Sans Taylor Hicks, LiMBO Moves Forward with First Album

LiMBO has experienced a whirlwind year. The band’s leader took off for stardom on a little talent competition called American Idol. While Taylor’s absence left the band in limbo, they were very supportive of his desire to go onto the show.

Shirley: So, were you guys surprised about Taylor going to Idol?

Brian: Not at all. We all had meetings about it before he went.

L-R (Jeff Lopez, Zippy Dieterich, Brian Less, Sam Gunderson, and Mitch Jones)

Image Credit: What's Up VIP

Zippy: When he told me he was going to do it, I was like, “Yeah, right.” He said, “No, really. I’m going to do it.” I was like, “Whatever.”

Brian: We totally support whatever he does. Once he went on there, we all knew he was going to go far. I didn’t know he was going to win it, but I knew he was going to go far because he’s talented.

Sam: I just told him that the only thing—whatever opportunity is there, you’re going to regret not taking that opportunity. He is a natural performer, and he’s also very intuitive and very smart and very savvy—business savvy—to be put in that situation, especially something like the hunt for a musician. I mean, it’s just—he’s got everything there, you know, the smarts, the product, the talent, everything. The full package.
As the cliché goes, the rest is history for Taylor, but what about LiMBO? Don’t count on them remaining “The Band Formerly Known As The Taylor Hicks Band” forever. Much is in store for LiMBO, including showcasing their original music.

Shirley: Do you guys do any original music or have any plans to do that? Can you talk to me about that a little bit?

Sam: At first, we didn’t showcase our original music because here we were a full entity with Taylor, and then, Taylor leaves. There’s a grace period where you have to kind of look at the new sound and form the new sound and forge the new relationship with the individuals—members in the band. So, we took that time and developed rather easily a formula for playing together and then, that kind of just naturally drifted itself into original expression, which is what we’re concentrating on now. The shorter answer is, yes, we do have original material, and that’s going to be the main focus of our performances coming up.

Shirley: So, are you guys looking to get signed to a contract?
Sam: What you got?

Sam’s dry wit continued to surprise and entertain me throughout the course of the interview. He is relatively quiet until he has something typically profound to say. The other guys love to tease him. To illustrate what I mean, I asked the guys whether, while trailing the Idols tour, they visited places they’d never seen before or whether they had any new experiences they wanted to share.
Brian: Motown.

Sam: We took a tour of Motown as a band together. Did the whole thing, and it was a great experience. Absolutely.

Zippy: Telling Sam we weren’t going was the best part.

Brian: Yeah, you lost it! We were like, “We’re not going to go.” He’s like, “What? Why not?”

Zippy: We were all like, “We’re not going.” He was like, “We gotta go. We gotta go.” I was like, “Dude, we’re out of time.” He was like, “No!”
Humor is a big part of the close relationship between the members of LiMBO. In fact, humor became a very big part of the interview, even when I attempted to ask very serious questions. These guys are quick and will jump on just about anything:

Shirley: So, what’s it like—this is something I dream of someday myself—what’s it like to get up every morning—
Zippy: Morning?

Shirley: Okay, afternoon. My bad.

Zippy: I just wanted to stop you there. If you said 7:00, I ain’t gonna make it.

Shirley: I’m sorry; I’m using my own term, “morning.” What’s does it feel like whenever you get up, to know that you’re going to do something you love. I mean, what does that feel like?

Zippy: Blessed.

Brian: Blessed.

Sam: Absolutely blessed. I mean, there’s nothing more fulfilling than having the opportunity to sustain yourself on your passion, but with that comes an obligation to move your passion forward. I think that’s another aspect of this band that we all take seriously. Since we know—since it’s given so much to us, we feel obligated to give back to it as much as we can, and that’s how the relationship can move forward.

I told you Sam is profound. I found myself literally hanging on his every word. To think that these guys are great musicians, professional jokesters, and quick thinkers simply says that Sam, Zippy, Brian, and Jeff have it all. The real beauty lies in the fact that in all they have, all they want to do is share it with their fans.
Zippy: I like talking to people. I actually can’t believe they want to talk to me. I can’t believe people want to have their picture taken with me, and I love that.

Brian: You make and keep relationships, and when you go to those cities, they’re there. They’re like, “Hey! It’s so good to see you,” and they come to the show, before the show, and I just enjoy meeting them.

Jeff: It’s a big compliment. The fact that—I mean, that’s unbelievable. We have people who said they’ve almost lost their jobs following us.

Brian: Which is why we’re going to continue to tour because if there’s a need or a want for us, we’re going to make our word and be there for them, to perform, and make them smile. That’s our job, you know? To make people smile.
Shirley: Well, that means you’re doing something right, right?

Brian: Right. We don’t know exactly what it is, and we don’t want to know. We’ll just keep doing what we’re doing.

Jeff: The crowd is the sixth member of the band, and you have to realize that their energy is such an important part of our energy, in that we couldn’t have the energy and take it to the level that we do without them, and I think we all reinforce that with the people.

As our time together drew to a close, I asked Zippy, Brian, Sam, and Jeff to give parting words to their fans, and Brain graciously spoke for the band:

Brian: Just keep your eyes and ears open, because we’re not going anywhere. We are going somewhere; we are going to play and tour, so please keep supporting us, and we’re going to keep entertaining you, and there’s a lot of new and exciting stuff coming.

New and exciting might just be an understatement. Showcasing much of the band’s original music, LiMBO’s self-titled album is set to debut on November 21, 2006, via iTunes. This eight-track album features three covers and five original songs that showcase some of the band members’ songwriting skills. The track listing, in order, for the album is: “Found,” by Less & Less; “Sweetwater,” by Zippy Dieterich; “Southland,” by Sam Gunderson, “She’s Into Something,” originally recorded by Muddy Waters; “Meat Man,” written by Mack Vickery for Jerry Lee Lewis and  also recorded by blues/soul artist Lee “Shot” Williams;” “Nobody Knows You When You’re Down And Out,” written by Jimmie Cox and originally recorded by the legendary Sam Cooke; “Bad Boy,” by Zippy Dieterich; and “Second Best,” by Sam Gunderson. Having listened to the three cover songs by the original artists, I find that each one perfectly suits the band for different reasons. “She’s Into Something” has a blues sound with a bit of a calypso beat while “Nobody Knows You When You’re Down And Out” is a bluesy ballad. “Meat Man” especially hit home for me; the song has a bluesy rock sound that perfectly fits the personality of this band.

In addition to LiMBO’s debut album, the band’s new website will be fully operational beginning December 1, 2006, but you can be one of the first to sign up for the band’s newsletter. The newsletter will include album information, announcements, and news from the band, featuring a column from each member. Go to www.officiallimbowebsite.com and register now to be among the first to receive breaking news from LiMBO.

Shirley has a bachelor’s degree in Political Science, with an emphasis on Creative Writing, from Agnes Scott College in Decatur, Georgia. She is currently pursuing her Master’s in Public Administration from the University of Phoenix.