TKOh! (l-r): Keith Vivens, Don Slocomb, Mike Donohue, John Calderon, Me, Noe Marmolejo, James Williams Jr., Duane Massey (& Chris Axelrad back on the drums)
Back in 1994, we started a Sunday night hang that wound up lasting over seven years. The hours were lousy, and so was the pay, but some of Houston's greatest musicians came out to be a part of TKOh! Focusing on funk & soul from the early 70's, it was really a thinly veiled excuse for guys to demonstrate their improvisational skills. The grooves & solos produced by this ensemble were consistently nuclear, and the band was recognized by dozens of awards & nominations, including "Best Horns" (Houston Press 1998) & "Best Funk R&B" (Houston Press 2000).
Best Reason Ever To Get Out On A Sunday Night: Keith Vivens on bass (w/ fellow rhythm assassin Chris Axelrad on drums)
After the sudden closing of Instant Karma, our long-time home base, we just kinda went our separate ways. After all those years, it was kinda nice to have a quiet Sunday night to recharge for the week (a sure sign I'm getting old, I suppose). We got together and played a few times in early 2001, but for me it felt as if we were just trying too hard to recapture the old spirit, and the vibe of Instant Karma wasn't quite there.
We've recently had some inquiries by a couple of clubs to start the band up again, and I agreed to give it a go. At this point, though, I'm more interested in trying some new things, particularly Grenade, where a smaller group actually increases the flexibility of music choices (ie more original material, fusionesque stuff, smaller club dates). Even so, the impact of TKOh! on my life & my music was huge, and it was a beautiful run.
