NATIONAL LEDGER ARTICLES / INTERVIEWS WITH LiMBO
L-R (Jeff Lopez, Zippy Dieterich, Brian Less, Sam Gunderson, and Mitch Jones)
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Not in 'LiMBO' Anymore
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By Shirley Kennedy
Oct 30, 2006
Unless you’ve lived under a rock for some extended periods of time or (heaven forbid) have never read one of my articles, it is quite obvious how much I love Elliott Yamin; I’ve never tried to hide that. In my last article about Elliott, I placed him at the top of my all-time favorite interview subjects; Elliott, your position is in jeopardy.
After meeting the members of the Little Memphis Blues Orchestra (LiMBO), I think I have met Elliott’s match. The members of this band are completely fascinating, and their interactions with one another left me in tears—from laughing. I liken them to a group of brothers who obviously love each other but not enough to refrain from teasing each other mercilessly; no such love exists between siblings. When I asked the guys if they still have “day jobs,” the exchange gives but a hint of the interviewing journey with this group:
Shirley: So, do you guys still have day jobs?
Sam: Nope.
Shirley: You’re doing this full-time now?
Brian: This is a full-time job now.
Shirley: That’s awesome. So, I guess you’re all kind of realizing a dream, then, to be able to do this full-time.
Jeff: Absolutely.
Brian: Love it!
Sam: I haven’t had a day job for so long, I don’t even—
Brian: That’s because he’s slack though.
Brian Less (keyboards) is the “class clown” of the group. He’s the youngest member of the band and acts very much like a younger brother who is just waiting for the right time to pull a practical joke on his siblings. Quick witted, sarcastic, and incredibly funny, Brian leads much of the interview, regardless of what I, as the interviewer, might have had planned. I’m not complaining. Sam Gunderson (lead guitar) is Brian’s alter ego.
The first time I saw Sam in Richmond, he immediately intimidated me. I hope Sam doesn’t take this the wrong way, but upon seeing him, the words “Hell’s Angel” popped into my mind, from a visual perspective. He’s a big, imposing man, but he flashes a smile that can only be described as warm and welcoming, leaving me wondering how I ever received that initial impression. Sam is quiet, but when he speaks, he is eloquent; his responses to my questions were always extremely well thought out and on point, much like the responses I received from Jeff Lopez, who plays the sax (among other horns).
Jeff is, first and foremost, a family man, and he is apparently a brave one, with five pre-teen children in the same house. You’ve heard the cliché, “the patience of Job?” Jeff’s middle name must be Job. Two of these children were adopted by Jeff and his wife, but they are all equally loved. Jeff is not hesitant to discuss his Christianity and his devotion to his family, which certainly endeared him to me. In fact, everything Jeff does and says reflects positively on that devotion. The word that comes to mind for me about Jeff is “stoic,” though he certainly added his share of humor to the interview, and he is the group’s patriarch. Again, moving in contrasts, the last member of LiMBO present was Zippy Dieterich (drums).
Zippy is the other cut-up of this group and the only single member of the band. Now, I’m sure that’s not a bad thing for Zippy, and for the right price, I might be able to hook you up—but only if I deem you good enough for him. When I think of Zippy, the first word that comes to mind is “trip,” because that’s exactly what Zippy is—a trip. Just when you think Zippy is going to give you a straight answer, he says something that can totally throw an interviewer off her game.
Shirley: Okay, where does that come from: “Zippy?” I know that’s not your real name.
Zippy: I’ve just had it forever.
Shirley: You mean there’s not a story behind it?
Zippy: Not one worth telling.
The Adventures of Zippy continued throughout the course of this interview. In the midst of giving me his background in music, including a stint as leader of the University of Alabama Crimson Tide drum line, without missing a beat Zippy says, “Roll Tide,” and the room erupts with laughter. Are you getting my drift?
I unfortunately did not have the pleasure of meeting the bass player, Mitch Jones, but after spending almost three hours with Zippy, Sam, Brian, and Jeff, I understand how they “work” as a band, and I can only assume that Mitch fits right in. A 14-year age gap exists between the oldest and youngest members of the band, but you would never know that. They are so in tune with each other, and their good relationship is clearly evident. When Jeff describes how he first became a part of LiMBO, he makes the relationship quite clear:
I had worked with Taylor three and a half years ago, but when my band wasn’t working, he would put up a mic for me and say, “Jeff, you want to go up?” Half the time I would, half the time I wouldn’t, but then, these guys were gracious enough when Taylor started to do the Idol thing—right before—they let me into the circle because they knew my association with Taylor before, and they’re my new brothers.
Indeed, even as each new member joined the band, bonds were formed and relationships established. While both Jeff and Brian worked with the band around the same time, Sam came on board later, and Zippy joined last. Each discusses his personal journey to this point in his career with fond memories.
Sam: For two years we were the Taylor Hicks Band. We’re the band that he put together.
Shirley: Okay, so how’d you guys all meet and start working together?
Brian: Through Taylor. He pulled each member . . .
Shirley: I mean, did he come somewhere and find you?
Zippy: Well, me and him [Brian] have been together for years.
Brian: You want to hear the story of how he [Taylor Hicks] found me?
Shirley: I absolutely want to hear the story.
Brian: I was playing with a band called the Ground, which me and Zippy were in, in Tuscaloosa. The University of Alabama is where we met. Zippy and I have played together, probably seven or eight years now. We were playing a bar. His [Taylor’s] band was down in Mobile. He walked by where we were playing, and he heard me playing the piano. And he made a comment to one of his buddies, “Man, I want a keyboard player like that in my band.” Two weeks later, cause I was living in Nashville at the time, he was playing in Nashville, and his bass player knew me. So, the bass player goes, “Taylor, this keyboard player really wants to sit in.” And Taylor’s like, “No. We’re in Nashville. We want our game to be on. Nobody’s sitting in.” Then, finally, Clay Connor, his bass player at the time, convinced Taylor to let me sit in. So, I show up in Nashville. I set up, do sound check, and Taylor goes, “Were you in Mobile two weeks ago playing at this bar?” I was like, “Yeah.” He’s like, “Join the band.” I said, “I haven’t even played yet.” And he’s like, “I don’t care. I heard you play. You’re what I want,” and then, the rest is history. That’s how it happened.
Shirley: Okay.
Brian: And then, down the road, with Zippy, I was like, “Dude, you’ve got to get this drummer because I’ve played with Zippy forever. He’s an awesome drummer,” and Taylor says, “Nah. Nah.” I’m like, “Let him sit in.” We basically did the same thing. Zippy came, sat in, and bam, he was like, “I want you to be the drummer.”
Zippy: By the time I learned the third song, he goes, “The job’s yours if you want it.” We rented out a practice room. We were practicing. After the third song, he goes, “The job’s yours if you want it.” And I’m here.
Jeff: And that’s kind of the same way it happened for me. I was playing about four years ago at a club called Marty’s, and he told his buddy, I guess whoever was in the band at the time, his buddy came up and talked to me. He said, “That’s Taylor Hicks. He wants to talk to you,” and he said, “I want you in my band.” I was like, “No, I already have a band” because I was playing with another band at the time because we’re all kind of hired guns, aside from being a band. And I started to work with them periodically after that.
As we reminisced about the group’s formation, each member of LiMBO shared with me how he began his musical journey and how those journeys impacted who they are today as musicians and performers. LiMBO has had the pleasure of opening for several well known acts, trailing the Idol tour this year, and gaining a whole new set of fans along the way. Many of LiMBO’s performances support several charities, as these great musicians are really just all-around great guys, including the Halloween show scheduled at WorkPlace, which benefits the Lakeshore Foundation (
http://www.lakeshore.org), a local Birmingham charity.
The members of LiMBO graciously allowed me to “pick their brains” for almost three hours; meaning, you need to stick around because there’s a whole lot more to this interview. I will go into greater detail about the charities that LiMBO supports, how the band got its name, and will reveal more of these captivating personalities that make up this wonderful band. Keep your Google Alerts tuned.
Shirley has a bachelor’s degree in Political Science, with an emphasis on Creative Writing, from Agnes Scott College in Decatur, Georgia. She is currently pursuing her Master’s in Public Administration from the University of Phoenix.
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L-R (Jeff Lopez, Zippy Dieterich, Brian Less, Sam Gunderson, and Mitch Jones)
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LiMBO Thankful for Taylor Hicks, Set to Break Out of His Shadow
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By Shirley Kennedy
Nov 7, 2006
LiMBO is an awesome band, and I give props to Taylor Hicks for bringing these guys together. Taylor obviously knows talent when he hears it—he selected each musician for his band after only one listening. Jeff’s take on Taylor’s formula is simple: “With Taylor finding us all, I mean, in a way, it wasn’t just the musicianship in his mind. He’s kind of like a human resources director.”
In addition to being a talented musician, Taylor apparently has other hidden talents. My only regret is that I never heard them perform live when they were all still together. While I did purchase “Under the Radar” shortly after hearing and seeing Taylor play his harmonica on Idol, a CD is not the same as a live performance. “Under the Radar” is a great CD that showcases Taylor’s talents, but only three of LiMBO’s current members are featured on that CD.
Shortly after Taylor left the band to begin his stint on Idol, the band decided that they could no longer call themselves the Taylor Hicks Band and began the search for a new name. Brian Less’s wife, Staci, is credited with the band’s new name:
Brian: My wife came up with the name. My nickname is Little Memphis. . . . And we were in limbo when Taylor went to Idol, okay?
Sam: And his wife said, “What words can fit those letters?” Little Memphis—
Brian: And she added blues and orchestra. Y’all are in limbo, so be LiMBO.
***
Even without Taylor, LiMBO remains an extremely talented band. The members of LiMBO have become stars in their own right thanks to a suggestion that the band trail the American Idols tour this year. Once bass player Mitch Jones made this suggestion, one of the band’s managers put the tour together.
The tour turned out to be a success for LiMBO, and they even met and became acquainted with the newest member of their management team during this tour. Looking back, Zippy, Sam, Brian, and Jeff have come a long way from their first involvement with music.
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Brian: I started playing the piano when I was five years old. My parents could not pick me up on time from kindergarten, so they put me in piano lessons after school, and it was just natural for me. . . . I found a classical teacher—Mrs. Eikhoff. She taught me keyboards, piano, and I hated it because all we did was serious classical, and I was like, “I want to learn rock and roll!” . . .When I was 13, I found this guy, Bob Payne, in Memphis, who taught rock and roll piano. . . . I’ve been taught very well, but I play from the heart. So, I’ve been playing ever since I was five. . . . I knew that’s what I wanted to do when I was a little kid. I wanted to be a rock star.
Zippy: I used to have a tennis racket, I would play along to the stereo if nobody was in the house and look out the window at the trees and pretend it was the crowd. I was seven years old. I always knew I was going to play music. . . . My training started in about ‘82, and I was classically trained. I was in the Huntsville Symphony and went through school—went to college playing. I was a section leader of the University of Alabama drum line. Roll Tide—Million Dollar Band! I was the leader of the drum line. Then, I used to write halftime shows for high schools. That was the last thing I had to do with bands. Then, I focused on the rock. I tried rock and roll, and after that, I focused on the classical stuff, and when that started phasing out, I started getting more gigs and playing drum sets. I played xylophone and the timpani. I was a timpanist for the University. And, then, the rest is history—after a hundred million smoky bars later.
Sam: I actually started off on violin and fiddle when I was five. My dad is a guitar player. . . . And, basically, I started playing guitar when I was 10.
Shirley: So, when did you decide you wanted to be a rock star?
Sam: The day I was born. Actually, when I was 13, I saw Stevie Ray Vaughn in concert, and that was it. Huge day for me. Here’s this guy, front and center, spotlight on him, playing guitar for people, moving them, and that’s what I felt like I wanted to do.
Shirley: Jeff?
Jeff: I started playing keyboard and organ when I was three, and at that time, we couldn’t afford a piano, so . . . I was like Brian: I would just go down, and people said I could just sit down and play whatever I heard. But, my granddad was a saxophone player. So, he played music constantly in the house, like Coltrane and all that stuff, so he knew that I was taking in that influence all the time. . . . I wanted to play saxophone because granddad played it. It was one of the most expensive instruments. I went through trumpet and trombone because they were all cheaper, and then, finally, when I got a saxophone, that’s when I found my niche. I had my first professional gig when I was 13 with a big band. . . .
***
These years of practice and honing their craft have paid off well for LiMBO. Jeff has played with the Temptations Review and Martha Reeves and the Vandellas. He has also opened for the Manhattans and Blue Magic. The entire band has opened for several well known acts, including the Blues Traveler, Journey, The Marshall Tucker Band, and Hootie & The Blowfish. In addition to and in concert with their busy touring schedule, LiMBO always takes time out to support several charities.
LiMBO is very involved with an Alabama charity known as Kid One Transport (Kid One). This involvement began with none other than Taylor Hicks making a $100 donation. Suzanne Thrash, Community Relations Specialist for Kid One, reminisces that Taylor “gave $100 and said that, ‘hopefully, this will one day be bigger’.” Taylor got his wish. He and LiMBO autographed a guitar that raised a large donation via auction. In addition, Taylor’s fan group, the Soul Patrol, has raised in excess of $30,000 for this extremely worthy charity.
Kid One provides essential transportation to critically ill children and expectant mothers who would not otherwise have means of keeping vital health care appointments. The organization began in 1997 with one car and one full-time driver. Today, the charity boasts 13 vehicles, 13 full-time drivers, and now serves 32 counties in Alabama. The organization’s goal is to cover all of Alabama and to eventually cross state lines. Kid One is the only organization of its type in the United States and has recently passed some important milestones:
--The organization completed its 100,000th trip last year;
--To date, Kid One has made 113,000 trips;
--Kid One has driven over 2.5 million miles;
--The average monthly fuel bill for Kid One is $10,000; and
--Kid One operates on a budget of just under $2,000,000.
Of utmost importance to Kid One is the proper maintenance of its vehicles. Suzanne Thrash shares that “We have to keep the cars in top shape because we are carrying precious cargo.” Much of Brian Less’s time on tour was spent backstage, collecting instruments and memorabilia and having Taylor and the other Idols autograph these items to auction for this and other charities. “It became a job,” discloses Brian. Even though the tour has ended, Brian is still working hard at his “job;” he recently took three harmonicas and two guitars to New York for Taylor’s signature. Please take the time to visit Kid One’s website (
http://www.kidone.org) to learn more about this charity, which gives so much to the citizens of Alabama.
Brian and the rest of LiMBO (and Taylor) are very big on charitable works. Personally, I love hearing, reading, and writing stories involving people who so enjoy giving back to their communities and the world at large; I could easily write about the band’s charitable works alone, which brings me to another point: I lied about only having two parts to the LiMBO interview. So much important, fun information came from this interview that I feel compelled to share more, so stay tuned; there’s more to come.
Shirley has a bachelor’s degree in Political Science, with an emphasis on Creative Writing, from Agnes Scott College in Decatur, Georgia. She is currently pursuing her Master’s in Public Administration from the University of Phoenix.
