ARTICLES/INTERVIEWS:
Locust Avenue set to release 'The New Originals'
By Josh McBee
pop editor
Jeff Richardson, usually clad in sportcoat on stage, looks at the crowd when he's performing Locust Avenue gigs. He clearly enjoys himself, whether belting out the chorus of one of the band's orginals or stepping back from the mic to noodle a solo on his Gibson SG guitar.
"I like to feed off the crowd," Richardson, a 31-year-old bartender by night, said. "Sometimes there's not always going to be that crowd you can feed off, but it's still interesting to watch the crowd.
"The crowd is a part of what makes a good show but the band is the most important thing," he added. "The audience will usually feed off of a band's performance and can almost always tell when they're watching something half-baked or uninspired."
Locust Avenue got inspired in spring 2001 as a solo project in Kansas City. Richardson was recording a demo in a basement studio on Locust Street and liked the name, but prefered "avenue" over "street."
Bandmates were recruited later in '01 and remain Jeff Cooper (bass), Matt Carson (guitar) and Blaine Palmer (drums). The group then disbanded to graze greener pastures around the world, but reformed in 2003 with Billy Egle (guitar/keys) in tow. Carson plans to move to Chicago in late May and Egle will take on his role full time.
"I think we'll be able to make the transition, but I wish Matt wasn't leaving," Richardson said.
Richardson cites The Replacements, The Who and The Kinks as influences for Locust Avenue's brand of jangly pop with just a touch of cynicism. One thing the musician isn't cynical about is Norman's band scene.
"There are a lot of good bands here. It seems like it's picking up," he said. Mandragora, Electric S-t Orchestra, Forty Minutes of Hell and The Separation were pegged by Richardson as local faves.
Locust Avenue will unveil "The New Originals," its sophomore effort for Norman's Maritime Fist [Glee Club, sic.] label, at a CD release party April 9 at The Deli with Student Film and Subatomic Pieces. It's the latest step in Richardson's ultimate goal for Locust Avenue: recording and having fun.
"I've never had more fun band-wise than I've had playing in this band," he said.
For more information, visit www.locustavenue.com.
(Originally appeared in POP, a supplemental to the Norman Transcript on April 1, 2005. Reprinted here in its entirety not necessarily with permission.)
ASSORTED PRESS:
Articles:
Locust Avenue set to release 'The New Originals'
(from the April 1, 2005 POP supplemental of the Norman Transcript)
"Sailing The Experimental Seas"
(from the October 23, 2003 Oklahoma Gazette)
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