Dave Adkins and Edgar Loudermilk both had pretty good gigs going when they chatted backstage at the Musicians Against Childhood Cancer festival earlier this year.
They wrote a song together, then another, and a couple more after that. They sang and picked and it wasn’t long before they were calling each other “Old Buzzard.”
Today, the two old buzzards are announcing the formation of their new band, Adkins & Loudermilk. They’re lining up tour dates for 2014 and beyond. They’ll perform songs from their solo projects, both on Mountain Fever Records, until late summer, when they plan to release their first collaboration on the same label.
“This wasn’t something we sat down and planned out,” Adkins said. “The more we were singing with each other and hanging out, the more we got to be like brothers. At some point, we just decided we needed to do this.”
Adkins was fresh off a successful debut album on Rural Rhythm with his band, Dave Adkins and Republik Steele, and was getting started on a new band record for Mountain Fever when the idea for a new direction started sinking in. The band project fell by the wayside and became a solo CD for Adkins. Meanwhile, Loudermilk, while issuing well received solo works of his own, was ensconced as the bass player and first-rate harmony singer with Russell Moore and IIIrd Tyme Out.
Last week, in one 24-hour period, Moore announced that Loudermilk would be leaving his band to focus on his own writing and performing, and Adkins and one of his bandmates announced the dissolution of Republik Steele.
By then, the handwriting was already on the wall. Loudermilk co-wrote one of the songs on Adkins’ solo project, is co-producing the album with Adkins and playing bass and singing harmonies. That project is set for an early 2014 release.
In addition, Loudermilk is pushing his own solo project, My Big Chance Tomorrow.
Loudermilk said leaving IIIrd Tyme Out wasn’t easy, but was necessary because going out on his own was something of a calling.
“My walk with Russell Moore was as good as anything could be,” he said. “I just feel like it’s my time. This is the most excited I’ve ever been. When I look at the big picture, I know I made the right decision.”
The duo already has 40 confirmed dates for 2014, with more in the works. There’s also a band to hire and time to spend dialing in the harmonies of their distinctive vocal styles. “I’m a straightlaced singer in a lot of ways, and Dave’s this big, powerful singer,” Loudermilk said. “I think we’re going to make each other better singers. We’re going to be meeting in the middle.”
I’ve heard a rough cut of Adkins and Loudermilk singing together on the song they co-wrote for Adkins’ CD. If it’s an example of what these two “Old Buzzards” will bring, we’re going to hear some great stuff from them in 2014 and beyond.
