Seeing the James Intveld band on stage there is a definite sense of professionalism and the band has been doing this a long time. This particular group may not have been playing forever. James kept strumming in between songs, talking to the drummer. So, maybe the drummer is a fill-in. They sounded great playing Country and Rock-a-billy whether an original or Johnny Cash.

James Intveld has played with many famous musicians like Dwight Yoakum and John Fogerty. One story about him is worth sharing because my mom is a Ricky Nelson fan and I remember his music. Intveld was in a band called Rockin’ Shadows with his brother Ricky Intveld and friend Pat Woodward. Ricky and Pat left the band to play with Rick Nelson’s Stone Canyon Band.

If you’re as old as me you know what happened. Drummer Ricky Intveld and bass player Pat Woodward were on the plane that crashed on December 31, 1985 outside Dallas, Texas on the way to a New Year’s Eve event. That was a sad day. My mom told me about the Nelson family and how Rick Nelson use to say, “You can’t please everybody. You can only please yourself.” I loved watching re-runs of The Adventures of Ozzy and Harriet as a kid.

Flash forward to December 31, 2013, twenty-eight years later on the anniversary of the plane crash, I had the pleasure of listening to James Intveld in Fullerton at the First Night celebration. So weird. I almost missed that connection if I hadn’t looked at his biography.

First Night is an alcohol-free, family-friendly celebration that some cities in SoCal host. Escondido puts on a good one. Fullerton didn’t have one for 2012 due to lack of finances. The fireworks and carnival games came back for 2013.

As I post this, James Intveld, a Los Angeles native who now makes his home in Nashville, will be back in Fullerton tonight at Big’s Grill. If he ever comes to your town and you like Rock-a-billy, you will enjoy dancing to James Intveld.  http://jamesintveld.com/