Up close and personal with LRB

Get up close and personal with LRB!

Recently, The Daily Banner had a chance to catch up with Wayne Nelson, bass player, lead singer and manager of the Little River Band to talk about the music and their current tour.

The band had just had some shows in some areas that had pretty heavy storms so we talked about that.  The first question to Mr. Nelson was, are you guys all right?

LRB: Yes, we are okay.  The storms all went up into Illinois but I really want to stop and examine it at some point because I went to school in Rockford and DeKalb. I have lots of friends in that section of the country so I am quite concerned.  It is just tragic to see Fairfield has just been wiped away.  I know a lot of people in that area so I need to make some calls to make sure everybody I know is okay.

TDB: You are in the first arm of the 2015 Tour.

LRB: Yes, there are a lot of shows booked.  We actually started in January and February and we are pretty active.  March was a little slow but we are back at it.  April and the summer is just going to be incredible.

TDB: Are you guys currently working on new material?

LRB: Not at the moment but there are 2 options in front of us.  One is the record label that we just recorded for and there is another label that has stepped up because they liked the last product and they are considering the possibility of us doing one to be released next year.  They know there is not enough time for us to rehearse and get it done this year.  The wheels are starting to turn again so I am sure there will be a new Little River Band CD in 2016.

TDB: How many songwriters are in the band?

LRB: Everybody except the drummer.  As far as I know the drummer who has been with us for three (3) years, I don’t know that he has ever written any original songs but the rest of us are.  There are four (4) of us here.  Three (3) live in Nashville and have access to incredible songwriters that we work with as well so the options are endless for music from within the band and from people that are one degree of separation away from us.

TDB: Okay and that is interesting.  As you know you see that there are so many people coming over and recording in Nashville.  You know Steven Tyler just signed a deal?

LRB: I did and that’s kind of an eye opener isn’t it?  Steven Tyler.  I am sure it is going to be a Steven Tyler record.  Just because it was recorded in Nashville doesn’t mean it has to be country.

TDB: Yeah, we don’t think we are going to see that Steven Tyler has gone country.  He is just going to do his own thing.

LRB: Exactly right.  There are awesome players in Nashville, Michael McDonald and the list goes on and on and on.  The keyboard player for Chicago, top bands are moving to Nashville because it’s just a great town.

TDB: It is.  TDB loves it.  Tell me about Night Owls?

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TDB: So you have been with the band since 1980?

LRB: Yes.

TDB: That’s a long time.  That’s a lifetime.

LRB: Thirty-five years this year.  It’s a career, that’s for sure.

TDB: Yeah. I mean most people don’t last at a job that long.

LRB: They don’t and most bands don’t last longer than five (5) or six (6) years.  You’re in a band and then you move on.  Things started to change and now Little River Band is in its 40th year.  The Stones are headed for their 50th year, etc, etc.  Chicago is in its 45th year and it’s great to keep the music alive and out there for people who want to come back and see the show live.  Everybody’s got CD’s of course but hearing the music live with a great band and great energy it takes people back, it really kind of lights the fuse for their memories.  As a matter of fact last night somebody came through the line, we played in Akron and he was sitting side stage engrossed in the show and he just said, “thank you for not coming here and playing the songs like it was 1978.   It’s not and everybody has new ears and different technology and different expectations and whatever, and it was a just a full on high energy show and we really appreciated the thought and the energy that went into keeping it fresh.”

TDB: Do you do meet and greets at the end of your shows or before your shows?

LRB: Both. There is usually a meet and greet scheduled for whoever the menu might have as a VIP or Mayor or a Councilman or something like that and those are before the show.  After the show it’s always for the patrons and the people that were there.  We go out to the area where the merchandise is sold and if people have stuff or have tickets and just want to come by and shake hands and take a picture, we go out there every night and meet the people that are there supporting the band and came to the show.  They absolutely love it.  It is a very personal touch and part of the spreading the word that the band is still alive and that we are accessible to people to come up and tell their stories and they have millions of them.  It’s just awesome to hear people talk about how the music touched their lives.

TDB: Tell me about the Franklin Theatre.  You’ve got the show coming up, you said three (3) of the band members live in Tennessee?

LRB: Three (3) yes. I used to live in Nashville, I married a Nashville girl.  I lived there off and on for the last 15 years, a total of 5 or 6 years so we know the city very well.  We have a lot of roots there.  Our Australian member of the band lived there as well but then married a girl from Detroit so he lives north and I live south but the hub of the band is Nashville for sure.  The Franklin Theatre is just a wonderful venue, great people and its one of those mid-size theatres where the crowd is intimate and they feel like they are part of the show.  It’s not a large anonymous venue where people are 100 yards back.  This is a nice tight intimate theatre.

TDB: It’s beautiful.

LRB: We played it and sold it out last year within a few hours and so they are having us back again this year.  This Anniversary is a milestone for Little River Band so we are happy to be celebrating it and happy to be coming to Franklin again.

With that we wrapped it up but we can’t let you go before we tell you that the tickets for ‘The Little River Band’ go on sale tomorrow at the Franklin Theatre in Franklin, Tennessee at 11:00 a.m. central time.

Find out when The Little River Band is coming to your town by checking out their schedule.  Like them on Facebook.