KINGS OF CROWNSVILLE
They take great tunes, add a touch of New Orleans, a pinch of jazz, a hint of world-beat, and ground it all in solid alt-rock sensibility.
Steve Johnson - Vocals, Guitar
Mike McCormick - Keyboards
Rob Creath - Drums
John C. Harris - Trombone
David Vermette - Bass Guitar
Jim Tavener - Trombone, Trumpet, Flugelhorn
Edward Justice - Trumpet, Flugelhorn, Bone
Growing up in New Orleans, singer/songwriter Steve Johnson always had a certain sound in his mind that combined blues and rock n’ roll with more traditional jazz, creating a musical gumbo with his songs that reflected the various styles he loved as a boy. Steve has performed with many bands over the years, expressing his love of music through the stories told in his lyrics.
The Kings of Crownsville came into being six years ago. Keeping with his desire to challenge traditional definitions of style, the first instrument Steve wanted in the band was not the usual bass, keyboards or drums, but the trombone – a decision which plays prominently in many of his songs. The second, but equally important decision was to create arrangements for multi-part vocal harmonies, painting a broad harmonic spectrum that surprises audiences with their balance and precision. Completing the band are musicians with years of experience, each bringing their own style that has developed into the sound heard during the energetic solos and precise ensemble work that define the band's sound.
Over the years, the Kings of Crownsville sound has continued to evolve, creating the New Orleans-influenced style that defines the band today and continues to entertain audiences of all ages. The band's song list consists primarily of original songs written by Steve Johnson, and is supplemented with covers ranging from Trombone Shorty to Johnny Mercer and Big Joe Turner to U2, each arranged to express the unique Kings of Crownsville sound.
Tickets: $10
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ABOUT THE ARTISTS:
Steve Johnson - Vocals, Guitar
Steve started school in New Orleans and summered at his grandmother’s house outside of Memphis. His Uncle Royce listened to Hank Williams and “come to think of it, kind of looked like him, too,” he says. There was jazz music in the house, everything from Louis Armstrong to Louis Prima. In the car there was Elvis on the radio.
Steve’s family moved to New York State, and he bought his first guitar at 13, then wrote his first song at 14. He went to college and crossed the tracks to play in a soul band from town, “until Bubba got jail time.” Steve got into writing folk and country tunes in Cleveland while working as a schoolteacher. When he moved to New York City he played solo gigs – restaurants, bars, nightclubs and street corners -- for three years.
Steve now lives in Maryland where he has formed four bands. “The best way to get into a band with really good musicians is to be the founder,” he says. “Anyway, thank god they have always wanted to play the songs I write.”
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Mike McCormick - Keyboards
From a memorable 6th grade trumpet solo of "Swinging Safari", Mike has enjoyed many varied musical adventures over the years - marching with the Bishop McDevitt HS Band at the Miss America Parade in Atlantic City and watching for Miss Pennsylvania; grooving on Kimball console organ with the R&B band -"the Motivations"; squeezing out the french horn solo in the Bucknell Univ. orchestra performance of Carmina Burana at Constitution Hall; Bucknell Chorus road-trips to New York City; keeping the drunks awake at the Holiday Inn with Cathy; cutting two successful blues CDs and opening for SOJA and Billy Price with Park House Jam; and now performing some great new Steve Johnson songs with the Kings of Crownsville.
Mike likes to mix it up with the Nord Stage 2 digital samples and is drawn to interesting rhythms, tight arrangements, strong melodies and harmonies. Musical influences are numerous ranging from Jimmy Smith to Bruce Hornsby and ever expanding with help from the discerning ears of fellow "Kings".
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Rob Creath - Drums
Rob started out playing piano at the tender age of 6. Shortly after his first recital, a moving rendition of Long, Long Ago, reality set in and he switched to the drums. Until he graduated from high school, he performed with numerous bands, orchestras and other assorted musical organizations.
After a brief attempt at music school, Rob decided to focus on the things he did best (at the time) which consisted of activities that can't be described in this forum. To supplement his wild lifestyle, Rob performed with numerous jazz and country bands with a heavy dose of show music thrown in for good measure.
Rob attributes his style to the late, great drummer Tony Monforte and his regimen of sight reading and coordination exercises.
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John C. Harris - Trombone
In his imagination, John has redefined the trombone as a lyrical instrument on his two Concord Jazz releases, “Gum” and “These is My Chips.” He imagines that his big band jazz release “Giant Chortle” won the Pulitzer Prize because, as the New York Times fictionally put it, “Mr. Harris has found his voice in the richly nuanced colors of the traditional jazz orchestra, and as a composer has established an entirely new musical language that manages to be both accessible and abstract.”An avid sailor, John fantasizes that it was himself and not Pete Goss who turned back into a Southern Ocean gale during the 1996 Vendee Globe to rescue Raphael Dinelli, in what must be the most heroic episode in all of sports history.
In reality, John has a degree in music from Washington College in Maryland and has spent his whole adult life designing and building wooden boats for a living, a life that is only marginally less interesting than the one he imagines.
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David Vermette - Bass Guitar
From a musical family, David Vermette started playing bass at age 12, played his first professional gig at age 13, and recorded his first studio session at age 14. He holds a Masters degree in Contemporary Improvisation from the New England Conservatory of Music (NEC) in Boston, where he studied with Grammy Award winning jazz bassist Cecil McBee and with MacArthur Grant recipient Ran Blake. At NEC David was a teaching assistant in the Department of Music History and Musicology. He was also a student at two sessions of Robert Fripp's Guitar Craft seminars.
David has performed in every venue from Jordan Hall to a biker bar, including such Boston area jazz venues as the Acton Jazz Club, Ryles, the Beehive, and Scullers as well as Rock clubs like the Middle East and D.C.'s Black Cat. He has been heard at universities such as Brandeis and Tufts as well as on college radio. He has performed with such acts as Slant Six, the Live Wire Band, the Leah Langfeld Project, Steve Thomas & the Co-Conspirators (with Gary Fieldman and Rich Greenblatt), John Funkhouser, and Claire Ritter, as well as with his own post-rock quintet, Playhouse Republic. Most recently, David has performed with Brazilian jazz outfit Rio Garage and with lounge act Tony Anthony and the Malvivants.
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Jim Tavener - Trombone, Trumpet, Flugelhorn
Jim played baritone in high school and quit playing since there did not seem to be a need for a baritone player in the performance world. Upon hearing a "big band" for the first time in the Spring of his college freshman year, he bought a trumpet for $15 and has been playing ever since. He founded a bar band which played around Michigan's Upper Penninsula for about 5 years. Just after graduation, Jim toured with a group of singers before being called up by the U.S. Air Force. Since coming to Maryland, he retired from the Air Force and has started several bands in the area. He regularly leads a big band and jazz septet in the area.
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Edward Justice - Trumpet, Flugelhorn, Bone
Once Ed started on the trumpet in elementary school he quickly began playing by ear, but was pushed to read music by his instructor, John Fignar.
By the end of High School, Ed was playing in a rock horn band (playing Chicago and BS&T covers), a polka band, and the community orchestra, as well as the Hagerstown Municipal Band, beginning an eclectic musical career. At Montgomery College he discovered jazz when he took an improvisational class taught by the big band pianist and arranger Bill Potts.
Today, in addition to the Kings of Crownsville, Ed plays in a standard big band (The Annapolis Junction Big Band), a classical brass quintet (The Incidental Brass), a Dixieland band (The Boonetowne Stompers), a German "oom pah" band (The Maryland Musikverein), and a British brass band (The Benfield Brass Band), as well as playing in the pit for various shows and musicals and subbing for other groups and pick-up bands.
