By Meredith Galyon
Raider Shakedown Reporter
MURFREESBORO, Tenn. – The Dirk Quinn Band, a
Philadelphia-based jazz/funk quintet, performed some of their best jams at
downtown venue Main Street Live on Sunday evening for a gathering of local
college students.
The lead guitarist and front man, Dirk Quinn,
38, has been performing for nearly a decade and is constantly evolving his
style of playing music. Drawing from classic rock legends such as Led Zeppelin
to jazz bands such as Medeski, Martin & Wood and Soulive, Quinn’s sound is
an interesting instrumental blend of many different musical tastes.
However, musical style is not the only area in
which Quinn has progressed. He has been touring and promoting his music around
the country for more than four years, but it has taken many lifestyle changes
to make that happen.
Originally from Philadelphia, Quinn moved to
Savannah, Ga., a few years ago with his wife so she could pursue a new career.
Having both his band and paying gigs back home presented a problem for Quinn,
and he had to make a decision to find a new band or keep the one he had.
“I didn’t want to lose my band because it took
me such a long time to build,” Quinn said. “So the only way to keep them and
not have to consistently travel back and forth was to start touring.”
The band has gone through many changes as well,
including losing members and gaining new ones. Drummer Steve Zegray has been
with Quinn since the start of the touring process four years ago, and saxophone
player Max Swan has been with him for two. The most recent addition was bass
player Clay Stiles, who is only four shows into the tour. Four members are
usually the maximum amount for the tour, but sometimes a fifth player can be
brought in if there is enough money being made.
As any touring musician will tell you, there
are many ups and downs during life on the road. Traveling while playing music
can present many exciting opportunities, and that is what Quinn finds most
rewarding about the process.
“For me, I think the best part is that you have
no idea what you’re getting into every day of your life,” Quinn said.
“Everything is a new adventure; everything is a new experience. I really like
that. You never know what you’ll come across.”
As for the downside of constantly traveling
from city to city, there are two main aspects that bother Quinn.
“It’s exhausting,” Quinn said. “I think that’s
the worst part for me. And you don’t get to experience a lot of towns that
you’re in, because you don’t have time to really experience the culture. At the
level we’re at, I need a consistent income flow, so we’re playing shows every
day. We’re going straight from one show to another.”
It is hard for some music fans to get used to
hearing a set that is fully instrumental with no lyrics, but the high energy of
Quinn’s performance does not leave the audience feeling like something is
missing. Their most recent album, “Live at Home,” was recorded live at
five different venues in the Philadelphia area, and Quinn claims it is their
best album yet.
“Our live show is much better than what we do
in the studio, because the crowd becomes such a part of it,” Quinn said. “You
feed off their energy, and it’s like they become part of the band.”
Judging by their performance Sunday night, this
statement is accurate. The set started out with a very upbeat, saxophone-driven
melody that was a great opener to the show. From there it was a continuous
string of beautiful music, switching back and forth from sounds of jazz, funk
and rock, and some pieces with a combination of each.
If you missed this show, try not to be too
discouraged. Another major aspect of the band’s touring presence is playing
festivals around the country, including Nashville’s own “Music City Brewers
Fest,” where they played last year to a crowd of more
than 3,000 people.
“Festivals are where it’s at,” Quinn said. “We
loved playing Nashville last year. It was huge for us, and we’re trying to get
back in next year.”
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