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About The Battalion. (College Station, Tex.) 1893-current | View Entire Issue (April 20, 1989)
I The Battalion stars m i. older sister of ■No. 4 player in member of the am. he is excited to gto A&M. player,” he said, r to our roster or our program nd. 1 look for- Iping us in our i.” te first player in St. Paul area to ce all four years le was named a table mention Street & Smith’s r his senior sea- filth signing for I, joining 6-3 oper, 6-10 for- rris, 6-6 guard nd 6-4 guard n. »go ;s if League Giants 3 o. Benito Santiago ner and drove in i single as the Saa the San Frandsco allowed four hits i 7 2/3 innings to ark Davis finished enth save in seven LIFE 13 Thursday, April 20,1989 The scene in Aggieland is not dead. In fact, it is very much alive with some jammin', if not promising, bands. Groups like the Killtones consistently jam in the tradition of Texas rock, while others like For Cryin' Out Loud produce music on the satirical side, and Dan Pope and Friends keep cool jazz flowing. Bands like The Kerouacs play hard rock with ballad blends but leave the true metal to Street Pizza and the bizarre to Butter Both Sides. For good top-40 dance music, The Change has it. Whatever your taste, local bands can satisfy. These are just a few of the bands in the area and there's plenty more where they came from. Keep an eye out for the local stuff and get ready to jam! Had Binion, lead guitarist for the Killtones, picks out a lick with his teeth in his trademark style of rockin’ Texas guitar. Bryan-College Station music scene offers something for everyone Photo by Kathy Haveman Craig Lefferts re order in the ninth ■ak of consecutive ajor league record irr of the Giants in Local bands ’ success taking off calked Jack Clark led in the seventh i the tie-breaking By Shane Hall REVIEWER led the bases when 1-1, gave up a sin- leton and walks to relo Martinez and LaCoss replaced alked Clark onaS- Cardinals 5 afael Belliarel and drove in twoniiij pitalized on an Or for the second ie Pirates beat the s 7-5. red the best field- the game, made a uring a three-run a in the fourth in- ! night, the Pirates g runs whenSmi *r with two outs in , gave up six hits, nek out four. )-1, look the loss, nute replacement Louis starter Joe tie down with the Bill Hinds Battalion File Photo On just about any particular weekend, live musical entertainment made by people right here can be found at local nightclubs. The bands in the local area have something to please fans of just about any form of music. The Killtones Texas is full of great rock guitar ists, from the gritty blues and rock of Johnny Winter to current rock gui tar hero Stevie Ray Vaughan. It is See related stories/Page 16 the same guitar-oriented rock Texas is known for that College Station’s Killtones like to play. “We play Texas rock combined with a deep reverence for the blues,” guitarist/vocalist Had Binion says. Joining Binion in the band are Steve Kuhn, bass; and Craig Knight, drums. The Killtones have played to gether for almost a year and per form frequently at Brazos Landing, the Parthenon, and the Cow Hop Annex. Binion says he formed the band after meeting Kuhn and Knight at a jam session. “I enjoy playing guitar,” Binion says. “I’m not trying to be famous, I just want to play guitar.” In addition to Texas guitarists such as Vaughan, Binion cites Jimi Hendrix and Living Colour’s Ver non Reid as favorites. The Killtones’ music is a mixture of original songs and covers of rock ers ranging from Eddie Cochran to Jimi Hendrix. Binion says the band enjoys playing together and says au diences should expect the show to be fun and loud. “The whole reason for this is fun,” he says. “We’re not trying to make lots of money, just to have fun.” [The Kerouacs’ Dru Wilson, left, and Brian Lippman, right, jam onstage. Crying Out Loud, as well. In their case, the fun comes with a sharp sa tirical wit. The band’s members are Chris Cessac, bass and vocals; Bob Burrus, guitar; and Mike Thomp son, drums. The members cite bands such as the Dead Milkmen, the Ju- dys, and R.E.M. as influences. Burrus says he and Cessac used to make up songs together and that they later formed a band with Thompson when h e moved in as their new roommate. For Crying Out Loud’s first per formance was in November 1987 at an outdoor performance in front of Music Express. The band now per forms at Brazos Landing, the Par thenon, Kay’s Cabaret and the Cow Hop. In addition, the band plays at many benefit shows. “Benefits are fun to play,” Burrus said. “There’s always a good crowd and there’s more than one band playing.” Burrus says the band would like to record for a small record label. So far, he says, response to their demo tapes has been rejection form letters. However, one came with a positive note, he says. “The guy penciled in a note at the end saying he had given us a listen and thought it was neat stuff, so that was kinda nice.” Don Pope and Friends If your tastes veer more toward jazz than rock and saxophone solos than guitar solos, Don Pope and Friends may have just what you’re looking for. Pope, the band’s saxophonist, has led the group since late 1986. The group has undergone personnel changes, he says, but the band’s name stays the same. The current lineup is Pope, saxo phone; Peter Lieuwen, piano; Rob ert Brandon, synthesizer; Greg Phelps, guitar; Manuel Lopez, bass; and Philip Burger, drums. The group often performs at Frank’s Bar and Grill in College Sta tion, and Pope has been a regular at traction at the College Station Jazz Festival. For his performances, versatility is important, he says. “To me, a great musician is one who can play anything you want him to,” Pope says. In addition to performing at Frank’s and at the jazz festival, Pope says the band plays at parties, wed dings and other functions. “This band will always be a local thing,” he says. “I book from two to six people, depending on what peo ple want. We try to be versatile.” The Kerouacs For the Kerouacs, hard-driving rock and roll made for a good time is what they want to play. The band consists of Dru Wilson, guitar, vocals; Brian Lippman, bass; and Chuck Thorpe, drums. Jeff Zwolinski, the band’s original drum mer, now lives out of town and per forms with the band only occasion ally. The Kerouacs began about a year ago after the breakup of Four Hams on Rye, of which Wilson and Zwolinski were members. Wilson says that as soon as he knew about the breakup of Four Hams, he and Zwolinski talked to Lippman about forming a band. Musically, the Kerouacs blend hard rock and ballads, drawing from blues and rockabilly as well. The band’s repertoire is mostly original Battalion File Photo For Crying Out Loud members (left to right) Mike Thompson, Chris Cessac and Bob Burrus perform at a benefit concert. material. Wilson, who writes many of the songs, cites Randy Newman and Warren Zevon as primary influ ences. Earlier this year, the Kerouacs re corded a demo tape which is avail able at Lippman Music store. In ad dition to performing at Brazos Landing, the Parthenon, and Dou ble Dave’s Pizza, the Kerouacs have played in Houston and Dallas. Wil son says he hopes the band will soon begin playing out of town on a regu lar basis, as he did with Four Hams on Rye. “It would be nice to get back on a regular weekend touring circuit,” he says. Street Pizza Loud, rowdy and raunchy —these words and more have been used to describe Bryan-College Station’s hardcore/thrash metal quartet, Street Pizza. The band plays grungy rock at a deafening level and sings about such subjects as sorority girls, the Corps of Cadets, and even AIDS. Unlike most hardcore bands, how ever, Street Pizza attacks its subjects with a satirical backhand swat rather than with an angry fist. Pot Roast, vocals; Bill Igerent, bass; Scott Rot, drums; and the Rev. P.D., guitar, are the band members. They have been playing together for about 18 months. “Our goal at first was to be as drunk and vulgar as we could, but since then we’ve cleaned up our act,” P.D. says. P.D. says the band started when he and Pot Roast discovered that they both liked groups such as the Ramones and the Replacements. They then recruited Igerent and Rot, and Street Pizza became a real ity. “We used to offend people at first,” P.D. says. “Now, I think peo ple are getting as jaded and cynical as we are.” Nevertheless, those who see the band are advised to bring an open mind. “The way we see it is that nothing is sacred, so we may hit some soft spots,” P.D. says. Butter Both Sides “A little bizarre” might well be an understatement in describing Butter Both Sides. Vocalist/rhythm guitarist Gareth Egerton describes the band’s mau 5 *” S ^ av ' n § “unusual subject “We’ve got a song about, vibrators where I throw cucumbers into the audience,” Egerton says. The group’s other members are John Stansell, guitar; Jim Moses, bass; and Ted Low'e, drums. Butter Both Sides usually performs at the Parthenon and Kay’s Cabaret. They will play at tonight’s Amnesty Inter national benefit at. Brazos Landing. Egerton says each member wanted to form a band for different reasons. “I thought it would be a good way to meet chicks,” he says. “John wanted to make money; I think Ted wanted something to do in his spare time; and Jim had this expensive bass guitar he wanted to use.” The group chose the name Butter Both Sides after considering such al ternate monikers as Dismembered Limbs and Shredded Flesh, Egerton says. The name fits their music, he says. “We play upbeat, high-energy music,” Egerton says. “I think if your band’s name was Shredded Flesh, people might expect some sort of heavy metal.” The band plays mostly original material written by Egerton, drum mer Lowe says, as well as some cover songs by The Who. Since all of the band’s members are students, Egerton says Butter Both Sides is not likely to be a long term project. “We’re in this for the fun, mostly,” he says. The Change In contrast to Butter Both Sides’ admittedly bizarre music and lyrics. The Change offers milder music meant for dancing. The group plays top-40 music, and their repertoire ranges from the Cure to Guns ’N’ Roses. The Change’s members are Terry Ray, vocals, keyboards; Pam Saxon, vocals; David Gayler, guitar; Drew Hesson, bass; and John Hamilton, drums. Gayler said the members’ mutual fondness for top-40 dance music is the reason they formed a band. The Change plays at the Parthe non and at many fraternity and so rority parties, and will perform at this year’s Ring Dance. Gayler says the group would like to perform out of town. “We want to do some gigs statewide, working the top-40 club circuit,” he says.
