Piper & The Hard Times are ‘Good Company’
The follow-up to last year’s Revelation, by Piper & The Hard Times, which debuted at #1 on the Billboard Blues Album chart, is the self-released Good Company. The band is powered by drummer-composer-arranger Dave “Sexy Boy” Colella from Bernardsville in Somerset County. Drumming since he was seven years old, Colella studied under Dave Brubeck’s longtime drummer Joe Morello—from Irvington in Essex County—who impressed upon his student that “it’s not how you play, it’s what you play.” He said it all the time.
They call lead guitarist Steve Eagon “The Conductor.” Singer Piper Green is as soulful as they come. With The Professor Amy Frederick on keyboards and Funk-Stick Pork-Chop on bass (Parker Hawkins), the Tennessee band goes from Sly Stone-styled funk and straight-up rock’n’roll to fuzzed-out ZZ Top-styled boogie. And, of course, they stretch and pull the blues in all different directions throughout. The highlight, though, as to be the eight-minute+ “Those Days,” a rumination on life itself with a scintillating sax solo by Eddie Meyer.
The core of the band (Piper, Colella and Eagan) have been playing together for over 20 years. When Piper was diagnosed with cancer earlier this year, the band rallied ‘round him and, although they have to cut their touring schedule short, Good Company should propel their rep.