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5 Questions with Longstreet Station
Classic rock band is Gainesville-flavored, right down to its name
5QUESTIONSLONGSTREET
The Gainesville-based band Longstreet Station will perform Friday at Loco's Grill & Pub. Members include Brad Dunagan, Michael Dunagan, Mike Adams and Eddie Daniel.

Longstreet Station

When: 9 p.m. Friday, Feb. 24

Where: Loco's Grill & Pub, Sherwood Plaza, Gainesville.

Cost: Free

If you like the classics, no doubt you will like the sound of Gainesville's own band, Longstreet Station.

The band is led by Brad Dunagan on bass and lead vocals; his brother, Michael Dunagan, on keys and vocals; Mike Adams on lead guitar; and Eddie Daniel on drums and lead vocals. They roll together three eras of classic rock, honky tonk, blues and jazz standards into one dance-inducing show.

The Times recently caught up with lead vocalist and bassist Brad Dunagan for a Q&A:

Question: How did you guys come together to form Longstreet Station?

Answer: We had not played professionally for many years, choosing to focus on our other careers and raising our families. But our niece, Katie Deal, asked Michael and I, along with a friend, Doug Clark, to back her up in a traveling Patsy Cline show a few years ago.

We had such a good time, we decided to start playing again and we formed the band today known as Longstreet Station, (named) after Gen. James Longstreet of Gainesville.

I had just read a biography of Longstreet written by a local writer and friend, Gordon Sawyer and ... decided to name the band Longstreet, since we were all from Gainesville. My wife told me I needed something else in the title and suggested Longstreet Station and that is how it all came together.

It seems like my brother, Michael, and I have played music together all of our lives in church, various bands and at home with the family. Our mother played piano, accordion and mandolin and we both, along with our two sisters, grew up loving all types of music and singing together around the piano.

Q: What do you bring to the group individually as musicians?

A: All of the guys have grown up in and around the Georgia music scene with influences from the '50s, '60s and '70s eras of music, especially by artists like the Allman Brothers, Lynyrd Skynyrd, Wet Willie, Eddie Floyd, Elvis, Carl Perkins, CCR, blues artists like Robert Johnson, Albert King, Muddy Waters, B.B. King, Eric Clapton and Americana.

Eddie Daniel is not just a drummer, he is a great musician who brings a broad range of past experiences in different types of music genre and percussion to the band. Eddie loves big band classics and jazz standards by artists like Frank Sinatra and Tony Bennett.

Mike Adams plays guitar in any style the music calls out for and is one of the best guitar players my brother and I have every played with in a band. Mike adds great dynamics to the music, whether it is an old Bill Withers or an Otis Redding cover, Robert Johnson blues or an Elvis or Johnny Cash classic rockabilly country song.

Michael Dunagan on keyboards, piano and organ is amazing to watch and listen to when he is doing fill and rhythm or taking off on a lead. Michael will add a little jazz flavor to the blues when you least expect it and plays one of the best honky tonk pianos around.

(I) play the upright bass and do most of the lead vocals and tell the jokes.

Q: How do you guys feel about the current music industry?

A: As musicians, we are not crazy about pop music or hip hop but we support the development of new artists and new genres.

Q: How often does the band get to play in the North Georgia area?

A: Once a month.

Q: Is there somewhere you guys would put on your wish list of music venues to perform at or in?

A: Tootsies or Legends in Nashville, outside festivals/concert venues, the new Georgia Theatre in Athens.