Swampy

Description:

Screen Name:

Swampy

Sex:

M

Age:

56

Studio Musician:

Yes

Level Of Commitment:

Just for Fun

Years Playing Music:

40

Gigs Played:

Over 100

Tend to Practice:

1 time per week

Available to Gig:

1 time(s) per week

Most available:

Nights

I started playing music professionally in 1965 ... way back in high school. I put myself through college gigging the New Orleans & North Shore areas as well as the Mississippi Gulf Coast. I primarily play electric bass and lead / rhythm guitar and perform lead & backup vocals. I enjoy playing most genre of music, but prefer Country Music (Classic & Modern), Southern Rock (Rock a Billy), & Classic Rock (Oldies & New Orleans Style / Swamp Rock). Currently I am playing lead / rhythm guitar & I continue performing lead vocals with my group, Millennium Country. We play a mix of Country, Classic New Orleans Style Rock / Swamp Rock, Rock a Billy, & Classic Rock. I no longer play the lounge circuit, so gigs are generally for special events & parties.

Occasionally, I fill in on short notice for gigs or studio work if another group is in need of a singer / guitar player / bass player or keyboard player. I suppose I play way too many gigs for free, but heck this is my leisure time. Nothing unwinds my mind from all the technical stuff I do with the day job, like forgetting it all watching the listeners enjoy themselves. Besides, as long as it's fun, it’s not work … no matter how heavy that equipment seems to be getting! With the full time day job schedule I am limited to playing the occasional local venue on the weekend. I'm not particularly interested in doing the lounge scene and having to put up with all the drunks and fights. (I'm getting too old to duck fast enough!)

Here is an open invitation to jam with me at rehearsal ... who knows, we may both pick up a new lick! If you are interested, just contact me & I'll give you time & location. (I'll try to keep rehearsals & engagements posted in the "Calendar" area on my profile page.)

Should you have further interest, be sure to check out my "Influences" category for more details on communicating with me even if you're not a paying (Premier) BandMix member.

Influences:

My earliest influences were local jazz and big band music of the 1940's & 1950's. I recall a story my mother used to tell about me in diapers being placed on an upright bass and trying to play at a rehearsal for Tony Almerico’s band … (Uncle Tony was a renowned New Orleans trumpeter and band leader during the 1940’s & 1950’s.)

In my teens, I was learning to play Rock & Roll lead guitar as new songs seemed to be hitting the radio almost daily. Urging from a parent of one of my Rock band’s members, I was introduced to Country Music. I developed an interest & liking for Country Music ... I suppose the lyrics struck close to home and the simplistic structure made it relaxing to play. Since the Rock & Roll musicians refused to play Country Music (ABSOLUTELY NOT COOL in the 1960's), I joined a Country group. After playing with a few different bands and many nights of performing under the belt, I eventually landed gigs playing guitar & bass (acoustic & electric) as parts of the house bands for the Ponchatoula Hayride and the Bogalusa Hayloft, where I was privileged to play behind many Country Music big names of the mid to late 60's. I even did a stint on New Orleans TV in the late 60's playing bass with a Country group (The Rollin' Wheels) while backing up a local female singer. (Word of caution here, don’t ride down in the elevator of a high rise with the band equipment unless you like free falling! Yes, I drew the short straw!)

I was playing Rock for the kids and Country & New Orleans Rock for their parents ... it was great being able to play something for just about everybody! I played electric bass throughout much of the 70's with a New Orleans Oldies group (The Everyday Special) ... I sure loved the sound we had when those New Orleans style horns filled in or took on the lead!

I sang lead and played lead & bass for a couple of years in the late 70's in and around the Houston area doing the lounge scene ... once again playing mostly Country Music (I think we literally wore out 'Looking For Love' doing that stint!)

I moved to Pearl River in 1980 and soon I was playing bass and performing background vocals with a Slidell area Classic Rock cover group (The Last Chance Band) through the mid 80's until we disbanded in the mid 90's. Soon afterward I again began taking on lead vocals and playing bass, rhythm & lead Country Music with a number of different small bands and back porch guitar pickers in the Pearl River area. Eventually, I applied a name to another group ... (Millennium Country). We perform locally in Southeast Louisiana & Southern Mississippi, but mostly for parties and special benefit activities. As the average age of the group approaches retirement and health concerns are starting to show up, the desire to load and haul all that equipment around to play gigs is becoming less and less appealing ... (unless we can count on the grandkids to help!) While we don't perform public venues all that often ... when we do, we have a grand old time!

I have found by experience that mixing the music we play with tunes from the 1950's through 1960's Rock N' Roll / Rock a Billy / New Orleans Rock era, as well as Country Music from the 1920's through modern, we cover just about all genre the listeners want to hear & dance to. My repertoire is a growing compilation of more than 600 tunes & I'm always working out & adding new cover tunes as well as penning a few originals.

Contact Information:
The BandMix' Terms of Use (TOU) does not allow me to list contact information in the "Description" area (But they didn't say anything about listing it here!). You can contact me by email to {jimknoch @ hotmail . com} [leave out the spaces]. If you contact me by email, please be patient waiting for the reply ... I'll have to reply from home in the evening. If you prefer, feel free to call me at my Mandeville office (985)-867-4638 during normal work hours (0700 through 1600) ... I have voice mail in the event I am in the field when you call.

Equipment List:

1978 Fender F-15 Acoustic Guitar, 1965 Fender Stratocaster, 1966 Fender Mustang Bass, Casio CT-370 Keyboard, 1966 Kustom 200 w/ dual 15's Instrument / Bass Amplifier, 2006 Kustom PA System (KPM8420T-Powered Mixer, KPC15-Speakers and Stands, KPC12M Floor Monitors), Shure SM-58, Shure 585SA, AKG D8000S Mic's

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