5 minute read
The Guitar & Whiskey Club
The Rocking Return of The Guitar & Whiskey Club
Interview by Ken Morton
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The Guitar & Whiskey Club (GWC) has returned, ready to rock their way throughout the music scenes of Los Angeles, Ventura, and well beyond. With an all new lineup and a dynamic just released single entitled Sleazy, The Gun & Whiskey Club is ready to present their well received live shows once more. The band will be opening for The Iron Maidens at the world famous Whisky A Go Go on Octiber 1st - making their return to the Sunset Strip after over a year and a half!
Highwire Daze caught up with founding member Jeffrey Donovan, guitarist for The Guitar & Whiskey Club (GWC) to discuss their reformation and who the current members are, their epic new single Sleazy, returning to live shows at long last, and a whole lot more! Read on...
Introduce yourself, tell me what you do in The Guitar & Whiskey Club, and how long the band has been together.
I formed The Guitar & Whiskey Club (GWC) in 2016 and 2020 has seen a major reformation of the band. GWC has all new members (except for myself) and has moved from a female to male lead singer. The dedication to hard rock remains the same however and many traits that GWC has become known for, like our dynamic stage show, are very much alive. I will say that each of the new members have enhanced the band’s sound with their own stylings.
Where is the band based out of and what is the local music scene like there?
The current lineup is based in both Ventura and LA counties. Both counties have a very active and diverse music scene and while the pandemic pretty much shut that all down for a full year and a half, it’s all starting to come back now.
Who are the current members of The Guitar & Whisky Club and what are their backgrounds?
The current lineup consists of myself, Jeffrey Donovan, on guitar. I was raised by working musicians and have been playing since the age of 8. On vocals we have Mark Prudeaux who has been performing since the age of 6 and has worked and toured with a variety of bands. Calvin Meuser is on bass and like most of us, has been playing since he was in elementary school. He’s worked with numerous bands in Southern and Central California. Next we have Adam Ponce on drums.
Adam is an accomplished studio musician, recording engineer and producer. He is also the drum tech and protege of Simon Phillips.
Is there any overall story or concept behind the new single title Sleazy?
The music really set the tone for Sleazy. After I wrote the music I sent it to our singer Mark and said “here’s the new song....I don’t have any lyrics but it feels ‘Sleazy’ to me.” Mark ran with that and came up with the lyrics and melody for the song. The lyrics are a glorification of bad decisions and living life to the fullest, and the song revives the sex, drugs, and rock n’ roll lifestyle for both the people who have lived it, and for a new generation of listeners as well.
How close is the band to releasing an EP or album of music?
The Guitar & Whiskey Club has no current plans to release an EP or an album, although it’s not off the table in the future. What GWC is planning to do is to release a new single on a monthly-ish basis for a while. The music industry is changing and evolving so fast that what worked in the past may not work today. We’re going to give this new strategy a chance and see how it goes.
How complicated has it been to reform the band in the middle of a pandemic?
One of the great things about the current line up is that they are all professionals and have the ability to work from home, so working and collaborating remotely has served us well. Our latest single, Sleazy, was recorded months ago in three different studios. Things went so well that we never felt the need to be in the same location although we’re all very happy now that things have eased a bit and we can do some of our collaborating in person.
If The Guitar & Whiskey Club could open up for any band either now or from the past, who would it be and why?
I would love to open for Michael Schenker, one of my guitar heroes since a very young age and he just keeps getting better as time goes on. Of course we love opening for all of our favorite bands, which we’re doing one by one!
What has to been like to open for rock legends such as Accept and LA Guns, and did you get to meet or hang out with them at all?
It’s been fantastic. Sometimes you do get to hang out with the members of the headlining act, sometimes you don’t, but everyone we’ve opened for has been extremely gracious and I wouldn’t hesitate to open for any of them again.
What are you looking forward to the most about your upcoming show with The Iron Maidens at The Whisky?
Being back on a stage in front of a live audience! It’s been well over a year now since we’ve played a live gig and we’ve missed it greatly, seeing real people with real faces will be a treat. We’ve opened for The Iron Maidens before and they are just a wonderful band and a wonderful crew, we’re delighted that this will be our first comeback gig.
What could one expect from a live Guitar & Whiskey Club show?
GWC has always been known for dynamic stage shows and we will definitely continue to deliver with the same high energy. One thing that has changed is our ratio of cover songs to original songs. We may play a cover or two once in a while now, but we have shifted the focus clearly onto our original music.
What do you hope the rest of 2021 and 2022 brings for you and The Guitar & Whiskey Club?
Being able to give our fans new singles and we hope that the pandemic eases and allows them to attend shows. Our fans are the reward we seek.
Any final words of wisdom?
Be patient and stick to your guns. The music industry is constantly evolving. If you stay vigilant and keep putting your best into everything you do as GWC has, opportunities will present themselves.
