Photos by Logan Daughtery (@logansfilmphotos)
I began writing what I then considered to be "seriously" when I was I was a sophomore in high school. I had eagerly joined the student newspaper in the hopes that it would set me down the path to widespread journalistic greatness, or at the very least, it would help me pinpoint just what the hell I wanted to do with myself in the future. I had a hard time finding my footing at first; none of my pitches ever seemed to land quite right, so I'd end up assigned a previously approved piece or two pitched by other staff members. As the proverbial lame duck sophomore, for my first printed issue on staff, I was saddled the unlucky two-piece assignment. I believe the first was a sports or campus events piece, and the second, an arts piece; specifically a band interview for one of the then editors' friends, a hip new indie four-piece calling themselves Mighty Mango, founded by a one Tyler Ford.
I'll spare you (most of) the details surrounding this piece, but it went horribly. Now almost 8 years later, I look back on it fondly and with a giggle, jokingly telling myself that my garbage article was responsible for the band eventually breaking up (though no one can really say for certain), but more importantly as the piece that started all this. So when Raleigh staples, By George, fronted and founded by the very same Tyler Ford, announced in July the dates for their Fall farewell tour, it seemed only natural to immortalize the fellas' final steps. Very rarely are you presented a moment so immensely full circle that it yanks to your feet like this, but it reminds us that we all have to start somewhere; whether that's at college bonfires and Raleigh house shows, or getting chewed out under the CB Building stairs by an editor. However, we start today's story as we normally do-- with a slight time crunch.
As is unfortunately the theme with any concert outing my best friend Liam and I find ourselves on, we were running slightly behind schedule. The fine fellas of By George were set to take the stage at 8PM at the historic Amos' South End, one of Charlotte's oldest, still standing music venues (legends say Hootie & the Blowfish were first approached about a record deal at the original location on Park Road), and we naturally found ourselves half a beer and two stops down the light rail from our intended destination at Suffolk Punch Brewing. Blame it on the confused train schedules, beer nursing, the intense philosophical discussion about the needlessness of genre in modern music culture-- we could argue all day about how or why we'd gotten so delayed, but by then we'd have missed the train a second time.
Thankfully, the Cats Rail system was running in our favor, dumping us virtually at Amos' backdoor, save for the brick wall to be hopped and the two blocks still left to power walk. We managed to sneak in just as they were finishing their first song. “This is our last show in Charlotte, it’s actually our last venue show,” Frontman and founder Tyler Ford wiped the sweat from his brow. “Thanks so much for coming to see us.”
Capitalizing on an already energizing mob, drummer and fellow By George founder, Chaandmon Croft, tapped the band into their cover of Neon Trees' “Animal.” It's already hard to debate the primal rockstar energy oozing out of Neon Trees' slew of radio-friendly hits, By George brought a tornado of fresh air to their rendition, hammering every verse as if Amos' was hearing them unreleased and raw in 2010; as though they would surely collapse where they stood if they took even a moments rest. “I almost hit that note on the second verse, and then I didn’t,” Ford gasped as he took a quick sip from his water bottle. "Oh, well."
Ford readied himself for the next song quickly, now joined at the platform's edge by fellow guitarist and his younger brother, Hayden Ford, sandwiched by bassist Ethan Johnson and keyboardist Nat Moody standing idly by at each recess of the stage. “They’re probably tired of hearing me say it," (Tyler) Ford grinned and glanced towards his bandmates. "But this is my favorite song we've ever written.” The Fords readied themselves, leaning back slightly to rest the full weight of their axes on their belt buckles, as they dueled harmoniously through the intro to their currently unreleased track, “Stale.” Bathed in warm yellow and a soft blue, or what I now consider to be George-esque lighting, Croft's shadow leapt across the audiences faces from his platform as he tore across his kit's vinyl. “This next parts real easy, I hope y'all catch it and sing along with us,” (Tyler) Ford beamed into the audience, inviting them to holler as hard as their little lungs could carry them through the final moments of the song.
As the Brothers Ford huddled up in front of Croft to strategize following the sing-along edition of “Stale," the brief tranquillity gave way for the still growing crowd to chatter and take in their surroundings. The audience that evening was comprised of family, friends and familiar faces on both the floor and the balcony, shaken together between the concrete bar and the wooden stage by froggy concoction of love and adoration. The idle chat was short lived, of course, as (Tyler) Ford began caressing his muted strings seemingly haphazardly, followed closely his brother, seamlessly leading into another By George original, “love in a machine.”
But what a feeling it must be, standing atop that foggy, sparkling stage, plugging away alongside your brother, playing the last leg of your homecoming tour. The swell of emotions running through the Ford Brothers' minds must have been near paralytic, but they carried what great sadness or fulfillment they had high atop their shoulders with pride, and played on as though their already three more tours booked and scheduled, syncopating and melding together sonically throughout the set.
Enormous and eager thumbs were thrown up at the band as they rolled smoothly into their cover of Rex Orange County and Benny Sings' “Loving Is Easy.” The stage lit up the same soft orange from the single cover, showering over the band as (Tyler) Ford contorted his face to match the key of the song. For a moment, the band appeared hypnotized, so locked into the infectiously good time that they became unable to register the physical presence of anyone else, let alone a bar full of awe-stricken onlookers. The Fords even began to instinctively mimic each others movements during a brief instrumental break, like a genetically predisposed reaction. “Please, move up a little!" Ford beckoned for the crowd to pack together at the barricade. "This is our last Charlotte show, come hang out a little!" Moody began tracing the keys on his cherry red Nord, apparently catching the band off guard with the chord progression. “Oh, we’re playing that?” If there's a word for "way past supercharged" that I could use to describe the following two songs, I'd be using it now. Moody gently guided the 'gents into "vampire social” and “loveitletgo," my personal favorite track from backroom memories; two tracks that just can't help themselves when it comes to driving the fans wild.
The stage lights warmed once more from the frigid steel blue to a friendly, soft auburn, complimented by a by calm, summer green underglow. The set so far had been almost entirely fun and games, but the time had come to address the elephant in the room. The impending end of anyone's story is an immense weight to carry, and hefting it along on tour is no easy feat. “Surprised I’m not crying yet,” (Tyler) Ford choked through an endearing smile as he and Croft reminisced on By George's humble beginnings and misgivings, their Raleigh rallies and eventual metamorphosis into the creative powerhouse tearing up before us. “I want shoutout my best friend, Alex [Grier],” Croft shakily accepted his turn to speak, his lip quivering slightly through the blinding smile tattooed across his lips. “It’s been, like, five years of playing here, we started playing at OMB, and they only paid us like 300 bucks… (his bandmates audibly agreed behind him unison that this was a clear indication of inflation) I know our band is small, and our impact is limited, but thank you all so much for being here." The crowd erupted in celebration; celebrating a good show, an even better band, and most importantly, the unbreakable, beautiful bond that these five young men had forged atop that stage. “What are you talking about, we’re huge,” (Tyler) Ford interjected, reigning the crowd back in as they laughed, cheered and sobbed together. “We got one more for you Charlotte, thanks so much for coming to see us.”
As quickly as it came, my first and last By George show had begun to come to a close. I'd be lying to myself and to you, dear reader, if I told you some of my motivation for covering this show weren't a bit hazy; whether you chalk it up to wanting to claim involvement in the By George story, or just wanting to immortalize this integral part of the Carolina Piedmont rock scene. No matter how you come to process the conclusion of this band's story, one thing is undeniable— over the course of their triumphant run, By George have nurtured promising ripples into colossal waves of joy and genuine love, and will have forever left their mark on the Carolina sound.
By George will play their final show on October 25, 2024, at He's Not Here in Chapel Hill, NC. Tickets will be available at the door.
Rob Lucchesi
By George
Logan Daughtery
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