Last April, AU enjoyed the Pat McGee Band, who played Bender Arena with Fighting Gravity and Edwin McCain. On Friday, Feb. 13, the band set off on a nationwide tour, beginning in Alexandria, Va., to promote the release of its new album, "Save Me."
The Virginia based band - featuring Pat McGee (lead vocals, guitar), Brian Fechino (guitars), John Small (bass), Chardy McEwan (percussion) and Chris Williams (Drums) - attempted to return back to its roots while creating "Save Me," but it also features many songs, which are totally different from anything heard from the band before.
"[The album] contains light hearted and acoustic rock, plus some introspective alternative stuff," said McGee.
Though the overall theme of "Save Me" is one of desperation, the music is folksy, alternative rock with a catchy beat.
"When you're traveling as much as I do, you tend to hear a lot of stories," said McGee, who used many of the stories that he heard on the road as inspiration when writing "Save Me." "I feel like I am the same person as any of the people in the crowd. We're regular people."
McGee said while the band would love to someday play huge arenas, the members enjoy playing smaller venues because of the connection with the audience. Perhaps this personal connection between the band and its fans, along with a whole lot of musical talent, is what makes the Pat McGee Band so appealing to listeners.
The band's first single off of the new album, "Beautiful Ways," will be released to radio stations across the country on March 2, but listeners may not hear it for a while, as some stations are likely to pick up on it faster than others. "Beautiful Ways" deals with the concepts of love, fate and desperation, and is soulful and catchy. The album also contains songs such as "You and I," "Don't Give Up" and "Set Me Free," which are totally different from anything heard on the band's previous albums.
The band can't wait to get rolling on the new tour and is "confident in the fact that we're having fun," McGee said. They're excited to be able to play new material to audiences during the first leg of the tour, which runs until March 6, with the second half picking back up in early April. The tour will take them through most major cities across the country, and they will most likely play D.C. towards the end of May, and again in September.
"Save Me" will be released April 6 and contains a 25-minute video on the enhanced CD, which takes fans behind the scenes for a look at the making of the new album.
