Band of the Sky Podcast

Rich and Rock explore Asheville’s rich music history focusing on The Land of The Sky’s homegrown golden age of self rising jam—the 1960s through the ‘90s and skyward. We want to shine a light on local musicians through their music, interviews and stories.

PFR (part two) Dank Tracks Live Bele Chere 1994 Unreleased Songs and Sounds at Gatsby's 10/22/2024

PFR (part two) Dank Tracks Live Bele Chere 1994 Unreleased Songs and Sounds at Gatsby's First let us say how sorry we are about the lost lives and property of our WNC friends and families. The farm sustained some damage but nothing relative to the devastation in this area. Secondly, we've been excited to find these unheard live recordings from a hot, July weekend in 1994. Praying for Rain had just finished their CD, "When a Rooster Crows," and hosted a CD release party at Gatsby's, Asheville, during the busiest weekend of the year. It was a special time for us because we had just released the CD which we recorded the previous year in Nashville at 1111 Studio. Also, a new, independent radio station (WZLS) was on the scene and played local tunes along with the Beatles, Stones and all that other long haired, screaming mess called classic rock. WZLS DJ Iron John was in the audience for these shows. A few months ago David Bradley (bass) was able to acquire from Scott Wallace three cassette board tapes from this incredible weekend in July, 1994. The tapes were pristine having never been played. The tapes contained about four hours of originals and covers. I was nervous about hearing these tunes because I used to get a little lit during our performances. I wasn't prepared for the flood of emotions listening to our shows, going back 30 years. For a whole weekend I paced my studio listening to the tunes, trying to remember the crowds, and getting emotional about it all. To our surprise and delight there were about 10 songs we had forgotten. On this and following episodes I will be playing these fresh, unearthed, "dank" tunes. So, yeah, in the face of world events, tragedy, loss and creeping fascism, it was good to find these tapes which represent a time before the Internet and social media's virtual tower of Babel. Once again our hearts go out to all our brothers and sisters effected by Hurricane Helene. If you hear the Sound: Whatever Helps you Sleep-Praying for Rain (PFR) Sis Boom Bah-Praying for Rain (Live at Gatsby's, 1994) Something Getting Rotten (Live at Gatsby's, 1994) Highly over You-Richie Tipton and the First Kings Instagram@bandofthesky /episode/index/show/bandofthesky/id/33565327