Article submitted by Michele D’Amour (McDanel) to Kevin Cummings -SSBA newsletter editor

There’s a sort of alchemy to putting a band together. With a small group, each person’s personality and quirks contribute significantly to the overall chemistry. We’re fortunate to have an exceptionally solid lineup these days, regularly experiencing what we call ‘band ESP’ both onstage and while crafting new material.

Patrick McDanel was my first recruit. I was writing bass lines too complex to play while singing, and I knew he’d do them justice. We were friends for years before dating, and now we joke that he should have read the fine print in his contract since we’ve been married for 12 years! Early on, he often embellished my bass lines, but as my songwriting has grown more sophisticated, his interpretations have become more nuanced. Patrick began piano at age five and later played trombone professionally until sidelined by an injury. He’s a veteran of the national music scene, having performed with notable acts as both a regular player and fill-in. One of his career highlights was performing at the Apollo Theater in the 1990s.

Carl Martin, our drummer since 2021, was previously a frequent substitute before joining permanently. Originally from Southwestern Ontario, Canada (eh!), he’s our second Canadian alongside my French-Canadian heritage (though I’m U.S.-born). Carl has performed with numerous bands and solo artists across diverse venues and styles. Musicians often describe his playing as “solid as a rock,” and his philosophy is simple: “…to listen, and support the music.” His versatility helps him beautifully support what’s happening around him, creating a seamless rhythm section with Patrick.

Saxophonist Noel Barnes joined in 2016 after we met at my cousin Phil Amoureaux’s summer party the year before. An impromptu jam session ended with mutual appreciation, and months later, I invited him to collaborate on our Wiggle Room album. He’s been invaluable ever since, playing tenor and baritone sax (and occasionally flute). A student of Sue Orfield, Noel has performed with Copastetic, Double Shot, and City Knightz, among many others. He contributes backing harmonies and occasional lead vocals, and joined us in Memphis for our 2019 Heart of Memphis recording at Royal Studios.

When guitarist Richard Newman left in 2023 to pursue music production, we found Steve Gorringe through Bandmix, of all places. Steve had just submitted his retirement paperwork when he received my email message. After a successful audition where there was just great chemistry, he played his first show in April 2023, weeks before retiring from teaching choir and guitar at Decatur High School. With over fifty years of guitar experience, Steve has studied with jazz greats Bob Rice, Milo Peterson, and Don Mock. He holds two music degrees from Western Washington University in classical guitar and choral conducting.


Photo  Credit: Nancy Barnes
We had been working without anyone on keys after Brian Olendorf moved to Bend, OR. After a few months of playing with us, Steve recommended his wife, Merlyn Ahern. Her first gig with us was at the 2023 North Bend Blues Walk. She had about a two-week crash course on our material prior to that and did great. Though classically trained, she’s embraced blues, funk, and jazz with enthusiasm. Her 25+ years of piano accompanying and performance experience includes tours throughout the United States and Europe. Merlyn’s versatility spans rock, folk, and classical genres, and she’s currently a teacher at Federal Way high school. With Merlyn in the band, I like to joke that we are the only band with two married couples since ABBA!

Photo Credit: Larry Star

My perspective is that the music scene still hasn’t fully recovered from the COVID epidemic. We certainly saw some venues close and others stop hosting live music. But the need for people to connect and enjoy music is still there, and we’re out there playing and continuing to experiment with venues to see where we can find ‘our people.’We adapt our configuration to suit various venues’ needs and budget. Patrick, Steve, and I perform as a trio for intimate spaces, exploring jazz standards with Steve on acoustic guitars and Patrick on fretless bass; playing the tunes in a more stripped down arrangement also gives us a different take on the original tunes. Adding Carl creates a grittier, blues-focused four-piece. With Noel, we incorporate soul and funk covers from groups like Stevie Wonder and Average White Band. Merlyn’s presence enables us to include tunes that just must have keyboards and also enriches our vocal harmonies, as in Steve’s rendition of Boz Scaggs’ Lowdown featuring Noel on flute and backing vocals from Merlyn and me.

Work has begun on our eighth album, following 2022’s Hot Mess. Six new songs are in development, with four that have already been performed live. The sound leans toward soul blues, reflecting influences from Ray Charles, Little Willie John, and Bobby Bland to contemporary artists like St. Paul and the Broken Bones, the Teskey Brothers, and Teddy Swims.

When I started the band in 2011, I wanted to do it for fun and for the creative outlet. It has been all that and more! It’s been tremendously rewarding. My absolute favorite thing is to see people singing and/or dancing to a tune that I wrote.