Whiskey Basin had its origins back in 2005, when Dustin Seymour and Mike Braddock Jr. got together and played for the first time. Mike was fairly new to the bass, and Dustin to the guitar as well. Dustin had experience in Nashville as a singer and performer, and his songs so touched Mike Jr. that they decided to form a group. Known as Outlet at the time, the lineup consisted of Dustin on lead vocals and rhythm, Mike Braddock Jr. on bass and supporting vocals, Tommy Colby on drums, and Tommy's father filling in on guitars once in a while.
Outlet had some brief notoriety, playing in a few local places in the Deland/Orange City area. Their venues were small, however, and most complained about the loud volume of the music. It was apparent that bigger shows were needed to truly showcase the band's abilities. They also needed a permanent guitar player, since Tommy's father was not able to attend all shows.
In the Fall, a guitarist auditioned for the band's lead spot. He heard about the band from Mike Jr.'s sister Lauren, a college student who met him in a Music Appreciation class, and was impressed enough to invite him to meet Dustin and Michael. The guitarist was Michael Hill, and together they formed the beginnings of what was to become Whiskey Basin.
Mike Hill had been playing in the Orlando area for some time with several rock projects, including Running From Voodoo, winners of Review Orlando's 'Band Of The Year' award, and a group that included Florida's own DJ Irene Pardo (www.myspace.com/DJIRENEPARDO)... but Mike was looking for something different. He definitely found it with Dustin, Mike and Tommy. Under the name 'Outlet' still, They rehearsed for a few months, and then played some private parties, grabbing any bit of experience they could get whenever they could get it.
The following Summer, Tommy's father decided to move to Ohio. Due to personal reasons, Tommy quit the band. This was devastating to the group, since training a new drummer to learn the songs meant no shows for quite a while, and finding the right person for the job proved to be quite a challenge. Several people came to practice, ranging from pretty good to downright terrible. During this period of reshaping, the band changed its name to Whiskey Basin, which was a place up in Wyoming that Dustin's grandfather used to tell him stories about when he was younger.
In 2007, the band, still without a drummer, decided to sub in Mike Jr.'s father, as a "temporary solution" to the problem of finding a solid drummer. Mike Sr., a well-versed blues/southern rock drummer, was fairly new to playing country music, and originally looked at the position as what it was -- having fun helping out the guys until they could find a permanent drummer. As time went by, the band chose their replacement drummer -- Mike Sr.! He proved to be a formidable country drummer, and harder to replace than the band ever could have imagined. His skills definitely helped shape the band into what it is today.
Fans who come to see a Whiskey Basin show know to expect a lot of fun, and a great variety of music. The band plays everything from Waylon Jennings and Brad Paisley to Lynyrd Skynyrd and AC/DC. They are versatile, love to please the crowd, and have fun doing it! Lots of the fans who come out to play that first time usually come back for more, and Whiskey Basin loves to see friendly faces. They'll buy you a drink and sing you a song any day of the week.
Over the course of the next year, the band rehearsed and played more private functions, and eventually began to headline at clubs in Astor, Daytona, and even perform at some major events, such as The 2007 Volusia County Fair and Bike Week 2008. Their latest achievement is being chosen out of over 60 other bands to perform on the main Hospitality Stage at the Daytona Beach International Speedway for the Coke Zero 400 Race. Whiskey Basin has truly saddled up its horses, and it's riding into your city.
