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Tuesday, 04 March 2025
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Written by Amber Little
Music is a universal language that has existed since the beginning of time. The oldest form of communication and storytelling, it has been a vessel for love, unity, revolution and change.
Every decade brings its own sound and voice and builds on the foundations laid by the artist before. The mark of truly good music is its ability to transcend time and remain timeless and classic. R&B is one such genre, spanning from its crooning soul beginnings in the '50s and '60s to the sultry sounds of today, it has stood the test of time and can get a crowd off their feet at the first note.
For those who grew up in the '70s and '80s, there was no other genre of music more saturated with talented songwriters, artists and bands.
Mellow Madness is Fayetteville’s premier Classic R&B cover band. They cover all the favorites from the '70s, '80s and some '90s. They focus mainly on “old school” music, like Earth, Wind & Fire, Tina Marie and Anita Baker.
Originally founded in 1979, co-founder Reggie Wright has kept the spirit of the band alive, with its new lineup of members including Calvin Thomas also known as Eddie Kane Jr. (stage named after the Five Heartbeats legend) and Rosette Sands also known as Mahogany Rose.
The band in its new form has been making a name for themselves, booking events around the city and the state, bringing the funk and live tunes to eager audiences.
The current iteration of Mellow Madness is made up of 7 members: Leondra on bass, Mickey on saxophone, Anthony on keyboard, Lee on drums, Reggie on guitar. Thomas and Sands lead the band with their voices. Sands is the newest member of the group, a powerful vocalist, with a tone similar to those she emulates.
She has been the perfect addition to the once all male band. Her tenure with the band started when she was slated to sing with the band for a reunion hosted by Reggie Wright. A previous engagement with recording artist Gregory Smith kept her from being able to perform, but her undeniable chemistry with the band and her extraordinary talent cemented her place as the newest addition to the band, bringing femininity that the once all male band had previously lacked.
“We decided we were going to continue to practice and work on the band and just make a name for Mellow Madness,” Sands said.
A school teacher by day, Sands has found her sweet spot on the stage, performing some of her favorite music of her youth saying, “When I’m performing, I just turn into something I always wanted to be. I feel like a star. I feel like that’s my moment and I’ve always been very shy. I just transform into someone totally different when I’m on stage. I love music. I’m mad at myself for taking this long to actually be a part of a band, but I just love singing. I didn’t start singing publicly until 2007.”
Although her entry into the music scene was later in life, she has always been surrounded by music.
“My dad always had a band. The name of my dad’s band was The Soul Serenators. My grandpa was part of a Gospel band. My dad played behind the Manhattans. His nickname was GuitarZan,” Sands explained.
Thomas has been singing his whole life, jokingly saying “I probably came out my mother's womb singing,” and has been the lead vocals since the band's reincarnation by Wright. While Sands was originally slated to lead the band for the reunion organized by Wright, she reached out to Thomas when she realized she wouldn’t be able to make the gig. Thomas, a seasoned performer, was ready to step in and put on a show and has been rocking with the band ever since.
“I think at the second rehearsal, I was like, this is pretty cool. I’ve never been in a band before. I’ve been in groups before, but never a band. I said, guys, for future reference, after this is over with, the gig we’re going to do. If you need me for anything, just let me know and I’ll be more than glad to step in.
"They all looked at me and they started laughing. I didn’t know why they were laughing. And they [said] I don’t think you understand; we don’t want you to go anywhere. We want you here with us, we want you to stay with us, because we’re going to keep this thing going, so I [said] you ain’t got to tell me twice. [When I perform] I get to moving around in this chair and sometimes I start feeling it and sometimes I think I’m feeling my legs in this chair. Ready to get up out the chair.”
Mellow Madness is looking to make its mark in Fayetteville.
“We do these performances because we need to bring the grown and sexy to this town, places where people can go and feel comfortable and know that they’re just going to be around mature adults. That’s what Mellow Madness is bringing. We want people to reminisce. We want people to think of their childhood and where they may have been in the 80s and 90s. We’re trying to have somewhere where people can go and look for us to bring the grown and sexy. That’s our goal,” Thomas said.
The band is currently looking to set up residency here in the city with a local business that would like to bring “the baddest band in Fayetteville” to their stage and their customers.
(Photo courtesy of Mellow Madness)
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Tuesday, 04 March 2025
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Written by Crissy Neville
It’s a beard, hot rod and blues-infused rock-and-roll takeover when ZZ Top brings its Elevation Tour to the Crown Theater on Fri., March 21. The legendary rock band comprised of current lineup Billy Gibbons, Frank Beard and Elwood Francis, the group’s long-time guitar tech who replaced Dusty Hill after his passing in 2021, is the Community Concerts of Fayetteville’s hot ticket for the spring. Seats are going fast, and a sellout is expected for “That Little Ol’ Band from Texas.”
Attractions Executive Michael Fleishman said Community Concerts is thrilled to bring the “Rock’n Roll Royalty” back to town. It was May 15, 1983, when the wildly popular ZZ Top first played the Cumberland County Memorial Area and Auditorium, the Crown Theater and Arena’s predecessor, B.C. (before the Crown). With an appeal spanning 50+ years, ZZ Top’s signature rock, blues and boogie music, racy lyrics and shenanigans on stage make them well worth the wait.
Originally from Houston, Texas, ZZ Top exploded on the rock scene in 1969 when two rival bands launched, to quote Humphrey Bogart’s last line in Casablanca, “the beginning of a beautiful friendship.” Moving Sidewalks vocalist-guitarist Billy Gibbons merged with drummer Frank Beard and bassist-vocalist Dusty Hill of the band American Blues to form the new band poised for greatness. Before this combination, one that not only stuck but succeeded for 51 years until Hill’s death four years ago, other musicians joining band leader and frontman Gibbons included bassist/organist Lanier Greig, drummer Dan Mitchell and bassist Billy Ethridge, a previous bandmate of Stevie Ray Vaughan. ZZ Top combined Gibbons' blues style and Hill and Beard's rhythm section to create an unmistakable trinity of sound.
The band’s symbolism precedes its sound: iconic chest-length beards; hats, trench coats, bandanas and sunglasses; 360-degree guitar spins; classic cars; and the double twin “Zees” silver logo of keychain fame all add up to no one less than ZZ Top. The Texas trio is known for dramatic, even cultural, costumery, from western-themed outfits and grease-stained mechanic suits to traditional Mexican serapes, head-to-toe leather and sequined jumpsuits. And don’t forget the hats—lots and lots of hats. Whether posing for an album cover or appearing live in concert, the ZZ Top boys pull all the stops in its style, staying true to what they know and what they like.
The good times lovers are also known for their goodwill. The band members have supported numerous campaigns and charities, including Childline, St. Jude Children's Research Hospital, VetsAid, the Delta Blues Museum and Hurricane Harvey relief in Houston, the band’s hometown.
While their outfits change and entertain, one fixture remains. You guessed it, the beards! A visual trademark with practically their own personas, this thing for Gibbons and Hill, dating to 1978, is an inseparable part of the band’s image. Despite his last name, drummer Frank only briefly joined the facial hair hijinks. How serious was and still is the beard commitment? So much so that when razor company Gillette offered Gibbons and Hill a million dollars to shave off their beards, a promo to which they did not turn a hair—and certainly not shave it! In this new era for ZZ Top, with new (but not-so-new) comer Francis, fans take heart that he sports a classic ZZ Top-style beard, much like Gibbons’.
While the Tres Hombres’—a nickname nod to the band’s third studio album title and commercial breakthrough— stage show is the icing on the cake, ZZ Top's music is the dessert fans crave. And what a sweet fix it is! ZZ Top has released 15 studio albums, sold an estimated 50 million records, earned six number-one singles on the Mainstream Rock chart, and crafted four gold, three platinum, two multiple-platinum albums and one diamond-level disc. They have the beards and the bling.
Who can’t hum the gritty “A-haw haw haw-haw” refrain in “La Grange” (the smash hit from Tres Hombres) with its bawdy lyrics about a Texas brothel? “Beer Drinkers and Hell Raisers,” also on this 1973 classic, has been an anthem for the ZZ Top community (the fan club is called Tres Hombres, btw) for decades.
The band’s all-time best-known album, Eliminator, scaled both Mainstream Rock and Billboard Pop charts in 1983 and even earned the #43 spot on Guitar World’s “100 Best Guitar Solos” for the “Sharp Dressed Man” famous guitar riff. Other household-name hits from this LP were “Gimme All Your Lovin’,” “Legs,” “Got Me Under Pressure” and “TV Dinners.” The innovative Eliminator album, one of the music industry’s first certified diamond, incorporated drum machines and synthesizers to combine new wave elements with ZZ’s signature rock and blues. The imagery may be remembered as much as the musicality. Point in case is the “Legs” video with the girl and the album’s namesake car, the bright red, ZZ graphic-adorned 1933 Ford Coupe owned by Gibbons, an admitted “car guy.” Eliminator’s star power on the radio and MTV skyrocketed the eclectic ensemble.
Earlier music, ZZ Top’s First Album (1971), Rio Grande Mud (1972), Fandango (1975) and Deguello (1979), gave the world the great little ditties of “Cheap Sunglasses,” “Tush,” “I’m Bad, I’m Nationwide” and “Just Got Paid,” among so many others. After Eliminator’s pinnacle of the most records sold for the band, Afterburner (1985) became ZZ Top's highest-charting album, placing #4 on the U.S. Billboard. Recycler (1990) and ZZ Top's Greatest Hits (1992) closed ZZ Top's contract with Warner Records as they moved on to RCA and cut the million-selling Antenna (1994) album. The 90s rendered Rhythmeen (1996), XXX (1999) and an electric Super Bowl XXXI halftime show in 1997.
Riding into the 21st Century on Chrome, Smoke & BBQ, a four-CD compilation from the London (ZZ Top’s original record label) and Warner Bros. years put out in 2003, ZZ Top’s success continues to soar. In the first two decades of the 2000s, the band was inducted into the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame (2004), released La Futura (2012), Goin' 50 (2019) to celebrate the band's 50th anniversary and cut expanded and remastered versions of earlier LPs. By the time Hill died in 2021, ZZ Top could say it was music’s longest-running band with an unaltered lineup.
“Get ready for a night of full-tilt, non-stop fun. You’ll love this one,” Fleishman said. “Community Concerts is halfway through its 89th season. ZZ Top is up next, and then on Friday, April 18, we switch to a night with country greats, the one and only Shenandoah.” Founded in 1935, Community Concerts is Fayetteville's oldest art organization; the nonprofit organization just announced American country music band Shenandoah as the headliner for this season’s last show.
McKinley James opens for ZZ Top with an original playlist described as “American rock & roll, amplified soul, and raw rhythm & blues.” Comprised of guitarist/singer James and his father, drummer Jason Smay, the duo is originally from Webster, New York. By the time McKinley moved to Nashville as a teenager in 2017, he'd already appeared on the cover of Eric Church's platinum-selling album Mr. Misunderstood. James and Smay’s new album, Working Class Blues, follows McKinley James Live!, McKinley James Import 45, Still Standing By, By My Side and McKinley James Live in Nashville.
On tour, the band's current line-up of Gibbons, Beard and Francis has performed before millions of fans on four continents—and now they are coming to Fayetteville. Don't miss the iconic ZZ Top with guest McKinley James in Fayetteville at the Crown Theatre for one night only. Get your tickets now at https://www.crowncomplexnc.com/events/detail/zz-top-1.
(Photo: ZZ Top will be playing at the Crown Theatre as part of their Elevation Tour. ZZ Top has been an iconic band for decades. Photos courtesy of Community Concerts)
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