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By Alex Carrier Nice guys do finish first, especially when the guys are Gary Burnette
and Tom Evans: the Warmed Over Boys duo. Just out with a new cd
in time for Christmas, the Boys are making good music and happy
audiences.
Evans calls the promotional cd recorded 3 years ago, music they were
dong then and now but without 3 years of playing and writing together.
The new cd Over Easy features a dozen songs - half of them
Boys originals.
Burnette and Evans are as electric as their music. Burnette,
self-titled “grand geezer” of the group, is a retired computer graphics
designer who used to teach programming to kids.
Burnette has opened for groups such as Yes, Black Oak Arkansas and
the Atlanta Rhythm Section. “I saw Elvis in 1956,” he admits,” and
started playing guitar.”
Evans, a 3rd grade teacher at Ruckersville Elementary School, bought
his first banjo for $15 after being inspired by the Eagles hit “Take it
Easy.”
“The best musicians I have ever heard make you feel like it is just
you and them,” says Evans who got the country spirit when he moved to
Greene from New York State. “We
 lived in a teepee for 9 months while I
built a log cabin from scratch.”
“I chose to live Waynesboro,” adds Burnette who is a Georgia native.
“We like the rural atmosphere and love the people.”
Songs by other artists still make up much of their play list. Their
choices and talents cover a musical mix of pop, folk, blues, country,
bluegrass and rock and roll.
“Generally speaking, we do folk music, “says Evans. “We try to vary
the tastes, play different paces and mix it up on the cd and playing
live music.”
“We do a lot of picking and singing,” adds Burnette, “but what sets
us apart is good harmony.”
“We like doing other peoples stuff as well as our own,” explains
Evans. “Every type of music we play we listen to and enjoy.” Their
original sound and songs are favorites with a quickly growing fan base.
For Evans, composing music for the new cd was the end of a 37-year
writer’s block. The result was a cut on Over Easy called Kick
your heels up Sally.
“The song is about my mother and times when I was a child,” says
Evans. “After taking 37 years to write the first song, it only took half
an hour to write the second (Quiet Time). It is going better now.”
Both are eager to get back to writing and putting together their next
album. They are even considering doing a Christmas cd.
Performances by the duo offer great interaction between audience and
musicians. Burnette, the quirky jokester of the two quips with the
audience while Evans quietly puts in his own zingers. Though Over
Easy is proving a popular cd, a performance by the Boys is
not to be missed.
This Saturday, December 2, 2006 presents several opportunities to
enjoy the Boys in concert. At 2:00 PM, they will pick up the
songs and the spirits at Evergreene Nursing Center in Stanardsville. The
day finishes with a flourish as the Boys join the Parade of
Lights with a performance from 5:00 PM – 7:00 PM outside the Lafayette
Inn on Main Street.
The forecast is calling for chilly temperatures Saturday so come warm
up to the Warmed Over Boys and enjoy Christmas in Greene.
Profile December 2006
Photos by Alex Carrier
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