Spencer Durham
Meet The Spencer Durham Group and their nineteen-year old front-man Spencer Durham. Take the spirit of Southern rock from the 70's, throw in some soulful blues and a little jam band influence and you have The Spencer Durham Group.
Legendary performer Randall Bramblett (Widespread Panic, Traffic, Sea Level) says of Spencer, "There's an old soul inside that young man. Spencer's got a great future ahead of him."
Spencer has surrounded himself with some of the most talented young musicians in the south. The Spencer Durham Group sound has been described as a cross between early Allman Brothers Band and The Eagles. Strong rhythms, bluesy guitars, and stirring harmony vocals dripping with soul. The band is consists of:
Spencer Durham - Acoustic 6 String Guitar, Acoustic 12 String Guitar, Electric Guitar, Percussion, Keyboards, Harmonica.
Tanner Hendon-Drums, Percussion, Harmony Vocals
Alisha Anderson-Harmony Vocals
Alex Tramble-Bass Guitar
Clay Houle- Lead Guitar
Spencer played over 200 shows in 2006 both as a solo artist and with his Group. He has played twice on the side stage of Hi-Fi Buys Amphitheater in Atlanta before shows headlined by The Black Crowes and The Allman Brothers.
2007 has been highlighted by The Spencer Durham Group sharing the bill with Ziggy Marley, Del McCoury and David Grisman at the Chili-Pepper Brew Festival in Snowmass, CO.
Venues Played:
Here are a few of the venues Spencer has played:
Theaters:
-Hi-Fi Buys Side Stage, Atlanta, Ga.
-Variety Playhouse, Atlanta, Ga.
-Georgia Theatre, Athens, Ga.
-Texas Theater, Waxahachie, TX.
-Langford Sound & Stage, Roswell, GA.
Festivals & Conferences:
-Chili Pepper Brew Fest, Snowmass CO.
-Fall For Greenville, Greenville SC.
-Atlantis Music Conference, Atlanta, GA.
-Mountain Heritage Festival, Murphy, NC.
-Chiaha Festival, Rome, GA.
-Moonshine Festival, Dawsonville, GA.
-Grant Park Summer Shade Festival, Atlanta, GA
-Jennystock, Michigan City, IN.
-Blues to Bluegrass Festival, Murphy, NC.
-Fairfield County Fair, Fairfield, TX.
Clubs & Bars:
-Wild Bill's, Duluth, GA.
-Smith's Olde Bar, Atlanta, GA.
-Rumrunners, Statesboro, GA.
-Tasty World, Athens, GA.
-Forty Watt Club, Athens, GA.
-Executive Surf Club, Corpus Christi, TX.
-Wild Wing Cafe (Several locations)
-Bigg Daddy's, Helen GA.
-The Dixie Tavern, Smyrna, GA.
-Loco's Deli, Newnan, GA.
Listening Venues:
-Eddies Attic, Decatur, GA.
-The Crimson Moon, Dahlonega, GA.
-The Red Light Cafe, Atlanta, GA.
-The Daily Grind, Murphy, NC.
-The Atlanta Folk Club, Roswell, Ga.
Benefits:
-Hurricane Katrina Fundraiser, North Georgia College
-Elena Golf Classic for Cystic Fibrosis
-Camp Wahsega 4-H Concert
-Camp Burton 4-H Camp, Tybee Island, GA.
-Chi Phi Fraternity Founders Day, Carrollton, GA.
Set Lists:
The Spencer Durham Group seldom works from a pre-arranged set list and no two shows are ever the same.
Spencer has an uncanny ability to sense what the crowd wants and moves effortlessly from one song to the next in an impromptu medley reminiscent of his heroes The Allman Brothers and The Grateful Dead. Some shows are almost exclusively covers. Others feature Spencer's large body of original work. It all depends upon the venue and the crowd.
He is equally comfortable playing a 45-minute set as he is doing a four set club gig. The key thing to remember when booking The Spencer Durham Group is they are VERY FLEXIBLE and EAGER TO PLEASE.
Here is an example of what he might play during an evening consisting of two X 1.5 hour sets made up of 60% originals and 40% covers:
Originals from “I Wonder Why”:
-I Wonder Why
-On The Outside
-Don’t Say Hello
Originals from ”Much More Than Words" (NOTE: go to the Audio section of this EPK to hear these original songs.):
-Without A Doubt
-Scared Of The Door (Run Around)
-Three O'clock In The Morning
-The Fog
-Evil Hearted Woman
-Floodwater
-Super Like A Nova
A few of the Covers:
-The Allman Brothers Band: Whipping Post; One Way Out
-Ray Lamontagne: Trouble; Jolene
-The Black Crowes: She Talks To Angels; Remedy
-The Grateful Dead: Fire On The Mountain; I Know You Rider
-Bob Marley: No Woman, No Cry
-Bill Withers: Use Me
-The Band: The Weight; The Night They Drove Old Dixie Down
-Bob Dylan: All Along The Watchtower; Knockin’ On Heavens Door
-The Beatles: She Came in Through The Bathroom Window
-Sublime: What I Got
-Van Morrison: Moondance; And It Stoned Me; Into The Mystic
-Stealers Wheel: Stuck In the Middle With You
-Widespread Panic: Driving Song
-The Spin Doctors: Little Miss Can’t Be Wrong
-Ween: Voodoo Lady
Fact For Press Articles:
Spencer penned eight of the twelve tracks on his debut album “I Wonder Why”.
Although only seventeen years old Spencer has already toured much of the USA as a solo act and with his three piece band.
He was discovered by Rogue Records Recording artist Kurt Thomas at a local Kiwanis Talent Showcase where Spencer took first place. Kurt introduced Spencer to Lee Davis who produced the album “I Wonder Why”.
Kurt Thomas and Spencer co-wrote the title track, “I Wonder Why”.
Spencer plays six string acoustic guitar, twelve string acoustic guitar, electric guitar, bass, harmonica, and numerous percussion pieces.
His aggressive picking style has been called “rhythm-lead” where he makes one acoustic guitar sound like two or three.
Spencer’s writing style is heavily influenced by Bob Dylan and John Prine.
His singing has been compared to Gregg Allman, Van Morrison, and Marty Sexton.
Live shows are a heavy dose of original material with covers from legends such as Neil Young, Warren Zevon, Bob Marley, The Grateful Dead, Widespread Panic, Stevie Ray Vaughn, The Beatles, The Black Crows, Sublime, and The Band.
During the summer of 2004 Spencer toured as an opening act for country music star Craig Collins. This included 25 shows over a six week span throughout Texas and Louisiana.
In March 2005, Spencer opened for country music superstar, Sara Evans.
During the summer of 2005, he toured throughout the southeast doing over fifty shows during a three month stretch.
In September 2005 he placed as thrid runner-up in Open Mic Atlanta’s Singer-Songwriter competition sponsored by Southern Comfort and Dave FM 92.9.
In October 2005, Spencer placed as acoustic runner-up in the prestigious Open Mic Madness Competition at Smith’s Olde Bar in Atlanta. This put him in the top four of 128 acts who participated.
In November 2005, Spencer earned the priviledge of competiting as a finalist in the Semi-Annual Singer-Songwriter Shoot-Out at Eddies Attic, Atlanta, Ga.
He is an honor student at Lumpkin County High School in Dahlonega, Ga. and has plans to attend college and further his music studies.