Turning on South Railroad Avenue, the sound of Sublime’s “Santeria” welcomes my arrival to the Irish Bred Pub. The music reverberates around the general Opelika downtown area, accompanied by the clamor of people in the balcony.

Entering the pub, I notice that the entire first floor, except for the bar, is isolated except for one man in the corner yelling over the band that the show is upstairs. From the loud impression I gathered outside the pub, it surprised me that only a few girls were on the dance floor. Most of the people were either outside smoking cigarettes or sitting at the bar.

Despite the small turnout, the band kept performing, playing a wide variety of songs ranging from Eminem’s “My Name Is” and 311’s “All Mixed Up” to Johnny Cash’s “Folsom Prison Blues.” “They’re very diverse”, said Chris McBride, who appeared to be the pub’s manager. “Their music has a very electric, reggae feel.”

To define the genre behind the Jason McMillan Band would be futile in principle. Their musical style is uniquely mixed, with ska and reggae rhythms blending in within the overall mosaic of covers, the range of which is also diverse. Hearing them live, it is apparent that Sublime is a huge influence over the band. “I always play a Sublime song every show,” McMillan said.
The performance in Opelika last week was the first time all members of the band played together.

“We’ve all played with each other, but last night [last Saturday night] was the first night we played together as a band,” McMillan said. The other members of the band minus J-Mac, as he likes to be called, are original members of Alpha State and are Auburn students.

Although Jason McMillan appears to enjoy himself on stage, he doesn’t want to be playing obscure gigs forever.

“On stage its fun”, he explains. “We get to drink and have fun, but I don’t want to be doing this for the rest of my life. I don’t want to be playing fraternity shows two years from now every day. It’s just tiring.”

McMillan, with contributions from drummer Scotty Rollins and Grand Magnolias harmonica player JP, is releasing his first album, two years in the making, filled with all original material.

“It’s going to be called “It’s Been Too Long” because it’s taken a long time to make the album. The first song I ever wrote [which is included in the album], I wrote in Eagle’s Landing.”
McMillan will be releasing the album in Nashville, where he currently lives, under the name of J-Mac and Friends. The album is expected to be released in a month.

McMillan will return to Auburn with a June 3rd performance at Fat Daddy’s and is part of the Auburn Musicians Tornado Benefit performance at the Supper Club on Sunday, June 5.
“Once the album comes out, I’m coming back to Auburn for a release party at the Supper Club.”

Jason McMillan’s original music can be found on myspace.com/jasonmcmillanfreething. He also has a blog, created by local saxophone player Jonas Scholtz , at freakjam/blogspot.com.

AUDIENCE REACTION

“The set is good, but they need to bring it down”
-Wes Riding, Irish Bred Pub bouncer


“The show was definitely worth the drive from Auburn. Tonight will probably be the best part of my weekend.”
-Wesley Stearns