As Chris Watson’s passion for Southern soul music has grown, so has his namesake band. Now joining the 29-year-old Fort Worth singer-songwriter on his eclectic, retro journey –– whose sound is full of bright, inflected vocals, jazzy comping, and hard-driving beats –– are drummer Chris Hill, bassist Brian Miller, keyboardist Danny Ross, and the horn section of saxophonist Preston Lewis, trombonist James McNair, and trumpeter Luke Wingfield.
If the Chris Watson Band sounds a little like the Josh Weathers Band, there’s a good reason.
On Saturday, March 28, Watson will release a new single (celebrated with a big show at Magnolia Motor Lounge). “Two Bottles” was written by Weathers, who retired last year at the height of his popularity. Though the song was penned two years ago and never made it onto any of Weathers’ recordings, it’s still one of Watson’s favorites.
“I approached Josh and said, ‘Someone needs to put this song out,’ ” Watson recalled. “Josh said, ‘Go for it,’ so I completely rearranged the song, which was mostly [strummed] guitar at that point.”
Last fall, Watson and Hill recorded the song at AudioStyles in Colleyville in just a few hours with owner/engineer/producer Taylor Tatsch (The Orbans, Jetta in the Ghost Tree, Un Chien), changing the vibe from bluesy to Americana. In addition to vocals, Watson played guitar, bass, and organ. The horn section stayed home.
“I’ve always loved [that] song,” Watson said. “I’m hoping the Southern country sound will get [the song] more airtime on [commercial country radio] stations.”
Watson has been surrounded by blues and jazz his whole life. Growing up in Denton, he watched his father, Wallace Watson, gig in Dallas with the Up All Night Blues Band. Chris first picked up a guitar when he was 12, and after a few years of practice was good enough to sit in with Dad.
“I didn’t realize this could be a viable career until my dad was paying me $100 a night,” Chris said.
After a brief stint at Texas Tech University studying architecture, he realized he didn’t want to be away from music. A decade of performing and listening to roots music deepened his influences. His “Southern soul,” as he calls it, is a little funk, R&B, soul, rock ’n’ roll, and Motown in addition to blues, jazz, and Americana.
Not everyone “got” Watson’s sonic gumbo.
“We weren’t blues enough for the blues clubs or funk enough for the funk clubs,” he said.
Frustrated, Watson took to the road, traveling as far afield as New Mexico and booking every show himself.
A couple of years ago, Watson got the urge to make his band bigger, influenced by funkadelic groups like Mingo Fishtrap and Lettuce.
Hill remembers the time well. He had just joined the band as it was moving in a soul/funk direction and getting, um, hornier.
The new and improved Chris Watson Band’s testing ground? An opening slot in Louisiana for classic Southern rockers Lynyrd Skynyrd.
“That was our first big show with full horns and everything,” Hill said. “It was pretty incredible to debut this new form of the band in front of so many people.”
Last summer, Watson released his third album and his first with the new lineup. Recorded at AudioStyles and January Sound Studio in Dallas, Black White and Gray, Watson said, captures the sound that he’d been “chasing for several years.”
Last December, the septet released a live version of the album, recorded at Magnolia Motor Lounge.
Like the band, Watson said, the songs also are always growing.
“I like the enticing element that improvisations bring to performances,” Watson said. “It gives people a reason to see us live again and again. When things are too scripted, they lose their allure. Our songs are always evolving. I encourage that.”
Hill feels that creative freedom keeps things interesting for the performers too.
“The most challenging things about being in a band like this is handling the wide variety of styles we cover and also knowing when to lay back in the music to not step on anyone’s toes,” he said. “When I first joined the band, I had a brief conversation with [Chris] about what he expected from me musically. Simply put, he said I can play whatever I want. That’s a situation that most drummers aren’t used to being in. Having that musical freedom to be able to express yourself in every song is refreshing.”
There’ll be a lot of creative expression on March 28. For the single release show at Magnolia Motor Lounge, Watson and his band will be joined by an old friend making a rare appearance: Josh Weathers.
“I’ve been getting a lot of comparisons to Josh the past two years,” Watson said “He’s still highly regarded in the area. I take it as a compliment. People appreciate that I’m also doing my own thing.”
[box_info]Chris Watson Band
Sat w/Chet Stevens at Dan’s Silverleaf, 103 Industrial St, Denton. 940-320-2000. • Sat, Mar 28, w/Soul Track Mind at Magnolia Motor Lounge, 3005 Morton St, FW. $10. 817-332-3344.[/box_info]
