Country Confidential chats with

WITCHITAW

They'd just played an afternoon gig in Cornwall, P.E.I., then tore down and drove many kilometers to appear at a second show on the Island that evening. Their keyboard player was en route from his day job in Nova Scotia to make the second gig. They would actually sleep at the theatre they played that night.

All in a day's fun for the guys from Witchitaw. Jason Spinney, brother Jamie Spinney, Terry Salsman and Jason Burns were relaxed as we sat and chatted at the King's Playhouse in Georgetown on a recent Saturday night, but they must have been at least a little tired after a busy summer travelling around the Maritimes, playing gigs with other Atlantic Canadian up-and-comers like Rik Reese and Neon Highway.

Jason S. says their debut C.D., "Walk Like A King", is southern country rock, though he's hesitant to define their music at all, because, he adds, "When you do that, you paint yourself into a box, and I'm having more fun than I ever had playing with this band, because we're playing music that's making us happy, and it seems to be making the people who come to the shows happy as well."

Their former band was called "Country Generations" a hard-core generational country band. That's where they cut their teeth on classic country, but eventually the group disbanded and Terry, Jason S. and Jamie decided to tackle something more contemporary. Not that they have divorced themselves from the country classics. They still do Johnny Cash covers in their shows - not just to keep the crowd happy, but to keep themselves happy as well. They've been influenced by Cash, Waylon Jennings and Elvis Presley, but they wanted to be able to focus more on original music.

They're enjoying what they're doing, touring the Maritimes promoting "Walk Like A King". The C.D. was recorded at Nashville's Hilltop Studios, but Jason S. still believes that Witchitaw has to pay its dues. "There may be twenty-five people here tonight," he says, indicating the hall around us, "But that's twenty-five people who didn't hear the band before."

The group is also starting to understand the value of social networking. After getting a Facebook page up and running this summer, Jason S. found the immediate feedback it leads to after shows has been fascinating.

He takes the lead role in setting up bookings and handling the day to day business of the band, but Jason S. quickly explains that Witchitaw is a team effort. His brother Jamie designed the band website and t-shirts; bass player Terry Salsman makes sure the band is on time and gets to the right location. Guitarist Jason Burns is a hard worker with a big heart. He packs the truck and the van every night after a gig. "Because he's short enough to get in there," Jason S. jokes. "And I'm younger," Burns points out, grinning.

Though Jason B. may be the youngest member of the band, Jamie says the lad can pull classics out of the hat that were hits even before he was born.

Keyboardist Dohn Kendall would no doubt be tired after working all day and then setting out on the long drive to P.E.I. for the show, but the fact that he was making the effort at all shows the dedication he has to the group, and to his fellow bandmates.

In fact, while chatting with them, one has a sense that these guys are friends first and foremost. Terry's getting married at the end of the summer, and Jason Spinney will be his best man. When Country Confidential asked who would play at the wedding, Jason S. teased that Terry's wife-to-be put her foot down at the suggestion it might be Witchitaw. "She'll be looking in the car to make sure there aren't any instruments in there," Terry laughed.

So with all this hard work and focus, will there be a secret to their success? Jason S. hints that there's a family connection that's already made a big difference.

His dad, Frank Spinney, has been performing for nearly fifty years, and will soon be inducted into the Nova Scotia Country Music Hall of Fame. Jason credits his father with instilling showmanship in the band. "We really do have tremendous musicianship and showmanship," he points out, "And we really try to put on a show. It's not just playing music to people. So we've learned that from dad, that when people come and they've paid their hard-earned money to watch you, you put on a show, don't just play music at them."

For more on the band, check out their website at www.witchitaw.com