Blackeyed Susan has been rocking Huntsville since the early 90’s. They quickly became one of the Tennessee Valley’s premiere party bands with their take on 80’s era rock and pop tunes. Blackeyed Susan typically play to a packed house filled with folks ready to party. They are known for their high energy stage show featuring fun songs we all know and love. This band has never slowed down despite losing one of their founding members Joe Mayer, in a tragic drowning accident in 2003 and undergoing some lineup changes over the years. Their motto is –“It’s not just a show, people—it’s a party and you are invited”.
The current lineup for Blackeyed Susan is:
Scott O’Hanian – Vocals, Bass
J Richter – Vocals, Keyboards
Jeff Goebel – Vocals, Guitar
Donnie Pylant – Drums
I spoke with Scott and J recently about their history and what’s in the future for this cool band which I have been following for years:
How did you guys get the idea to start an 80’s band?
The idea came when Joe and I were at Auburn. We would go out to watch the big party bands that were popular at the time and most of them would always have a few 80’s tunes in their show. When we moved back from Auburn, I wanted to start an all 80’s band in the same vein as the bands we saw in college. Joe wanted to start an original band that would play the heavier alternative stuff at that time. I followed Joe’s suggestions and Blackeyed Susan basically began as an alt-rock band. We wrote about 11 or 12 songs and played them out, but no one really responded the way we’d hoped. So we decided to try my idea and add a set of 80’s cover songs and that really took off. We ended up switching the whole band over to an 80’s band.
As crazy as that seems we were really just trying to find our niche.
– Scott O’Hanian
Seems like a ballsy thing to do at the time. I can’t imagine someone starting a 2000’s band today.
Scott – (laughs) Yes, that would be very strange. Someday that’s going to happen but I don’t know where or when. At the time there were no local bands playing 80’s music at all. And really there were only a couple of circuit bands that were playing some of that material. But, that’s the music I grew up with and I thought we would get a good response from it. Our originals were heavy alternative, so it was a complete shift when we threw in the 80’s material. We started off with just a few songs and after people really responded positively to them, we added an entire set of 80’s music. It was a very interesting show. We would be an original band the first set and an 80’s band the second set. As crazy as that seems we were really just trying to find our niche.
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You often refer to the music you play as “cheesy”. Is this intentional?
J – When people reflect on 80’s music now, I think most of them would acknowledge that there is an element of camp. The 80’s were all about excess, especially the music. And we have always been aware of that. We bring a tongue-in-cheek approach to the music we play. We realize we are playing some of the most self-indulgent music from that decade. So, we try to inject our sense of humor into it. Calling it cheesy is just our way of staying connected to that aspect. The objective is fun. Our shows are not about dazzling musicianship or showboating. We’re just having fun.
What was the original lineup for BES and where did you guys get your start?
Scott – The original lineup was a continuation of my previous three piece band,10 ‘til 10, which included Joe Mayer and David Potter. The three of us had played together in high school but broke up when I left for college. After college, we reformed the band and added Neil Harris because, once again, Joe wanted to do all original music. Neil was our lead singer and main lyric writer while Joe wrote most of the music. That was the very first line up. Neil gets credit for naming the band and getting us our first gig at the Velvet Underground.
What year was that?
Scott – It was probably 1993 or 1994. We continued to play the Velvet Underground, and soon after, Butch gave us a shot at the Benchwarmer. We were hoping to just land a gig at The Benchwarmer, but Butch liked the idea of an 80′s band and he booked us for every Wednesday night. We soon decided we needed to find a keyboard player to round out the 80’s lineup. About the time that search started, David Potter told us he needed to step down due to family obligations. We eventually added Grant Davis on keyboard and Paul Kettering on drums. Our growing popularity seemed to skyrocket when Grant and Paul came on board. Our schedule went crazy and we had to turn gigs down at that point. That lineup stuck around for a long time and we all had a great time and enjoyed a lot of success.
So J, When did you and Donnie enter the line up?
J – I met Blackeyed Susan in 2002, after Grant had left the band. They were gigging as a trio and a mutual friend introduced me to them at an outdoor show they were doing over Big Spring Jam weekend. By the end of the night I wound up singing a song with the band. After the gig, Scott asked if I played keyboards and when I told him that I did we exchanged numbers. Eventually Paul retired from the band, as his commute from Birmingham was becoming a real obstacle for him. Scott called in February of 2003 asking if I’d be interested in playing with a newly revamped BES. I believe at the same time, Joe had previously played with Donnie in a band called Stroud and recommended him to Scott. Our first official rehearsal was amazing. Great chemistry and assembling the material together was very natural. We quickly learned 40+ songs and did our first show in May of 2003.
When Joe passed away, did you consider quitting?
Scott – Yes, we really didn’t know what to do. For me, I had played with Joe my entire life. Every band I had ever played in was Joe, myself, and one or two other guys. Joe and I were always the constant. In fact, I credit Joe for being the musician I am today because it was Joe that always kept me focused on music and the band when I would get distracted with other interests. When Joe died, there was a big emptiness for me. I’m sure everyone else in the band felt that way also. It truly felt like we had lost our brother.
J – You have to remember that before any of us were aware that Joe was missing, we were setting up our gear for a show at Sammy T’s Music Hall. We had to do sound check without him and several of us called Joe hoping he was just running late. As the hours passed without a word from him, we found ourselves at the venue trying to decide what to do. Realizing that we’d be leaving Sammy’s without a band on practically no notice, we decided to make some calls to a few guitarists in the area hoping they’d be willing to cover for Joe. When everyone arrived, we managed to cobble together a full show by rotating players throughout the evening. Over the next few weeks, we had a number of other shows we were obligated to honor and Craig Smoot was gracious enough to step in to help us out.
Though doing those shows without Joe was stressful and difficult for everyone, they were really the impetus for the band carrying on. As fate would have it, about a month after Joe disappeared we found ourselves back at Sammy T’s and that was the day the authorities found Joe. It was heart wrenching. We were so conflicted about the timing of everything and distraught by the news we had just received. Should we do the show in Joe’s honor or would it be in poor taste? News crews were filing into Sammy’s as we were sound checking and through our interviews with reporters we realized we were actually answering our own question. We would give anything to go back in time and undo that whole tragedy, but in hindsight, doing that show was a fitting tribute to Joe. The outpouring of emotion that night gave us all a renewed sense of purpose and I’m convinced that if we had just canceled all of those shows when Joe first went missing, Blackeyed Susan would have ceased to exist.
How instrumental was Craig Smoot in stepping in during that phase?
J – He enabled the band to continue and in many ways, evolve. Craig was not only a talented guitarist, but also a very capable singer. When Craig came into the band it really enabled us to do some things we had previously thought impossible. That really inspired us to re-imagine the course we were on and to take some risks.
Scott – I agree. The three of us have the ability to lock on to three part harmonies with ease. I had never experienced that before and it really took the band to a new level. It was a great feeling to finally play those vocally demanding songs I had always wanted to play.
Jeff Goebel is now in the current lineup. Can you tell us about him?
J – There was an influx of opportunities for the band at a time when Craig had prior commitments. With his blessings, we started searching for a guitarist who could cover some of those dates. I just happened to see Crush performing at a local club and was completely impressed with their guitarist, Jeff. I mentioned him to Scott and after a few weeks of talking with Jeff, he agreed to help us out. He was a real trooper and learned a lot of songs prior to our first show with him. Fast-forward two and a half years and here we are! Losing a key member is always difficult to overcome, but Jeff rose to the challenge and Blackeyed Susan continues on. We are the band that won’t die. (laughs)
You guys play big packed out houses at the clubs in Huntsville. I just read recently that you are going to play a family friendly gig at Bridge Street. Can you tell us about that?
Scott – The committee for Bridge Street’s Concerts in the Courtyard was kind enough to ask us to perform and we will be there on Tuesday, May 24th. I really enjoy playing those types of shows. They are obviously a little different for us, but it gives us a chance to meet and interact with people that would not normally see us play.
When people come to see you guys play they consistently have a great time. Blackeyed Susan always puts on a fun show and rocks the house.
J – We just have a good time and we’ve been fortunate that it translates to the audience. There isn’t a science or formula on how to reach an audience and keep them in the moment. It has to be natural and mutual. It just happens. But, I guess we connect because we have fun and there’s no pretense on our stage. We’re just four very happy guys on that stage and maybe that’s infectious. We have fun, they have fun, and together we have one big party.
We have fun, they have fun, and together we have one big party.
– J. Richter
Upcoming Gigs
04/29 – LeeAnn’s
05/06 – The Station
05/20 – Humphrey’s
05/24 – The Courtyard @ Bridge Street
Links
http://www.facebook.com/blackeyedsusan.band
Email
scott@blackeyedsusan.cc
j@blackeyedsusan.cc
jeff@blackeyedsusan.cc
donnie@blackeyedsusan.cc
