We had a sweet time on Flood Thursday last week partying with some dear old friends. Singer/songwriter Douglas Imbrogno has been in the extended Flood family for many years, so it is always a joy when he rolls back into the room.
And this week the inspiration for his return was a visit from another long-time friend, journalist Diana Jones, who traveled in from Pittsburgh.
Diana — who, with Doug, was a young reporter for editors Pamela and Charlie Bowen at The Herald-Dispatch 40 years ago or so — also is a veteran of those early music parties at the Bowen house where The Flood was born.
Fun Night
It was a joy to give Doug and Diana a sample of where the band is these days. “All versions of The Flood have been a treat worth listening to through the years,” Doug wrote yesterday in a post-party Facebook filing.
“And ’twas heart-thrumming to sit in that room and see the framed homage photos on a side table to departed bandmates Joe Dobbs and Dave Peyton. This latest iteration of The Flood is no different.”
“The band now includes,” he added, “a tight and tasty feast of — wait for it — twentysomething ace saxophone, plus superb guitar and bass, and Charlie and Sam's always fine instrumentation and singing. Don't miss them when The Flood starts flooding stages again!”
A Song from Douglas
And of course, we had to put a guitar in Doug’s hands so we could tease out a song from him.
Pamela’s video, featuring four of the evening’s tunes, begins with our accompanying a classic Imbrogno’s original, “Champagne From a Mason Jar,” a great song with a cool backstory.
In 2005, the first induction ceremony of the West Virginia Hall of Fame was hosted by Charleston-born actress/performance artist Ann Magnuson, who came out in a series of what looked like colorful prom dresses, each accompanied by wit and commentary.
After the final act, Ann came out and said something like, "That's all folks! Now, let's all go out and drink champagne from a mason jar ..." In the audience that night, Doug Imbrogno’s songwriter muse immediately flagged that great line.
“Later that year,” Doug says, “I heard a gypsy folk-rock band from Brooklyn, finalists in the NewSong Mountain Stage songwriters contest. Ann's line and the band's out-of-pocket swing rhythm yielded this song, although it took about five years to cook up in my songwriter lab.”
Shifting Moods
In Pamela’s video, Doug’s tune is followed by multiple mood shifts, from Vanessa Coffman and Dan Cox mellowing it out with “Georgia on My Mind” to Sam St. Clair rocking the room with “Ain’t No Free,” before wrapping up with a favorite Fats Waller standard, “Honeysuckle Rose,” rolling along on Randy Hamilton’s swinging bass line.
More Doug
By the way, if this report has whetted your appetite for more Douglas Imbrogno music, have we got a playlist for you! Remember, he is featured in a much-loved episode in our “Pajama Jam” series, which came out in 2020 during the pandemic shutdown.
Wait a minute. Shoot, you don’t have to reMEMber it — we got your link to that video right here. Yes, we’ve always dug Imbrogno.
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