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Blood on the Bluegrass Nite w/ Christabell and the Jons, Rachel Perl, and Million Sellers

Presented by French Quarter Cafe at French Quarter Cafe

May 19, 2011

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Originally formed in Austin, TX, the Million Sellers (guitarist/vocalist Kels Koch, bassist Wayne Decker, Paul Kauppila on snare drum, and Jennifer Lueckemeyer on tambourine, maraccas, background vocals and occasional rhythm guitar) came together in 1994 in an attempt to stage a one-band rock'n'roll coup dubbed (somewhat out of desperation) as Minimalist Rockabilly Pop. Basically dissatisfied with where rock'n'roll had ended up after such a glorious beginning, yet not wanting to simply cave in to the preciousness of most retro-oriented outfits, the Million Sellers offered up their own option - one that merged the primal thump of '50's rock with the scratchy grit of '60's pop and soul, all filtered through the punk energy of the band's teenage idols. Hoping to win over converts from the diametrically opposed local indie and roots rock scenes, the Million Sellers ironically enough ended up alienating purists on both sides of the fence - being either too pop for the roots crowd, or too twangy for the indie kids. Others' ears and minds were more open, however, and over the next three years, the group became a formidable fixture on the Austin scene, gigging with other local stalwarts as Spoon, Death Valley, and the Damnations. The Austin line-up ended up releasing two 4-song 7" EP's on their own Wanda Records imprint {1995's "Tequila Helps You Swim" (Wanda 209) and 1996's "You Don't Have To Worry About Affection" (Wanda 210)} and landed tracks on a half-dozen compilation CD's, including the 1995 volume of Mel Shredder's "Shreds" series and two comps out of Sweden: Jerker Emanuelson's "Fireworks" and Stefan Johansson's "Pop Under The Surface." By 1997, however, the group had run its course, and with Austin's cost of living on the rise, Kels hit the Road To Nashville. After taking a couple years off, by the top of the decade the songs were starting to come again, and it wasn't long before the itch to perform returned as well. After inflicting bass playin' co-worker Hayden Poynter with a bad case of Rockabilly Fever and hypnotizing friend Sarah Clark into giving the snare drum a try, a new Million Sellers rose from the ashes in 2006 to once again force its unique musical vision upon an unsuspecting public. Shannon Edens and A.J. Schaefer have also recently manned the drummer's stool in the Nashville incarnation of the group.

 

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