User:Ted Loach/Floodwater (band)

Floodwaterare an American blues rock band founded in 2007 consisting of band members Tim Kranz (Drums/Vocals), Alex Cope (Guitars), Matt Love (Bass/Vocals), Spencer Shugart (Guitars), Jeffrey Kranz (Vocals), and Joe Kranz (Guitars). The band has enjoyed major success in the town Wake Forest, developing a strong following of all ages. Their biggest hits are "In One Piece", "Hey Wise Man", and "Life Ain't That Bad".

Early Years
Floodwater didn't just happen overnight. Drummer Tim Kranz and guitarist Alex Cope had been jamming together at the latter's house for several weeks before they invited fellow co-worker and guitarist Spencer Shugart over on a Friday night. Having been seriously impressed with Spencer's guitar skills, Friday night's jam session was all Tim and Alex could talk about the next morning at work. Co-worker and bassist/vocalist Matt Love overheard the conversations and asked to join, as the band was lacking a bass player. The others willingly approved and the next Friday evening became the first official practice. Their practice proved worthwhile: they wrote and perfected a blues-rock instrumental, dubbing it simply "First Song", which would become a staple of their early live shows and, with the help of some lyrics from Matt Love, evolve into "Way Of Life".

One Friday, Matt took out a sheet of paper with notes scribble all over it, announcing that he had written a song. The band quickly went to work on it, the finishing product being the much loved "Life Ain't That Bad".

The band, having no name at the time, continued to practice every Friday evening and soon worked Sunday afternoons into their band schedule as well. One Sunday, Spencer Shugart mentioned that he and his wife, Jana, were playing at The Well (a local coffee house), causing the other band members to consider setting up a gig for the whole band. They soon found out that The Wake Forest Coffee Company was booking musical acts every weekend. The practice sessions soon turned to recording sessions as the band, eager to make a demo disk, began laying down rough takes of their material on Matt's 4-Track Tascam. A gig was finally set up and the set lists were arranged. The first set list was simple and short, composed of: "Life Ain't That Bad", "Paperback Writer", "Folsom Prison Blues", "Stormy Monday", "Crossroads", "First Song", "Susie Q", "Stir It Up", and "Get Back".

It occurred to the band that they lacked an official band name. Several names were thrown around but none satisfied all the members. A week before the gig, Tim and Matt were discussing the band at work. "How about The Floodwaters?" Tim suggested. Matt shortened it to Floodwater and once other band memebers approved, it became official.

Their first gig turned out to be a huge success. The Wake Forest Coffee Company was packed with customers, setting a record in sales for the coffee house. Albert Barneto, owner of the coffee shop, asked Floodwater to come back the next Saturday. That show proved to be just as successful. Floodwater was beginning to develop a following downtown.

Changes in Line-ups
Almost two years later, Alex Cope showed signs of an allergic reaction to chemicals at work and his hands were severely chapped. Unable to play guiter, he stepped down from the band for awhile. After several weeks without practice, Tim brought his younger brother Joe to sit in with the band until Alex had recovered. During that time, Floodwater began to cover many artists from the '50s, including Elvis Presley, Little Richard, and Buddy Holly.

When Alex returned, the band decided to keep Joe in the line-up, making Floodwater a five-piece band. Floodwater played several live shows with this line-up until Spencer moved away to go to a school to specialize physical in therapy.

Jeffrey Kranz, older brother of Tim and Joe, stepped in to take the role of singer/songwriter for the band during the times he was home from college. He penned the lyrics to an old instrumental Floodwater had written in the first months of existence,turning it into the local hit "In One Piece". Floodwater's shows became more audience interactive and their following continued to grow. Jeffrey wrote the song "Hey Wise Man" and taught it to the band in time for their next show. The song proved to be a great hit and was well-received by the audience.

Disbanding
Floodwater played their last show at the Wake Forest Coffee Company on Saturday, February 13, 2010. Matt has three children and is actively in search of a church to pastor and doesn't have time to make all the practices. Tim, Joe, and Alex agreed to disband Floodwater after Matt's departure. They went on to form Gold Coast.