I caught Jeff Pitchell and the Texas Flood playing Stash's in May, not my first time to see him but there was an energy that made it feel like something new...and special. The band that night consisted of Jeff, The Texas Flood, special guest J. Geils and two fantastic background singers that each took a solo, Teresa Wright and Linda Ransom. The band played new cuts and old favorites to a large and enthusiastic crowd.

It is obvious that Jeff is a seasoned performer that knows his audience and they love him for it. A few weeks later Jeff came by the WCNI studio for a visit on WCNI's Morning Mojo. I started off our conversation asking about the layering of the show and being an entertainer.

JP - It's taken me time to get this show to where it is now. It didn't happen overnight, but it did fall into place naturally. It's like when you have a meal, first your appetizer and so on.

AK - It sure seemed to work but let's go back to the beginning, do you have a memory of when it clicked for you?

JP - I think because my mother sang and played the piano, my father was a guitar player and singer...also my mother's brother was a professional musician. It wasn't foreign to hear people singing and playing all the time in my home. Some people have this thought that musicians are strange or weird, whatever the preconceived notions of artists are, I never had them. I did get my degree in Elementary Education from Central State University and taught in the inner city. This agent saw me one night, during the time I was teaching 4th grade, he says, "you know, I could book you guys, 4 or 5 days a week, but you would have to give up the teaching."

You can't be good at both. I was doing it for awhile, teaching math then getting home at 3am after playing. It's not fair to the kids and it's not fair to myself. So at that point I made a decision and got into the music full time.

I did a lot of Stevie Ray Vaughn, I still do some. I did get the chance to play with his band so things have really come full circle. Life is strange that way, these musicians you worship your whole life, next thing you know, you are with them and that's the gratifying thing about it.

AK - You've played with many greats but who is still on your wish list to play with?

JP - Gregg Allman, I've played with Dickey Betts but I'm a big Allman Brothers fan and I know Greggs health is not real good right now. We were just hanging out with his son, Devon the othr night. What a nice guy, we were swapping stories and talking about all the songs Gregg recorded and wrote. That meant a lot to us to just hang with him and get his perspective on his Dad. He, (Gregg), has been such a big influence on what we do. I just hope that Allman Brothers feel of music carries to the next generation. It's different today, I don't know if the Allman Brothers came out today, that they would have had the same success. Here's hoping the torch will be carried.

AK - So you get into the music full time and where were you playing?

JP - We hit the club circuit, 200 or so capacity clubs and venues from Maine to Florida, actually our manager was out of New London, Marc Gentilella, he now owns "Celebrity Access" (CelebrityAccess.com), which is one of the biggest web sites for colleges or anyone to buy talent. He was my rep for a good 10 years. Really fantastic guy, he taught me a lot about the business and about life in general.

AK - Let's jump forward to what you've got going on today. May 3rd saw the release of "American Girl", with guest J. Geils.

JP - Some of the songs on this CD are for the movie...it is interesting the way this unfolded.

I was headed out to California to work on my next project with Jeff Silbar of " Wind beneath my wings" fame, to name just one.

James Woods comes to one of our gigs here on this coast, he sends one of his people up to let us know that he would like to speak with us after the show. So, we do and he tells us that he just spoke to Bob Dylan and he is not giving permission to use "Forever Young" in this movie. So, ironically, I'm writing music for my next album and will be out in California. James replies that he will be out there at the same time and he is going to get us a script. Seriously!?!? I kinda took it with a grain of salt, you know, maybe he has mentioned it to a lot of folks, who knows?

Next thing you know, I have the script in my hands and I'm working with Jeff Silbar who lives in Beverly Hills, you know another world out there. So we wrote a bunch of songs for the movie like, "Seriously", "Everyday", "I Found Me" and of course "American Girl". The movie has been filmed, stopped, started and working around Mr. Woods schedule. They will cull down the songs at the end to see which get in. This has definitely been a challenge but a welcome one.

The movie is about a Pennsylvania girl that joins the Marines and goes to war because she falls in with the wrong crowd and feels she has to get out of there. The story, now I'm an emotional guy anyway but when Jeff and I read the script we both were really effected by it....very heavy story.

Jeff (Silbar), says, "Well if I like you, you can stay with me", So when I received the script from James, we met and I moved in. Getting to have meals with his family and hanging out, a really good time. As a kid, Jeff Silbar pitched songs to every major star out in California, when you look at his resume, Bette Midler of course recording "Wind Beneath My Wings". Just one of the hundreds of songs. Yet a real down to earth guy, His work ethic was obvious right away. He had no problem working 12 to 14 hours at a clip. He would say "You know this movie is serious, we should probably burn the midnight oil" Well, I'm up for whatever you are! He went so far as taking a "rest" by rolling out a mat and taking a 20 minute nap in the studio. He wanted to be close to the instruments and equipment in case he woke with an idea. Not my usual idea of a nap but it worked for us. That journey of writing music inspired by the film was a great experience. Taking that journey with a guy, (Jeff Silbar), that has had so much success with writing songs especially for pictures, coupled with working with James Woods has been a big honor.

AK - This June, looks like you are headed back to California. You've been invited to play with Bob Weir at his Sweet Water Music Hall, how exciting!

JP - Again, the full circle thing - I used to go to a lot of Dead shows when I was a kid. A lot of my friends were dead heads, some are gone now but I feel like they just wouldn't believe that I am now playing with Bobbie. This is really a big dream come true for me and the band. I think you just keep doing what your doing and eventually you get to meet these people. I like that California attitude, it will be interesting to see what comes from the meshing of our styles.

AK - So you've been to a few Dead shows?

JP - Yes, the Dead have the most amazing, down to earth fans, they are still supporting shows like Further and even Bobbies solo acoustic shows are selling out everywhere.

Everybody should get to experience that family, funky, festival vibe at least once. Of course some really go for it and head out on the road to follow them.

AK - Have you ever recorded or do you play any Dead covers?

JP - Oh ya, I used to play in a band called "Ducky Soup" with Ken and Emmet, bass player and drummer. They loved the Dead so we did lots, Scarlet Begonias, Hell in a Bucket, and on and on. I started to get influenced by the blues and they were going towards more of a Jam Band, Dead sound. We really parted over musical ways. I was getting into the blues and wanted to go in a different direction. I love the Dead but it wasn't the direction I was headed in. We used to play every party and then we would play until every single bit of energy was spent, sometimes 5 or 6 hours at a clip. That's how we got the gigs. We were young and could do it, Emmet would book gig after gig and we learned from all of them. After many years of taking that blues path here I am coming full circle with the invitation to play with Bob Weir, I'm "Grateful".

Our conversation took a turn and we talked a bit about the recent passing of some great musicians. Donald “Duck” Dunn, the fantastic bass player had just passed and this is what Jeff had to say,

JP - So sad, my favorite bass player, wow, besides Tommy Shannon from Stevie Ray. He wasn’t a front guy, he was in the back but he made the front guys shine. Those are the real heroes in music, they don’t get the glory but they are the ones that made our favorite records great. He will be missed.

I wrapped up our time together by asking Jeff if he were to leave a ticket at the door of his show, for anyone, living or dead, who would it be for?

JP - It would probably have to be John Lennon, I suppose, but then there are so many people that run through your mind. Willie Nelson, B.B. King and John Lennon are three people that not many know had something in common. All three of them were abandoned by their Dads. One could think that maybe that's what motivated them to really express through their music what it feels like to be let down by their fathers.

I would say all 3 of these folks. I've been lucky enough to spend time with B.B. and open some shows for him, he is a gracious and wonderful guy for sure. Willie, I haven't gotten a chance to play with but I did get a chance to hang out for a bit and I asked him for any advice, he had some for me, "Listen, never rush anything.", that's it all he said but it's good! Lastly Lennon, but that speaks for itself.

Texas Flood consists of Jimmie Biggins on sax (formerly with James Taylor and The Themptations), Marty Richards on drums (drummer for J Geils Band, Joe Perry's Band, and Peter Wolf's Band), Dave Natale on bass, Dan Fontanella B3 Organ.

Thanks for sharing this visit with us, I hope Jeff's warm and enthusiastic personality comes through, just like it does in his music. You can check out his dates, new music and find out about the upcoming "Live Internet Concert" at Bob Weir's Sweetwater Music Hall by going to jeffpitchell.com.