Photo by Jason Collins
Trademark came together after a stage show put together by drummer and band leader James Carson in 1993, called “Flashback.” The former schoolteacher kept the hardest-working players from that 52-person production, staged at Dogwood Dell, for his next project, a new band. The group graduated from cookouts and clubs to become a mainstay at corporate functions, wedding receptions and private events. Fronted by three vocalists, including Carson’s wife, Kathy, the group is known for its energetic renditions of Motown classics and funked-up versions of modern-day music, including songs by Taylor Swift and Bruno Mars. This month, you won’t have to endure a team-building seminar or don formalwear to see their show. They’re returning to the Dogwood Dell stage, one of several public shows to mark their 25th anniversary. Carson reflects on longevity, group dynamics and giving people what they want.
Richmond magazine: Do you ever get tired of playing the same songs?
James Carson: I personally don’t. There are songs we have been playing from day one — that old-school Motown music will never die. There are some other people in the band that have a different opinion about it. Honestly, when we first got together, we decided we were going to be different from most other bands, and we were going to play what we wanted to play. We came to realize real quick, that is not going to work. We adapted and made the necessary changes.
RM: Why do you think you’ve stayed together so long?
Carson: We put God before everything, so before every rehearsal, before every event that we do, we pray. In addition [to] that, we take advice from [our] agency with regards to the trends that are going on. We go with whatever the call for music is in a certain time period. In addition to that … even though I am the band leader, we are a seven-man-run organization. So all decisions that are made for this band are made collectively.
RM: What does it mean to return to the Dell stage?
Carson: Knowing that it was the beginning for us, and now for us to be able come back and perform where we basically really started … we’re just looking forward to it. We’ve been out there a couple of times, we know what the expectation is, in terms of the show performance. We’re going to go back 25 years ago and pull out some things we performed then, just as tribute to that time period.
Trademark performs July 15 at 8 p.m. at Festival of the Arts at Dogwood Dell. Free. 804-646-DELL or richmondgov.com.
