Hitting the right notes

By JOE L. HUGHES II
The Gaffney Ledger
joe@gaffneyledger.com

A house rarely is built in a day, needing as many people and tools available to ensure the safety and comfort of those planning to make the structure their home.
In their quest to find the perfect tune, bands also will employ the use of an array of instruments and talents, wanting to provide audiences with quality entertainment and something to "groove" to.
Monday was not your typical business day at a Logan Street barber shop, as the sound of clippers and chatter were replaced by that of drums, the strumming of guitars and voices of several local talents.
"3 ... 2 ... 1..., let's go!," yelled bassist Earl Vernon to members of Tha Band, signaling the beginning of a musical journey whipping listeners back to the soulful sounds of the 1960s and '70s, playing the tunes of artists like Stevie Wonder, Luther Vandross and the Commodores, eventually taking on the more recent tunes of Erykah Badu, Musiq Soulchild and Jill Scott.
"We're trying to cover all the bases," said Michael Logan, keyboardist/bassist for Tha Band. "It's a goal of ours to appeal to both the young and the old."
Music is a way of life for the group, which includes Vernon, Logan, saxaphonist Lamar Peeler, vocalists Ike Bridges, Shaun "Terri" Hall, Melody Harris and Jamarcus Littlejohn, bassist Ben Gaffney, drummer Vince Hambright, keyboardist Josh McDowell and guitarist Kendall Kirby.
Tha Band was formed four years ago, a collection of ministers of music, lead musicians and vocalists from local churches and music groups.
"We all have our own thing going on, but always come back together to make good music," Bridges said. "A lot of us have been good friends for a long time, and it's only right for good people to make good music together. (Music) is what we do."
A love rooted from their days as youths sitting in pews listening to choirs at local places of worship, the group has taken its act around the Upstate.
Tha Band will be jammin' for a cause Saturday, performing at the M&I Productions Christmas Ball in Blacksburg with proceeds going to help the Cherokee Children's Home.
For the past 20 years, the private, nonprofit organization has served as an emergency shelter for abused, abandoned and neglected children up to 17 years of age.
"It's all a part of trying to do something good this Christmas season," Bridges said.
Also scheduled to perform at the Christmas Ball are Floyd's Passion, Meechie and Letroune Allen, Kent Oglesby and DJ Snowball.
Soul food will be available at the event and drawings for door prizes will be held.
The Christmas Ball will take place at Iron City Place, located on South John Street in Blacksburg.
Festivities begin at 9 p.m.
Tickets are $15 in advance and $20 the day of the event.
For more information, call Logan at (864) 425-6675, Bridges at (864) 202-2907, or Vernon at (864) 425-3998.