When the members of my band, Highway Jackson, and I decided to go different ways, I was left with a huge void in my life. I began to revisit my roots playing the piano and rediscovered an innate desire to become a piano based musician/singer/songwriter.
I was very fortunate to be able to tour in 2010 with The Goodnight Process, as well as through the US and Europe with the Kurt Baker Band. The experience taught me a lot about being a musician and even more about being a songwriter/artist. Through playing out I’ve been able to meet a lot of other great musicians and artists and have had the pleasure of doing some recording with Div Kid, Kane Grogan, Kurt Baker, The Connection, Dean Ford, The Connection, Jack and Aces, and even a punk rock record or two! It’s been a really exciting year and I thought it’d be a great time to release an EP of my own material.
It’s been two years since I’ve released any original music and these are 6 songs I’ve written during that time. They were recorded raw and with attitude at The Electric Cave in Portsmouth, NH. It’s an old studio with more attitude than an old lady and houses a Rhodes, a Hammond organ, and an out of tune honky-tonk piano(featured on Jack and Jill). I’m stoked that I was able to record most of the piano parts at The Press Room in Portsmouth, which is one of Portsmouth’s premiere venues with a beautiful grand piano. Though this record is the cheapest professional recording I’ve ever done, I couldn’t be happier. Drew Brown did an amazing job mixing and mastering and The Dirty Gems gave these songs new life. It’s my pleasure to introduce “Kris Rodgers and The Dirty Gems”
credits
released September 15, 2011
All songs written by Kris Rodgers
Recorded, mixed and mastered by Drew Brown at The Electric Cave, Portsmouth, NH
Additional tracking done at The Press Room, Portsmouth, NH courtesy of Bruce Pingree
Photography by Matt Cosby
Kris Rodgers: Piano, Organ, Rhodes, and Vocals
Kurt Baker: Bass, Backing Vocals
Wyatt King: Drums
Tyler Johnson: Electric Guitar
Zach Uncles: Pedal Steel
Meg Doherty-Scannell: Backing Vocals
"...plays an explosive, engaging rock and roll located somewhere between Queen and Little Richard…it sounds a little like
the sort of stuff a twenty-something Billy Joel might write if he weren’t trying to please everyone all of the time.” Portland Phoenix...more
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