Dealing The Mobile Sound

For Chris Spies, making music has always meant figuring it out as he goes. From his first gig on the back of a trailer at a high school keg party to twenty years on the road with the Honey Island Swamp Band, Spies has built a career around improvisation, experimentation, and the search for new sounds. He looks back on playing in Mobile bands and the local clubs that gave musicians room to take chances. He shares tricks learned from years of touring—including the fake fingernails that saved his fingers—and stories from the Honey Island Swamp Band’s infamous tour bus, the Death Star. Spies also talks about circuit bending, co-writing “Sugar for Sugar,” and Chaosmosis, his new album. He also explains why Mobile audiences are his “weighted bat”–if he can make a song work here, he knows it’ll work anywhere. Plus, Chris shares the story behind Wynterfest, which honors his late brother, Wynter Baynes, and a lesson he learned along the way: don’t wait to meet your heroes. Listen now to Dealing the Mobile Sound.

Mobile has always had great music, but few bands are bigger in the city’s musical history than Wet Willie. In this episode, Eric Erdman sits down with one of the band’s founding members to hear how an unexpected phone call helped launch a remarkable career. What was supposed to be a two-week gig in Panama City brought together five musicians who barely knew one another—including a young blues guitarist who showed up to rehearsal with no amp, no guitar case, and a piece of rope for a guitar strap. This new, young band went from playing covers to suddenly needing original songs of their own, writing for the powerhouse lead singer and finding the sound that would become Wet Willie. Before long, they moved to Macon, Georgia, became the second band signed to Capricorn Records, and took their place in Southern rock history But this is also a story about coming home. After a long and successful career, Rick returned to Mobile and started Studio H2O, creating a place where local musicians can make records without leaving town. With the help of Catt Sirten, he also reconnected with Mobile’s live music scene and discovered a new generation of artists carrying the tradition forward. As Rick puts it, Mobile musicians are always coming up with music that is “just astoundingly great.”

In this episode, Eric sits down with Jenna McClelland, a singer-songwriter who grew up with music in her family—her dad was a songwriter and session guitar player. Jenna’s childhood dream was to be a pop star, but she didn’t fully pursue performing until after college, where she earned a BFA in acting. What started as a brother-sister duo eventually became years on the road, a hard-earned education in Nashville, and finding the band that finally made everything click. Jenna talks about losing her father, working restaurant jobs just to make rent in Nashville, and eventually touring as a backing vocalist with Elvie Shane. She also shares how the Gulf Coast gave her a place to build a loyal following, why chemistry with the right musicians can completely change a record, and why sometimes “Happy Birthday” can be the hardest song to play. Then babies came along, and the dream shifted. Music was still there, but it had to make room for a growing family—and a different idea of what the dream could look like.   Jenna plays "Can't Shake It" live around the poker table.   

For some musicians, becoming part of Mobile’s music scene means getting your name on the marquee. Doug “Papa Veet” Previto got his face on a Mardi Gras float. In this episode of Dealing the Mobile Sound, Papa Veet looks back on a lifetime of playing music and the bar that became a home base for generations of Mobile musicians. Papa Veet started playing guitar at a young age, inspired by family jam sessions and his older brother. At 13, he played at Keesler Air Force Base and learned an early lesson about the music business when charges for a ride, an amplifier and a microphone whittled down his promised pay. Years later, Veet’s became the spot musicians went after their own gigs, and where young players were invited up to play with the pros. Eric says many Mobile musicians got their “on-the-job training” there. Papa Veet tells about learning the Nashville Number System from a matchbook, playing with Kenny Berry and Justin Tubb, and the night members of Poison showed up at Veet’s and played with members of UgliStick. There’s also the story behind what may be Mobile’s only bar with a costume closet — born from Papa Veet dressing like a baby and Edith Bunker–eventually launching the annual ElvisPalooza. And then there’s Mardi Gras, when Papa Veet stood on the street, watching a giant version of himself roll past. “It was kind of flattering to watch my head go by.”

Matt McCoy is one of the most recognizable voices on Mobile radio, but he never chose this life. "Radio chose me." When a failed calculus class derailed his plans for medical school, a kid from Beaver, Pennsylvania, found an entirely unexpected path into radio. After stops in Tuscaloosa and Memphis, a demo tape handed to legendary WABB owner Bernie Dittman at a broadcasters' convention changed everything. Within hours, Matt was headed to Mobile–where he’s supposed to be In this episode of Dealing the Mobile Sound, Matt reflects on a decades-long career, including stepping up as an accidental on-air personality at 92 ZEW and growing into his current role as the station’s program director. That meant learning some new skills. Tune in for behind-the-scenes stories on the evolution of Eric’s "D.I.P." anthem, bombing on a comedy stage, and the moments Mobile comes together to take care of its own. There's even a special appearance by Sean Connery.