A Different Shade of Blues
Ya’ know, if you wanted the blues, you could go blow all your money at the track or drive an ice pick into your forehead. What you really need is music that gives you anything but the blues. After Midnight is that kind of music. You’ll groove. You’ll shout. You’ll jump for a Guiness Stout, and you might even feel so good, you’ll buy a round of shots for everyone in the place. You’ll also swear the guys & gals on stage can’t be a local LA band. But they are. The Midnight crew all did hard time in bands of every description, until that propitious day when they joined up and discovered the chemistry that makes a band explosive.
Simmer down. Lose your blues. It’s After Midnight.
After Midnight started back in 1998 as a way for a bunch of working stiffs to loosen up. Richard joined in the spring of 2000, and as the only seasoned pro in the group, he helped form the guys into a viable working unit. Their first gig, as The Whistle Pigs, drew over 200 people and launched the band into the club scene. They went on to play as the Midnight Blues Band for three years of increasingly tighter playing and larger venues. In 2004, the band got a new name, After Midnight, and a new singer, Scott Dery. Unfortunately, he came in just as the band was teetering on breaking up. But, fans came to the rescue and said, “No way.” They insisted that there was something too special to lose -- namely the combination of Richard’s tight grooves and pocket style of playing and Scott’s gritty flavor and harmonica-totin’ presence. After a painstaking search for the right blend of style and talent, After Midnight came back to life with the addition of J.R. in 2005, with his rich tones and full, driving bass blend, and James in 2006, with his technical prowess and a funky rhythm that could’ve made James Brown blush. When Heather and Sheena joined in 2007, the band knew it had entered an exciting, new terrain. The Girls’ stunning good looks and amazingly versatile vocal styles presented a graceful counterpoint to the thunder of the boys. Now, local and regional guest talent join the Midnight crew from time to time, so every performance has a fresh energy and a surprise or two for the audience.
As the band likes to say, “lose your blues, it’s After Midnight.”
