As Pat McGee finishes up his U.S. tour, he prepares to head back to the East Coast to liven up the party on New Year’s Eve. NBCWashington.com caught up with him and asked him a few questions about his music and the upcoming show.
nbcwashington.com: You guys are currently on tour across the U.S., how has that been going?
Pat McGee: Good I’m actually out doing some solo shows. It reminds me of early 90s when I first started. It has basically felt like a return to the roots for me in terms of putting myself out there… it reminds me of how I was a songwriter before an entertainer. It’s been fun, but I’m looking forward to getting back to the east coast and having some full band shows. I haven’t played with full band in some time so it’ll be great. Big New Year's Eve show coming up so very siked about that.
nbcwashington.com: You get back to the East Coast at the end of the month and are playing at New Year's Downtown Countdown at the Hilton, have you ever done a New Year's show before? How is that show going to be laid out?
Pat McGee: Yes we’ve done one every single year since 1996. In the past we have been doing shows in Richmond rented hotels. They had like black tie events with all-you-can-drink bars. We had a lot of success with those shows, but got to the point where we wanted to do it in D.C. and DC101 said why don’t you do our event. The best the part about this show, is there will be no line for food or for drinks. It’s going to be a very well done kind of New Year's party that’s totally worth it. There will be no crowded bars at the Grand Hyatt and it has just been remodeled. They redid all the ballrooms and lobbies, I can’t imagine how nice it is now, it was already gorgeous.
nbcwashington.com: How is a New Year's show going to differ from the shows you’ve been doing on tour?
Pat McGee: New Year's always has its own vibe, everyone is in their best duds partying with DC101. It will be great to be with Elliot and whole crew. Every show has had it’s own thing but the New Year’s show is great.
nbcwashington.com: Do you know how long of a set you guys will get to do? Will you be playing when the clock strikes 12?
Pat McGee: We usually do like a 2 hour set and we play up until 12:15 from about 10 p.m. Time always flies by, it’s a great time. It’s the one show that is really at the top of our list to play. After us will be a band called Cowboy Mouth. These guys are great friends of ours from NOLA. They have an intense sound, you can’t imagine what it’s going to be like, they’re just insane. They are a rock band but there is no way your not going to get into it. They are up there with like Kiss.
nbcwashington.com: What are some of your favorite songs to perform live?
Pat McGee: I enjoy playing a lot of my new stuff. I have been writing new stuff, like one new tune called Release. The song went over well in Seattle… I enjoy anything on new album. From the old stuff, Rebecca, is still fun to play even though I’ve played it 10,000 times still love it.
nbcwashington.com: Will attendees get a taste of some of your new music? When do you plan to release a new album?
Pat McGee: Doing some new stuff for sure. New years eve people are kind of engulfed in the whole party and people don’t really notice as long as you keep them moving. I’m going into the recording studio in January. I don’t have an official release date yet. We’ll probably start leaking some stuff in Feb. and by the summer I think we’ll have something put out.
nbcwashington.com: Do you have any exciting plans for the new year?
Pat McGee: Just signed with a new management company called Rock Bridge, they are opening up a lot of new opportunities for me which is exciting. I have been pitching songs for TV shows and one may even be in a pilot episode. I have a lot of things on the horizon I’m excited about. I’m just excited about the new record and looking forward to continuing recording in the new year.
nbcwashington.com: Anything else you want to share?
Pat McGee: This New Year’s show is going to be the best one around. We have done it for 5 years and fans have been telling us that the shows have been the best they ever had at a New Year's party. You can even stay at the hotel, that’s really a great idea.
For more information on how to see Pat McGee live on New Year’s Eve, visit http://www.downtowncountdown.net/washdc/welcome.htm.