Fans of great, old-fashioned rock and country music will have a chance once again to hear their favorite band tonight in Starkville. Santa Fe, the widely popular rock and country band, will play at Rick’s Caf starting around 9 p.m. with Jason Boland and the Stragglers opening the night’s set.
Formed in 1992, the Philadelphia-based Santa Fe have become a largely popular band because of their great musicianship and the quality of music they perform. They are known for playing traditional country favorites and old classic rock jams, as well.
The band is comprised of Joe Latham from Sebastopol on bass and vocals; Nic Massey from Union on guitar and vocals; Clint Marshall from Arlington on drums and vocals; Jason Fulton from Philadelphia on guitar; and Steve Wilkerson from Daleville on keyboards, guitar and lead vocals. The band has been together for 12 years and bases that feat on the fact that nobody in the band has a huge ego and they all get along very well together. Santa Fe also had a chance 10 years ago to sign a major label contract, but decided to stay local to keep up with the fans that made them famous in the first place.
“We’ve been together for about 12 years now, since 1992,” Steve Wilkerson said. “We’ve been playing together ever since and we just get along well together. Back in 1994, we were booked through a manager in Nashville and could’ve gotten signed, but didn’t. And at this point, we all have regular jobs and regular lives, but if the chance to sign a deal came our way, we’d take it.”
Rick Welch, owner of Rick’s Caf, says Santa Fe is one of the best bands in its genre and is glad to get the chance for one of his favorite bands to play once again.
“I think Santa Fe is leading the comeback of Southern rock and country to this market,” Welch said. “They’ve been doing this a long time, have had their ups and downs in this market, and I’m proud to say that they’re back.”
Welch has also had a long relationship with Santa Fe and knows the band is guaranteed to bring in their loyal fans to the show tonight.
“I’ve known them for a long time, like 15 years or something,” Welch said. “They’ve always had a strong traveling fan base; their friends and fans travel from all over to see them play. I think the love for this band and the guys in the band is catching on.”
Welch also adds that the age of Santa Fe and their unique way of playing music has lent some well-deserved credibility to the band.
“[Santa Fe] is a little bit older and have been playing together forever, so they’re fine tuned when it comes to their musicianship,” Welch said. “They are great musicians and the way they split up the singing between three guys, so it’s not always one guy singing, keeps things interesting.”
Santa Fe’s music has obviously garnered appreciation among their fans, but the fact that they are just ordinary guys playing good quality music makes people like them even more.
“They’ve been building and building their reputation and have become really popular on campus, so I think lots of people will come out to see them,” Welch said.
“We just hope everybody comes out to experience our music and gets ready to have a great time with a night of great music,” he added.