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Scorchers
News - May 2002
       
Drummer Perry Baggs, a member
of the Scorchers since 1981, has left the
band. Perry wants to pursue a solo career, and he has a new band he
has been
fronting: the Nashville Sidewinders. Perry is coming out from behind
the drums
to lead this band, and he is also taking part in some songwriter workshops
and
one-offs in Nashville. Longtime Scorchers fans know that Perry had a
hand in
writing several of the band's best songs, such as "White Lies"
and "If Money
Talks." Early reports of the direction of Perry's solo efforts
are he is
venturing into a more personally tailored section of American musical
styles,
influenced by country, rock and Western forms.
Perry announced his departure at least partly via
email on Wednesday, May
8th. Jason then called me from Sweden on Thursday, May 9th and left
this
message on my machine:
" Number one: yes,
the rumors are true, Perry Baggs has quit the
band. It blindsided all of us."
Number two: Jason and
the Scorchers are not breaking up. And
we're going to go on, we're going
to do the shows that we have
booked. And we already have a drummer lined up, and a good one
at that. And we're going to do them. We hadn't planned on doing
any shows past Texas, anyway, for the rest of the year. So we're
going to do the shows, and the band is not breaking up, and that's
the end of the story."
Obviously, this is a sad and traumatic experience
for all true fans of the band.
Perry Baggs' ferocious yet precise drumming style has been an integral
part of
Jason and the Scorchers from their first recordings. His struggles with
diabetes and personal excesses were a major reason the group disbanded
in
1990. In the nineties, after the band reunited, Perry reined in his
demons and
produced steady work that rivaled or surpassed his output of the eighties.
Baggs' legacy with the Scorchers will be that of
a rock n' roll warrior and an
overachiever. Born into a poor family, Perry was a scrapper in the Nashville
alternative music scene who was a friend of Warner Hodges and Jeff Johnson
in their high school years, the late seventies. A fan of Kiss and Alice
Cooper as
well as traditional country and gospel, Perry found his muse through
music. He
can play keyboards, guitar, and sing. Yet it was Warner who suggested
he
dedicate himself to the drums, leading eventually to his tenure with
the
Scorchers.
Baggs' departure leaves the band in the uncomfortable
position of needing a
drummer for their four scheduled tour dates (see below). The band has
always
prided themselves on not canceling dates. Jason's mentioning that he
"already
has a drummer lined up" certainly hints it is someone with whom
he, or the
band, has worked. It is unfortunate that the task of covering for the
Scorchers fell on Jason while he is on a solo tour in Sweden, but he
seems to
have it well under control.
The future of the Scorchers, which looked as solid
as ever during their 20th
anniversary shows of the past six months, now re-enters unstable ground.
One
might take solace in the fact that they have replaced members before;
the
last being original bassist Jeff Johnson in 1997. But whereas replacing
Johnson
was primarily a great musical challenge, filling Baggs' drum stool will
be more of
a psychological and emotional change for the band. At this point, we
simply
don't know how it will transpire.
Hardcore fans might look at the four scheduled shows
(in June and July)
gratefully, as an inescapable reason for the band to find a drummer.
We don't
know what will happen for the rest of 2002, since Jason says they won't
do
any more shows after Texas. So, these four shows will likely be a testing
ground, a crucible in which the band will again be in the position of
reinventing
itself. Hopefully, big crowds will show up for them in Texas, and the
band will
make progress during them toward being a revitalized and strong unit.
Of particular concern during this period will be
how guitarist Warner Hodges
copes with the absence of his old friend Perry. This is what Warner
said during
one interview segment of the "Midnight Roads and Stages Seen"
video (1997):
"A lot of people don't realize - Perry's
a good guitar player, he's a good piano
player, he's a really good musician. He's probably the most talented
natural
musician in the band.
And, I mean, he's a really strong creative force
in this band. A lot of the ideas
come from him. A lot of the - when we've got an idea that's just not
flying, the
sorting out a new idea comes from him. And it's cool - I can't envision
doing
Jason and the Scorchers without Perry."
If you would like to become more involved with this
situation, I wrote a long
analysis of Baggs' departure, and what it might mean for the group,
a couple of
days ago for the message board on this site. You can read it and respond
by
following this link:
http://www.jasonandthescorchers.com/cgi-local/ultimatebb.cgi
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