Natalie Nicole Green

HIGH SPRINGS - Everybody wants a little bit more of something, or so says the local band of the same name. A little bit more money, a little bit more drink or maybe a little bit more loving.
And the band, well, it is no exception.
Little Bit More is catching people's attention at bars, outdoor parties and fairs in the north-central Florida region, and in the coming months, the band members are hoping to make a little bit more of a name for themselves.
The band was formed last July when guitar player Adam Hurley, 45, drummer Pat Harris, 45, and bass player Thom Duncan, 56, joined musical forces. All three have played their respective instruments since they were young.
About three months ago, Harris' boss at Eagle Medical Services in Gainesville asked if the band was interested in adding a lead singer. If so, she wanted to introduce the guys to her daughter.
Enter Natalie Nicole Green, an aspiring country music singer.
After Green sang a cappella for Harris one day, he knew he had to introduce her to the other band members regardless of the fact that they were not looking for a singer.
"I wasn't a big believer of someone coming into the band until I heard Natalie sing," Hurley said, recalling when Green auditioned for the band with Patsy Cline's "Crazy."
Twenty-two-year-old Green said she was nervous to play for the band and remembers thinking that the guitar player didn't seem keen on adding someone new. But after the first practice, they all hit it off and now have a lot of fun performing together.
"It's preparing me for down the road," Green said, adding that she is learning a lot from the three longtime musicians.
As a young, beautiful singer, Green is in a position where she could be very successful one day, Hurley said.
Green grew up outside of Frankfurt, Germany, where her father worked when she was a child.
"There's a big country music scene in Germany, which is kind of strange, but that's where I got one of my loves for country music," she said.
When Green moved back to the U.S., she said everyone was singing pop music, but her heart was always with country. The family moved to Atlanta for Green's middle school years and then ended up in Florida a few years later.
Green, who also plays some guitar and piano, remembers always wanting to perform for crowds.
"I feel like it's something that I need to do. I absolutely love going up on stage and entertaining people, maybe helping them forget their problems...for a show."
She draws inspiration from performers such as Patsy Cline, Dolly Parton, Tanya Tucker and Carrie Underwood. She also admires Taylor Swift's down-to-earth writing style and Britney Spears for her ability to put on a good show.
Green likes the challenge that singing with a band brings. It's not like singing with tracks behind you, she said, because the tracks are always the same, unlike live music.
"You have to feel what everyone is feeling in the audience. Do they want to dance longer? Do they want to sing more?" Green said, adding that taking requests from the crowd also keeps her on her toes.
Hurley describes the band's music as a more aggressive country with inspiration from rock ‘n' roll. But Little Bit More is capable of playing everything ranging from classic country to Top 40 hits to rock ‘n' roll and some blues.
Ultimately, they'll play what the crowd wants to hear, although they put their own spin on most of the covers they play.
"If you're worried about anything more than playing for the people, then you're in the wrong business," Hurley said.
At a show over Memorial Day Weekend at the Santa Fe Bar in High Springs, they pulled from artists such as Deana Carter, Patsy Cline, Sara Evans and The Allman Brothers, and they ended their set with "Lovin', Touchin', Squeezin'" by Journey.
Green's vocal addition helps make the band distinctive because the combination of male and female vocals is rare in the area, Hurley said. Yet with her long blond hair, bright smile, little black dress and stiletto shoes, Green diversified the band in more ways than one.
The guys have a bit of "wild side" when they're on stage, Hurley said.
"We're liable to do anything at anytime," he said.
That includes talking with the audience, taking shots on stage and if you're Hurley, showing the crowd that you can play guitar with your tongue.
Alan Fishman, the owner of the Santa Fe Bar, has known Duncan, Harris and Hurley for years, but the first time they played at his bar with Green, he could not get enough.
"I ended up staying until close. They'll keep you there," he said.
Fishman describes Green as an amazing singer and entertainer. He said that people will not understand the band's appeal - an appeal that has them booked through next January - until they see it for themselves.
"I've seen a lot of bands come and go, but they have potential," said Fishman, who has worked in the business for 28 years.
On June 10 and 11, Little Bit More will be in the recording studio working on a - North Florida Herald