LITTLE RIVER BAND NEWS 2005		News emails
All change…. by Martin Starkie

Lots of things are new for LRB this year.
A new monitor tech – Mark McNeill.
A new guitar tech, but a familiar first name and even the same hometown as his predecessor – Pat Whitwam.
A new tour bus, but an old driver. Sorry Earl…
And oh yes, a couple of new band members. Billy and Chris.

Chris Marion keys & vocals Photo by Narno Casasús

2005 saw the first line-up changes in Little River Band for over five years – certainly the longest anyone can remember the band being unchanged. There will be some more detailed biographies on the site in due course, but in the meantime LRB News caught up with the newcomers to find out a little more about them, and their thoughts on joining such an illustrious list of players. Billy Thomas (drums) and Chris Marion (keyboards), both based out of Nashville, joined up in time for start of tour 2005, and responding to our questions, here is what they had to say.

How did the gig come about in the first place?
Chris:
Wayne Nelson and I have a mutual friend in the business, who when pressed for who may be a Nashville player that could play keys, sing and be a good fit in a band etc. – told him I was his man. Wayne called me sometime around Thanksgiving – when he said he was the lead singer of LRB I was convinced my friends were playing games with me! Earlier that same week I’d been listening to the Greatest Hits CD during a road trip so I was sure someone from the trip was winding me up. Once we got that sorted out, we agreed that I’d play a short-notice show with them in place of a regular audition – a chance to show what I could do, and of course to see if I liked LRB!
Billy:
Another drummer called Kip Raines had been playing some gigs with the guys in the band, but couldn’t do the permanent stint that the tour demanded – he referred my name to Wayne (editors note – Kip has also played a couple of gigs during the tour when Billy’s prior commitments meant he was unavailable – see the Reba story later in the News). I was called to an audition and came in as prepared as I could be. Having been a working drummer for so many years I hadn’t done any auditions for a long time, so I was a little nervous at first, but the fellows were so cordial that I quickly felt at home and at ease. I was in.
Chris:
I had to learn 14 songs, two hands worth of keyboard parts and vocals on every song in about 10 days! Fortunately I knew all of the hits and had actually played and sung some of them in cover bands when I was younger. Some of the new changes and extended endings certainly took some woodshedding. (editors note – “must be a Nashville expression…”) The show went well and I was invited to join the band.

What were your thoughts about joining LRB?
Chris:
I’d been a fan since 1978 – I had the cassette of First Under The Wire from way back and used to play Cool Change in a club band! I remember sitting in my Datsun ( Nissan for you youngsters out there – Ed.) in the mountains of rural Virginia and singing along to Reminiscing, thinking how cool the chord changes were and trying out each vocal part. Most of the guys I played with back then preferred Molly Hatchet or Lynyrd Skynyrd, but LRB played music that I loved. I wasn’t necessarily looking for a touring job but I viewed the invitation to join as a once-in-a lifetime opportunity I didn’t want to miss.

Billy Thomas drums & vocals

Billy:
My thoughts exactly – I remembered those songs, those vocals and harmonies and the musicianship, so I was really honoured to be asked to come and play.

How much did you know about the band and the players before you joined, and what was your impression when you met and played with the guys?
Billy:
To be absolutely truthful I knew nothing much about the band other than their hits. I’d never seen any photos or videos that I can recall, and of course being a working musician I rarely got to see other people play. The only thing I knew was that they were Australian and very talented folks. I’d spoken to Wayne briefly and he had seemed very professional and approachable; I went to the audition with an open mind and was pleasantly surprised – everyone was from that same mould. They treated me with great respect and we got down to business quickly. It seemed to go well and when I got the call I was truly delighted.
Chris:
I didn’t know a lot about the individual members – LRB never seemed to be that kind of band. Like Billy, I’d never seen them live due to my own work schedule. After working with Wayne, Stephen and Greg, I was really impressed with their commitment to excellence. I’m in my mid-forties (the best age – Ed.) and I’ve lost the desire to play music just for the sake of it, the outlet - I have plenty of those. I want to invest in excellence, and that’s the factor that made me want to be a part of this. They set the bar very high for themselves so it’s easy for me to find common ground there. After working several shows at this point in the tour, we’ve had great fun playing and I can really see this line-up being a very productive and high-quality outfit. There’s a lot of joy in the show.

Any favourite material at this early stage?
Billy:
So far that would have to be Reminiscing, and the We Two/Down On The Border segue - they’re very different extensions of the band’s sound. I came here to rock so I’m having fun.
Chris:
My favourite will always be Reminiscing. Then Cool Change and Take It Easy On Me since they’re such keyboard-driven songs. And Long Way There – we’ve taken that to the next level in funk-rock.

You’re both singers as well as instrumentalists – was the prospect of singing in the band an extra attraction?

LRB backstage, between vocal warm-ups House of Blues Myrtle Beach, South Carolina

Chris:
I’ve always sung in bands. The ability to both play and sing in Nashville is a must if you want to work. The higher vocal parts that I’m currently singing with LRB are a little more taxing than the country stuff that I do in other configurations so it's a challenge that I like.
Billy:
The prospect of singing with LRB is a great challenge for me – and I mean that in the best way. I’ve always sung in every vocal group I’ve performed with, so it’s not an uncomfortable place. It’s just that these guys place such importance on the quality of their vocals that I feel honoured to carry the parts I’ve been given.
Chris:
One thing that I’m pleasantly surprised about is the opportunity and invitation to really contribute to the creative direction of the band. It would have been easy, and probably normal in Nashville to hire Billy and me just as “side guys”, but we’ve already had the opportunity to step in and make contributions on a creative level. Often, you just don't get that level of respect from a baby country artist, let alone from members of a classic rock band that's sold 20 some million units and has been around for 30 years. So, that's made me want to be a part of this operation for the long run.

The early reports coming back from fans at the shows this year certainly indicate that Billy and Chris have slotted in really well and that LRB is having as much fun as ever. To quote Stephen Housden after a recent show, “we’re really enjoying the shows with the new line-up, and can’t wait to get back on stage each night”.

Happy Birthday Reba….
Fans disappointed that they couldn’t get tickets to the show on March 24th at the Wiltern Theater in L.A. will probably not have known that it was actually a surprise party to mark Reba McEntire’s 50th birthday, and that LRB were the best-kept secret of the evening.

Little River Band with Reba McEntire

“Reba and her husband loved LRB and just about wore out the HBO special. The call for her party came from their office in Nashville...surprise party, 50th birthday, LA venue, etc. She was shocked when the curtains opened and we started out with the big vocal from Long Way There (yes folks - it's back this tour!) Then she and her husband proceeded to dance to almost every song. The coolest thing was that she would pause and turn to watch the stage every time one of the new twists to an arrangement came along. It was gratifying to know that a musician and performer of her caliber was really paying attention - enjoying the fact that the song was there but that we had spiced it up a bit. It was a lot of fun. We had to make a mad dash to LAX and overnight to Florida for a spring break show there, so we didn't get to hang much. But the office emailed back that we were a "HUGE success" with the Hollywood partygoers."
The guy on the right is Kip Raines, who drums when Billy isn’t available. Or is it the other way round…?

 

America and Mexico – together at last!

Steve with America Rich Campbell ~ Gerry Beckley ~ Stephen Housden ~ Dewey Bunnell ~ Michael Woods ~ Willy Leacox

That would have been an interesting jam session…maybe next time!

Most curious photo of the tour so far…

Chris and antelopes

After the Monterrey show, the promoter threw a party and invited the band along.
Chris obviously got into the swing quickly and entertained the crowd with a few impromptu tunes on the piano.
We understand it’s the first time he’s ever played surrounded by antelopes…enough to make his hair stand on end.

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