Feature

The Blue Gill’s waterfront amphitheater is in full swing and bringing in some excellent talent. On March 31, The Pat McGee Band, who is currently touring coast-to-coast, will make a pit stop in our city, one of their favorites. I had the chance to speak with Pat as he was getting ready for a performance in Spokane, Wash. Needless to say, dank weather had not been the highlight of his day, and he was anxious to get back to the warm sub-tropical climate of the Mobile Bay area.

SC: You guys are out on a pretty major tour right now. How’s it been so far?

PM: It’s been really great, actually. I don’t know, after 10 years of booking, I haven’t figured out how to not book anywhere where it’s cold. Today, we’ve driving through sleet and rain all across Washington State, but the tour itself is going great. We started out in Detroit and made our way across parts of the Midwest and the Rockies. Now, here we are heading down the West Coast and cutting across. We’re looking forward to getting back into some warmer weather.

SC: You make Mobile a regular stop on your tours. What is it about our city that attracts you to it?

PM : Last time we were there we played-what’s the name of the place…the fish camp?

SC: Yeah, that’s Felix’s.

PM: Yeah, that place. We had one of the craziest shows there, and we still talk about it to this day – about what a great time we had. There’s just such a great vibe down there. They seem so easy-going and happy to have us.

SC: Now, you have a newly-enhanced version of your latest CD “Save Me.” What can the fans expect off of it?

PM : It’s got a video that we shot for a song called “Must Have Been Love.” There’s six acoustic tracks of different, broken down versions of songs on the album. The packaging is different. Some people picked it up, thinking it was brand new. It does have some new stuff on it, but it’s basically a re-release of the Warner Bros. album.

SC: How is “Save Me” different from your other albums?

PM: Fans will always look at it and say, “This is your pop record.” It’s more of a rock record. I started off as an acoustic guy and to take it to the level it’s at with “Save Me” is a little bit of a departure. I’ve always been a fan of heavier music than we’ve actually played, so it’s been fun to have that kind of stuff to sing on top of. The next record will be a little bit more rootsy. We didn’t set out to make a pop record with “Save Me.”

SC: You also have a music video out now. What was that experience like?

PM : Making a music video is something you always dream about. It was cool and a great experience that I won’t forget, but it was extremely embarrassing. The whole process is so awkward. For a band like us, we’ve probably played almost 3,000 shows. It’s hard to turn it on at 6 a.m., with no sound system and sort of fake like you’re playing your instrument and try and get the big emotion out of the song. I’m one of those lead singers who’s into jumping around onstage and screaming in people’s faces, so it’s a little hard for me to jump in front of the camera and pour out emotion. It’s still fun, but I have a whole new appreciation for someone who makes videos. I think I came home and saw Kelly Clarkson rolling around in the mud, and I was like, “Man! I feel for her!”

SC: A couple of months ago, you guys appeared on ESPN’s “Cold Pizza.” What was that experience like? How was it different from playing a live venue?

PM : It was our first experience of being a “house band.” At first, it felt a little weird just because you’re playing 8 to10 seconds of each song. You’re playing a lot, but it’s just snippets here and there. I know I have a whole new respect for Paul Shaffer and all the other house bands on all the other talk shows. I’m a big football fan, so it was cool going up there for the Super Bowl and meeting big football stars.

SC: What was the “Cold Pizza” crew’s reaction to your music?

PM : They loved it; we’re old friends now. They would just get a taste of it during the show, and they kept telling us, “We gotta hear the whole thing!” So, we would go out at night and play in bars for fun. We’ve got some good friends there, so you’ll probably be seeing us on “Cold Pizza” again.

SC: When can we expect another album from you guys?

PM : We’re working on a DVD the day before we come to Mobile. We’ll be filming that DVD in Birmingham. We’ll be coming off a big night when we come to see you guys and hopefully very well rehearsed. That DVD will come out in the fall with a live record, and hopefully a new record after that at the beginning of the year.

Stephen Centanni is Lagniappe music editor. Contact him at scentanni@lagniappemobile.com.

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