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Submitted By: host | Added On: 7/3/2006 | Total Views (685) | Total Downloads: (0)

Karaoke is the devil.

.....of course this is just my opinion.Every Batman has its Joker.Every Abel has its Caine.For the live musician, their nemesis is karaoke (unless you are a studio musican -who do you think MAKES the karaoke tracks-but those guys are pretty much whores anyway and don't pertain to this column).This is not to begrudge the Brad Coursey's of the world (who,by the way,is very good at what he does) from keeping himself in shiny red cars and feeding his girlfriend fruity drinks, karaoke is not helping the live musician's cause....but is karaoke that is sung with a LIVE BAND the devil? Big Jim Slade doesn't think so (neither do I).
Most of us here at Nashville Rock.net are familiar with Big Jim Slade.....spot on vocal harmonies.....riffs for days.....perfect melodies( if you're not, you should be).Future classic rock is what they call it.OK.No argument here.Their "everyone is a rockstar" series at The Mercy Lounge has found a home on Wednesdays.Maybe it's a reaction to American Idol maybe it's clever synergy on everyone's part.BTW for those of you reading this who are from other areas that may not be familar with Big Jim Slade ; he is not a giant redneck that wants to kick your ass while impregnating your sister.THEY are :

Jonathan Sirls
Chris Belt
Robert Sirls
Clay Fuqua

I popped by The Mercy Lounge to see if "Shout at the Devil" was on the menu.......
Then we got some questions answered.

NR : How did Big Jim Slade form?
BJS : Well, this giant redneck in Western Kentucky impregnated his sister. Actually, we all grew up playing in bands around Paducah, KY so we all four have known each other for a long time. In 1994 all four of us decided to move to Nashville, but at different times, and with no intentions of starting a band together. In 1995, Jon and I were recording demos at 16th Avenue Sound with various drummers and asked Chris to come in and play on a few songs. After these sessions, we decided we were a band, but we needed a drummer. Over the next 2 years, we went through five different drummers. Finally, in 1997, we called Clay, who was playing with a band out of Memphis at the time, but had been hanging out at our rehearsal space a lot since he still lived in Nashville, and asked if he wanted to join BJS. And here we are 8 years later.

NR : Tell us about your originals.
BJS : We’ve released three Big Jim Slade records since 1998. We’re big on soulful vocals, big guitar riffs, and harmonies. You can go to www.bigjimslade.com and listen to samples from each record. In fact, you can download the entire Plant Life album for free. People always ask “who do you sound like”? We just say we sound like Big Jim Slade. People should listen and make their own opinions.

NR : Had any of you ever played covers in a band or been in a cover band before?
BJS : Oh yeah. We’ve all played those 4-set nights. Doing EARS is about as close to that as we get anymore. Hearing drunken idiots request that “Bob Singer” song gets old quick.

NR : I've noticed this ("Everyone's a Rockstar") type of format in a few other hubs across the U.S. (for example, in Atlanta the 10 High Club hosts Metal-Some Monday on Mondays).How did "Everyone's a Rockstar" at The Mercy Lounge come about for Big Jim Slade?
BJS : Everyone can thank Nashville Music Scene Kingpin Mike Grimes for the creation of Live Band Karaoke in Nashville. Many moons ago, we played a show at Slow Bar (Grimey’s bar) and just happened to throw a cover song in our set. Fast forward to Fall 2003 and we get a call from the Bar Car in Cummins Station. Apparently the manager at the Bar Car wanted to try something new and Mike suggested he call Big Jim Slade to try live band karaoke. So, we do a few karaoke shows there on Thursday nights, but quickly figure out that the Bar Car is not the right fit for what we’re trying to do.

So, fast forward to the Summer of 2004. We get a call from Mercy Lounge asking if we’d wanna give the live band karaoke a shot there, on Wednesday nights. We’ve got about 125 cover songs, so we figure, why not. Nice club, great sound, we’ve known Chark for years, let’s do it. We did our first “Everybody’s a Rockstar” show there on 8/25/04, and we’re still at it. We were actually just voted Best Karaoke in the “Best of Nashville” edition of the Nashville Scene.

NR : Your setlist looks like a boutique of the basic rock fans' favorite songs. How did you guys decide what songs would comprise the master menu for people to choose from?
BJS : Basically, we started the list with songs we already knew. Then we sat down, made a list of other songs we thought people would dig singing, and learned them. We also take requests, and try and work those up when we can.

NR :We're in Nashville; have any celebrities ever taken a stab at something?
BJS : Ron Jeremy has yet to stop in, but Comedian Jake Johannsen came by one night after his set at Zanies. Come to think of it, we’re a popular spot for comedians. John Hefron, the winner of Last Comic Standing also came by and sang with us one night. The guys from Jump Little Children did a few songs with us after they did an Uptown Mix show last year, and Trent Summar has done a couple tunes with us. We’ve had several “local celebrities”, but no huge names.

NR : Any mishaps that you would care to share?
BJS : We’ve had a few musical train wrecks due to the fact that we hardly ever rehearse cover songs. So, when someone picks a song we haven’t done in a while, there’s a good chance it’s gonna be an adventure.

One of the most memorable mishaps, was when one of our karaoke regulars, Terry, who I believe use to sing in Nashville band Valhalla back in the day, was slinging the mic around, doing his best Bruce Dickinson during Two Minutes to Midnight, and the mic slipped out of his hand and nailed another regular, Jeff Boswell, right in the head. Next thing we know, Boswell is rockin’ out in front of the stage with blood streaming down his face. That was classic.

NR : Is there any possibility of taking "Everyone's a Rockstar" on the road to other cities?
BJS : It’s been discussed. Any promoters, booking agents, or private parties interested in booking EARS can email us at info@bigjimslade.com for booking info. You can view the song list at www.mercylounge.com by clicking on the “live music schedule/EARS songlist” link.

NR : Tell us about your merch. and where we can get it.
BJS : You can get BJS CD’s at www.cdbaby.com and other merch through our website www.bigjimslade.com

NR :Got any favorite local bands you wanna send a shout out to?
BJS : First we wanna give a shout out to all the karaoke regulars. You rock!

As far as local acts, we dig Ejecta, The Clutters, 100 Watt Opera, The Shack Shakers, The Katies, Will Hoge, Gear Driven, Volition, etc.

NR :Any sponsors or endorsements you want to plug?
BJS : Ernie Ball has been good to us. What we’d really like is a Jack’s BBQ or Baja Burrito sponsorship. Can anybody hook that up for us?

NR :What's next for Big Jim Slade?
BJS : We start recording a new record for Grooveyard Records out of Rochester, NY in the next couple months. It should “drop” (as the cool kids say) in Spring 2006.

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SETLIST

Classic
1. What is & What Should Never Be - Led Zeppelin
2. Let Me Roll It - Paul McCartney
3. Last Child - Aerosmith
4. Cinnamon Girl - Neil Young
5. Breathe - Pink Floyd
6. Born on the Bayou - Creedence Clearwater Rev.
7. Green River - Creedence Clearwater Revival
8. Have a Drink On Me - AC/DC
9. Back in Black - AC/DC
10. You Shook Me All Night Long - AC/DC
11. Highway to Hell - AC/DC
12.Girl Got Rhythm - AC/DC
13. No Woman No Cry - Bob Marley
14. Deuce - KISS
15. She - KISS
16. The Weight - The Band
17. Day Tripper - Beatles
18. Some Kind of Wonderful - Grand Funk Railroad
19. Roadhouse Blues - Doors
20. Sittin’ on the Dock of the Bay - Otis Redding
21. The Joker - Steve Miller Band
22. Rockin Me - Steve Miller Band
23. Tush - ZZ Top
24. Jesus Just Left Chicago - ZZ Top
25. Misty Mountain Hop - Led Zeppelin
26. Anarchy in the U.K. - Sex Pistols
27. Honky Tonk Women - Rolling Stones
28. Drift Away - Dobie Gray
29. Train, Train - Blackfoot
30. Brown Eyed Girl - Van Morrison
31. Voodoo Child - Jimi Hendrix
32. Can’t Get Enough - Bad Company
33. Boys are Back in Town - Thin Lizzy
34. Sweet Emotion - Aerosmith
35. Jailbreak - Thin Lizzy
36. Back in The USSR - The Beatles
37. I Wanna Be Sedated - The Ramones
38. Simple Man - Lynyrd Skynyrd
39. Barracuda - Heart
40. For Those About to Rock - AC/DC
41. Don’t Fear The Reaper - Blue Oyster Cult
42. R.E.S.P.E.C.T. - Aretha Franklin
43. Blitzkrieg Bop - The Ramones
80s
1. Jack & Diane - John Cougar
2. Hurts So Good - John Cougar
3. Authority Song - John Cougar
4. Pride (In the name of Love) - U2
5. The Trooper - Iron Maiden
6. Welcome to The Jungle - Guns n’ Roses
7. Sweet Child of Mine - Guns n’ Roses
8. Peace Dog - The Cult
9. Lil’ Devil - The Cult
10. Darling Nikki - Prince
11. Hungry Like the Wolf - Duran Duran
12. Livin After Midnight - Judas Priest
13. Another Thing Coming - Judas Priest
14. One Way or Another - Blondie
15. Crazy Train - Ozzy Osbourne
16. Family Tradition - Hank Jr.
17. Whip It - Devo
18. Sister Christian - Night Ranger
19. Workin’ for the Weekend - Loverboy
20. Wildside - Motley Crue
21. Smokin’ in the Boys Room - Motley Crue
22. Brass in Pocket - Pretenders
23. Heartbreaker - Pat Benatar
24. Hit Me With Your Best Shot - Pat Benatar
25. Panama - Van Halen
26. I Remember You - Skid Row
27. Flight Of Icarus - Iron Maiden
28. Pour Some Sugar on Me - Def Leppard
29. Rock You Like a Hurricane - Scorpions
30. I Love Rock-n-Roll - Joan Jett
31. Ace of Spades - Motorhead
32. Rio - Duran Duran
33. I Want You To Want Me - Cheap Trick
34. Rock The Casbah - The Clash
35. 18 & Life - Skid Row
36. Our Lips Are Sealed - The Go-Go’s
37. Rebel Yell - Billy Idol
38. New Sensation - INXS
39. Wildflower - The Cult
40. Fight For Your Right - Beastie Boys
41. Black Velvet - Alannah Myles
42. We’re Not Gonna Take It - Twisted Sister
43. Nothin’ But a Good Time - Poison
44. Surrender - Cheap Trick
45. Two Minutes to Midnight - Iron Maiden
46. Shout At the Devil - Motley Crue
47. I Hate Myself for Loving You - Joan Jett
48. Monkey Business - Skid Row
90’s & Modern
1. Mountain Song - Jane’s Addiction
2. Vaseline - Stone Temple Pilots
3. Would - Alice in Chains
4. Man In the Box - Alice in Chains
5. No Speak No Slave - Black Crowes
6. Twice as Hard - Black Crowes
7. Hard to Handle - Black Crowes
8. Remedy - Black Crowes
9. If It Makes You Happy - Sheryl Crow
10. My Favorite Mistake - Sheryl Crow
11. Leavin Las Vegas - Sheryl Crow
12. Hash Pipe - Weezer
13. Hero - Chad Kroeger/Josey Scott
14. Mary Jane’s Last Dance - Tom Petty
15. Free Fallin - Tom Petty
16. Low - Cracker
17. Heart Shaped Box - Nirvana
18. One of Us - Joan Osborne
19. Underneath It All - No Doubt
20. Just a Girl - No Doubt
21. You Oughta’ Know - Alanis Morrisette
22. Somethin’ to Talk About - Bonnie Raitt
23. Mother - Danzig
24. Killin’ in the Name of…- Rage Against The Machine
25. To Be With You - Mr. Big
26. Mother Mother - Tracy Bonham
27. We Die Young - Alice In Chains
28. Evenflow - Pearl Jam
29. Alive - Pearl Jam
30. Enter Sandman - Metallica

"Everyone's A Rockstar" with Big Jim Slade
The Mercy Lounge
Friday November 11th
10 pm / no cover

for more info, visit their website at www.bigjimslade.com

call them at (615) 403-9758 or (615) 218-8985

or email them at info@bigjimslade.com or belt@bigjimslade.com

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