There are many bands in town that would qualify as underrated. While always counted on for a good time by their friends and fans, for some reason they exist just under the radar.
Such is the case with Americana trio Billy Midnight. Comprising brothers Billy Shaddox (guitar, vocals) and Bobby Shaddox (drums) as well as Jason Hee (bass), the band has recorded three albums to date and toured the West Coast several times, yet they remain one of San Diego’s best-kept secrets.
On July 21, the band will perform at The Casbah to celebrate the release of their latest CD, “Don’t Get Your Hope Up.”
While it’s probably too much to hope that the album will finally gain the band national attention, it is a more than worthy addition to their canon.
Like many groups, Billy Midnight came together in high school, in this case during the early ’90s.
While working with family members can be fraught with difficulties, frontman Billy Shaddox laughs at the thought.
“There have never been any issues,” he said. “Bobby and I are best friends. While we have diverse tastes in music, we agree on tight grooves and scorching guitars.”
He cites The Replacements, The Rolling Stones, Ry Cooder and Sam Cooke among the band’s influences but good-naturedly blames his life as a musician on his family.
“Bobby and I grew up in a musical house,” he explained. “Our dad and grandfather played the guitar with friends who played banjo, drums and fiddles. From as far back as I can remember I wanted to be like them and play an instrument.”
Shaddox’s comment sparks another memory.
“I used to sit with my ear against my dad’s guitar and let my imagination take me away. As soon as I could get my fingers to make chords I was playing every spare minute I had,” he said.
Shaddox feels that a lifetime’s worth of work has added up to the music on the new album.
“The new CD is the first recording we’ve made that comes close to capturing the energy of our live performances,” he said.
In addition to the guitars and the bass hitting harder, there is also more lead guitar, but perhaps the biggest change is in the songwriting.
“Bobby’s songwriting is featured for the first time on a Billy Midnight album, and there is a distinct difference between what I write and what he writes,” Shaddox said.
Though Shaddox enjoys crafting music in a studio environment, he maintains that performing live is the best thing about being a musician.
“Nothing compares to the feeling you get when you’re reciprocating the energy of the audience through your music,” he said.
He acknowledges that the unpredictability of concerts is part of the attraction.
One such gig that sticks out in his mind is a show in Ukiah, a Northern California timber town, Shaddox said.
“The bar was packed with extremely drunk folks we didn’t know,” he said. “At the end of the night we made up this song called ‘Let’s All Make Love,’ which sounded a bit like a song off of Def Leppard’s ‘Hysteria.’
“Bobby chanted those four words over and over until this plastered lady jumped up on stage to sing with him. Soon the entire bar was chanting along. It clocked in at nearly 30 minutes.”
According to Shaddox, it’s moments like this that can make a long drive between gigs and poor pay worthwhile.
For the foreseeable future Billy Midnight will concentrate on promoting their new album.
Shaddox acknowledges that times are tough for musicians at the moment, but he maintains that at his band’s level, even the illegal download situation isn’t much of a problem.
“All three of us are in our 30s now and have left behind many of the whimsical notions we had in our 20s,” he said.
“We’ve arrived at the point where we know that there’s a slim chance of making it, and this has really liberated us artistically.”
He downplays the impact of new technologies.
“iPods haven’t changed a thing about rock ‘n’ roll,” Shaddox commented. “We’ve definitely benefited from the connectivity of the digital age, like any other band. However, we’ve always relied on our live performances as a means of getting noticed.”
Pausing to reflect on a career that has had more than it’s share of ups and downs, he is both wistful and realistic.
If fame and fortune don’t find the group, though it won’t be for lack of trying, that’s okay.
“We’re only in it for the fun,” he smiled, “which is why we started playing music in the first place.”