Year one: 2024
The Railroad Spikes’ inaugural season as a full band began in 2024. The original band, playing their first show in January of 2024, consisted of 5 main members: David Carter, Johnny Weir, Sully Wright, Walker Lee Hinton, and Tucker Blythe. David Carter was the lead vocalist, Johnny Weir the bassist, Sully Wright the lead guitarist, Walker Lee Hinton the drummer, and Tucker Blythe as the rhythm guitarist. The first show of the year (January 18th) the Spikes performed at The Tavern at Lake Harding. With Walker Lee’s drums still residing in his hometown, away from auburn, Tucker took on the role of impromptu drummer on his cajon. Shortly after this performance, the band had some personnel changes. Sully Wright departed the band and moved back home to Birmingham. After a chance encounter with David Carter at an open mic in Opelika, Ben Spooner took over the role of lead guitarist for the band. Walker Lee would also move his drums to Auburn, effectively starting his time with the Railroad Spikes as they prepared for the year ahead.
The second show of the year (April 2nd) took place in The Jailhouse at Rock’N’Roll Pinball in Opelika. This was the first show that included their drummer Walker Lee and their newly initiated guitarist Ben Spooner. The band donned an all black uniform of black jeans and a black pearl snap to match. A $5 cover charge gained you admission to see David Carter and the Railroad Spikes’ first performance as a full band. The Spikes played a mix of covers and originals, as they were working on their first EP that was yet to be released at the time. Railroad Spike classics (like Cowboy Killers, Godsend, and If I Could Change) made their first appearance here. With their rookie debut under their belt, they looked ahead to the next show at Delta Chi of Auburn.
Just shy of two weeks after their first show, the band performed at a Saturday afternoon (April 13th) western themed party for the Auburn Chapter of Delta Chi. Johnny Weir was a brother at the fraternity, earning him a warm welcome as the band’s bassist. This was the Railroad Spikes’ first fraternity show and their first outdoor performance. With the Alabama sun behind them the band appeared on stage with cutoff shirts, sunglasses, and headbands to beat the heat while letting the hammer down.
The Railroad Spikes rolled into One Bike Coffee about a month later (May 17th), with a change in the leading cast. While Johnny Weir had traveled back home to Tampa, the Spikes turned to rhythm guitarist tucker Blythe to fill-in on the bass guitar. As their lead guitarist Ben was a member of the mountain biking team and One Bike Coffee was a café-bike shop, he wanted to throw on his uniform for the show. The rest of the band followed suit, throwing on their own sports jerseys for the performance.
Following up the One Bike show, the Spikes’ fifth show (May 30th) saw the return of bass player Johnny Weir and the band’s return to The Tavern at Lake Harding. This time performing on the porch behind the bar, rather than playing inside, each member was fitted with a more casual uniform: A pair of jeans, boots, and a lightweight T-shirt to beat the hot weather.
Setting up under the awning of the porch at St. Dunstan’s Episcopal Church (June 13th), the band played to a crowd of local music enthusiasts seated in front of the church and Magnolia Avenue pedestrians.
