Number 9 are virtually a who's who of local musicians who recreate every Beatles album on the 40th anniversary of its' release. Former shows include "Rubber Soul" and "Revolver" (three performances each), including a farewell concert in November 2006 at the now dark Blue Horse Music Hall.
Number 9 puts in hundreds of hours of cumulative rehearsal time for each project that actually begins four months before each album is recreated. The intent is not to reinvent the music with new arrangements but rather interpret the material to be as true to the Beatles' original recordings as possible.
Number 9:
Chip McDonald - Guitar. Chip actually gets the nod (and sometimes blame) for getting the band together, as our first gig was actually a Pink Floyd Night in 2005. Chip teaches guitar full-time and has taught thousands of students, many of whom now make their living playing music. His innovative arrangement of "Silent Night" was one of the highlights on 2006's "12 Bands of Christmas" show and disc. A well-known proponent of "42", Chip recently married his first wife Linda who knew that he was a musician in the first place. She has our deepest sympathies.
Tim Arbisi - Bass. Tim is a veteran gigging musician and toured the eastern US for almost a decade as a member of People Who Must and Patrick Blanchard's Big Mighty. Although not quite an original member, Tim is still referred to as the "new guy". It must be in the Arbisi genes to love the music of the Fab Four as Tim's brother Jon also is a member of a Beatles tribute band in the Chicago area where Tim was raised. A Navy veteran of the Gulf war, he is general manager at Turner's Keyboards. Because of "family connections" in Battle Creek Michigan...Tim holds the distinction of being one of three "mikey" characters as seen on numerous cereal TV commercials in the 70s. He rarely talks about it.
Roger Davis - Vocals. Lovingly referred to by many as Corporal Gripweed, Roger has been a mainstay of the Augusta music scene for over 20 years. He was a member of Impulse Ride, the Groove Dogs, and the cool, much-missed local rockabilly band the Hipnotics. He is a custom carpenter and also gigs with R2D1. We're still trying to get over the fact that Rog is from the valley. It has been said that Roger is one of the finest vocalists in the Augusta area and we're inclined to agree with him. Get him to do his Marty Robbins and Roy Orbison impressions for you.
Kirkwood Deal - Horns, Foley. Kirk has been a member of several REAL bands including playing tuba with the 1996 Olympic Band and filling in for the Fort Gordon Dinner Theatre. Kirk loves to play bass in his heavy rock band Uncle Woody. A master repairman, Kirk owns and operates Kirkwood's Music and Repair focusing on band and orchestral instrument repairs and rentals. His prowess on all blocks including temple, wood, and buster is unparalleled.
Jamie Jones - Vocals, Drums. The newest member of the group, Jamie is the most sought-after drummer in the CSRA. Jamie, a full-time musician, has countless sessions to his credit, including current projects that include Silverdash Music (with John Kolbeck), Daddy Grace(with former James Brown guitarist Keith Jenkins), Box of Moonlight and Pat Blanchard. Jaime also makes the best ROCK pose of anyone in the group. For years, Jaime has been proud to note that, as a 6-year old boy, he appeared on the original "Trooper Terry" TV show on WJBF channel 6. Too cool.
Jeff Johnston - Vocals, Guitar. No one is really sure how Jeff joined or what he does.
Ed Turner - Vocals, Keys. Ed's "Mad Music Asylum" Sunday night radio show was a mainstay of the local airwaves from 1974-2002. Ed's column "Music by Turner" in the Metropolitan Spirit has been enjoyed (as well as complained about) by locals for 19 years. An importer-exporter of all things latex, Ed travels the globe incessantly as a goodwill ambassador for Vandelay Industries, leaving him little time for walking his dogs. A former baseball coach as well, Ed is co-owner of Turner's Keyboards on Washington Road. Ed likes it when you call him Coach, but would rather be called First Class. AKA Master Purveyor of Promotional Ballast.
