PROUD SOUTHERN REBELS
The Southern Rocking Rebel Pride
by Michael Buffalo Smith
July 2006
One of the hottest new Southern Rock bands on the scene today is Rebel Pride, hailing from the Tampa, Florida area. We checked in with the guys to ask about their new CD, touring and the road.
Tell us how, where and when Rebel Pride was formed.
Tom: Rebel Pride was first formed by three guys from Seminole, Fl. in 1995. Those three are no longer a part of the present lineup. The original three went their own way and the rest of us just kept plowing ahead under the same name. In the beginning, a karaoke singer was told by a radio DJ to put together a band and try his hand at the country market. First Brian, then Tom, then Dave were brought on board to make that happen. We did a lot of shows in the early days and were opening for well-known country acts throughout Florida. Then that same karaoke singer got a big head and ran off with all our pay from a ten-night engagement at Disney World. We have a pending lawsuit addressing that four-year-old theft and abandonment issue. We went through a few member changes after that before we got the present team together. For the last two years, we have jelled as a unit and really enjoy making music together.
Who are the band members and what do they play?
Rebel Pride is:
Pat Buffo – Lead Vocal, Guitar, Drums, Percussion
Bobby Howes-Keyboards,Vocals
Brian Jeffries – Guitars, Vocals
Dave Stevenson – Bass, Vocals
Francis “Sonny” Harlan – Drums
Who are your biggest musical influences ?
Lynyrd Skynyrd, Allman Brothers, Molly Hatchet, The Outlaws, Marshall Tucker, Charlie Daniels, Stevie Ray Vaughn, ZZ Top, Jimi Hendrix, Johnny Winter, The Kings (BB, Albert and Freddie) The British Invasion, Motown, Stax, Chess, Capricorn, Blue Note, Jazz, Country, Bluegrass, heck anything southern.
In the politically correct society we inhabit thesedays, have you encountered any problems with the “Rebel”moniker? Your thoughts on that.
Brian: Yes. Mostly white collar corporate America. Here are some thoughts on that… If you look up rebel in the dictionary, it is defined as one who defies authority. I believe there is a little rebel in all of us. Always question authority. Our founding fathers in this great country were considered rebels. Jesus was considered a rebel. So were Gandhi and Martin Luther King. So back to rock and roll. If you listen to our music it’s all about a good time with some jamming’ on the backbeat. I think there are too many labels in society and America has a guilt complex about its past. The name of this band, Rebel Pride, has nothing to do with hate or racism. The world has too many politically correct people that do not want to offend anyone but its okay to knock a band. It’s only Rock and Roll so sit back and enjoy, crank it up, and forget the hang-ups. Keep it positive.
Tom: Our band name is mild compared to some we have seen.
Pat: Unfortunately, yes we have had some raised eyebrows over the name. To me the name says Southern Rock.
Tell us about your latest CD.
Tom: Our most recent CD “It Is What It Is” was recorded in May of 2005 and released in October of 2005. A world-class engineer Steve Connelly recorded it in two nights live in Zen Studios. It does have a couple overdubs, but really captures a raw, live style performance much like our live show, without the crowd noise. It’s packed with eight all original tunes (a couple in the ten-minute range) and we feel it kicks serious Southern ass. We are exited about ya’ll choosing "Stomp Yer Foots" as the opening cut of your new release Home Grown and Hand Picked. It’s also the opening cut on our CD
It Is What It Is, and for good reason’ it just plain rocks. That and the majority of our tunes are usually Brian’s guitar lick ideas and Pats lyrics with the rest of the band helping with some arrangements. "Gititon" is word play for Get It On and it shows our lyricist Pat just having fun. With a lyrical gem like “slipping’ on the floor like a chicken wing” you can tell its all in good fun. "Tampa Bay Worksong" was written and sung by our guitarist Brian with Pat on drums. "Slippin’ Away" is a popular tune that starts out bluesy then goes into a Santana-like Latin feel for the vamp then returns for a blistering blues finish. "Drop the Ball" is a tribute to SRV written by Tommy with lyrics by Pat. It is about a guy and girl meeting in a bar with hopes that when the guy puts the ball in the girls’ court, she doesn’t drop it. "The Hard Way" was written by our drummer Sonny and tells about striking out on your own and leaving the old lady behind. "Survive" was a full band arrangement with a great lyric by Pat that tells the story of the Florida Panther’s depleting habitat and the over development going on in our home state. A European magazine called it the new "Green Grass/ Freebird." It’s a great set closer and CD closer too.
What has been the highlight of your career thus far?
Tom: Going from cover band to a more original show has been a highlight along with playing with this lineup for the last two years. In the past we had some great moments like being the backup band for Charlie Daniels, and Montgomery Gentry at the annual Angelus concert here in Clearwater. That was 2000 and one of the best musical weekends I ever had. A few more highlights would be playing Clemson, S.C. on the George Strait tour, and a lot of the shows we did at Disney World were cool. Appealing to a worldwide audience has been very exciting too.
If you could jam with anyone, living or dead, who would it be and why?
Tom : Stevie Ray Vaughn or Jimi Hendrix
Brian: Duane Allman, Freddie King, Jimi Hendrix, Johnny Winter, Stevie Ray Vaughn
Pat: Frank Zappa, Steely Dan, Molly Hatchet
Your thoughts on the state of SOUTHERN ROCK?
The state of Florida is a great state. Opps sorry I forgot Florida isn’t THE Southern Rock state it’s just one of them.
Tom: Southern Rock is alive and well and has never left the radar screen despite the will of record companies and such. Proof is in its presence on last years Grammy’s and The Rock and Roll Hall of Fame inductions plus a strong fan base in Europe and up north. It certainly has captured the favor of a worldwide audience. Southern Rock and Roll is here to stay,
Any interesting Rebel Pride stories you want to share?
Brian: Is this an adult only magazine? If not we cannot answer that question.
Tom: We have some stories but we want to keep this interview clean. Come and help us develop some new Rebel Pride stories.
What’s next?
We are going back into Zen Studios to record our next CD of all original tunes this week. We think we have a great follow up to the last CD and hopes of doing as well if not better than ”It Is What It Is.” The working title is Backing It Up. We hope to release it at Biketoberfest in Daytona Beach October 18-21. Plus, we are playing out every week so catch us live at a venue here on the West Coast of the Sunshine State or wherever we wind-up. Check our calendar at
www.rebelprideband.com
See you there! Thanks al ot to all the fans and to Gritz for making us a part of the family.
Copyright 2006 Gritz Publishing