lundy

A couple of years ago, I walked out of a rock'n'roll bar in Columbia, SC singing choruses to songs I had heard for the first time only an hour before. “You gotta see this band!” It's a familiar claim to those of us who frequent the late night haunts of the wannabe rockers and hard-touring regional bands that dot the cities and towns of America. A friend of mine had made such a claim to me. Reluctantly (it was, after all, a work night), I joined my friend for a Thursday night rock show, already resigned to the Friday morning hangover, with little in the way of lasting memories. I was happy to have been proven wrong! That night, my friend had taken me to see a band that would prove to have a profound effect on my life for the next several years. The band was the project of singer-songwriter Brent Lundy. He had been banging around town for a few months, playing solo gigs as well as bartending at the club. My friend told me that while Brent wrote smart songs like Elvis Costello and Pete Townshend, he sang as much like Otis Redding as a skinny white kid could. To my surprise, this band turned out to be one of the most impressive displays of songwriting and performance I had ever seen. As the night went on, I found myself singing along halfway through the songs; straining to hear lyrics, and looking around the room to make sure everybody else was as transfixed as I was. We had all seen some pretty good bands come through this room before, but for a local band on one of its first shows to put on such a powerful and engaging performance was something that was just not done. After the show, I walked out into the night air, feeling that I had been through something special. Feeling that in seeing this band, I was witnessing the start of what was sure to be a good thing. Today, the band is simply named LUNDY. Their shows are more polished, the arrangements music-city slick, but the appeal is the same -- songs that let you live in them and make them your own. Brent has surrounded himself with some of the best musicians in the Southeast. His main partner-in-crime and collaborator, guitarist Donnie Scearce, kicked around on the road for years as a performing musician as well as world-touring sound engineer for major label rockers. Playing drums is Brian Kennedy, a rock-solid beater and road-proven pro. Since that night, I have had the chance to see Brent play those songs to thousands of music fans and I know exactly what they all mean -- to me at least. Like Townshend, Brent & co. writes and plays songs that are unique in their creation but universal in their themes and appeal. Seeing LUNDY now is like getting insider information on Wall Street. The shows are packed with like-minded investors seeking a return of great songs and the accompanying experience of getting in early on what is sure to be an outstanding issue. And what a return! You get the full-tilt rock show along with enough literate pop sensibility to satisfy almost all audiences. Best of all though, you get to make the songs your own, cutting and pasting them into the soundtrack of your life.