When the Allman Brothers tribute band Midnight Riders take the stage, audiences won't see a lot of similarities between them and the original Southern rock legends.

Then again, when the Allman Brothers were founded 40 years ago, their look wasn't what people paid attention to anyway, said drummer Gary Folkum.

"With all the personnel changes the band has gone through, the quality of the music is what substantiates it and keeps it going," Folkum said. "The Allman Brothers' true fans are really intense about it.

"You can't fake it. You can't not do the right solos and the right dual-lead parts."

The six-part Nashville-based tribute act performs a three-hour show of music pulled from the Brothers' early years. Saturday, the band will perform at Rhythm & Brews.

That may not be a venue with the notoriety of the Fillmore East, but Folkum said every show demands just as much attention as the real deal.

"What I noticed ... when we started doing the tribute thing is the intensity of it," he said. "I'm completely exhausted after we play.

"It's not like playing a bunch of ballads and easy songs all night. It's really intense, passionate music."

The band originated within a group of friends in Nashville who formed a party band performing classic rock and punk tracks. After audiences showed the most enthusiasm for Allman Brothers songs, the band reoriented to doing a full tribute, Folkum said.

Since they were all lifelong fans of the Brothers, Folkum said the Midnight Riders was a chance to play for all the right reasons.

"When we were all growing up, we all had to play disco and country and stuff we didn't want to play when we all really wanted to be playing this kind of stuff," he said. "Now, we're at the point where we all have other incomes, and we can play because we love playing the music.

"That's what you get into playing it for to begin with, not to make a living at it, just for the passion of it."

Contributed Photo
The Midnight Riders are, clockwise from top left, Paul Snyder (drums), Michael Saint Leon (guitar), Jeff Jones (guitar), J.D. Williamson (bass), Chuck Glass (keys/vocals) and Gary Folkum (drums).

RELATED LINKS FOR WEB:

http://www.myspace.com/themidnightriders

IF YOU GO

n What: Midnight Riders, an Allman Brothers tribute.

n When: 10 p.m. Saturday.

n Where: Rhythm & Brews, 221 Market St.

n Admission: $10.

n Phone: 267-4644.

n Venue Web site: www.rhythm-brews.com.

n Related links at fyi.timesfreepress.com.

ONLINE: Read a Q&A. Comment.

THE SET LIST

The Midnight Riders perform from a repertoire of 35 Allman Brothers songs culled from the first five years of the band's career. That includes the following albums:

1969: "The Allman Brothers Band"

1970: " Idlewild South"

1971: "At Fillmore East"

1972: "Eat a Peach"

1973: "Brothers and Sisters"

PULL QUOTE

"There's a whole new generation of Allman Brothers fans out there. I grew up with it, but college kids are digging it, too." -- Gary Folkum

Chattanooga Times Free Press music reporter Casey Phillips spoke with Gary Folkum, drummer with the Nashville-based Allman Brothers tribute band Midnight Flyers, about why he’s exhausted after every performance, playing with the original band and what fans pay the most attention to.

CP: When and how did the Midnight Riders start playing together?

GF: This band has been playing together for about 10 years. We were just a party band doing classic rock and punk stuff, and we kept mixing in Allman Brothers stuff. It's stuff we liked playing better than anything, and we started realizing that's what we played the best. We decided one day to do a tribute band, and it's been really good. It's been the busiest thing we've done in the past few years. We've played several clubs and a bunch of classic rock festivals and a lot of Southeastern Conference colleges like Ole Miss and Auburn. There's a whole new generation of Allman Brothers fans out there. I grew up with it, but college kids are digging it, too.

CP: Why is it? Why does it have that staying power?

GF: I think it's just the quality of the songs. With all the personnel changes the band has gone through and the deaths, the quality of the music is what substantiates it and keeps it going. There are a lot of great bands from the '70s with great music that people like to listen to.

CP: How many times have you seen the Allman Brothers live?

GF: Gosh, at least 10 or 12, if not more. The first time I saw them was in 1973. A couple of guys, maybe three, saw the original guys with (guitarist) Duane (Allman) and (bassist) Berry (Oakley). The original six were only together for a short period of time, but that's a testimony to the music after all the personnel changes. It's still great. We kind of focus on those earlier years with what we play. We pull from the first five albums.

CP: Would that include “At Filmore East”?

GF: Exactly. That was their third album and the one that got them the national attention that brought them to the forefront.

CP: Do you have a favorite album? A favorite song?

GF: I would say “Fillmore” is my favorite album. It's a close run between that and “Eat a Peach.” Favorite song? That's a toughie. I love “Ain’t Wastin' Time No More.”

CP: What are the main challenges about putting on an Allman Brothers tribute? You don't have to worry about costumes like with a Beatles tribute or the elaborate stage setups with a Pink Floyd band. What do you have to nail for it to work?

GF: I think just the intensity of the band that they played with. I think the two drummer thing is really crucial to it, too. The two guitar players and the dual lead things they played in those days are also important. Being able to nail, as close as possible, to Greg's vocals, which Chuck, our keyboard player, does a great job at.

CP: So it's three things, then?

GF: (Laughs.) Yeah, I'm sorry. What I noticed was that when we started doing the tribute thing is the intensity of it. I'm completely exhausted after we play. It's not like playing a bunch of ballads and easy songs all night. It's really intense, passionate music. The way we do it, we put a lot into it, and it'll wear you out.

CP: So how do you keep your energy up?

GF: I just love playing the stuff. I just get off on all the songs we play, and I'm inspired by the musicians that I get to play with in the band. Both guitar players are great. Chuck's a great B3 player, too. And the crowd gets off on it, too. That's how we get through a night, how much they enjoy it.

CP: What songs are most frequently requested?

GF: “Statesboro Blues” and “Tied to the Whipping Post” and “Long Way Out.” “In Memory of Elizabeth Reed” is a biggie. One of my favorites besides “Ain’t Wastin' Time” is “Hotlanta,” which is one I think we do a good job with.

CP: Are the fans of the Allman Brothers really critical of what you do? Do you feel scrutinized?

GF: Yeah, I think so, and rightfully so. I feel like the Allman Brothers fans are more of a cult following than say Beatles' fans or some other big band like that. There are millions of people who like them, but they're not as mainstream or Top 40 as some of those other bands. The Allman Brothers' true fans are really intense about it. You can't fake it. You can't not do the right solos and the right dual lead parts. The tempos have to be there and the arrangements or anything. There's some scrutiny there, but so far, I think we've done a good job.

CP: The Allman Brothers' songs are known for their long, elaborate, kind of rambling solos. Do you have to recreate those solos exactly or do you take any liberties to make them your own?

GF: No, we take some leeway with it. We keep the arrangements pretty tight to the original songs, but solos are something where we can flex a little bit and experiment. There have been some cool things to come from it, which is what they do. If you listen to them today, you can tell that they don't play things the same every night, especially the solo parts. I think that was one of the cool thing about them, that they were always experimenting and evolving. You can hear some of those early tapes with them, and you see how it evolved leading up to the “Filmore” and “Eat a Peach Days” and how it really peaked then. We do take some leeway with that. We do have a few things that are our own endings or arrangements but still keep true to the original songs.

CP: This year is the 40th anniversary of the Allman Brothers' founding. Are you doing anything special at shows to commemorate that?

GF: We played in March on the 13th or 14th doing the anniversary of the Fillmore at Third and Lindsley. We did all the songs on the album, start to finish, like they did. We focus on the early stuff anyway, so besides doing the “Fillmore” album, that's all we've really done to commemorate it.

There's a funny story about that. There's a shirt that Duane had that was a patchwork shirt, and there are a lot of cool pictures with him wearing that. For the Fillmore thing, I found one online that looked just like it and bought it. It's just a patchwork short you'd never wear anywhere else, but I wore it for the gig. (Laughs.) It wasn't his, but it looked just like his. It's just one of those '70s things. We don't try to look like them like some tribute bands might do, but we do try to get into the '70s vibe when we're up there.

CP: Why not try to look like them? Is that something fans don't expect from an Allman Brothers show the way they would at a Beatles tribute?

GF: I don't think so with the Allman Brothers. To be honest with you, none of us look like any of the guys in the band, so that part of it wouldn't work. It's more about the music and the instrumentation part of it. Part of our show is a slideshow that is similar to what they do on stage and has pictures of the original band in concert and the kind of psychedelic light things they did in concert. We do try to create the vibe of the era on stage.

CP: Have you ever met any of the original band?

GF: Yeah. I actually own a drum shop in Nashville, and the other drummer, Paul, manages the store for me. In 1989, when they reformed to do the “Seven Turns” album, they came to Nashville to rehearse for about a month. That's when I met (drummer Jai Johnny) “Jaimoe” (Johanson) and (drummer) Butch (Trucks) and (roadie) (Joseph) “Red Dog” (Campbell). That's when we started doing business with them. I became friends with Red Dog and Jaimoe, and I still am to this day. I've traveled around to see concerts with them and actually got to sit in with them in Atlanta last October.

CP: Wow.

GF: Yeah, it was pretty freaky. It was at Chastain Park Amphitheater, and there were about 6,000-7,000 people there. I got to sit in on Jaimoe’s drums for “Revival.” It was pretty cool.

CP: Is there anything you guys do that's a signature that sets you apart from other tribute acts?

GF: No, nothing that I can think of. Really, the intensity that we do the songs and arrangements with and that we try to be true to the original tunes. It's a good vibe, and it sounds a lot like what the original band would have sounded like. The current guys have evolved into their own different thing, but what we do represents those early days, the first 5-6 years of the band.

CP: Is there any aspect of your show you'd like to improve on to make it more authentic, what would it be?

GF Hmm … just keeping the songs as tight as possible. When we play a lot, the stuff really gets tight, and we evolve and experiment and cool things happen. The guitar players really have a lot of stuff to do and to remember. We usually end with “Whipping Post,” and that's something we're always working on to improve. It's a long song with a long ending, but when we nail that and everyone stays to the end, that's something we all enjoy and are constantly trying to get better at.

CP: Anything else you'd like to add?

GF: What everyone who comes to hear us will really get from us is how much we love playing the music and how we get along. I've never played in a band where everyone gets along as well as we do. I think it's really the music.

When we were all growing up, we all had to play disco and country and stuff we didn't want to play when we all really wanted to be playing this kind of stuff. Now, we're at the point where we all have other incomes, and we can play because we love playing the music. We would play for nobody, but when we play a club with 200-300 all getting off on it as much as we do, that's what we enjoy. That's a cool thing. That's what you get into playing it for to begin with, not to make a living at it, just for the passion of it.

E-mail Casey Phillips at cphillips@timesfreepress.com