The Get Right Band: Out to Prove Nice Guys Can Finish First

Photos and writing courtesy of AskAsheville Music Correspondent Robert Forte.

The Get Right Band

The Get Right Band sat down with AskAsheville.com to talk about their origin story, what the band would define as success and their upcoming show at The ISIS Music Hall this Thursday August 20th alongside Silas Durocher’s ensemble string side project, Love Struck Suckers.

Patton and Lexington Avenues will never be confused with the glitz and glamour of Hollywood & Vine nor will Asheville’s own Get Right Band.

When I met up with this band of brothers at Tod’s Tasties this past week, Silas Durocher (front-man/guitar), Jesse Gentry (bass) and JC Mears (drums) appeared as though each was more likely to begin a ten-hour shift at the local eatery we had convened at versus having just stumbled out of bed following a night of drunken rock star excess and debauchery.

The Get Right Band was birthed from the death of Soulgrass Rebellion, a band originally formed by Durocher with Asheville-based musician Oso Rey.

Soulgrass Rebellion’s sound according to Durocher was a fusion of Americana, Rock and Reggae influences.

Christopher Chappell Pyle, who these days plays with local swamp gospel outfit David Earl and the Plowshares, eventually was brought in to play drums and before long bassist Jesse Gentry was added to the mix thus creating Soulgrass Rebellion’s final lineup.

Following the dissolution of Soulgrass Rebellion Durocher, Gentry and Chappell Pyle went on to form The Get Right Band.

Much like Rey’s departure from Soulgrass Rebellion, Chappell Pyle eventually chose to leave The Get Right Band to spend more time with his family.

Word quickly circulated throughout the Asheville music community that the Get Right Band was seeking a new drummer.  As it turned out, the very same evening that Chappell Pyle informed the band of his imminent departure, Mears was brought into the fold.

Gentry explained, “JC poked his head into 5 Walnut that same night and asked if we were looking for a new drummer, so that was immediate serendipity.”

“Thank god JC chose to join our band.”

“He’s the best drummer in Asheville and definitely the best drummer for us.”

The Get Right Band released their five-song debut EP, “Shake” late in 2013 with Chappell Pyle manning the drums for the recording.

Chappell Pyle can also be heard playing percussion on the band’s first full length crowd funded LP, Bass Treble Angel Devil, that was released last Fall; however this time around, Mears can be found behind the drum kit.

The title of their latest LP suggested that maybe the album was conceptual in nature but this wasn’t the case at all.

“We picked the songs and their order with the title of the record actually coming last,” said Gentry.

The songs all kind of have a flow of dark, light, good and evil themes, so the title came about kind of organically.”

I would strongly caution not to judge a book by its cover as it pertains to The Get Right Band.

The musicians that comprise this group may not be painted sleeve-to-sleeve in tattoos, drive Harleys and prioritize boozing over band practice but that doesn’t mean they can’t and won’t rock your world at one of their high energy, ass-shaking performances.

The reality is The Get Right Band are well known for their live shows where at any given time you’ll find the audience crowding the stage to groove, dance and jive along in jubilant unison with the band.

Speaking about the band’s concerts Durocher said, “When you come to see us live you’ll hear really different versions of the music because we don’t stick to the record, we try to keep growing and developing our songs.”

As my interview with the band rolled on it began to dawn on me that these three individuals may be the most cordial and polite unit ever assembled under any rock and roll band’s moniker.

In an effort to crack this perceived wall of pleasantry I asked the band to describe the worst experience they’ve ever had in the music industry to date.

I was hoping to hear tales of unscrupulous promoters, crocked venue owners and other sordid anecdotes regarding the underbelly of the music world.

To my dismay, but frankly not to my surprise, the most abhorrent thing that’s ever happened to the band was apparently an event that could have been ripped from the screenplay for the movie Spinal Tap.

Gentry initially responded, “I’m way too positive to answer that question.”

Durocher stepped in, however, and went on to describe an incident where they had opened for a tribute band and decided to do a song by the act the tribute band was associated with during their set.

“They were really upset, actually had words with us after the show and as it turned out they were really offended for some reason,” explained Durocher.

“We thought we were paying them a compliment.”

Every band trying to make a living off of their music today would likely have different opinions as to what the word success means to them.

I was curious to hear what the Get Right Band’s feelings were on this topic as the theme of the struggling musician is a common one amongst the throngs of younger musicians and bands that call Asheville their home these days.

“Success to me would be to continuing to discuss the goals we want to achieve, the places we want to get to and setting a timeline to achieve those types of things,” commented Mears.

“There are levels of success and right now more so than ever we have so much fun playing together and that’s the most basic and necessary level of success,” added Durocher.

“Obviously we would like to hit a point where we are all financially comfortable but defining success to me has a lot to do with connecting the music with music lovers and the people who are passionate about it.”

This upcoming Thursday, August 20th, The Get Right Band will be performing at the ISIS Music Hall alongside one of Durocher’s side projects, the ensemble string outfit, Love Struck Suckers.

According their webpage, Love Struck Suckers, “weave powerful melodies and poignant words to paint a picture of the lives we stumble through, the pain we stumble over and the beauty we stumble upon.”

Based on that description alone it would seem that Love Struck Suckers’ music might be quite different in theme, tonality and performance than that of the more upbeat and generally positive Get Right Band.

“In 2011 I had a difficult break up, I started writing material about it and I wanted it to be expressed in a less rock and roll kind of way”, explained Durocher.

“It’s emotionally raw and more exposed than anything I’ve ever done with The Get Right Band and I feel as though the music is something that’s fresh, unique and moving.”

On the formation of Love Struck Suckers as a band Durocher said, “I had been wanting to work with the Opal String Quartet for a while, so I eventually was able to talk with them and got a violin, a viola and cello on board.”

The Get Right Band may be the most overwhelmingly positive, sublimely talented and dynamic rock ‘n’ roll band originating from Asheville today.

Any fan of live music should take the time to attend their concert with Love Struck Suckers this Thursday August 20th at the Isis Music Hall and Restaurant in West Asheville.

If you don’t walk away from this show feeling connected to the band and their music, while possessing a near paralyzing sense of positive energy as you dance your way out the venue, I’ll refund your money personally. *

*restrictions may apply

The Get Right Band plus the Love Struck Suckers

Thursday August 20, 2015 8:30 PM

ISIS Music Hall & Restaurant

735 Haywood Road, Asheville

(828) 575-2737

Slice of the Peel: Slayer Review

Slayer strips the sold-out Orange Peel to its core with thrash metal performance for the ages

Slayer at the Orange Peel

Photos and writing courtesy of AskAsheville Music Correspondent Robert Forte.

Godfathers to virtually every relevant metal band to come into existence after 1984, southern California legendary thrash icons Slayer mercilessly delivered a bombastic musical sermon to throngs of head banging disciples at the sold out Orange Peel this past Tuesday.

Slayer arrived in the mountains of North Carolina for an intimate club performance on a day off from their current outdoor amphitheater gig headlining the Rockstar Mayhem Festival.

While Mayhem has suffered from numerous issues that Slayer co-founder and lead guitarist Kerry King has been vocal about in the press of late, none of these bad vibes were remotely evident as the band took to the stage with the instrumental track, “Delusions of Saviour” serving as the backdrop.

Opening up the night with “Replentless”, the title track from their forthcoming eleventh studio release of the same name, the band immediately whipped the crowd into a frenzy of sweat, moshing and fist clenching that lasted from first note to last.

Despite their advancing age and the fact that the band is down to half of its original lineup, Slayer delivered a performance more reminiscent of their early 90’s heyday than that of an outfit whose founding members are north of 50 years old.

Exodus lead guitar player Gary Holt shredded with a ferocity the late Jeff Hanneman most assuredly would have approved of. Holt was clearly having a blast as he flashed smiles and engaged with individual crowd members numerous times throughout the evening.

Drummer Paul Bostaph, who recently returned to the band for a third stint behind the kit, put on a display that more than cemented the fact he is but one of a handful of humans on this planet capable of sitting on the throne of departed original drummer Dave Lombardo.

The first half of Tuesday night’s set leaned more heavily on a selection of current generation Slayer favorites such as “Hate World Wide”, “Disciple” and “Jihad”.

Conversely the second half of Slayer’s set list played more to long time fans as the band ripped through old school classics such as “Die By the Sword” and “Necrophiliac” while also closing with the four-headed monster of “Hell Awaits”, “South of Heaven”, “Raining Blood” and “Angel of Death”

Fifty-one-year-old ball of hate Kerry King showed no signs of decline as he masterfully blistered through his many trademark solos while also bouncing from stage end to stage end throughout the duration of the night.

Not to be outdone front man and bassist Tom Araya more than delivered both musically and vocally, sounding as if his long chronicled history of medical aliments were albeit distant memories.

Per usual Araya’s interaction with the audience was limited however he still took the time to lead the crowd in a few intro sing-a-longs to “Die By The Sword” and “Dead Skin Mask”, while also pausing towards the end of their set to thank the crowd one last time.

Slayer appears to be firing on all cylinders right now. Perhaps this can be attributed to the fact they are on the eve of releasing their first record in over six years or maybe it’s tied to the energy that Paul Bostaph and Gary Holt have clearly breathed back into the band.

Regardless, if Tuesday’s night performance at The Orange Peel in Asheville should be harbinger of things to come, I’d have to surmise fans of Slayer can look forward to thrashing, crashing and banging into each other in the mosh pit for years to come.

Concert Slideshow: 

  • Slayer at the Orange Peel
  • Slayer at the Orange Peel
  • Slayer at the Orange Peel
  • Slayer at the Orange Peel
  • Slayer at the Orange Peel
  • Slayer at the Orange Peel
  • Slayer at the Orange Peel
  • Slayer at the Orange Peel
  • Slayer at the Orange Peel
  • Slayer at the Orange Peel
  • Slayer at the Orange Peel
  • Slayer at the Orange Peel
  • Slayer at the Orange Peel
  • Slayer at the Orange Peel
  • Slayer at the Orange Peel
  • Slayer at the Orange Peel
  • Slayer at the Orange Peel
  • Slayer at the Orange Peel
  • Slayer at the Orange Peel
  • Slayer at the Orange Peel
  • Slayer at the Orange Peel
  • Slayer at the Orange Peel
  • Slayer at the Orange Peel
  • Slayer at the Orange Peel
  • Slayer at the Orange Peel

Slayer’s setlist:

Intro (Delusions of Saviour)

Replentless

Hate Worldwide

Jihad

Disciple

War Ensemble

When The Stillness Comes

Implode

Mandatory Suicide

Chemical Warfare

Ghosts of War

Die by the Sword

Postmortem

Necrophiliac

Seasons of the Abyss

Dead Skin Mask

Hell Awaits

South of Heaven

Raining Blood

Angel of Death

Asheville Mardi Gras 2015 – Meet The King & Queen!

The Asheville Mardi Gras Parade started at 1:00 with folks lining up on Wall Street in Downtown Asheville. Then at around 3:20, the parade kicked off and everyone was celebrating. G Social Media stopped by and took several GoPro videos of this event.

  1. Watch Asheville Second Line
  2. Watch Zabumba
  3. Watch The King & Queen

UNC Asheville Cross Country Hosts Home Meet September 20th

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This is how we feel about waking up before 6 on a Saturday.

Last Saturday the UNC Asheville Cross Country team competed in the Pre-Conference meet at Gardner-Webb (which is in Boiling Springs, aka the middle of nowhere.) We upperclassmen were taking a rest weekend doing a workout instead of the race, but of course we wanted to go cheer our teammates on. Our only problem: there were 6 of us and only 5-person cars. Luckily, I have a [great, wonderful, fantastic] boss who lets me borrow his car, if I’ll blog about the trip, of course.

I began the morning at 5 a.m., which I forgot existed, but apparently it does. I picked up Gary’s car – after getting lost – and was well on my way back to the school when I got a call from Gary saying his brain had been a little scrambled because of the early hour and he forgot to grab the car seat. Way to go, Gary! Luckily, the red light gods had my back and I somehow made it to the school on time to meet for our “shake-out,” or shuffle/jog before breakfast.

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The team van passing us at “high speed.”

We hit the road around 7 a.m. with only a few surprises – I couldn’t figure out how to turn the windshield wipers completely off. Oh, and I learned that driving over 75 mph in a larger car (I drive a tiny Honda Civic, so I’m not used to anything taller than a couple feet off the ground) produces a noise that sounds like the car is about to explode. You don’t test that. So I was stuck at 75.

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We arrived, we ran, we conquered. The upperclassmen did a workout on the race course as our 5 underclassmen warmed up, then we cheered them on while they raced. I brought my camera so that I could take photos of them while racing, but of course, I was too busy yelling animatedly, so I forgot. No one looks good in running pictures anyways. Our girls looked strong though, making it an exciting beginning to the season.

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The real reason we run.

After a core circuit, a quick stretch sesh, and a much-needed outfit-change, we hopped back in the car. Unfortunately, I turned the key and the gas light came on. In a middle-of-nowhere-town, finding a gas station is a real challenge! Apparently, so is finding a way to open the gas tank. I had to call Gary to figure it out, talk about an embarrassing phone call.

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An Oreo-induced sugar high only lasts so long, and I was in the middle of a conversation when I realized everyone in the back was dead to the world. But when T-Swift’s “Shake It Off” came on for the third time in a row (each time on a different station, it was following us) they awakened long enough to jam out and then pass back out. Some company they were.

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At last, we made it back to our beautiful home. My roommate, Erin, and I headed to Biscuit Head in West Asheville to trade out cars with Gary, intending just to grab the keys and leave, but of course we ended up staying for brunch. There’s really no way to pass up Mimosa Fried Chicken on a massive biscuit. The food mysteriously disappeared before I could get a picture.

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Game Face, ya’ll.

The UNCA Bulldog Cross Country team will host our annual home meet at Asheville Christian Academy (74 Riverwood Road in Swannanoa) this Saturday, September 20. The men’s 8k goes off at 9 a.m. with the women’s 5k to follow at 9:45. Come on out to cheer on your Bulldogs!

Bellydancing and Burlesque in Downtown Asheville

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When it comes to Asheville Nightlife, there are many spots that we end up. And then there are a few “must go” places. Of these… Nightbell, 5 Walnut, and the Social Lounge are at the top of our list. We ended up at Asheville’s Social Lounge, which is located next to Strada Italiano, recently for a birthday party for Chef Anthony, plus a Bellydancing and Burlesque show by Lisa Zahiya on the rooftop patio.

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Lots of friends showed up, excited about the night ahead!

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While Dustin is celebrating, Carly stops by to say hello. Love her! Katelyn and Maria came by and joined the festivities, and what a great time we had.

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The Birthday Boy was excited, and the Lisa even broke out the pink hair! In the lower photo, Tommy from Pomodoros and Justin from the Twisted Crepe are enjoying the night.

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The entertainment was wonderful. 3 great performances throughout the evening and lots of friends all around! Shoutout to DJ Matt who did the spinning for the evening. More from him real soon!

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Then the Birthday Cake arrived, with a surprise photo of Chef Anthony from the 1800s.

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After the performances and cake, lots of folks got to hang out and catch up on the latest happening in the community. Lisa and the ladies brought the house down! Kevin of Divine Wine & Beer in East Asheville stopped by for this great event!

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The pink hair was off and Lisa pays her respects to all that it has done for us. Stay tuned for the next event coming to Asheville’s Social Lounge in the near future. And get out there and satisfy your Asheville Nightlife craving!!