If you haven't heard Pat McGee Band play at least one live set at Princeton, you are missing out on a crucial component of the quintessential 'Princeton experience.' The band is a ubiquitous fixture on Princeton's live music scene and is making yet another Princeton appearance this Saturday.
Pat McGee has been serenading Princetonians with his unique blend of soulful warbling and skillful guitar playing since he was a high school student.
"My brother had a friend in [Tiger Inn], so we'd come up and play covers," he said. "I can remember I felt so cool because it was like being at a party."
McGee, a native of Virginia, founded the Pat McGee Band in 1996. Since then, PMB has ascended the music charts and cultivated a robust fan base, all while maintaining a distinctly grassroots-cum-rock vibe and a refreshingly down-to-earth attitude.
Shortly after its formation, PMB launched its touring career, appearing at college campuses throughout the Mid-Atlantic and Southeastern United States.
According to McGee, the band's earliest frat party and college venue gigs have made PMB what it is today.
Although he reflects on his frat party experiences with a discernible pang of nostalgia, the days of college frat parties have long since passed.
The band currently commands sellout crowds in venues in New York, Chicago, Boston, Washington DC and its launching ground, Virginia. To date, the band has appeared in 42 states, often performing anywhere from 125 to 250 dates a year.
While the composition of the band has changed slightly since its creation, the quintet currently consists of McGee, lead vocals and acoustic and electric guitars; John Small, bass; Brian Fechino, electric guitar, Chris Williams, drums; and Chardy McEwan, percussion.
Totally psyched
In 1999, after three years and three independent albums Pat McGee Band signed a recording contract with Giant Records, a Warner Brothers venture. In collaboration with Giant, PMB released its first major label debut album, Shine, in April of 2000.
Reviewers called Shine "a striking debut—an invigorating mix of blues-laden grit, gorgeous harmonies and melodies," while Pat was said to possess "a way with words and music, draping beautifully fragile melodies over lyrics that cut right to the emotional core."
The first single, Runaway, graced radio waves across the United States, while Rebecca, the band's second single, is a favorite among PMB fans and music lovers alike.
After the dissolution of Giant Records during the AOL-Time Warner merger, the band was picked up by the Warner Brothers label.
The band recently finished its fifth album, which is expected to hit record store shelves this summer. "This record is different. Things have changed. There's still a lot of acoustic guitar, but the producers have brought a lot to the table," McGee said.
According to McGee, this latest venture is the closest the band has over come to a full-fledged studio album and is its strongest creation to date. "From a songwriting standpoint, this record is far beyond anything we've done before . . . Musically, there's not a note on here that we're not totally psyched about."
Power in subtlety
The band's particular sound eludes classification. It is an amalgamation of rock, blues, country, and pop with a strong acoustic component. All of the band's songs are remarkably textured, resonating with a raw and unadulterated honesty.
Truly, PMB's power is in its subtlety. McGee's voice and the band's instrumentation are gently penetrative; striking chords in audience members without breaking a certain level of introspection on the part of the musicians.
While the band's sound may have evolved over the years, its mantra has remained the same: "Whatever you're doing, it has to be believable . . . You have to be honest, and people have to believe that it's you." "Music is about emotion to me. It's also about playing back to the people," Fechino said. "That's what's cool, because the music is always bigger than me . . . I get to express myself without saying a word."
Lyrically speaking, most of the band's songs are about "people who don't know what they want or who they want to be," but these lyrics are often set to music that communicates a much wider range of emotions and experiences.
"For me, music comes first, and lyrics are second and sometimes very last minute. It's leftover from my days in school, as the kid who was always procrastinating— doing homework on the bus in the morning," McGee said.
As a result of this method, his lyrics are not terribly unique, though they are certainly endearing and often poignant, precisely because of the common experiences that they convey.
Like a fire to oxygen
Despite the fun that the band had recording its latest album, members of PMB are excited to be back on the road. "Touring is where we feel most comfortable," McGee said.
This band flourishes on stage, responding and feeding off of the audience like a fire to oxygen. Their performance style is a careful balance of enthusiastic audience interaction, extended jams, old and new covers, and more somber, reflective moments during crowd-pleasing ballads like Elegy for Amy and Flooding the Both of Us.
Record executives take note. Though PMB has never spent an exorbitant amount on elaborate marketing schemes, the band has managed to garner nationwide support and an almost cult-like following.
Using the age-old, word-of-mouth marketing strategy, Pat McGee Band has generated an irrepressible buzz, especially among college students.
Anyone who has seen Pat McGee Band live will affirm that the band members are in love with their instruments and their vocations.
It is this humble appreciation of music and a discernible gratitude to the fans that make PMB a promising up and comer with near limitless potential.
"Hopefully, the depth of the band is what places us apart from other bands. We want to be a gig where you want to hear every song," McGee said.
When asked about the future of the band, McGee responded, "Whatever it takes, we'll do it . . . We want to continue to capture a core of fans and play as much as we can."
With that kind of determination and commitment, you can bet that you will be hearing more about PMB in the next few years.
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