In 2011, the Dirty Guv'nahs performed for a packed house at the Tennessee Theatre. The group got its name from a buddy who had been nicknamed "The Guv'nah."
Dirty Guv'nahs
The favorite saying by songwriter/novelist Kinky Friedman is: "Money might buy you a fine dog, but only love can make it wag its tail." But when fans wanted to show their love for the Dirty Guv'nahs, they chipped in enough money to fund the group's next album and then some.Through a Kickstarter fundraising campaign, the group raised enough to complete a new album and pay for a significant amount of marketing.
"It really caught us by surprise," says Dirty Guv'nah's lead singer James Trimble. "Our goal was $20,000, but we raised $20,000 in three days!"
The rules of Kickstarter don't allow acts to close the site until the specified time is up, and over the next six weeks another $16,000 was donated.
The Knoxville band has become a success story both by pluck and luck.
The band was formed in 2006, when future Guv'nahs bassist Justin Hoskins lied by saying he had a band and committed the fictitious act to perform at a benefit concert in the Old City. Over the course two weeks, Hoskins enlisted roommates, friends and friends-of-friends to turn his lie into reality.
Trimble was elected singer because, among other things, he was "the worst guitar player." Justin Hoskins convinced his brother Aaron, who actually had been in a band, to play drums. Friend Chris Doody was called on to play keyboards — mostly because he had a keyboard and Michael Jenkins, who didn't know anyone else in the band, was invited by a mutual friend to play guitar. It wasn't exactly the perfect recipe for success. However, after that first show actually went well, the members were determined to be a real band. Established local guitarist Cozmo Holloway saw the group's potential and eventually, after sitting in with the band several times, signed on as well.
Since that time, the group has worked hard, toured constantly and had a few lucky breaks along the way.
The group has built such a loyal local following that the Dirty Guv'nahs have headlined at both the Tennessee Theatre and the Bijou Theatre. The upcoming show is two nights at the Bijou. The group sold out half of the venues it played at during its most recent tour, including shows in Birmingham, Atlanta and Nashville.
Fans' love of the group have allowed the band to call its own shots on the new album.
"We had no money in the bank," says Trimble. "We had a couple of opportunities with records labels, but we knew it would be better if we paid for it ourselves."
In going with the do-it-themselves route, the Guv'nahs will retain control of their recordings and the band's career.
The group spent a week and a half in Nashville recording the instrumental parts of the album and are currently working on the vocals in Knoxville. In keeping with the local vibe of the band, the Guv'nahs invited several local friends to perform on the album with them, including members of the Black Cadillacs and Kevin Hyfantis.
Trimble says 60 percent of the donations for the Kickstarter campaign came from the Knoxville area.
The Dirty Guv'nahs Need Your Help To Create a New Record!
He says most fans chose the $25 package, which included an advance copy of the album and the donor's name in the liner notes. The group is currently trying to figure out how to incorporate 500 names into the album design. The more than 150 fans who gave $50 or more also got a T-shirt and will have their picture put in the group's touring van. Fans sprang for a $250 package that includes dinner with the band before the CD-release show.
The only package that wasn't taken was the $3,000 "Blue Bullet" package that included the title to the group's former touring van and the van delivered by the band to the fan's home.
"It's still available," says Trimble with a chuckle. "It still runs. It's kind of a disgusting automobile. I wouldn't let kids play in it!"
© 2012, Knoxville News Sentinel Co.
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Comments » 2
RandallBrown writes:
Kinky Friedman, that quote machine!
joseph_mccarthy writes:
snorrrrrrrrrrrrrre
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