Band on the verge of 'major' jump

" FreeWorld doing the do. "

By Norm Shaw

When FreeWorld hits it big - and that could be in the very near future - it's almost inevitable someone will hit the group with an "overnight sensation" tag.

But as fans of the band know, FreeWorld isn't an overnight anything. For eight years, the band has toiled in the bars, clubs and social halls of the Mid-South. And after eight tough years, FreeWorld stands poised to breakout to the next level.

"Things are happening in a major way," says Richard Cushing, the only member of the band who has been there since the beginning. "There are no major (labels) biting at our heals just yet, but that shouldn't be too far off."

The buzz FreeWorld is creating in national publications such as BIllboard and Bass Player comes from the band's latest release You Are Here. Recorded in Memphis at 315 Beale with legendary producer Jim Gaines, You Are Here is probably the best local release of the year.

Funky grooves, Stax-style horns and organ and strong vocals add up to a first-class release. Cushing, who plays bass in the band, says sales of the self-released disc have been strong.

"Right now, the $15 we get for a CD goes to us, and that's nice," Cushing says. "If we signed with somebody, we'd get a salary, but we would probably kiss the publishing royalties goodbye. But there's trade offs. We'd get national airplay and quit our jobs, but..."

Cushing's voice trails off. He is leery of the music business. He says the conflict between art and business is what makes the music industry somewhat scary. For Cushing and his bandmates - Steve Dolan, Parker Card, David Skypeck, Brian Overstreet and Art Edmaiston - the music remains the most important thing. Quitting their day jobs would be nice, though, Cushing adds.

Your Are Here is a major step toward that goal. Cushing says there are two elements that made You Are Here better than the band's first effort. First, FreeWorld is more stable than it has ever been. By his own count, Cushing says there have been almost 100 different people in the band over the years. Skypeck, the drummer, is second in seniority. He was first the band's doorman, then drummer.

"This has been the lineup for one year, and that's more stable that it has ever been," Cushing says. "Everybody seems to be really happy. But I keep them real busy, playing four or five nights a week and rehearsing one other night. We get Monday nights off, that's it. You have to fight the burnout thing."

The second element of band's success on You Are Here is producer Jim Gaines.

"All hail the mighty Gaines," Cushing says with a laugh. "When we had the first meetings about making this record, we talked about Ross Rice being the producer. I joked that would be great, unless we could get Jim Gaines, ha ha."

The next day, someone asked Cushing if he had called Gaines. Cushing decided it couldn't hurt. He called the studio office at 315 Beale and asked for Gaines. Cushing said he figured he'd just leave a message, but a minute later he was talking to the man best known for producing records by Stevie Ray Vaughan, Santana, Journey, Huey Lewis, Steve Miller and a host of others.

A meeting was set up, and in the end Gaines said yes.

"It's true what they say. He does have million dollar ears," Cushing says. "He wasn't real heavy-handed in the studio. It was more like, 'Move the bridge here' or 'Add a chorus here.' It was so obvious after he said it. And he was really subtle. We called him the master of the vibe. He kept everybody in the studio calm. Usually in the studio, FreeWorld is way too many chiefs and no Indians. He was the really big chief."

Cushing says if he had a choice of any producer in the world to work with the band, it would have been Gaines. Cushing says he was surprised how low key and non-Hollywood Gaines is.

"The only way you could tell he was really different in any way was that everyday he came in another $150 pair of boots," Cushing says with a laugh.

The days of $150 boots for FreeWorld may not be far off. With its ability to spin off into long jams and change musical directions at the drop of a drumstick, FreeWorld fit into what Cushing calls the "H.O.R.D.E. generation," which includes such bands as Blues Traveler, Dave Matthews and Phish.

In fact, the night before the interview, two members of Phish had come down to Beale to hear FreeWorld, with drummer John Fishman sitting in with the band in the third set.

"He said it was the best experience he ever had sitting in with people he didn't know," Cushing says with pride. "He was so impressed he left us a bunch of backstage passes."

If everything continues as it's going, it may not be too long before FreeWorld is leaving backstage passes for some other aspiring band.