The Addiction

Getting there:
What: Groove Addiction’s CD release party for Temporal Bliss
When: 7 p.m. tonight
Where: The Mercy Lounge, 1 Cannery Row
Cost: No cover
Info: 251-3020

The five-piece ensemble Groove Addiction has developed a sizable and loyal following throughout the Southeast over the past seven years. Their shows are well known for the explosive mix of rock, funk and pop, their ability to inject their own personality and stamp on classics from Kool and the Gang to Prince and Michael Jackson, and their overall performance flair. But now the group wants to take the next step and establish their name nationally and highlight their original material.

The first phase of this new campaign begins tonight, with their CD release party at the Mercy Lounge to formally present songs from the new disc Temporal Bliss.

“We all moved to Nashville years ago because we wanted to do original material,” keyboardist/songwriter J.J. Benson said. “But earlier in our careers it was just important to do gigs. We did everything from private functions to clubs, and we became skilled at doing covers. Now we want to showcase our own songs; that’s a major thing for the group. We also have a strategy now that we didn’t have when we put our first record. It got good response, but then we didn’t really follow up on it and the momentum that we had just died.”

Their CD release show is just one of several dates that Groove Addiction will be playing over the next few months as they hope to rekindle the widespread interest they enjoyed in the late ’90s. At that time they served as the house band for the Nashville Predators during the hockey team’s first season, backed Delbert McClinton during a sold-out opening night performance and eventually found themselves steadily playing colleges and universities across the South and Southwest while displaying their versatility in performing chart hits and audiences favorites.

But the band also discovered that their future was limited unless they developed some new, distinctive original material. They were also affected by personnel changes, with first drummer Tracy Broussard and later bassist Andre Howard and guitarist Kurt Allison leaving the group. Fortunately, their reputation and musical appeal enabled them to recruit replacements. The current roster includes Benson, lead vocalist and co-songwriter Steven “Meven” Maldonado, guitarist Bryan Pyzer (a returning original member), drummer Brian Haley and percussionist Rick Lay. The Lay/Haley combination provides an unusual yet effective double rhythm contribution, while Maldonado’s alternately soulful and soothing leads contrasted by the keyboard/guitar interaction, compliments and contrasts Pyzer and Johnson.

“We’re really encouraged by the success of groups like Maroon 5,” Benson said. “A couple of years ago when record label people would hear us, they would tell us how much they liked what we were doing, but they weren’t sure where they could slot us because we did so many types of things. Now, we’re hoping that there are people out there ready for other bands who can blend rock, pop and funk, and do it in a fashion that’s completely different from anything else out there. We’re optimistic that Groove Addiction may be one of the next bands to get that break.”