Mediocre Bad Guys (2009)
Les Slate - Vocals & Drums,
Jerry Chapman - Vocals & Bass Guitar,
Dave Dixon - Guitar, Mandolin & Vocals,
Steve Lindsley - Piano, Organ, Guitar/Mandolin & Vocals,
Doug Davis - Guitar, Keys & Vocals
Influences
people that play & sing.
Sounds Like
inaudible melodies...middle man...flake...bubble toes...fortunate fool...drink the water...mudfootball (for moe lerner)...f-stop blues...times like these...horizon has been defeated...traffic in the sky...taylor...gone...wasting time...holes to heaven...fall line...rodeo clowns...mediocre bad guys...better together...never know...banana pancakes...good people...sitting, waiting, wishing...staple it together...crying shame...breakdown...do you remember...upside down...broken...talk of the town...the 3 r's...supposed to be...if i had eyes...oh my sweet carolina (ryan adams)...two (ryan adams)...when the stars go blue (ryan adams)...girl i wanna lay you down (animal liberation orchestra)...sister golden hair (america)...the weight (the band)...if i had $1,000,000 (barenaked ladies)...here comes the sun (the beatles)...couldn't get it right (climax blues band)...a long december (counting crows)...rain king (counting crows)...don't dream it's over (crowded house)...straight to hell (drivin' n' cryin')...slide (goo goo dolls)...no time (the guess who)...drift away (dobie gray)...the wind cries mary (jimi hendrix)...save it for a rainy day (the jayhawks)...jack & diane (john mellencamp)...lonely ol' night (john mellencamp)...the joker (steve miller band)...champagne supernova (oasis)...wonderwall (oasis)...american girl (tom petty)...breakdown (tom petty)...free fallin' (tom petty)...you wreck me (tom petty)...amie (pure prairie league)...losing my religion (r.e.m.)...man on the moon (r.e.m.)...the one i love (r.e.m.)...banditos (the refreshments)...dead flowers (rolling stones)...you can't always get what you want (rolling stones)...all for you (sister hazel)...change your mind (sister hazel)...fire (bruce springsteen)...stuck in the middle with you (steeler's wheel)...badfish/boss dj (sublime)...what i got (sublime)...867.5309/jenny (tommy tutone)...one (U2)...ain't no sunshine (bill withers)...heart of gold (neil young)..... check out some live SOME LIVE JACK JOHNSON COVERS below (banana pancakes, better together, good people, 3 r's)
.............OH MY SWEET CAROLINA (RYAN ADAMS COVER).............
.............A BUNCH OF SONGS IN 4 MINUTES.............
We thought we'd just get together and play songs for our friends, but what do we know?
This is how good music comes about – when the focus is not on egos or image; on who gets to solo or who gets to sing lead. Good music is made when it's always about the music. For the Mediocre Bad Guys, this is not only what brought them together, but what has kept them going strong.
Mediocre Bad Guys began in the fall of 2005 when three friends and music buffs in Mount Airy NC – drummer Les Slate, bassist Jerry Chapman, and guitarist Gary Manfredi – started jamming on some Jack Johnson tunes (because, as someone once said, they're loads of fun to play). At the time there was no plan to take the music outside of their little practice space on Market Street. Eventually, though, the small following of friends who came to hear them while enjoying a beer or two got them thinking.....why not? Soon MBG secured a few gigs at a local coffee house, attracting larger crowds and a steadier following. With Slate's vocals hinting convincingly at Johnson's without appearing to duplicate, Mediocre Bad Guys were on their way.
Around 2006 the band added keyboards, as well as a desire to play some songs outside the Jack Johnson box (wonderful as that box is). Cover songs were chosen that played into the band's lineup, as well as tunes that merged well with Slate's pure vocals and the more rock-leaning vocals of Chapman. Working meticulously on the tunes, MBG sought not to just “play” others' songs but to recreate them in a style that pays homage to the original while remaining uniquely their own. Some of MBG's favorite artists to cover are: Ryan Adams, Tom Petty, Rolling Stones, Sister Hazel, and countless classics from the 60's and 70's. Where else, pray tell, can you hear The Monkees' Stepping Stone immediately followed by The Replacements' Banditos?
Over the years the band's lineup has evolved, with Slate and Chapman remaining at the foundation (as, any musician would argue, the bass and rhythm section should). David Dixon was the first to join the fold on guitar, mandolin and vocals. Two others came on board soon after: Steve Lindsley ..board, guitar/mandolin and vocals; and Doug Davis on guitar, keyboard and vocals. Because all members have day jobs and families, the lineup may change slightly from one gig to the next. The quality of music, however, does not.
To date MBG has delighted audiences at both premier nightclubs, festivals, and private parties all across the Triad of North Carolina and beyond. They've shared the stage with the Little River Band as well as Bobby Keys, sax player for the Rolling Stones. At the same time, they've played in living rooms and in quarters so cramped that the keyboardist had to climb over the railing with a ladder. But that's okay – because when it comes to the Mediocre Bad Guys, it's always about the music. As it damn well should be.
Places MBG have performed:
The Garage (Winston-Salem, NC),
Ziggy's (Winston-Salem, NC),
Foothills Brewery (Winston- Salem, NC),
Alive After 5 (Winston-Salem, NC),
The N Club (Greensboro, NC),
Lincoln Theater (Raleigh, NC),
Cross Creek Country Club (Mount Airy, NC),
Goober's 52 (Mount Airy, NC),
Dozens of private parties in the Triad.
FOR BOOKING:
jtclig@aol.com or 336.710.1907
Jeremy is back from Vegas and his Very sucessful tour in Mexico with Plastic Musik and we're crazy excited to be back in the NC next weekend... We had a such a great show at the Pour House in Raleigh. We've been invited back to the Cat's Cradle!... We can't wait to see you at the show.
Battle of the Bands Round 2, Cat's Cradle in Chapel Hill, Sunday Dec. 14th. Doors open at 5P. Show starts at 5:30.
!!!We have tickets!!! $10 in advance, $12 at the door.
hey - how are you? got a new song up that i wanted you to hear called "always". listen to it on my profile, and if you like it, put the song up on your page, or buy it on itunes!
Good luck to ya'll tonight at the amphitheatre! We can't make it this time, but thanks for letting us know. 'Hope to catch your show before long. :) Kathe & Ted
We thought we'd just get together and play songs for our friends, but what do we know?
This is how good music comes about – when the focus is not on egos or image; on who gets to solo or who gets to sing lead. Good music is made when it's always about the music. For the Mediocre Bad Guys, this is not only what brought them together, but what has kept them going strong.
Mediocre Bad Guys began in the fall of 2005 when three friends and music buffs in Mount Airy NC – drummer Les Slate, bassist Jerry Chapman, and guitarist Gary Manfredi – started jamming on some Jack Johnson tunes (because, as someone once said, they're loads of fun to play). At the time there was no plan to take the music outside of their little practice space on Market Street. Eventually, though, the small following of friends who came to hear them while enjoying a beer or two got them thinking.....why not? Soon MBG secured a few gigs at a local coffee house, attracting larger crowds and a steadier following. With Slate's vocals hinting convincingly at Johnson's without appearing to duplicate, Mediocre Bad Guys were on their way.
Around 2006 the band added keyboards, as well as a desire to play some songs outside the Jack Johnson box (wonderful as that box is). Cover songs were chosen that played into the band's lineup, as well as tunes that merged well with Slate's pure vocals and the more rock-leaning vocals of Chapman. Working meticulously on the tunes, MBG sought not to just “play” others' songs but to recreate them in a style that pays homage to the original while remaining uniquely their own. Some of MBG's favorite artists to cover are: Ryan Adams, Tom Petty, Rolling Stones, Sister Hazel, and countless classics from the 60's and 70's. Where else, pray tell, can you hear The Monkees' Stepping Stone immediately followed by The Replacements' Banditos?
Over the years the band's lineup has evolved, with Slate and Chapman remaining at the foundation (as, any musician would argue, the bass and rhythm section should). David Dixon was the first to join the fold on guitar, mandolin and vocals. Two others came on board soon after: Steve Lindsley ..board, guitar/mandolin and vocals; and Doug Davis on guitar, keyboard and vocals. Because all members have day jobs and families, the lineup may change slightly from one gig to the next. The quality of music, however, does not.
To date MBG has delighted audiences at both premier nightclubs, festivals, and private parties all across the Triad of North Carolina and beyond. They've shared the stage with the Little River Band as well as Bobby Keys, sax player for the Rolling Stones. At the same time, they've played in living rooms and in quarters so cramped that the keyboardist had to climb over the railing with a ladder. But that's okay – because when it comes to the Mediocre Bad Guys, it's always about the music. As it damn well should be.
Places MBG have performed:
The Garage (Winston-Salem, NC),
Ziggy's (Winston-Salem, NC),
Foothills Brewery (Winston- Salem, NC),
Alive After 5 (Winston-Salem, NC),
The N Club (Greensboro, NC),
Lincoln Theater (Raleigh, NC),
Cross Creek Country Club (Mount Airy, NC),
Goober's 52 (Mount Airy, NC),
Dozens of private parties in the Triad.
FOR BOOKING:
jtclig@aol.com or 336.710.1907
