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November 27, 2006
It has to be flattering for a talented musician, singer and songwriter to be asked to join one legendary band, but when you’re fortunate enough to be asked to join two, as happened to Nashville-based Jack Sundrud, well, it certainly means that your reputation, and your ability, is ingrained in your peers.
Sundrud has been a member of Poco, the renowned purveyors of country-rock, since the beginning of the decade, after two prior stints with the band, in the mid 80s and early 90s. In addition to that, he has recently been performing double duty, sitting in with another classic band, Pure Prairie League, as a short-term replacement for original bassist Mike Reilly, who is recuperating from surgery.
The association between the two bands and with Sundrud, is evidence of his artistry and his multi-faceted career.
"Rick Schell (PPL’s drummer) called me when they realized that Mike was going to need an extended recovery period," Sundrud recalled. "Rick played drums on ‘By My Own Hand,’ on my solo CD, and Poco and PPL have played many, many shows together over the years, and both are managed by Rick Alter.
"I talked to Rusty (Young, founding member and leader of Poco) about doing it, and he was very cool with the idea."
Young concurred, noting "it makes perfect sense for Jack to help PPL out while Reilly is down. We're all good friends, and since Jack has heard their set more than a few times, it was easier to fit him in than it would be someone new."
"I do get a kick out of Jack's habit of changing shirts for each band," Young joked. "We did suggest that, when he plays with PPL, he might wear those black-rimmed glasses that come with a big nose and fake mustache attached."
Sundrud played his first show with PPL in Texas in June, and the pace picked up through the concert season.
"Rick Plant (PPL’s bassist) did most of the (2006) summer shows with them," Sundrud said, "but he moved to Australia, so I finished out the summer schedule. Hopefully, Mike will be back in the saddle for the ’07 touring season. No one knows for sure yet, but that’s the plan."
Although Sundrud is clearly talented and versatile enough to pull off the dual role, it’s not that easy, he explained, to go out with another band.
"I was, of course, very familiar with their music, having heard them a number of times, but I had to know all of it, exactly, to do the gig," he said. "I got recordings of all the songs, made charts (of the music), and did the first couple of shows with the charts. I don’t like using charts, so I spent the time required to commit the songs to memory, just played along with them in front of my stereo, until I had them memorized."
It also helped, Sundrud added, that he’s a fan of PPL’s music.
"They’re one of the earliest country rock bands, and ‘Amie’ is a classic," he said. "I’ve really enjoyed the music and the guys."
And, it’s given him a unique perspective from the position of playing bass, singing and traveling with arguably two of the best, most respected bands of the country rock era.
"The advantage to it is that it’s fun to play both sets of music," he said. "Also, I’d be lying if I didn’t say that the two paychecks ain’t too shabby.
"The disadvantage is that each band has its own identity with the fans, and I don’t want to affect that in any way," he added. "I look at it like I’m just filling in for Mike, temporarily.
"I love playing the music with these guys, they’re all real pros," he said. "And, there have been fans of both bands that have come up and said hello to me after shows."
And, it’s clear that PPL feels the same way about him.
"It’s tough when you lose someone of Mike’s caliber in the band," PPL original member and front man Craig Fuller said, "but, it’s so great to be able to call on Jack, who’s been a friend for so long."
But, looking back, would Sundrud do it again?
"Absolutely," he said. "After playing for a living for as long as I have, and after having been in Poco for as long as I have, it's a kick in the butt (in a good way) to be challenged to learn a whole set of material that I hadn't played before. Long inactive synapses started sputtering and, finally, fired up. It felt good.
"It hasn't been any more taxing that tacking a few more shows onto the Poco schedule, he added. "Of course, travel gets tiring and, in reality, that's the toughest part of my job. But it's also part of the job description. We all know that the travel is what we get paid for - the time onstage is the gravy."
"I guess I'm pretty seasoned, as well," he concluded. I really enjoy the whole thing."
------Mark Gould
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