Back in the day, when students returned to school in the fall, the teacher would assign them their first writing assignment: “What I did on my summer vacation.”
This is a variation on that theme.
What did four retired guys do during their 2020 COVID vacation? They got together once a week, practiced their music, and produced a CD of 13 songs.
Well-known Crothersville musicians Brian Fink, Denny Greenwood and Dan Wright were joined by Corydon’s Larry Shelley to have a socially distanced diversion from the COVID shutdown.
“We got together from 11 a.m. to 1 p.m. on Thursdays to rehearse and keep up with our music skills,” said Fink, a vocalist who plays guitar, piano, organ and harmonica. “We pretty much didn’t do much of anything or go anywhere else for the year so our chances of catching or spreading COVID were lessened,” he said.
Still if one of them didn’t feel well or reported some sniffles, music time was called off for that week.
“We were fortunate. None of us caught the virus,” said Fink. “Now we’re all had both doses of the vaccine and are playing a little more freely.”
All four are retired now and in their mid to late 60’s but have been playing music together off-and-on since high school.
Bass player Dan Wright has long been a part of the locally well-known Southern Comfort band and adds bottom to the group’s music and joins in with vocal harmonies.
Greenwood has been a vocalist and drummer for a number of groups from Nashville to Nashville (Indiana to Tennessee).
Fink and Shelley have known one another since their teen years. “We met for the first time on a basketball court at church camp and got into a fight,” Fink related.
What? You two got into a fight…at church camp?!?!
“And we’ve been great friends ever since,” said Shelley.
Shelley joins the group as a guitarist and shares lead vocals. He wrote & performs “The Hat” on the CD.
They meet once a week in Fink’s remotely located Copperbottom Studio. Their COVID vacation effort resulted in Brian Fink and Mudslide’s production of “Brothers of our Hearts”.
All the songs are original and a couple—like “The Penthouse”& “Drunk Chicken” are reprised from Fink’s early ‘Country Boy Blues’ CD.
Their music is an eclectic mix of blues, southern rock, rock, and ballads. All are about the events of life and many feature the places and youthful (and not so youthful) misadventures of growing up around a small town in Southern Indiana.
The quartet is unusually focused on music for their weekly meetings.
“You see this hook?” Greenwood said pointing to a hanger on a post near the studio’s rear door. “That’s where everybody hangs their attitude before we go in to play. It’s all about having fun and making music.”
Few copies of the newest CD have been produced but fans can download Fink’s & Mudslide’s music at brianfink.bandcamp.com. And locals can hear the group’s music live at next month’s Crothersville Red, White & Blue Festival.