FRIDAY, JUNE 16, 2023

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Band info coming soon!

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SATURDAY, JUNE 17, 2023

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THE PRODUCERS

8:30 PM to 10:00 PM

 

The Producers are a new wave/power pop band from Atlanta, Georgia who came to prominence in the early 80’s. They are still performing today with the original line up including Van Temple on guitar and vocals, Kyle Henderson on bass and vocals, Wayne Famous on keyboards and Bryan Holmes on drums and vocals.

Originally formed as a Beatles cover band named Cartoon, they changed musical directions and began performing their own material in nightclubs around the Atlanta area. The response to their music was so good that they were quickly signed to CBS subsidiary Portrait Records by producer Tom Werman, who had worked with Cheap Trick, REO Speedwagon and Mother’s Finest, among others. They released two albums for the Portrait label, The Producers (1981) and You Make the Heat (1982). The Producers became a regional favorite in the Southeastern United States, propelling "What She Does to Me" onto the national Billboard Magazine singles charts. "What's He Got", "Certain Kinda Girl", and "Who Do You Think You Are" had some popularity as music videos, but did not chart. The band toured extensively with Cheap Trick and The Motels and also played with such acts as Toto and Hall and Oates. The music video for "She Sheila" from the You Make The Heat album found its way to the eyes and ears of the fledgling MTV generation where it became popular among its viewers. The end of 1982 saw The Producers headlining MTV's New Year's Eve Rock n’ Roll Ball, where their lively and energetic performance helped the world usher in the new year.

 

Keyboardist Wayne Famous had a comedic stage presence in contrast with the other rock stars in the band, which was similar to that of Cheap Trick. Years ahead of the ”keytar”, Wayne modified the keyboard of a synthesizer with straps to hold it around his neck allowing him to do a signature dance center stage. His own invention, he used an umbilical cable to communicate with the remaining electronics off stage.

 

Subsequent albums followed with the band’s third album, Run For Your Life, being released in 1987 on their own label. That album featured a collaboration between The Producers and Kansas, "Can't Cry Anymore," a song which appeared on both Run For Your Life and the 1986 Kansas album Power. The Producers regained a major label contract in the late 1980s with MCA Records and recorded what was to be their fourth album, Coelacanth. Due to a revamping at MCA, the release was cancelled, and The Producers chose to put Coelacanth out on their own in 2001.

 

The Producers continue to play regular live shows, throughout the United States which brings them to Metro Jam on Saturday, June 17, 2023.

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Additional band info coming soon!

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