Arts & Entertainment
Rockers Reunite for Summer Music Tour
Centreville-area musicians set to play at Fast Eddie's and other locations this summer.
Three Centreville-area rock-and-roll musicians who played music together in high school are “getting the band back together” and have launched a summer music tour hitting clubs and venues in Northern Virginia.
Although it may at first-glance sound like a script from a Hollywood movie, Centreville’s Mike Bailey, Pete Evick and Ray Madonna are serious about their new band, Downtime, which has already started to book dates, starting next month. Bailey and Evick, lead guitarist for Bret Michaels, Poison front-man, when Michaels tours with his own band, are .
The three played together in various bands about 20 years ago when they were all in high school. Evick and Madonna, a drummer, played together in a Manassas-based band that was a rival to Bailey’s Centreville group. After a famous dust-up in a mall parking lot when Bailey and Evick attended Stonewall Jackson High School in Manassas, the two became fast friends and collaborated on Potomac Records.
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To recapture some of the old music magic, they decided to for a one-time summer tour. Evick will front the band and play lead guitar, Bailey is on drums and Madonna will play percussion. They will be joined by local musicians Gary Smallwood on guitar and Ray Sheuring on bass.
“The guys all play in other bands, they are all music professionals and we know this will be a good experience,” Bailey said. “Everybody likes playing and this is the opportunity to do it now.”
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They gave themselves the name “Downtime” because they will be playing on their off days during the week between their other fulltime performance commitments. Their gigs will mostly be on Wednesdays and Thursdays, Bailey said.
“We plan on performing from 7 p.m. to 11 p.m on weeknights to make it easier on those who support us, but also have to work in the morning,” Bailey said with a laugh.
They are booked for June 16 at the Mahalo Cove in Sterling and on June 29 at in Centreville. The band will play rock-and-roll cover songs and may mix in some original tunes, Bailey said.