The re-comeback
It seems like only yesterday when Chris and Ryan came to visit me in Woodstock, NY to do some recording. I was a fledgling music producer at Dreamland studios and was looking for a band to experiment on, so the two of them hitched a ride from Boston (literally). Somehow they forgot the bass player at home - or didn’t have one yet - I can’t remember. Anyway, I casually picked up the bass to fill in but never imagined how that decision would change my life. What followed next was a wild ride of touring, recording, movie premieres and general mayhem - and, well, the rest is history.
And now, here we are (ahem, cough) years later and well, we missed it so much we decided to do it again! Of course, Chris never stopped writing, performing and (going to movie premieres), while Ryan and I pursued other adventures in music. And although the three of us have always remained close, we decided the time was finally right for an actual band reunion. But don’t call it a comeback, we’ve been here for years...
The making of the next Push Stars record!
The first step in our rebirth was to record our fifth studio album and before the songs were even written we knew where we wanted to record. It all started when Chris and Ryan were hanging out down in Memphis and attended a church service with the one and only Reverend Al Green. Yes, THE Al Green. They enjoyed it so much they approached the Reverend’s musical director, a very talented man named Brandon Gaddy, who, despite his gut instinct, eventually decided he was quite fond of the band. The studio would be Ardent Studios in Memphis - a place with an amazing history (Big Star, Led Zeppelin, REM and AL Green to name a few!). Chris and Ryan called me up and asked if I was interested in self-producing our new record at Ardent and the answer was a resounding, “Well, duh”!
So for eight days in July we lived and worked (and ate BBQ) in Memphis and created some of our best music yet, inspired by the blues, soul and rock legends that were born there. Speaking of local legends, Brandon was there every day, bringing in the most awesomely talented people (you’ll hear all about them soon) as guest musicians and vocalists. The studio and staff was incredible. Jody Stephens (drummer for Big Star) hung out and played tambourine and the local musicians that stopped by gave us inspiration and lots of love. The time was right for a new Push Stars record, and the place was definitely right.
So now the record sits in the masterful hands of our friend and mixing superstar Greg Collins, who produced and mixed our last record, “Paint the Town”. Coming soon to a Spotify app near you!
What now? Let’s tour!
So while making an album is fun, it really doesn’t get any better than playing live. After playing a few shows in the last year we were amazed by the loyal fan support that we’ve seen. Nothing proved this more than our successful Kickstarter campaign and the turnout at our Boston and NY shows. So it’s time to get back in a van, get out on the road and visit some old friends and some cities we haven’t been to in a while, only this time rocking out with a guest keyboardist - that’s right ladies and gentleman, please welcome Brandon Gaddy on keys! We liked him so much in the studio we decided to bring him on tour. And despite his gut instinct, he agreed.
So, in a nutshell - more Push Stars mayhem is headed your way, whether you like it or not. Watch out for new singles, videos, stories from the road, and clever stage banter like this: “How many people are here tonight? Raise your hands.” ...or, how could you forget this one: “This is seriously the best looking crowd we’ve ever played for in our entire career!” And who knows, maybe some new banter is coming. Lucky you!
Ok that’s it for now - lot’s of stuff happening. Hope to see you out there soon so we can tell you all about it in person!
Dan