Richard Speight, Jr. is returning to his roots when he heads to Nashville later this month to play the Exit/In, a local music venue that he grew up going to. Rich is there as Dick Jr. & The Volunteers, playing alongside some of his friends, including Rob Benedict, Jason Manns, Billy Moran, Mark Sheppard, and Emma Fitzpatrick. It’s also the first time Mark Sheppard has performed with them in Nashville.
The crew is in town for Creation Entertainment’s The Road So Far… The Road Ahead Tour, a Supernatural-themed convention in which they’re staples on the convention circuit. Speight will regularly perform with Benedict and Moran’s band, Louden Swain, at the conventions, and will often times hold independent gigs in the cities as well.
Such is the case for Nashville, and they have a show on Thursday, October 30. Since it’s the day before Halloween, Rich promises some fun Halloween “face paint” and the holiday being woven into their show.
It’s going to be a fun show with some of your favorite people, and it’s guaranteed to be a great time. The show is 18+. General Admission Tickets are $40 (plus fees). You can purchase your ticket here.
I talked to Rich about the show and what fans can expect – read it below!
Nerds and Beyond: You grew up in the Nashville area. What is it like to return to perform at the Exit/In with some of your friends?
Richard Speight, Jr.: It’s phenomenal, because I’m not just from Nashville, but my musical tastes were honed at the Exit/In. I used to go see bands play there all the time, and I still have a live recording of a band called The Stakes on New Year’s Eve in 1995 that I’ve had digitized and play on every New Year’s Eve when I’m at a party. They play “Auld Lang Syne,” that I play all the time, every year. So it’s just a part of my existence, and it’s part of Nashville’s fingerprint. It’s not the touristy area; it’s in the area where people who love music go, and that makes it unique and special.
Nerds and Beyond: What can fans expect from this set? Is there anything you can tease about the show?
Richard Speight, Jr.: Yeah, for starters, can we talk about face paint? I mean, we’re all dolling up for Halloween. We are leaning in in a big way. And, we’ve done this lineup before, and what works great is that I’ve taken guys who are acoustic, and I’ve made them electric. Jason Manns, who’s always been the guy by himself with the guitar, now has a full band. Rob Benedict, doing his solo stuff, has a full band. It’s just a rock show from stem to stern. Plus, we’ll do a couple of Halloween nods musically, and we’re all going to be in full makeup and leaning into the entire holiday, so hopefully the fans will do the same, and we’ll have a kick ass Halloween party Nashville style.
Nerds and Beyond: Finally, what is something about your show that you hope people walk away feeling or thinking after seeing you perform?
Richard Speight, Jr.: I built my entire musical career on the concept of free beer. That’s why I learned to play guitar. That’s why I started a band. It seemed like a great way to be invited to the party that you might not have been included in otherwise when I was a young man, because maybe I wasn’t cool enough, but hell, if I’m the bass player, then you’ve got to let me in. That’s what I want. I want people to come and go, “I’m invited to this party. I am part of this world, and these are my people, and we’re going to rip it up.” Obviously, the beer is not free. Exit/In is going to charge for that. [laughs] But the experience should be that of a bunch of friends having a backyard banger, and it should be fun, stem to stern. I’m not trying to make a statement. I’m not trying to teach a lesson. I just want everybody to have a great time.
Don’t forget – You can purchase your ticket here.
Editor’s note: This interview was edited for clarity.
