Drove from Shepherdsville, KY to Elizabeth, IN (Caesar’s Casino), to see Blackberry Smoke concert. It was awesome as usual. 3rd time I’ve seen them this year and 4th overall. Greatest band in America!

Mars Williams, free-jazz musician and saxophonist for the Psychedelic Furs and The Watresses, dies at 68

Quote:“I don’t know anyone else who’s able to go one night from playing a rock concert in front of 5,000 people to playing at the Beat Kitchen in front of 10, and taking both contexts absolutely seriously,” saxophonist Dave Rempis told the Tribune recently. “It’s not even rare; it’s unheard of to move back and forth between all the worlds that he does.”

Williams died Nov. 20 from ampullary cancer, a rare cancer affecting the area around the small intestine, after being diagnosed almost a year ago. He was 68. His death was confirmed to the Tribune by his brother Paul Williams.

“Mars Williams is one of the true saxophone players — someone who takes pleasure in the sheer act of blowing the horn and there are not many saxophone players I can truthfully say this about,” Zorn wrote in the liner notes to “Eftsoons,” Williams’ 1984 duo album with multi-instrumentalist Hal Russell.

Williams also kick-started his parallel career in the rock world in New York, playing punk shows at the music club CBGB and picking up gigs by word-of-mouth. That path eventually led him to the Psychedelic Furs, becoming the band’s longest-serving member after founders Richard and Tim Butler. He played with the Furs from 1983 to 1989, then again from 2005 to the present.

As is the sideman’s lot, Williams was never a household name, though many of the acts he performed with are: Billy Idol, The Killers, Ministry, the Power Station, Billy Squier, Massacre, Die Warzau, Dirty Projectors and Jerry Garcia, to name a few. As a core member of short-lived hit magnets The Waitresses, Williams ripped all over that band’s most enduring tunes, like “Christmas Wrapping” and “I Know What Boys Like.”

Artist: The Watresses
Album: A Christmas Record
Song: "Christmas Wrapping"
1981 ZE Records



Artist: The Watresses
Album: Wasn't Tomorrow Wonderful?
Song: "I Know What Boys Like"
January 11, 1982 ZE Records/Polydor Records




That's Mars Williams in the grey and white striped jacket blowin' his horn at Patty Donahue.

Artist: The Psychedelic Furs
Album: Mirror Moves
Song: "Heartbeat"
August 1984 Columbia Records



That's Mars' signature horn with one of his trademark riffs kickng off this killer tune for the Furs from back in their heydey.

My son’s new single came out today. IT’S ON FIRE!!!!!
Makes me wanna get in my car and drive through the mountains!
It’d be helpful if yall jumped on spotify, itunes/apple music, youtube, or whatever and liked his music, plugged it into your playlist, and shared it. He’s a good kid. Thanks
Shepherd Hieb. He’s also on facebook, instagram, and linkedin.

This is Jamey Johnson - JSU alum.

It is a beautiful story worth listening to. He, Randy Owens (lead singer of Alabama), Riley Green and Gordon Mote are performing Thursday night at a fund raiser for the ROC (Randy Owen Center of Performing Arts) to raise money for construction.

All four were students at Jax State and Randy is on the Board of Trustees.

Jamey Johnson is awesome! But man! That picture is deceiving. It must be really old.

#ShepherdHiebmusicIsTheGreatest
https://open.spotify.com/artist/1s9537qj...kBnBlwKpaA

My son’s band PENNYROYAL and their new release. I think you’ll love it. Very different sound compared to his solo stuff.

My son’s band has a new one out. Pennyroyal and their song Woodshed.