Calvin Napper

Funky Bass Man John Dillard

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Sitting in the studio with John Dillard, I realized the magnitude of his talent. He’s smart, creative, original, and constantly evolving. His peers revere him as “an asset”, and “one of the funkiest.” John is humbled by those accolades, and works hard to exceed what’s expected of him. Having been influenced by great artists like Jaco Pastorius, and Marcus Miller, John knows how to infuse multiple styles of playing into his own. He contributes to the local music scene in Charlotte, NC, and was fortunate enough to work on the 2012 pilot track for the Golden Globe Award Winning show Homeland. While collaborating with other artists on various projects, and being the musical director for Stephanie Mills, he’s also stepped into his own spotlight. John is working on his solo project “Let’s Ride” that is scheduled to be released later this year.

My live video interview with John.

 

John Dillard
John Dillard

Brian Simpson’s awesome performance

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Brian Simpson had an outstanding performance tonight here in Charlotte, NC. The opening act was also his band for the evening. A band full of some of the finest musicians in the business. John Dillard was on bass, Joe Lindsay on guitar, Calvin Napper on drums, and Lavell Bradford on keys. When Brian joined them on stage, the energy went to another level. He opened up with “South Beach.” Then he took us back to the “It’s All Good” album and played “Here With You.” Brian said, “that was the song that put him on the map.” Calvin showed off his incredible skills when featured on “What Cha Gonna Do.” Each artist displayed their musical skills showing everyone just how great they are. Brian explained that on each of his projects, track #4 is always the song that slows it down and sets the mood. He went on to play “Let’s Get Close.” His performance was full of amazing. He got down on his knees during one song, as well as playing to the crowd. He closed the show with “It’s All Good.” The perfect song to finish with because Brian’s performance was truly all good.  

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