Stage fright can take many forms, and one of the worst is being too worried about what the audience will think, to have any fun. That was what afflicted Michael Kearns for years. Then, not long after 9/11, Nashville's notorious Gold Rush club gave him a weekly gig. It lasted most of a year. Between bean burritos Kearns found his mojo. "The sheer repetition drew me out of my shell," he says, "and I started having fun. It didn't hurt that Kathy Burkly, fabulous percussionist from Boston, started playing with me, and it didn't hurt that my girlfriend, Debra Donahue, told me that if I couldn't say something nice about my own music between songs, I shouldn't say anything."
A couple of years later Kearns added the other pieces of his band and the Lonely Mammals were born. They now consist of:
Mark Robinson: electric lead. From Bloomington Indiana, this artful veteran has played with everyone from Bobby Helms to Buddy Guy and is a prized sideman in Nashville. He also fronts his own band and does sessions in studios including his own, where he recorded the Lonely Mammals' new CD, Death or Life. www.markrobinson.biz
Kathy Burkly: drums and percussion. Kathy brings subtlety and power to her work, whether it's country, rock, or jazz. She's from Boston and yes, she's a graduate of Berklee. Kathy has toured with a number of successful bands, and is in demand as a live and recording musician in Nashville. www.kathyburkly.net
Kenny Owens: electric and upright bass. A musician who cares about the song, Owens is also a sweet hobbit with a wise brain. This tasteful bassist from New York lives deep in the pocket. His proudest moment: playing bass with Bill Monroe on his last New Year's Eve.
The Lonely Mammals are eclectic, quirky, and like to keep it loose – their grooves range from folk to rock to country to latin – whatever the song calls for.
Michael Kearns & The Lonely Mammals have played all around Nashville, including gigs at Davis Raines' All Points South, the Radio Café, Mark Wehner's Americana Tonight, and last but not least, they are proud to be regularly lonely at Teddy Larkin's annual Stammer Jammer Festival.
