Thursday, Jul. 23, 2009
Psyched for 300
Psych Ward
Psych Ward is a local band that busts a prevailing myth and makes an important point – original high energy rock n’ roll can co-exist with plenty of work – and nary a “Brown Eyed Girl” in sight. The three-piece power trio will play its 299th gig tonight, and 300th gig 11 p.m. July 30, at Island Bar and Grill in Surfside Beach where it hosts open mike jams on Thursdays. Yes, it’s true – 300 gigs at just one club. The band will play its 301st Island Bar gig the following Saturday night. The band also plays regularly at Hard Rock Café, Spud’s Waterfront Dining, Wahoo’s Raw Bar & Marina, Dead Dog Saloon, Hot Fish Club, and Causeway Grill & Raw Bar – not to mention its out-of-town spots.
I caught up with Matt Parker, guitarist, lead vocalist and songwriter for Psych Ward to discuss the remarkable feat and just what 300 means to the band. “I’m trying to recover from the last couple of days,” said Parker on a rare day off. “We’ve been doing at least three nights a week, if not more, for like seven years now,” he added. And that’s a year-round average. “Part of the reason we’ve been able to do the every Thursday thing is that I live right across the street from The Island Bar.”
Psych Ward also mixes the right amount of covers, about 50 percent, with its originals. Unlike most cover bands with dance-heavy play-lists, or an over abundance of trop-pop, Psych Ward’s covers are more rock and blues-oriented and include hits from Alice In Chains, 3 Doors Down, Aerosmith, The Black Crowes, and plenty of Southern blues-jam stuff from The Allman Brothers, Kenny Wayne Shepherd, ZZ Top, and similar artists.
Brian McKenzie engineered Psych Ward’s current recorded original material, samples of which may be heard on the band’s MySpace page (www.myspace.com/psychwardband). The tune “Drama Queen,” with 6,000 MySpace plays, has become a song that the band’s fans often request. Parker and band mates are working on new material, some of which will be recorded in their original hometown of Charlotte, N.C. “We’ll get Brian [McKenzie] to mix and do the post-production stuff,” said Parker. “We’re recording in a few different places,” he added. “There’s a studio in Charlotte that our drummer is attached to. We had a chance to record three or four songs there.”
Psych Ward’s lineup changes periodically, most notably with three bass players in the last two years. Joining Parker in the current lineup: Mike Barber (bass/vocals), and Dan Lawlor (drums/vocals). Kevin Murray is the unofficial fourth member and acts as Parker’s Man Friday, assisting with equipment maintenance, as a roadie, Parker’s transportation and he plays harmonica with the band on a few tunes each evening. Lawlor, who currently lives in Charlotte with his wife and children, commutes to Myrtle Beach each week for the band’s gigs. Barber, also originally from Charlotte, now lives in Conway.
Psych Ward was recently featured on WFXB’s local arts and entertainment program, “Not the News,” with a live studio taping of its original tune “How.” Parker, who is known for his Stevie Ray Vaughn and Jimi Hendrix-style arrangements complete with animated guitar antics, enjoys songwriting as much as performing and has just added two new originals to the band’s show. “Seems like people want to hear Alice in Chains every night but then we can play originals for an hour, too. Our original stuff is going over so well, that we’re getting requests for it at the shows – and that’s pretty cool.”
The Island Bar & Grill is located at 2272 Glenns Bay Road, Surfside Beach.
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