About Me
***THE SOUR MASH BAND***
Formed in the early ninety's, by two native Tennesseeans, Ryan Ladda and Brandon Thompson, The Sour Mash Band has been an underground phenomenon for last decade-and-a-half. Born the sons of the late Whiskey craftsmen Gerald R. Ladda and Herbert P. Thompson III, Ryan and Brandon had a common bond from birth. Having both grown up in rural Tennessee, in very musical familes, Ryan and Brandon were both heavily exposed to all types of music from a very early age. Deep south flat-top pickin', raw delta blues, and the pure soul heard in the voices of the african field workers had a huge impact on the musical journey that would eventually become the Sour Mash Band. Pickin' his first guitar at the ripe old age of 7, Ryan was learning blues licks from ol' man Jenkins, who run the filling station in town. At the age of 14 Ryan got his first electric guitar, a Gibson Melody Maker, and first amp, a Sears Silvertone (which he still plays to this day). With the newly found "electricity" a revolutionary sound was being born... Brandon first started playing drums, after learning about rhythm from a field hand named Johnny Watson, at the tender age of 8 (this is also when he had his first shot of Whiskey). Steadily progressing from hand drums to a full-on drum kit, Brandon bought his first Ludwig 4-piece drum kit at the age of 13, and has been getting his mysterious "hoodoo" drum sound from Ludwig kits ever since... Fast forward to the late 1980's, when the two boys return to their home town in rural Tennessee for Herbert Thompson's funeral. After not seeing each other for almost two decades, the boys were re-united for the first time since Junior College. When they got to talkin', they realized how much they missed the days of playing the local bars together on saturday nights, and decided that an impromptu jam session would be in order. An instant groove was happening that night, and the boys decided that no matter what, they would figure out a way to put the band back together. After about three years of sporatic correspondence, it was learned by Brandon (who had moved north to Minnesota after his father's death), that Ryan and his family were going to be moving to Minnesota. This meant that the band would once again be "the band". The guys got together at a local dive bar one saturday night after Ryan got all settled in to his new pad, to figure out what was going to be the fate of the band. After many hours of discussion, many bottles of Grain Belt, and a few shots of Jack, it was decided that the band would consist solely of the two guys. Ryan playing guitar, and Brandon playing drums. After all, there had always been a hidden groove between the guys, that never dissapeared, even after all of the years. As a tribute to thier fathers, and to thier rich Tennesee heritage, the name "The Sour Mash Band" was decided upon. After all, it was the whiskey that brought their families and them together in the first place. So it was settled. Soon thereafter, a modest studio was purchased in the rural suburbs of the Twin Cities, and work began on the first of many albums. The record was finished, gigs were played, and the rest is history.....
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