluxe reissue of Cash''s classic live album. Columbia''s 2000 CD reissue (subtitled "The Complete 1969 Concert") added eight Cash performances that had been shaved off the original vinyl release, but left four more sitting in the vault. This latest edition not only restores the four missing Cash performances, but adds the solo performances from Cash''s troupe – Carl Perkins, The Statler Brothers, and The Carter Family – presenting the entire show from start to finish.

The restored material serves several purposes. First, the missing Cash tracks (both solo and with wife June) are as good as those originally released. Second, each of the three supporting acts was strong enough to have topped the bill, and so their individual tracks are welcome on purely musical grounds. Finally, presenting it all in sequence gives listeners the you-are-there experience, starting with the warm-up, Cash''s arrival on stage, and the choreography with which the four acts intertwine their histories and catalogs.

As you play through the two discs it''s clear that Cash was not only a gifted singer, songwriter and performer, but a talented showman, skillfully weaving himself into the exchanges with his troupe. Though he''s clearly the focal point, he gives his fellow performers plenty of limelight. He sings seven songs on his own, a pair of duets with June, and then trades solo spots with the Carters, Perkins and the Statlers. Cash joins the Carters for June''s "Ring of Fire," and brings the Statlers and Perkins up for a trio of songs. The show closes with a rousing medley of "Folsom Prison Blues" "I Walk the Line" "Ring of Fire" and "The Rebel – Johnny Yuma."

As on the 2000 reissue, many of the concert''s best moments are Cash''s dialog with the audience. Though not a prisoner, he clearly identifies with their confinement and rebel spirit, noting that the British film crew had tried to influence his song list, and he was having none of it. The comfort with which he holds the stage is reflected in the ease through which his songs and adlibs tumble forth. Surrounded by friends, family and his longtime backing band (W.S. Holland, Marshall Grant and then-new guitarist Bob Wooten), Cash''s performance is as natural as his breathing.

New to this release are tracks from Cash ("The Long Black Veil/Give My Love to Rose," "Orange Blossom Special," "Blistered," and a duet with June Carter on "Jackson"), Carl Perkins ("Blue Suede Shoes," his then-current single, "Restless" and the instrumental "The Outside Looking In"), The Statler Brothers ("Flowers on the Wall" and a cover of Glen Campbell''s "Less of Me") and The Carter Family ("The Last Thing on My Mind" "Wildwood Flower" and "Break My Mind"), all superb.

The CDs are augmented by a DVD that includes an hour-long 1969 documentary produced in the UK by Granada Television. The transfer''s a bit dull (and the audio is mono), with some scratches and jumps, but overall it''s quite watchable. The program intercuts performance footage with prisoner and guard interviews. And though this is more a documentary about San Quentin and prison life than a concert film, it still provides visual evidence of Cash''s comfort with his captive audience. Not only does he seem at ease, but he shares the feeling with his fellow performers. June Carter – perhaps the only woman in San Quentin at that moment – seems surprisingly happy (though perhaps not completely relaxed) during their duet performances.

The original edited release of this concert still provides a wonderfully visceral anthology of Johnny Cash, but this documentary form of the original adds another dimension. The extra performances are all worth hearing, and the restoration of the show''s original pacing and interplay between the acts are critical to reproducing the show''s original emotional tenor. This is a true essential among the vast riches of the Cash catalog. [©2006 redtunictroll at hotmail dot com]

George Jones “Essential” (Epic/Legacy)

The mergers and acquisitions that have marked the last decade of the record industry may be concentrating more power in the hands of the few, but it''s also making it a lot easier to market multi-label anthologies of long-running artists such as Jones. This 2-CD, 40-track collection surveys nearly all facets of Jones'' career, from his early success at Starday, through his breakout sides on Mercury, a stint on United Artists and his long run on Epic. Missing are his late ''60s sides for Musicor, which had been licensed for earlier multilabel sets, but were unavailable (or too expensive) this time out. The out-of-print Musicor-focussd "George Jones: 24 Greatest Hits" (on the Tee Vee label) thus makes a nice complement to this set.

Jones'' earliest sides find him still in the thrall of honky-tonk legends Hank Williams and Lefty Frizell. His work for Starday and Mercury were hardcore country, honed in the roadhouses of his native East Texas. But by the start of the ''60s, at the tail end of his tenure for Mercury, Jones started to find a new voice. On breakthroughs like "She Thinks I Still Care," Jones and his producer shook off a bit of the twang, slowed down the dancehall tempos, and introduced the beginnings of the vocal style that would become his trademark over the next two decades.

The quality of his recordings surged and floundered throughout his hit-making years, alongside his drinking and drugging, but not always in correlation. At turns, the despair of his personal life fueled his performances, at other times it simply overtook him. By the end of the ''60s, having left Musicor, he landed at Epic and wrote his legacy large with recordings produced by Billy Sherrill. Solo and with then-wife Tammy Wynette, Jones recorded many of country music''s most indelible sides, including "Love You Could Never Be Better" and "Take Me." His divorce in 1975 and subsequent substance abuse fueled sides like "Memories of Us" and "A Drunk Can''t Be a Man." Jones bottomed-out personally and triumphed professionally in 1980 with the song many consider to be country music''s all-time greatest, "He Stopped Love Her Today."

Jones continued to record with Sherrill into the late ''80s, at which point he moved to MCA and finally to Asylum, minting top-10 singles (and catching a Grammy© for "Choices" in 1999) along the way. This 2-CD set provides a broad overview of Jones'' career, save for the missing Musicor years, and provides an excellent introduction for the neophyte, as well as a nicely condensed listening experience for fans. [2006 redtunictroll at hotmail dot com]

Charley Pride “Essential” (RCA Nashville/Legacy)

This double-disc set is a straight up reissue of 2003''s "Anthology," featuring the same 40 tracks, and the same liner notes. That said, it''s still the best introduction to Pride''s great career at RCA, whatever RCA wants to use as a title. The material spans Pride''s entire twenty year run at RCA, from his second single, 1966''s "Before I Met You," through his final year''s "Down on the Farm" in 1985. In between, the collection does an excellent job of cherry-picking from Pride''s extensive catalog and eye-popping chart success. Out of 54 singles issued for RCA, 51 hit the country Top-10, and many of his chart-toppers crossed over to minor pop success.

Pride''s commercial success began with the Grammy® winning top-10 "Just You and Me" from 1966. Written by Jack Clement and produced by Chet Atkins, Bob Ferguson and Clement, Pride''s masterful baritone is set between twangy pedal steel and a countrypolitan background chorus. For all the recognition Pride has received as country music''s first (and really only) African American superstar, his music, particularly as produced by Clement, is completely colorblind. His song choices speak to country music''s universal experiences of love and loss, and his voice, while quite unique, is marked mostly by his Southern raising.

Taking off from his first chart success, Pride minted an amazing streak of top-10s, including a run of #1s from 1969 through 1971. Of the six ("All I Have to Offer You (Is Me)," "(I''m So) Afraid of Losing You Again," "(Is Anybody Going To) San Antone," "Wonder Could I Live There Anymore," "I Can''t Believe That You''ve Stopped Loving Me," and "I''d Rather Love You), only the last is missing from this set. Clement''s use of chorus backings adds an element of resolve and strength to Pride''s laments, creating the sense of a man who still has friends to help pick him up after various emotional devastations. His carefree whistling outro to "San Antone" suggests a happier future, and a cover of Merle Haggard''s "A Shoulder to Cry On" is more apologetic than Haggard''s desolate original.

Pride could also sing happy songs, like his signature "Kiss an Angel Good Morning," topping the country chart and nearly edging into the pop Top-20. The faith-inspired follow-up, "All His Children" (from the film "Sometimes a Great Notion"), adds a sweeping chorus and a Henry Mancini string arrangement. Even more lush are the strings and harmonies for 1978''s "Someone Loves You Honey." Pride continued to sound country in voice, even as the productions crossed over to the pop music featured on disc two. The early ''80s brought the disco-fied #1 "Night Games" a twangy live cover of George Jones'' "Why Baby Why," and the collection closing homage to small farms, "Down on the Farm."

A recording career as deep as Pride''s can''t be fully covered in only two discs, and so there are missing hits (e.g., 1980''s #1 "Honky Tonk Blues") and favorite album cuts that still await reissue. But with the bulk of Pride''s catalog still in the vault, these forty tracks will need to sate those new to Pride''s catalog, and whet the appetite of those who still hanging on to their original vinyl. [©2006 redtunictroll at hotmail dot com]

Stoll Vaughan “Love Like a Mule” (Shadowdog)

There''s no denying Dylan''s influence here, particularly in the wordiness and rolling-thunder rhythm of the opening "Alright." But Dylan''s more a musical genre than a specific figure, and though Vaughan''s verbal punctuation derives straight from the Bard, his voice is huskier and bluesier than Dylan''s nasal whine. Much like Dylan''s Wallflower-leading son, Jakob, Vaughan is second-generation comfortable mixing rock, pop, country and blues, and the result is more seamless than the transitional works of the elder Dylan.

Vaughan writes narrative, but still quite elliptically; he invests in the sounds and rhythms of words, blending lyric with melody like Townes Van Zandt. The road-weary "Fade Away" provides sketches of scenery in a voice reminiscent of Mark Knopfler, and the chorus of "Savior" rests on the melodic and rhythmic ghosts of Dylan''s "Baby Blue." Mike Wanchic''s production is full of the acoustic/electric guitar mix he''s provided for John Mellencamp (here played by Vaughan and Carl Broemel) with hearty portions of both Wurlitizer and Hammond B3.

The Dylan influence may cause some to write off this sophomore release as imitative, but particularly on ballads like "Seen Moments" and "Head Above the Wheel," Vaughan liberates his delivery. Same for the swampy title track, with its seductive blues underpinnings and whispery growl of a vocal. Fans of Springsteen, Mellencamp, The Wallflowers, and of course, Bob Dylan, should check this out! [©2006 redtunictroll at hotmail dot com]

The Dillards "Early Recordings - 1959" (Varese Sarabande)

Several years before they became a leading light of progressive bluegrass, the Dillard brothers, Rodney and Doug, were honing their chops on radio and in live performance around their native Ozarks. They recorded a few singles for the K-Ark label in 1958, but didn't form their namesake group until 1960. In between the brothers laid down these ten sides in a St. Louis home studio in 1959. With no record deal to push the music into release the tape was misplaced for decades, only to be rediscovered recently. Dillard mandolinist Dean Webb added his strings and voice in the remastering, but if someone didn't tell you, you'd swear he'd been in the studio in '59.

The duo's playing (Doug Dillard's banjo playing, in particular) and singing, and the recording's quality are all of very high caliber. This never sounds like a demo. The material relies mostly on traditional material, but the brothers – all of 16 and 21 at the time – contribute a trio of fine originals. One might not predict the groundbreaking material they'd create in the '60s, but the talent was clearly evident early on. This is a nice complement to Varese's 1962 live concert CD, "The First Time Live," sharing a similar Ozark bluegrass energy, and a great find for Dillards fans. The only disappointment is the 21 minute playing time – but that's either all they recorded, or all Doug Dillard found in his archive. [©2006 redtunictroll at hotmail dot com]

Various "Why The Hell Not… The Songs of Kinky Friedman" (Sustain)

This second volume of Friedman cover songs (the first being 1999's self-commissioned "Pearls in the Snow") is more like volume 1-1/2 than volume 2. Not only does it borrow three recordings from the earlier tribute ("Sold American" "Rapid City, South Dakota" and "Ride 'em Jewboy"), but it remakes three more of the remakes ("Get Your Biscuits in the Oven" "Wild Man From Borneo" and "Lady Yesterday"). What you're left with are only three songs being covered anew, "The Gospel According to John" "They Ain't Makin' Jews Like Jesus Anymore" and "Homo Erectus."

The repetition would be a lot more problematic if the songs and performances weren't so good. At just nine tracks and 39 minutes, the disc is short, but it presents a much more focused program than '99s "Pearls in the Snow." The holdovers from the earlier collection are all worth hearing again, and all three of the re-covers add new inflections to the canon. Kevin Fowler turns it loose for Friedman's women's lib broadside "Get Your Biscuits in the Oven," and Charlie Robison is perfectly matched to the pathos of "Wild Man of Borneo."

Of the newly covered titles, Todd Snider's Chuck Berry styled take of "They Ain't Makin' Jews Like Jesus Anymore" will certainly set offended toes to tapping. Friedman's ribald material often obscures his more sensitive songs, leaving his catalog only lightly covered on others' albums. Luckily, he has the foresight to get it done himself. [©2006 redtunictroll at hotmail dot com]

Sunny Sweeney "Heartbreaker''s Hall of Fame"

The munchkin-voiced Sweeney sounds a bit like her modern hero, Natalie Maines, but with a more straight-ahead country singer-songwriter vibe. Her East Texas twang meshes well with the steel/guitar/bass/drums of her band, and harmonica adds a touch of a 70s vibe. Sweeney''s originals are smart and straightforward, ranging from the unhurried honky-tonk of the title track to the Lucinda Williams-styled "Ten Years Pass." The sassy, caller-styled hoedown "If I Could" features some hot-picking from the band, and her plaintive voice combines wonderfully with Jim Lauderdale on "Lavender Blue." Lauderdale''s own "Refresh My Memory" and "Please Be San Antone" (the latter co-written by The Dixie Chicks'' Emily Robison) and Iris Dement''s "Mama''s Opry" are finely selected covers. Sweeney''s voice may not be for everyone, but her country heart is in just the right place. [©2006 redtunictroll at hotmail dot com]

Heartland - I Loved Her First
By: Christie Bohorfoush - AngryCountry, Senior Staff Writer

All it takes for a popular regional act to be catapulted into the national spotlight is one special song. Suddenly hometown heroes find themselves climbing the charts and enjoying that first brush of stardom. That is exactly what is happening to Heartland, a talented band of Alabama musicians who are rapidly becoming the most talked about new act in country music. Who is Heartland? They are: Craig Anderson - Rhythm guitar, Keith West - Bass guitar and background vocals, Jason Albert - Lead vocalist, Chuck Crawford - Fiddle and background vocals, Todd Anderson - Drummer, and Mike Myerson - Lead guitar.

The catalyst for the group's current success is the poignant ballad, "I Loved Her First," which is becoming one of the the most added new songs at country radio. Though one hit song can serve as a launch pad, it takes talent, hard work, and an arsenal of solid material to build a career. Heartland has those things in abundance. "We just all love music," says lead vocalist Jason Albert as he begins chronicling the band's early days. "The core of the band was me, Craig, and Todd starting out. Then we added Mike and Keith. Chuck's not been with us that long. We've known him for a long time, but he recently joined the band and he fits like a glove. It's been wonderful."