The Fabulous Thunderbirds, Honey River, and Diane & The Deductibles at The Canyon Club on February 23rd!

The Fabulous Thunderbirds, Honey River, and Diane & The Deductibles at The Canyon Club on February 23rd!

And read interviews with all three bands here!

The legendary Fabulous Thunderbirds will be headlining The Canyon Club in Agoura Hills on February 23th for what will surely be memorable night of rock and blues.  Featuring founding member Kim Wilson, Fabulous Thunderbirds continue to unveil a legacy rich in memorable songs and dynamic musicianship.  Also on the bill is Honey River – a country rock outfit with Joey Sykes of The Babys.  Opening the night will the the exhilarating Diane & The Deductibles – whose membership include ex-members of Queensryche and Air Supply.    The Canyon Club will certainly be rocking on a high flying Saturday night when these three very special collectives take to the stage.

Highwire Daze Online recently interviewed the one and only Kim Wilson of the Fabulous Thunderbirds to find out what to expect from what is sure to be an epic evening.  We also caught up with Joey Sykes of Honey River and Diane Adams of Diane & The Deductibles to discuss opening for the almighty Thunderbirds as well as what to expect from their respective live sets.  Read on…

Kim Wilson of The Fabulous Thunderbirds

What are you looking forward to the most about your upcoming show at The Canyon Club?
I’m looking to have a good time – to have a great audience – and to rock ‘em out!

What could fans expect from your live show this time around?
It’s a different show every time. I don’t have a set list. I just kind of feel the audience out and see what they would like. And if they want a lot of blues, they’ll get a lot of blues. If they want some rock and roll, they get that. It’s different every time, so they could expect some pretty high energy.

Is there any overall story or concept behind your recent album title Strong Like That?
It’s the title track that Steve Gomes, the bass player, wrote. It’s a pretty good song. And that song has a message. You gotta be thick skinned in certain situations and you can’t let anybody get to you. It’s a very good example on how we all live. It doesn’t matter how big or how small you are – you’re always dealing with “stuff.” And you can’t let anything or anybody get you down. You have to believe in yourself.

One of your biggest albums Tuff Enuff was produced by Dave Edmunds. What was it like working with him on that particular album?
It was awesome! He’s a great producer. He was hot at the time. We already had a history with Rockpile, because we had toured with them in 1980 throughout England. And Nick Lowe produced the record before that (T-Bird Rhythm). So he was hot – he had done the Stray Cats so he had some notoriety and it seemed like the perfect thing. So it was great! We did it in England – and then we shopped it forever. The original label had gone bankrupt, so we had all of these masters – so we started shopping them to people. CBS Records signed us and the rest is history.

Tuff Enuff has been covered by folks such as Wynonna Judd and The Foo Fighters. What do you think of those covers and do you still enjoy playing that song after all of this time?
You know, I enjoy any version of that song. (Laughs) It’s just different interpretations of it, and that’s great! I still enjoy playing it. I play it every night. At every gig I play it with The Thunderbirds. If I don’t play it, I’ll catch a reaction from the audience so I have to play it. But I still enjoy doing it. I probably sing it a little better than I do on the original, but other than that, it’s pretty close. The arrangement is slightly different, but it’s not different enough to make it a different song.

What do you think has kept you so passionate about the Fabulous Thunderbirds since your inception in 1974?
It’s always a challenge, but I’m just passionate about music in general. I’ve been striving to make this band the best I can make it for many years. And I’ve had some great players come in and out this band. But I think now I’m so close to having it exactly how I want it. It’s taken a long time, but when you have people that are passionate as well – when you’ve got passionate musicians supporting you, it just makes it that much easier. And everybody wants to take it to the next level – if there is such a thing these days. And I think you should take it to the next level, because you never stop learning. If you’re a real musician, you never stop learning. It’s really just kind of a chase – of not musical perfection – because I don’t believe in perfection. To me, imperfection is perfection – because you’re going for it – everything is improvised. Everybody is really going for it – and that’s what I really appreciate about all of these guys in this band.

Are there any new recordings in the future for you?
I’ve got a new traditional recording coming out relatively soon – within the next 2-3 months probably. I had some success with the last one and now I’m putting out Volume 2. I really love this record. That’s another thing that keeps me passionate about music in general. I’m able to do everything that I want to do. It’s pretty fantastic. I don’t think there’s very many musicians that have done and been to the levels where I’ve been commercially that can say that. My traditional blues – I want to make sure that it’s real. I’m not some rock guy making a blues record, you know what I mean? I’m a blues man – and that’s what I am first before anything – before even the Thunderbirds. I feel great about all the music that I play – and like I said – you never stop learning.

Do you have any messages for your fans who are going to be coming out to see you play at The Canyon Club or at any show you have coming up?
I have one message. We love you and we appreciate you. We appreciate your support. Being able to have an audience all of these years is very, very important. Obviously there’s no Thunderbirds without the audience.

Fabulous Thunderbirds are:
Kim Wilson – Lead Vocal & Harmonica
Johnny Moeller – guitar
Steve Gomes – Bass
Kevin Anker – keyboards
Wes Watkins – drums

Fabulous Thunderbirds on Facebook

Diane Adams of Diane & The Deductibles

Introduce yourself, tell me what you do in Diane & The Deductibles, and how long the band has been together.
Hi all, my name is Diane Adams, lead singer, guitarist and band leader for Diane & The Deductibles. This group of band members have been together for 4 years. Writing, rehearsing and playing shows.

What are you looking forward to the most about opening for The Fabulous Thunderbirds at The Canyon Club on February 23rd?
I have been seeing and admiring, band leader, amazing harp man, singer Kim Wilson for years in many variations of blues groups around Southern California..I even spoke to Kim about the Fabulous Thunderbirds at my concert series I produced in Huntington Beach, The Rock’n Blues Concert Series, but it never developed beyond some conversation. So when this opportunity came up I said yes to the show.

Select two songs you may be playing at the show and what inspired the lyrics.
“Say what you mean”
I start the song with, “Win or Lose, that’s the only game we play”, as to mean I am always 100% in to win life’s game.
Then I follow up with questioning people’s sincerity with the lyric, “Is that really you?”  I question how honest people really are and if they hide behind a facade… I continue with the Chorus repeating “Say what you mean, Mean what you say”!!
Another words…don’t lie, be honest, it makes life go by much smoother.

“Sweet Love”
I write about a love that can’t be replaced..My husband, bassist, Cliff Rehrig, has always inspired many of my lyrics..
The first verse…
“True love will never die, crawls up next to you and keeps you alive” “I think the reason we are holding so tight, something this great won’t ever happen twice”
We continue with a repeating chorus of “Sweet Love”…because a great love is a sweet love.

What could one expect from your live show?
Well expect, lots of guitars, vocals harmonies..all original songs by Diane & The Deductibles.

How do you think having members of bands as diverse as Geoff Tate’s Queensryche and Air Supply affected and enhanced your sound?
Robert Sarzo (Queensryche) gives Diane & The Deductibles a raw rock edge, and Clifford Rehrig (Air Supply) has added the lush harmonies and great low end to the band. I think in our writing it adds balance to a contemporary 2019 Rock sound..

What’s up next for Diane & The Deductibles?
Album release in 2019, more writing and recording for a second album plus more live performances..

Any final words of wisdom?
Keep your dreams alive!!!

Diane & The Deductibles are:
Diane Adams-Lead vocals-Guitar
Cliff Rehrig-Bass-Background Vocals
Robert Sarzo-Lead Guitar
Keith Lynch – Guitar-Background Vocals
Ronnie Ciago-Drums-Percussion

Diane & The Deductibles Official Home Page
Diane & The Deductibles on Facebook
Diane & The Deductibles on Instragram
Diane & The Deductibles on Twitter

Joey Sykes of Honey River and The Babys

Introduce yourself, tell me what you do in Honey River, and how long the band has been together.
My name is Joey Sykes. I am the main songwriter, singer, guitarist and producer in HONEY RIVER. I started the band a little over a year ago.

What are you looking forward to the most about opening for The Fabulous Thunderbirds at The Canyon Club on February 23rd?
One of the main concepts of HONEY RIVER was to have a band with a familiar, but fresh Country Rock sound, that would be appealing to fans of such icons as Tom Petty, Eagles, Jackson Browne, etc., and its always great to play for those kinds of crowds. So, I am really looking forward to playing for fans of the GREAT, blues Rock group Fabulous Thunderbirds.
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Select two songs you may be playing at the show and what inspired the lyrics.
If I had to highlight 2 songs that we will definitely be playing are Peace, Love (which there is a video up on You Tube), and Indian Summer. The lyric to Peace, Love is inspired by, in my opinion, a unanimous desire for us to live life a bit simpler, filled with more peace, love, happiness, and some more common ground and compassion. Indian Summer is a song that starts out with a 4 part, acapella harmony (which I always wanted to do), and is a story about a hot and cold situation. (that’s the Indian Summer reference).. Sometimes you never know when someone will run hot or cold. The bridge lyric is..”Heat like that will knock you out cold, but that gets old, get you runnin’ for shelter,…. change your mind and change your clothes, get yourself dry, stay ready at anytime“…

What could one expect from your live show?
The live show has a good, mostly uplifting energy. We will have a pedal steel player, so there is a bit of a Country feel, but more of a country Rock sound. Also, plenty of 3 part harmonies. I feel that the lyrics are one of the strong points, so hopefully that comes through.

How did you wind up in the iconic band The Babys and what has that experience been like?
I started out as just a songwriter for the new BABYS lineup. After a couple of months, they asked me if I wanted to play live. The BABYS have such a great history and catalog of songs, of course my answer was yes. It is really trippy to see so many fans after the shows, lined up to get autographs. Also, the reaction during the show, where everyone knows every lyric, is pretty special. And, the first single from the new lineup is a song I wrote called I See You There, so when we play that one live, it feels pretty special. (not gonna lie)…

What’s up next for Honey River?
We will be releasing a video VERY soon for the title track I MISS AMERICA. you can watch the video for Peace, Love here https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=qzyquPcK0hg. We hope to be playing more live shows and build the fan base. You can follow us on Instagram @honeyrivermusic , as well as all the socials have the same name (honeyrivermusic)…

Any final words of wisdom?
Well, since I can’t imagine life without music (both live and newly recorded), I would think that your audience feels the same way. So, keep going to see live shows, and support artists and bands who are trying to put their life’s experiences, creativity, and hard work, into music, and performances.

Honey River are:
Joey Sykes – Vocals, Guitars, mandolin.
Jay Mags- Vocals, Guitar, Bass
Chris Vincent- Guitar, Vocals, Dobro, Mandolin

Honey River on Facebook

Purchase your tickets for Fabulous Thunderbirds with Honey River and Diane & The Deductibles here!