Photo courtesy of Brent Brown Photography
More than a Little Bit Country
Longtime Columbus band highlights upcoming shows
A long and sometimes bumpy road has been the course of McGuffey Lane, but after more than 40 years, the Ohio country-rock band keeps on trucking.
The band continues to play shows regularly, including the upcoming Westerville Independence Day Celebration on July 4 and the Arthritis Foundation Auto Show in Dublin on July 10.
“We’re able to do 40 to 50 dates a year within two hours or less of Columbus,” says John Schwab, lead guitarist and lead vocalist for the band. “We sell out the LC every year.”
Schwab joined the band in January 1977 as the final member to join the original lineup, five years into the band’s existence.
At the time, he was playing on his own as the opening act for the band in a music bar called Zachariah’s Red Eye Saloon, and band members would play together with him during his performances.
This led to Schwab joining McGuffey Lane. This May marked 45 years of him “working full-time as a musician, never having a day job,” he says.
Schwab says that the 1980s were the best and worst of times for the band, and describes life on a tour bus as a “frat house on wheels.”
These years included time in the 1980s when McGuffey Lane toured with the Allman Brothers Band, Charlie Daniels Band, Judds and Marshall Tucker Band. They also include the 1985 death of keyboardist Stephen Douglass in an automobile accident.
The group broke up from 1990 to 1996. Schwab says the members were tired of travel by then.
“(But) now, all three of the surviving members are in the band,” Schwab says.
The other two are the founding members: bassist Steve Reis and guitarist Terry Efaw.
McGuffey Lane songs emphasis lyrics and harmony, Schwab says.
“I usually like to have a hook line before I start writing a song,” he says, adding that in writing a song, he likes to build off of that.
Band members are thinking of recording an album of their own versions of songs from musical groups that have influenced them, Schwab says, such as the Eagles, the Beatles, Crosby Stills and Nash, and the Marshall Tucker band.
He says that production of the album would likely occur over the coming fall and winter, and that they hope it could be released by next summer.
McGuffey Lane may be on the path toward a new album before long, but the road ahead continues to be filled with new challenges.
“Trying to gain younger followers is definitely a challenge,” says Schwab. “The music business is one big challenge every way.”
Francis Pellicciaro is a contributing writer. Feedback welcome at gbishop@cityscenemediagroup.com.
Westerville Independence Day Celebration
July 4
5K Walk/Run, 8 a.m.; Rotary Children’s Run, 9:15 a.m.; Alum Creek Park, 221 W. Main St. Parade, 1 p.m., McGuffey Lane performance at Westerville South High School, 6 p.m., fireworks, 10 p.m.
www.westervillerotary.com
Arthritis Foundation Classic Auto Show & Cruise-In
July 10-11
Metro Center, 555 Metro Pl. N., Dublin
Friday: Show hours 10 a.m.-11 p.m.; registration 10 a.m.-6:30 p.m., judging noon-7 p.m., McGuffey Lane performance 7:30 p.m., awards ceremony 8:30 p.m.
Saturday: Show hours 10 a.m.-11 p.m.; registration 7:30-11:30 a.m., judging 12:30-4:30 p.m., awards ceremony 5:30 p.m., Phil Dirt & the Dozers performance 6:30-9:30 p.m.
www.arthritisautoshow.com
