When brothers Randall and Ralph Jones started their new band, they were simply looking to play a show per month; they didn’t expect to form Tailgate and perform almost every weekend.
The Joneses were joined by Rob Payne on guitar and Jason Ward as the singer, bringing together sounds and backgrounds from different genres. Randall and Ralph both enjoyed classic ’80s rock, Ward came from the country music scene, and Payne enjoyed heavier metals.
Yet, they found enjoyment in creating together.
“We all kind of agreed that we’re going to just play stuff that we like. If it’s something you hear on the radio and everybody’s open to it, we try the song,” Ralph said.
That openness to all music served as the origin of their band’s name, “Tailgate.”
When originally throwing around names for the group, they couldn’t find one that encapsulated them and the type of music they wanted to perform.
“You hear any kind of music at a tailgate. You hear country, rock, classic, metal, you hear everything. Well, that’s kind of what we do. We play everything, and Tailgate fit, and it’s where the party starts,” Ralph said.
All four members said that Tailgate wasn’t their first band, as they’ve played with various groups since they were teenagers in some cases.
Payne said he has been on the underground circuit in Nashville with his previous bands. .
“I went out, grew up, became an adult, got a career, laid it all down for probably almost 25 years. When I finally got my career level, I said ‘I’m gonna pick up the guitar again,’ and that’s when I found all these guys,” Payne said.
Now, as adults with full careers with a passion for music, all four find ways to continue to perform when they can. Luckily, they said, they have relatively flexible schedules that allow them to perform on the weekends and rehearse.
Tailgate is based in Owensboro but has traveled through the region, including for performances in Frankfort, Franklin, and Evansville.
They noted one of the more unique experiences they’ve had brought them to perform during a parade on the flatbed of a trailer riding down KY 231. Ward said moments like that have brought the band together, and the goal of once a month seemed too low.
“That’s why it didn’t just stay one gig a month. Once we got out, and people started liking us, we picked up more gigs and played more shows,” Ward said.
Tailgate has developed a following and seen support from the community, and the energy the crowd provides feeds into their shows. Whether the crowd is 50 people or 5 — and there have been a few empty nights, the members joked — they said they try to keep their energy up for the crowd.
After 4 years of performing at different venues and enjoying different crowds, Randall said he didn’t know the group was going to bring this joy to his life.
“I never thought it would get this good,” he said. “It’s just been easy. I think it’s a combination of the music that we choose to play and the attitudes of everybody in the band. At other times, it wasn’t that easy.”
