COMMON THREADS Words by Amiyah Golden and photo by Jody McFarland With the emergence of new sounds being birthed from the inspiration of mu-
The pair recruited bass guitarist Joey Zimmerman and drummer Donald Kil-
sical innovators every day, it would be a disservice to not pay homage to
patrick.
the artists who have paved the way by experimenting with and tinkering the sounds we appreciate today.
Now a solidified band, the group was determined to break through into the world of music.
Jacksonville is the birthplace of so many reputable names in the music industry but one band in particular has escaped much of the mainstream recogni-
By the following year, Common Thread had enough music to record, and with
tion they deserve. So I decided to “throw-it-back” for this month’s Local Artist
the help of aspiring engineer Scott Whitter, the band made it happen resulting
Spotlight and feature the ’90s band, Common Thread, who originally hail from
in the birth of their album, “Six Marbles and a Bowl of Mud.” Whitter is also
Orange Park.
credited for engineering and helping produce their praised project, “Fountain,” which will soon be available on vinyl and all streaming platforms.
Common Thread was formed by two friends, Joe Parker and Travis Taylor. The two skateboarders found an interest in guitar — on their own, originally — but
I inquired about the song-making process for the band and Parker shared that
one day, Taylor suggested the two come together to form a band.
much of it sparked from the organic jam sessions between himself and Taylor. With one of the two usually sharing a new guitar riff that may be accompanied
“It seemed far-fetched to me that anyone would be willing to play with us as
with cool lyrics, it served as the first layer to the final production of a song.
neither of us demonstrated a tremendous facility for the instrument,” said
Parker shared with me some of the inspiration for his writing in particular: “If
Parker, “We had enthusiasm and tastes, though, that proved to be enough to
I liked a turn of phrase. If I wanted to relay a shred of a dream. If I wanted to
get the ball rolling.”
take a shot at someone, If I wanted to seduce a love, I did it there as well as I could.”
Although doubt factored into Parker’s mind initially it didn’t stop the duo from expanding to a full-fledged group by Christmas of 1989.
60 Folio Weekly
