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A couple of weeks ago, the shuffle gods were in our favor, and "Gone South (Electric Rock)" by Mark Robinson came up on my shuffle the same day that his new two-sided single was released. We had originally added the official video to our playlist but due to a technical problem (You Tube ate the video, I think), we had to replace the video with the song/picture video. However, thankfully, we have been given another shot....
Ladies and Gentlemen, Boys and Girls... come gather round your computer, tablet or other electronic device and then sit back and enjoy the WORLD PREMIERE VIDEO PRESENTATION via your source for all the news that is fit to post....
The important details....
MARK ROBINSON: Some people are born into the Blues, some people have the Blues thrust upon them. Having discovered the Blues as a teenager, when Robinson moved from Indiana to Chicago, he found himself learning from some true legends of the genre while also discovering the harsh realities of a life playing Blues music. Moving back to Indiana, he began a long teaching career at Indiana University while continuing to make music. In 2004, when he wife, Sue Havlish, got a job offer in Nashville, Mark packed up and moved to The Music City. His debut record, Quit Your Job - Play Guitar, describes the attitude he took about the move. In his decade plus in Nashville, Robinson has established himself as one of the best sidemen, band leaders, and producers around. Whether backing artists like Tommy Womack, producing albums like David Olney's When the Deal Goes Down, or leading his own Mark Robinson Band, Mark Robinson has found his place in a very crowded Nashville music scene.
MARK ROBINSON BAND: Backed by the powerhouse rhythm section of Daniel Seymour (Irene Kelly, David Olney, Tommy Womack) on bass and Justin Amaral (Jim Lauderdale, Junior Brown) on Drums. The Mark Robinson Band are one of the best live acts in Nashville. Their show at The 5 Spot at the tail end of Tomato Fest this year, was a joyous celebration. The stellar playing, awesome arrangements, and party atmosphere made it a night to remember. This blogger even danced (twice!), and I don't dance!
THE SONG: "Gone South" was originally written as an Electric Rock song - similar in vein to Robinosn's blues recordings but with a harder/chunkier rock sound that recalls some of great Blues-inspired hard rock - from Mountain and James Gang up to an including some of the current purveyors of the music. He also recorded an Acoustic Roots version of the song which re-imagines the song as something that should find a welcome along side some of the fine folks making genuine roots inspired acoustic music today. At the heart of both versions is a damn fine song played by some of the best players Nashville as to offer.
THE ELECTRIC ROCK VERSION: To bring the Electric Rock version to life, Robinson augmented his talented band with Michael Webb whose many credits included work with Poco and John Fogerty playing the Hammond B3 and Rick Schell who is best known for his work with Pure Prairie League singing background vocals. The song Rocks. Hard.
THE VIDEO: Produced and Directed by Charles Brandon, the video for "Gone South (Electric Rock)" is fast paced mix of performance (featuring the Mark Robinson Band with Rick Schell performing stunt drumming duties for the video - presumably because Justin Amaral is afraid of dragons (but we will get to that). Robinson himself is the star of the video - giving a dramatic turn as a man frustrated by life who turns to booze and eventually decides to go South only to find his efforts repeatedly thwarted. Finally, he buys a run down old pick-up truck (complete with an eight track tape deck) and finally hits the road. And there are dragons that breath fire on the band as if their playing was not hot enough. The video is exciting and fun and engaging. In short, it encapsulates everything I love about Mark and his music.
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