Everything’s Gone Green

By Chris Manson January 24, 2008 Issue

Drummer Sean Sullivan provides a brief history of the band Green Hit. Bassist Tony Wirkus and keyboardist Chase Hudson formed the group with two other musicians back in 2005. Shortly after a performance at Mossy Headz 2007, the band underwent some personnel changes.

“Tony gave me a call and told me (guitarist) Dan Hall was on board,” says Sullivan. “Dan is an incredible musician, and to be involved with him on a project is a dream come true.” The new lineup began gigging last June at Gulf Place’s Amore Pizza. Trumpeter Trey Hebson became the fifth Hitster in September.

The weekend gigs at the pizza bar enabled the band to write the songs they currently play — songs that sprang from improvisations. “We’d pick a key to vamp on and a key for the bridge,” says Sullivan. “I would sit back and wait and call out the key, and we’d slam right into the bridge.”

Sullivan says Green Hit finally found their sound at a friend’s birthday party last December. It helps that these guys actually enjoy playing with each other. “When you have that, there’s nothing else you need,” he says. “Positive reinforcement and a level of improvement always come from that. Everyone is taking notes from the other players to serve the songs and the band.”

Wirkus and Hudson, the two youngest members, have been motivated to improve as musicians and inspired “old-timers” Hall and Sullivan to do the same. Hebson used to play with Pensacola’s Roscoe Danza and often appears with singer Lyndsey Battle. Sullivan says he is breaking down the barriers “for what is expected of the trumpet in the musical landscape.” Hebson gets some interesting sounds out of his horn by blowing through an amp and employing other effects.

With their repertoire of all instrumental originals, Hebson strikes me as the “voice” of Green Hit when I catch them at a Destin nightspot. “We set it up so each song sings itself,” Sullivan explains. “Each song has its own sensibility, its own signature.”

Any attempts to categorize the band’s style—on MySpace, Green Hit are labeled “funk-jazz-experimental”—would be pointless. Sure, traces of Funkadelic, Zeppelin, Miles Davis and countless others turn up during any given performance, but the band was also heavily influenced by artists like Fela Kuti, whom Sullivan calls “the father of Afro-beat music.”

He adds: “Our goal every time we play is to take people to a place that only exists through music. And take ourselves there, too.”

When you visit the band’s MySpace page, you can listen to songs like Fresh Hit, Your Favorite Rug, Taco Night, Duhking, OG and Yet to Be Determined. There are also archived performances recorded In My Tree Live’s Joey Morrissette—the CD I listened to was first-rate. Surf on over to YouTube, and you’ll discover plenty of Green Hit video clips.

Still, it’s best to see them in the flesh, with their strict adherence to Louis Armstrong’s philosophy of never playing a song the same way twice. In February and March, Green Hit returns to Pensacola’s Gutter Lounge — “a really cool room with a big cathedral sound,” says Sullivan — followed by Mossy Headz 2008 in April.

With the frequent spotlight on Hebson’s trumpet skills, Green Hit strikes me as the right guys to build on Miles Davis’ fusion of rock, funk, jazz, etc. I wonder if they might pick up where Davis left off with his final album, the hip-hop-infused Doo Bop. Any MCs out there ready to step up?

On Newsstands Now:
The current issue of Paste magazine includes a 20-track sampler CD with music from Radiohead, the Blind Boys of Alabama, and Gileah and the Ghost Train from Destin, Fla.

The Beat Recommends:
• DVD: Once (20th Century Fox) Catapults to the top of the list of the best movies having anything to do with music. The soundtrack CD doesn’t quite measure up, but after you fall in love with the movie you’ll want it, too.
• Dion: Son of Skip James (Verve) The follow-up to Bronx in Blue confirms that Dion’s blues albums are the best comeback series since Johnny Cash met Rick Rubin.
• John Fogerty: Revival (Concord) “Can’t go wrong if you play a little bit of that Creedence song.” The political stuff is great, too.
• “…and all the pieces matter.” Five Years of Music from The Wire, Beyond Hamsterdam: Baltimore Tracks from The Wire (Nonesuch) Despite the duplication of several tracks, both collections are essential for fans of the HBO series. I prefer the rap-heavy Hamsterdam for its “homegrown” flavor and can picture cigar-chomping Bunk grooving to jazz pianist Lafayette Gilchrist’s Assume the Position.
• Music from the Motion Picture Juno (Rhino) Kimya Dawson’s charming toss-offs dominate, but there are also classic rock gems—notably Buddy Holly’s Dearest—that recall specific moments from 2007’s best comedy. Or is that 2008?
• The Steeldrivers (Rounder) Soulful bluegrass, what a great idea.
• The Best of the Johnny Cash TV Show (Columbia/Legacy) Ray Charles’ spectacular Ring of Fire is worth the price of the CD, but it’s too bad you can’t buy the individual track at iTunes or Amazon.

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