What if you wanted a band that could play songs by Glen Miller and The Righteous Brothers? What if you also wanted to hear the music of The Doors, Journey and Vince Gill? Normally you’d have to book two or three different bands ,but I’m here to make you an incredible offer. You can get all three bands for one low price! But wait! There’s more! You also get over forty years of experience, and that’s not cumulative, kids – that’s each band member!  With Endgame, Fort Wayne’s longest running band, you get all this and more. You get a band that has had no lineup changes since 1975. While the rest of the world is making junk in China, Endgame are the reliable Made In The USA appliance that just will not die.

And now with the release of Almost Ready you also get six spiffy new originals that prove not only that these men have classic rock down, they’re able to write some pretty catchy tunes as well. “C-Note” is just such a song, easily sitting alongside blue collar rockers like “Takin’ Care of Business” or “The Heart of Rock and Roll.” Pay attention to the lyrics and you’ll be rewarded with many sly musical references. “Carryin’ On” is crammed with tasty classic organs and impressive Steely Dan vocal harmonies cloaked in a nice mix of early 80s rock and 70s art rock. The band brings things down with the simmering “Hindsight,” a smoky song of lost love made all the more poignant by the exceptionally songwriting, culminating into an extended instrumental passage that allows the band to stretch out and lay down a few tasteful solos. 

The keyboard is king in the bluesy, upbeat “It All Depends On You” while the bass-heavy “Now That You’re Leaving” is another mournful song of loss and regret. The final track, the slow-rocking “ED,” is full of vocal harmonies, a solid lead guitar tone and humorous lyrics that show that, despite their age, the, uh, members of Endgame do not suffer from this particular affliction.

The older I get, the more I learn that youth and inexperience is often a handicap. Endgame are a prime example of how classics never go out of style, giving their fans strong, melodic songs that are more than insubstantial flash. Almost Ready is available at yet another Fort Wayne mainstay: your local Wooden Nickel music store.