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The long and checkered career of The Southshore 3 goes all the way back to February of 2007. One day out of the blue Tom got a call from Chuck, a lifelong friend and musical associate, wanting to know if he would like to come over and jam with him and his friend Mike. Tom, who had been out of the music scene for a number of years, figured it might be an interesting way to kill an afternoon, so he agreed to a jam session.
But Chuck and Tom were both guitar players which left an unfortunate and glaring absence of a bass player. Tom, being the well-connected fellow he is, called a friend who just happened to have a bass guitar and amplifier gathering dust (thanks Rick!).
The problem was who would play bass? Neither Chuck nor Tom had ever seriously played the bass, or particularly wanted to. But if the jam was to take place someone had to do it, so Tom decided to take a couple of hours and learn to play the bass. How hard could it be? After all, it has two less strings than a guitar, right?
During the next couple of weeks and several jam sessions later Tom, Chuck and Mike actually started to sound halfway decent. Chuck and Mike being excellent singers really carried the day and set the group apart from the average local band. Tom did his best on the bass, but being a lifelong musician he picked it up quickly and was providing a respectable bass thump in short order.
Miraculously through the grapevine, someone heard about the group and it was invited to play at the Manatee Arts Festival in March 2007. With only two week’s notice, the boys polished up their best 5 or 6 songs and named themselves the Tonepots just for the occasion. The performance was a surprising success and Chuck, Mike and Tom agreed to stick to together as a band for a while to see where things would take them.
Soon thereafter, however, Mike made the decision to leave the group. This was a serious setback as Mike carried a lot of the band's lead vocals. But Tom, a closet singer who had always wanted his chance, decided that along with bass, he would try his hand at lead vocals. So without a drummer, Chuck and Tom continued playing and singing together.
In April of 2007, Woody was auditioned to fill in the vacant drummer slot, and was the only drummer who got a chance to try out. The chemistry was just right and Woody's higher level of percussion skills added a whole new dimension to the group's sound. Woody, being a talented and experienced drummer, quickly learned the band's song list and now provides the solid foundation that is necessary in 3 piece group. The Tonepots ended with Mike's departure. With Woody's arrival The Southshore 3 was born.
For most musical groups, personnel changes are a fact of life and in October 2007 our friend, lead singer and mainstay Chuck had to leave the group for personal reasons. Losing Chuck was a major blow, but Tom and Woody decided to stick together and try to find a replacement. After auditioning numerous bass players and singers who, for one reason or another didn't work out, it seemed that all was lost. But Tom and Woody kept looking and sometimes persistence does really pay off.
In January 2007, Nate responded to Tom and Woody's ad on craigslist. From the first time Nate played with The Southshore 3, it was obvious he was the guy the group had been looking for. Nate, being a talented bass player, elevated the music to again, a whole new level. Nate is also a respectable singer who has no trouble picking out harmonies, which is a big help to Tom who has assumed the role of lead singer.
Nate's "balls to the wall" enthusiasm was the breath of fresh air The Southshore 3 needed after its hiatus. With a new song line up and a whole new attitude, the group rocks audiences from Tampa to Sarasota and all points in between.
In November 2009, The Southshore 3 called it a day and disbanded. Tom and Woody, who remained together, are now in the studio working on original material and plan to produce and release a CD sometime in the future under a new name. We had a great run with The Southshore 3, but now? Onward and upward!
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