Grover's Take on Things

 
You can see my smiling wife Adrianne in this photo, posing with the equally smiling subject of this essay.

Actually, she is posing with two people. (And no, I’m not including the bartender or the mostly hidden customer in the background.)

I can sense what you’re thinking: “It doesn’t look like two people to me. Get your eyes examined, Grover!” Well, to quote Groucho (my favorite Marxist), “Who are going to believe, me or your own eyes?” (Actually, I think it was Chico, dressed up like Groucho.)

One of the two people with Adrianne is the guitarist in a rock/progressive rock/jazz trio we had just heard at The Berkeley in downtown Raleigh. (It’s quite a wonderful band, about whom more later!) The other person with her is the ophthalmologist who, less than a week after we moved back to North Carolina, performed emergency retinal laser surgery on Adrianne, thus saving her sight!

Well, the obvious answer is that the guitarist and the ophthalmologist are one and the same person — Kevin O’Neal, M.D., Ph.D., master of the fusion guitar, and saver of spousal vision. (We have no confirmation as yet concerning his abilities as they relate to tall buildings and single bounds.)

He has, of course, remained our “eye doctor,” at his practice, the Cary Eye Center. He is someone whom we both genuinely like and immensely respect: an indisputable rock star of the ophthalmic arts. So imagine our surprise when he one day told us about his alter-ego as a true rock star! And, as we first discovered that night at the Berkeley, he’s a truly gifted musician as well.

And Now, More on LowderStill

“If you like bluesy jazzy fusion rock that reminds you a bit of Santana, Steely Dan, Emerson Lake and Palmer, then you’ll like this sound. This is all original material and features some great guitar work and fine drumming. This is a tight band. If you are looking for something new, original, and reminiscent of an earlier time when rock music was in its prime, these guys have captured it. I was pleasantly surprised at how good this is.”
— Mark Fletcher, reviewer

My current favorite track from their CDs is called “The Situation.” I’m going to let you click on the “Play” button in the graphic below, so that you can be listening to their music while I continue. (If you’re using headphones, which I strongly recommend, Kevin is in the right channel.)

The members of LowderStill stroll down the Midway of the NC State Fair.

Shown above are the members of LowderStill (John Teunis, drums; Ted Van Dyk, keyboards; and Kevin O’Neal, guitar) in a publicity still for their upcoming CD, Carnival Show. I’m told they’ll be in the studio finishing it up in July and August, so perhaps we can expect it out in time for holiday gift-giving!

Kevin is continuing his musical journey, having now become a solo recording artist, exploring his own genres and compositional styles. His website describes his music as “Jazz/Fusion and Pop,” but I think you’ll hear a silky blend of other influences, as well. In the graphic below is one of his first recordings under his own name. Enjoy!
 

2020 UPDATE

from Adrianne and Grover Proctor