One night of good times

In its day, Aaron Goodvin and Fast Lane was one of the most dynamic and energetic bands around.

Put together in 2004, it rocked the clubs and bars. But when Goodvin opted to move to Nashville permanently to pursue a songwriting and recording career, the group disbanded.

But the easygoing Goodvin, with a drawl that stretches from here to Louisiana, never forgot his roots or his friends.

Just in time for the Rainmaker Rodeo, Aaron Goodvin and Fast Lane are hosting a one-off revival on Friday, May 23 at LB’s Pub.

“I don’t think we’ll miss a beat. We’ve all become professionals. We’ll just grab a set list and go to it,” said Goodvin.

Rounding out Fast Lane is Matt McKay (guitar), Ben Bradley (drums) and Dylan Gillett (bass).

The reunion was put into action after Goodvin attended the wedding of Cory Callingwood, former manager of the now defunct Palomino Saloon in Sherwood Park, where the band used to play.

“He asked if there was any way to get the old band together. I hit up all the guys and they were more than excited,” Goodvin explained.

Since Goodvin moved to Nashville about seven years ago, the support musicians honed their craft and advanced their careers.

Bradley has freelanced for Gord Bamford, Deric Ruttan and Jason Greeley as well as becoming a recipient of the CCMA Drummer of the Year award.

McKay works the Canadian country music scene as a producer, session/live musician and songwriter. He is also a four-time CCMA nominee.

Maintaining the lowest profile, Gillett continues to perform around the Sylvan Lake area where he now makes his home.

“When we played the Palomino we had a core of 20 to 30 songs and we did it really well. We played a kind of rockin’ country based around the good times. We did a lot of harmonies – stuff that challenged us – something like the Eagles. We want people to remember what we used to do,” Goodvin said.

The band originally went their separate ways after an album they recorded, Almost Famous, went nowhere.

“We couldn’t get anybody in the industry behind us.”

Today, the singer-songwriters’ individual experiences allow them to take music deeper.

“It’s really about coming to see live music – what we do now and what we’ve done in the past. We’re 10 times better than we were and we were pretty good in the past.”