And then there were four - Jive Mother Mary

  The Fat Frogg in Elon was at full capacity this past Friday night where Jive Mother Mary fans turned out in droves for their much anticipated return after the band broke up about a year ago. Mason Keck, lead guitarist and vocalist along with drummer Seth “Fluff” Aldridge are original members of JMM. Formerly a three man band, JMM now has four members.  New to the band is Tyler Schulz on guitar and vocals along with Will Sanders on bass.  Both of the new members have been on the Alamance County music scene for a while in local bands and their experience showed throughout their performance.

Seth "Fluff" Aldridge

  Two years ago, the original JMM, released the CD, All Fall Down with most of the music written by Keck.  Although the band had been playing together since 2006 it was the release of this CD that caused a JMM frenzy on the local bar scene.  With the release there seemed to come certain expectations for the band.  People just couldn’t believe these guys were still in high school because they sounded like seasoned professionals that had been playing together for decades. Every time I went to see JMM people were betting on how long it would take for a major record label to pick them up. I personally expected them to be on MTV within a year! But just about a year after the release the band broke up with Nathan Coe, bass guitarist, leaving to pursue other opportunities. This left many JMM fans disheartened and wondering about the fate of Keck and Aldridge.
  Mason Keck, the band’s front man, was kind enough to take the time to talk to me and here are a few things that I found out.  Keck’s musical interests developed at an early age while sitting in on practices for a band that his father was in back in the 1990’s. One of Mason’s biggest musical influences is a former Raleigh based band, Cry of Love.  I didn’t recognize the name when he mentioned it so I had to look them up.  While watching one of COL’s performances on youtube.com, I had some serious 80’s flashbacks.  Parachute pants, big hair, and the original rock-n-roll bar of Raleigh, The Switch, all came to mind. In the video of COL I saw their bass guitarist, and recognized him as PeeWee Watson, a former member of two of the greatest southern rock bands to ever come out of Raleigh, PKM and Nantucket.  Suddenly, I realized why I relate to this band and their style of music. Their fan base ranges from fans my age and older that are hanging on to their youth by listening to the style of music they grew up on, to teenagers that are discovering the sounds of classic southern rock.

Mason Keck

  Keck’s vocal tone is a sublime combination of blues and southern rock and his skills on the guitar are mind blowing.  It’s hard to wrap your mind around the fact that he is a veteran vocalist, guitarist and songwriter despite only being out of high school one year. He said the band is currently working together on writing new songs. They have a total of seven songs in the works and are hoping to have an EP out by the end of the year. I personally own their first CD and know every word to every song as do most JMM fans. I am looking forward to the release of their EP and feel certain that they will attain an even bigger following after it is released. 
  If you don’t know JMM, they have several songs posted on youtube.com.  I’m sure you will become an instant fan after you check them out.  They also have a page on Facebook where you will find upcoming tour dates, fan photos and contact information for booking the band.
Despite a change in “players”  their game remains the same.  JMM picked right back up where they left off and they are still on fire. I believe these young guys have a very promising future.
   Until next time….