Bad Luck Days & Sore Losers Rob Russell & the Sore Losers at Murphy’s Friday By Jeff Eason Rob Russell & The Sore Losers You’ve got to have some kind of confidence in yourself to mix Murphy’s Law with Friday the 13th and think you can get away with it. The truth is, Rob Russell & The Sore Losers look forward to the challenge of playing live at Murphy’s in Boone on Friday, August 13th. Admission is $5 per person and the music starts around 10:30 p.m. Rob Russell & The Sore Losers, a powerful rock & Americana outfit out of Johnson City, has been making waves for the past four years with its unique blend of soulful harmonies and Southern rock roots. The group has spent time this summer in Nashville recording its second album with producer Eric Fritsch. If it is anything like its fantastic debut, I Think We’re Gonna Be Alright, it should be one of the best releases from an area band this year. The new album is tentatively titled Lucky on the Side and is slated for release in October. It gets its name from lyrics in a Mick Jagger song called “Evening Gown.” East Tennessee State University students know Rob Russell as the director of the university’s Writing Center. He’s been a working force in the Tennessee music scene for the past decade-and-a-half, playing with musicians such as Walt Wilkins, Scott Miller (V-roys) and Dick Thompson (Steve Miller Band). During that time Russell has performed everything from bluegrass to punk to swing. It is through The Sore Losers, however, that Russell has found his own original musical voice. Russell has distributed some of the new songs from the upcoming album to friends, radio stations and media outlets. The sound is crisp, the band rocks, the new tunes are tight, and it looks like Russell has another winner on his hands. “We started recording with Eric Fritsch—he plays with Scott Miller and the Commonwealth—at his studio in East Nashville this past May, finishing twelve songs,” said Russell. “We returned just last week to record four more, and we’ll be choosing the best eleven or twelve to on the new CD. One of the tunes is already being used as the theme to a TV show, The Verge, which is a live music show covering venues across the southeast, from Nashville to Charleston to Atlanta. It’ll debut in early September, but I’m not sure if it will air in Boone.” Russell added that the new song selected for The Verge is “Success,” a tune that was recorded for the first album and then remade this spring for Lucky on the Side. (You can find out more about the TV show at www.thevergeonline.net.). Combining jangly guitars, tight rock rhythms, and bluesy vocals, the songs from the new album have the band poised for national prominence. Unlike many of their Americana brethren, these guys know how to rock. They have an innate sense of when to invoke the introspective spirit of Hank Williams Sr. and when to party like his son. “I think the new material has greatly benefited from two things,” said Russell. “First, this version of the band, with David Hart on guitar, Josh Reifert on bass, and my brother Andy Russell on drums, has been together for over two years, so the recording has much more of a band sound. Second, working with an experienced producer like Eric has helped us be more adventurous and take more chances in the studio. I think the last CD is solid and has some good songs, but it’s kind of ‘safe’ sounding. On this new one we really kicked out the jams and turned everything up to 11…much more like our live shows. The moodier and slower tunes even rock out a bit. It’s more Led Zeppelin III than Redheaded Stranger, to make a feeble folk-rock-country comparison.” James Watson of The Johnson City Press wrote, “With songs ranging from burning, crowd-shaking rhythms to smoldering, twangy tunes, the Sore Losers sort through stories filled with frustrations, joys and a fondness for drinking.” Fans of Scott Miller and the Commonwealth, and of Miller’s previous band The V-roys, will enjoy Rob Russell and the Sore Losers. All three bands have a gritty mix of soulful singing and Southern storytelling. Like Miller’s work, the Sore Losers instinctively know how to mix electric guitars with acoustic instruments such as accordions and fiddles for a big yet intimate sound. For more information on Friday’s show, call Murphy’s Restaurant and Pub at (828) 264-5117.