Artimus Pyle entertained Bonita Springs, Florida Saturday night August 24, 2019 at The Southwest Florida Event Center. The SWFL Event Center is a type of dinner theater where members dine and then enjoy great entertainment. The floor was set with tables seating just over 200, with additional seating in raised tiers. What stuck out were the great acoustics making The Southwest Florida Event Center a wonderful and intimate venue to see a great show. MarkHoran.Pictures was on hand to cover the event for MNPRmagazine.com.

“Letters From Jett” hit Florida’s radar in 2018, promoting their initial album release of “Heartbreaks and Hangovers”. The band has a country sound with a southern rock vibe. The show opened at 7:00pm with “Best I Ever Had”, a traditional southern rock song with heavy licks from lead guitarist Trace Foster. “One More Time” and “Southern Tune” are definitely southern rock, but the remaining songs about drinking and love lost had all the ingredients for any good country show. There is a definite crossing over going on here between country and southern rock, or at best, a real blurring of the lines. They even covered “Elvis Presley’s” “Burning Love”. No one in attendance was left out.

Heath Molton’s vocals and lyrics are a winning combination that will take this band far. Backing Molton’s lead vocals are four-part harmonies from Foster and the rhythm section of bass player Lucas Petersen and Molton’s brother Gunnar on drums. “Letters From Jett” has wide popularity as their music and show appeal to everyone.

Band:

Heath Molton – Lead Vocals/Rhythm Guitar

Gunnar Molton – Drums/Background Vocals

Lucas Petersen – Bass/Background Vocals

Trace Foster – Lead Guitar/Background Vocals

Setlist:

Best I Ever Had
Never Get Lost
One More Time
Sweet Melissa
Southern Tune
Leave Me Alone
Burning Love (Cover Elvis Presley)
Waiting on You

Rock and Roll Hall of Fame Drummer Artimus Pyle was Lynyrd Skynyrd’s drummer. The plane crash on October 20, 1977 killed vocalist Ronnie Van Zant, lead guitar Steve Gaines, and his sister, backing vocalist Cassie Gaines, and the band disbanded. Ten years later in 1987 the remaining members reunited the band. Artimus left Lynyrd Skynyrd in 1991.

The Artimus Pyle Band is a tribute band in honor of Lynyrd Skynyrd, playing the music as it was originally recorded. When Artimus joined Lynyrd Skynyrd in 1974, his addition behind the drum kit changed the sound of the band. The songs really became hard hitting and packed a punch.

I had not seen the original line up of “Lynyrd Skynyrd” perform live, but I owned every album they released in the 1970’s. They were on my list to see. Seeing “The Artimus Pyle Band” is the next best thing. This show wasn’t a tribute show as much as it was a celebration show of Lynyrd Skynyrd’s music. The audience loved it, but the band on stage was loving it even more. The band members were all smiles and cutting up all night long. The highlight of the show was the acoustic version of “Tuesday’s Gone” with three-part harmony. It was beautiful. Typically, a Lynyrd Skynyrd show must include “Free Bird”. The song became an anthem to many in the 1970’s. The band appropriately performed it last to let it ring inside the audience’s heads as they drove home.

Their music never gets old as it reminds us of a time when we were younger and indestructible. I thank The Artimus Pyle Band for the trip down memory lane.

Band:

Artimus Pyle – Drums

Jerry Lyda – Vocals, Guitar

Brad Durden – Vocals, Keyboard

Scott Raines – Vocals, Lead Guitar

David Fowler – Bass

Set List:

Needle and The Spoon
That Smell
Simple Man
Saturday Night Special
Working For MCA
The Hunt
Gimmie 3 Steps
The Breeze
Tuesdays Gone (Acoustic)
You Got That Right
Travelin Man
Ballad of Curtis Lowe
Swap Music
I’m a Whiskey Rock and Roller
Free Bird

Concert review on MNPRmagazine.com