Jacksonville Beach, FL, 14 June 2003 ~ Armond Blackwater.
I first saw G-Force many moons ago at the Moon Bar on Beach. I decided to check them out because I had met their lead singer, Tracy Graves, at the Moon while checking out another act who happened to be awful.

We had a good conversation that started with what the group onstage was doing wrong. It's kind of an occupational hazard of mine. I can't just watch a band and enjoy the music, my brain immediately goes into producer mode. From talking with Tracy for only a few minutes I got the impression that she had been around the entertainment biz for a while. She described her band to me explaining that they had just replaced the rhythm section (bass player and drummer). I made a mental note to be sure to check G-Force out when they came to the Moon.

When I did, I was delighted by what I saw and heard. They had a good sound. They were a little hesitant at times, tenative, because they had only been playing together for a few weeks. Despite the brevity, G-Force was entertaining and fun to listen to -- clearly all these cats could play. The Moon was packed with locals and loyal followers enthusiastically grooving with the band. It was clear that this group was on the rise. All they needed was time to blend and get a feel for each other. My only other complaint was that they were playing the exact same set list as every other blues band on the freaking planet.

I caught G-Force at a local pub now called Nolan's Sports Bar, which is hidden away in the Worth Plaza on Beach Boulevard. I swear I didn't know this bar existed until I got an email announcing that G-Force would be performing there.

Nolan's Sport's Bar has been recently renovated both physically and in operating philosophy.

The new owners have created a way cool atmosphere with TV's like everywhere, long flowing bar, decent-sized stage area, and a pool room in the back. Back home in New Orleans we would call the place a fonky jernt. more...

Cut to now, many moons later. G-Force has grown tight in the intervening months. They recorded and released a CD titled Cover To Cover (and didn't kill each other in the process.) As the title indicates the CD is a collection of popular blues cover tunes that the group performs live. More about the CD later.

I arrived mid-first set. A handful of folks preceded me. Nolan's is a big place so the sparsity of crowd was quite noticible. Well, noticable to everybody but the band who were serving up hot blues like it was packed house. This is one sure sign of a band that has found themselves.

I smiled because I knew I was in for a special evening, but I had no idea how special.

G-Force consists of lead singer "Ms. G" Tracy Graves, guitarist Jerry (Whitey Douglas) Ancion, bassist Tim "Pork Chop" Hilyer, and drummer Mike "Jelly Roll" Rinelli.

Tracy is the front for the band, she's a natural for the job. Her voice has body, a thickness and richness, with a hint of smoke, the scent of liquor, and the air of wicked sexuality. There isn't another voice like Tracy's.

Comfort with the new assembly of players was evident in Ms G's delivery, she is now free to explore melodies and make songs her own. In fact, she is well on her way to doing just that with her entire repertoire. I would hate to estimate how hard that is. Suffice it to say, that it takes an enormous amount of discipline and dedication to perfecting her instument.

Speaking of dedicated musicians, master guitarman Jerry Ancion has the chops that only come from decades of serious playing and practice, practice, practice. I kept looking up at the stage expecting to see a second picker, but it was still only Jerry.

Using the combination of strong, biting timbre and free-floating technique Jerry produces a very large sound without being loud. Somehow he achieves a clean, distorted sound where every note is clear. Like Tracy, Jerry is enjoying the freedom brought by the new solid rhythm section to the max.

Jerry explained, "our old bass player was actually a guitar player," leading to frustration and ulitmately an uncomfortable working situation. "Tim and Mike came to see us one night and on break they approached me," Jerry continued, "They asked if I had considered replacing the disgruntled rhythm section."

"I hadn't really given it much thought," Jerry condided, "They said, 'No, you don't understand. We want to be your rhythm section!'"

A great move for all involved, certainly for G-Force - the band is ramping up to hurricane force.

The two newest members, Pork Chop and Jelly Roll, played together previously and were already comfortable with each other.

Pork Chop is the epitomy of the traditional blues bassist. He doesn't play a lot of fancy stuff just a straightforward foundation that creates vast space on the playing field for Tracy and Jerry. Not that he doesn't frequently play some intricate turnarounds, he just makes them look easy.

I guess the best thing that I can say about Tim's bass playing is that you tend to forget he is there. That is stability. That is powerful bass playing. Tim Hilyer is what a blues bass player should be.

Tim is very affable and humorous guy. He cracked me up on break with a little story that I wouldn't dare repeat here even if I could remember it.

The whole band is outgoing and friendly. They know how to connect with their audience and how important that contact is to building a fan base.

Jelly Roll is yet another journeyman player in this band. He is the drummer that most blues bands dream about.

The word that describes Mike's drumming is fluid. Fluid like the babble of a brook, and as effortless and natural. I don't know enough about drumming or drummer terms to adequately describe why Jelly Roll is a great drummer, I just know feel from a keyboardists perspective and he feels great.

He reminds me of two cats I've met in the past, the chops of Keith "Little Ricky" Thibodeaux (who has been one of the top LA session drummers for a couple of decades) mixed with the attitude, confidence, and style of musician/producer Jeff "Skunk" Baxter.

And, the cat can sing!

It is one thing to combine four exceptionally talented and accomplished musicians, but quite another to get them to play together. See, being in a band is like being married except that everyone in the band is married to the other three. It takes a real spiritual connection to make a group like this work. G-Force clearly has made that connection.

I will freely admit that I did not expect the amount of progress in a few short months that I witnessed at this gig. They have developed to the point where they should soon be playing the small concert circuit, not that they can't hold their own at any sized venue, they clearly can.

As you can tell I'm very high on this group. Why, you may ask? Ok, I will tell you. Because this is how the blues are supposed to be played, man. I am so incredibly sick of seeing blues bands that play note-for-note covers of Clapton, Stevie Ray, and BB. I cringe when civilian friends (non-musicians) tell me that I've got to see this guitar player who plays just like Eric Clapton. Mimacry bores me quickly. This is the kind of "we play it from our hearts and souls: blues that was everywhere in New Orleans during my youth, but has since been blown away by rabid commercialism, slushy drink bars, and The House of Blues.

G-Force have used their vast and varied experiences to craft unique takes on most of their tunes. They also played one original tune that I absolutely loved. A&R folks take notice. This is a money group. Mature, dedicated, heads together -- a ready-made package.

Notes on Cover To Cover

Simply put, this CD is the next best thing to seeing G-Force live.

The recording quality is exquisite. Recorded and engineered by Jeff Burks at Jeff Burks Sound Studio, Jacksonville, Florida, by a cat who sincerely knows his craft. I haven't met Jeff nor have I been to his studio, but I'm guessing that he's getting this Record Plant sound quality out of a much lower budget studio. Very impressive, indeed.

Tracy Graves is a great singer. All the evidence you need is on this CD. Listening to the CD I was able to sit back and examine her vocal technique, or should I say savour.

In fact, G-Force is a great band. They can rightfully be very proud of this album.

They breath new life into blues standards like Unchain My Heart and Stormy Monday Blues. I thank them for bringing subtlety back into Cold Shot. Sorry, but I doubt anybody could make me like Boom Boom again, which is my bias because I've played it several thousand too many times. The rest of the tunes are a refreshing assortment of songs that haven't been covered to death.

I dig Jelly Roll's voice on Tumbleweed. He's got a gritty, growly, voice not very pretty, but really expressive. Whitey Douglas (Jerry Ancion) sings an admirable rendition of Texas Flood, plus live Jerry sang and played a haunting version of Voodoo Chile that gave me shivers.