Junkyardmen disc ready for release

When you listen to drummer and singer John Scalici talk about the new junkyardmen CD, Scrapheap Full of Blues, it's hard not to get caught up in his excitement. The normally easy-going Scalici just can't control himself.

"Man, this is the best thing I've ever worked on," Scalici says. "It's just so special to have four guys so in tune with each other. We're in a really special place, and I didn't think I'd ever get back to that place."

Scalici first experienced success with his former band, Gravy, a blues-rock outfit from Birmingham, Ala. Their one release on Kudzu Records sold more than 15,000 copies before Scalici left the group. He moved to Memphis, married and thought his shot at music might have passed. It was then, though, that he began meeting with such area musicians as Billy Gibson, Carl Shankle, Mychael Santana, Kevin Sheahan, Mose Vinson, Jesse Hoggard and more.

It was after an arranged performance by Scalici, Gibson and Sheahan that Scalici and Gibson started working on putting together a band. The junkyardmen were born, with Sheahan coming in on bass, Hoggard on guitar, Gibson on harmonica and Scalici on drums. All the band members sing, as well.

A year of work together culminates in Scrapheap Full of Blues, being released by Inside Sounds Records. The record offers 12 songs, eight of which were written by band members, and a hidden track. The public will get its first chance to hear the new record April 18 at Borders in Germantown at a CD release party. Another CD release party is tentatively planned for May 17 at Huey's Midtown and in Birmingham this month.

What they will hear is a mix of blues, rock and jazz, with excellent musicianship on each level. The blues comes from all four members, as each has performed with a virtual who's who of the genre. The rock elements come predominately from Scalici and Hoggard. The jazz infusion comes from Gibson, who has studied jazz at the University of Memphis, and Sheahan, who has a degree in jazz improvisation from the U of M.

The record opens with Scalici's "Junkyardman," which also is the source of the record's title. "I am a junkyardman, I got a scrapheap full of blues," Scalici sings. Another Scalici tune, "Luck I Got," follows. Hoggard's contribution, "Full Moon," is next, followed by Mose Vinson's "Tell It Like It Is," on which Vinson plays piano.

Another Scalici song, "What Times Does the Bus Leave," comes next, with Gibson's "Stingin' Stang" following. A song Scalici wrote with Shankle is next. The record ends with three cover tunes: "Jammin' in the Jungle," "What Is Your Life" (by Vinson) and Don Nix's "Same Old Blues", and two more Scalici originals, "Change" and "Washin' My Hands." A hidden gem from Vinson closes out the disc.

Throughout the record, Al Gamble adds Hammond B-3 organ. Vinson plays piano on the hidden track and two others. Recording was done at Powerhouse, and Larry Nix mixed the master.

The plan now calls for the band to hit the road and drum up support. Scalici says the music will only get better.

"We're in a real good place," he says. "We have four guys really committed to making this happen. That's rare. I can't wait to see what happens."