The Battalion. (College Station, Tex.) 1893-current, February 22, 1985, Image 15
Photo by WALTER SMITH The Judy’s are (left to right) bassist Jeff Walton, drummer Dane Cessac and vocalist David Bean Photo by WALTER SMITH TV static accompanies David Bean Judy’s provide a By WALTER SMITH Music Rev’iewer Hordes of music fans storm Dr. G's with hopes of getting into the concert. By mid-af ternoon, a crowd mills rest lessly about. The fans pay their money and wait in the dim in terior, eating and drinking to while away the time. By 6 p.m., the 9 o’clock show is sold out, but even the people who didn’t make it on to the 175- person guest list are allowed to stay and party with their friends who did. As more liquor is consumed, creative concert-crashing tac tics are devised. When all but the paid guests are asked to leave, the desperate woman crouched on the toilet is discov ered, but the devious pair un der a table remains unde tected. Who are these musical mar vels? And why is everyone stop ping just short of violence to see them? They are the Judy’s, and they’re one of Houston's premier new music bands. The Judy’s, whose name exemplifies their glowing re spect for social debs, have been together in one form or an other since childhood with the exception of a brief break-up while everyone pursued other interests, ranging from solo work to higher education. Da vid Bean, the lead vocalist and sometimes-guitar/keyboard player, is a year older than the other two members; bassist Jeff Walton and percussionist Dane Cessac both graduated from Pearland High School in 1981. Armed with this youthful vi sion, the Judy’s address both worldv issues and esoteric ideas with their music. But their subject focus varies less than their diverse instrumental styling. David, stressing that fun was the real reason behind the band’s formation, says their “minimalistic” sound origi nally resulted from their lim ited resources, but that the band likes that sparse sound and refuses to clog the works by letting their instruments get into the way of the music. The Judy’s have been electri- ‘punch’ fying audiences across Texas with their B-52's cum Devo music since their reunion con cert last fall and their show last Saturday at Dr. G’s was no ex ception. The crowd grooved to all their favorite tunes from the “Teenage Hang-ups” and “The Wonderful World of Applian ces” EPs and the “Washarama” LP. Whether it was “Zoo,” an airy, acoustical number featur ing only percussion and vocals, or “Vacation In Tehran,” a quirky keyboard-punctuated song about the Iranian hostage crisis, the Judy’s enliven the music with their vibrantly en ergetic stage presence. Kitchen cookware and home electronics are some of the ev eryday gadgets that the Judy’s have managed to incorporate into their act. “Right Down the Line” features Dane pounding away on a row of pots and pans hanging from a strand of clothesline, while “Guyana Punch” allows David to douse the audience with pitchers of liquid (in this case, water, but in the original case...)A i t # -3-