Inside the Columbia Museum of Art – 7:00
After decades in the local Columbia, SC music scene fronting the popular party band Tootie & the Jones, singer and guitarist Murray “Don’t call him Tootie” Baroody decided to mark his 50th birthday by writing and recording some of his own songs. Once he enlisted the assistance of Jam Room Studio owner and local bassist Jay Matheson and drummer-for-everyone Steve Sancho, a surprising thing happened—the trio bonded and decided to become a ‘real’ band, The Distributors.
“I called up Jay, who I’ve known for years even though our bands were on opposite ends of the local scene, and he was the facilitator for the recording sessions,” Baroody says. “He brought in Steve and it just kind of happened from there.”
What happened was a happy accident three decades in the making; the collective experience of the players shows in every riff, every groove, every beat of these songs. They are not trying to be fancy, hip, or even all that current; rather they capture the timeless essence of simple rock ‘n’ roll pleasures like nothing since the glory days of 70’s rock. Credit Matheson for steering the sound in a certain direction—a no-frills zone, if you will.
“We didn’t have a gig anywhere in the plan yet, we were just making a record,” Matheson says. “I still make records the old fashioned way, playing in a room together. It’s definitely a 70’s rock aesthetic, more blues based rock.”