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ENTERTAINMENT
Up-and-coming bands hit Holderby
HUNTINGTON -- On Wednesday night, the river meets the road -- and it's going to be a cool thing.
The summer-long Wednesday Wind Down concerts at Holderby's Landing will feature the cool Canadian country rockers the Road Hammers truckin' through.
The award-winning four-man Canadian band, which stars in its own reality show every Thursday night on GAC, takes the stage at 6 p.m.
Locally based duo Crisp and Davis and the Moneymakers close out the show at 8 p.m.
Doors open at 5 p.m., and 100.5 WKEE will broadcast live from 7 to 10 p.m.
100.5 WKEE's Wednesday Wind Down is brought to you in part by AT&T, Dr. Phil Zambos and Hatfield Insurance.
Kelly Ray Davis, the singer/songwriter whose "Out Wayne Thing" has been sitting on WTCR-FM's Homegrown Country charts for months, said they look forward to sharing the stage with the Road Hammers. The Road Hammers will also headline the Heiner's Summer Concert Series at 7 p.m. Thursday at Pullman Square, and then roll on to Mineral Wells, W.Va., where they play the West Virginia Interstate Fair and Exposition.
On June 24, the band released its CD, "Blood, Sweat and Steel," which features some freewheeling originals such as "I've Got the Scars to Prove it." The CD also boasts coffee-stained covers of a slew of trucker classics, including "East Bound and Down" and Del Reeves' 1961 hit, "Girl On the Billboard," and some contemporary trucking classics from artists such as Paul Thorn ("Heart With Four Wheel Drive") and Lowell George ("Willin' ").
The Montage Records recording group was a side project by Canadian country star Jason McCoy. The group was forged under the unforgiving reality-TV lights of CMT Canada's "Making the Band." The band already has taken the Reeves song to No. 1 on the Canadian Country Music Charts.
In fact in 2005, the band was nominated for six CCMA awards and walked away with the trophy for Group or Duo of the Year. Road Hammers also picked up a Juno Award for Country Recording of the Year.
In 2006, the band received two CCMA awards, Group or Duo of the Year and Best Video for "Girl On the Billboard," as well as the No. 1 video on CMT Canada.
"I loved Del Reeves and 'Girl on the Billboard' when I was a kid, and I knew that all it needed was a modern twist from this band," said McCoy, who already had his own decade-long career. "It's such a great song, and it's early rap, it really is."
Davis, a 32-year-old Wayne resident who's got a songwriting deal in Nashville, said the summer's been great. The band just played Pullman Square, has been doing a lot of writing and has upcoming gigs at the Wild Horse and other venues in Nashville.
Davis and red-hot guitarist Rodney Crisp have put together an all-star band that includes long-time Billy Ray Cyrus and SlyDog drummer Greg Fletcher, as well as veteran bassist Bill Fraley.
Davis has a publishing deal with Mike Kinnamon and Music Central Publishing in Nashville. He has scored cuts with such bluegrassers as award-winning bluegrass dobro player Randy Kohrs ("Step Into the Blue") and Ernie Thacker ("Daddy's Meadow Fields").
Davis' song, "Crazy Love," has been cut by a major country artist on a yet-to-be-released project.
Davis said another thing that's happened recently is the forging of an official duo with him and Crisp.
"It just seemed right," Davis said. "Me and Rodney started out as a duo with the songwriting thing and we're like, 'Let's just do it as duo artists.' Rodney just brings so much character to the sound with his ability to play. We're both old-school rockers and love that Southern-fried country rock 'n' roll."
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