COUNTRY rock performer BRIEN MCVERNON has pulled out all stops for his CD launch this Sunday, November 22, at Fannys.
The songwriter, who will also perform solo at Marks Point Bowling Club this Friday night, and at the Planet Fitness Christmas Ball at the Harbourview Function Centre on the Saturday night, has assembled an all-star cast for the launch of ON THE ROAD. It's an 11-track labour of love that is lush in instrumentation, filled with memorable hooks in the choruses and sung by a perceptive and sensitive observer of human nature.
Session harmonica player ERLE DENIS will play in the band, as well as solo, with MAT MCCOLL on bass, GARETH HUDSON on keyboards, guitar and backing vocals, and DEAN GEARING on drums and backing vocals.
The group will also feature McVernon on guitars and vocals, and the CD's engineer, keyboard player TONY HEADS, on keys, organ and some guitar.
Session singer STEVE BLAND will also sing back-up. And for good measure McVernon has invited friend DOUG NISBET to play the bagpipes on one song.
Newcastle-based video production unit INSOMNIA will film the concert for what could turn out to be a documentary.
He is the first to admit he has gone to a heck of a lot of trouble for one show, but as McVernon points out, this is a debut album, and depending on the turnout it could be the first of many shows for the group.
'It's my debut CD and I want to get people interested in what I'm doing musically,' he said.
'Even though I've been going out and doing a lot of work solo, a lot of people have expressed interest in the music.'
Although this week is the official debut of the album, the material has been getting a good work out at McVernon's solo shows for the past year to good response.
McVernon is aiming squarely at the country rock market in this outing, with tunes that could sit comfortably alongside THE SCREAMING JETS and LEE KERNAGHAN on the country cable slots.
The crooning songwriter sees himself 'in the same market place as CHRIS ISAAK', and has correctly identified the market conditions which see artists such as SHANIA TWAIN as a producer of pop records 'with a country influence' rather than the other way around.
ON THE ROAD hits the target McVernon has set in capturing rock and country markets.
'People say we don't really like straight country, but we love country rock music, and what you're doing here we really dig",' he said.
'There's not many people doing that in Australia, so I might be on the beginning of doing something, so that's always good to be on.' TE
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