Page 16
The Battalion
Thursday, April 20,1989
Texas A&
Texas Twisters aren’t over the hill, just well seasoned
By Keith Spera
REVIEWER
The Texas Twisters know they
are not the young musicians they
once were, but it doesn’t seem to-
bother them.
“We’ve been called ‘the hardbo-
dies of rock ’n’ roll in Bryan-College
Station,’ ” drummer Hank Allen
joked after one of their recent
shows.
What makes this comment less of
a cocky musician’s brag and more an
instance of a band poking fun at it
self is that the Texas Twisters own
the dubious distinction of being the
oldest rock ’n’ roll band in the area,
according to their own calculations.
Actually, they’re not really over
the hill. Their average age is 34, so
the rocking chairs of retirement are
a long way away.
But in a town full of college-age
musicians and bands, the Twisters
do stand out, since they’ve been
playing their instruments longer
than many other local musicians
have been alive.
In concert, their ages are not what
the listener notices —instead, all
those years of practice have led to
tight reproductions of classic dance
rock songs and an energetic show
that fills a bar’s dance floor.
“We basically have a format that
we try to follow, and that’s ’50s, ’60s,
’70s, and early ’80s dance songs, the
easily identifiable stuff that every
body grew up with,” guitarist Wade
Myatt said.
Battalion File Photo
The Texas Twisters. From left, Wade Myatt, Hank Allen, Lee
Martin.
Allen added, “We do play a few
songs almost strictly for listening.
We usually play them earlier in the
night. They’re more difficult to
learn. We play them for our own sat
isfaction.”
Because many of their gigs are in
Bryan-College Station and many
people come to more than one of
their shows, the Twisters change
their set list for each performance.
On any particular night, the
dance songs can include “Hanky
Panky,” “Good Lovin’,” “Mony Mo-
ny,” “Johnny B. Goode,” or ZZ Top’s
“Tube Snake Boogie.”
The more listening-oriented
songs, which give the three Twisters
a chance to showcase their formida
ble musical talents, range from Jimi
Hendrix’s “Foxy Lady” to Eric Clap
ton’s “Wonderful Tonight” through
Led Zepplin’s “Dancin Days” and
“Livin’ Lovin’ Maid.”
An original song, “Let’s Get Twis
ted,” a rollickingly danceable rock
tune written by Myatt and his wife
Yolanda, recently has been added to
their set. Myatt said the band is re
hearsing another original, a slower
song called “When I Think of You.”
Those who attend the Texas
Twisters’ shows are a diverse bunch.
While college students are there in
force, many members of the crowd
are older.
“We have a lot of professional
people — doctors, lawyers, CPAs,
etc., that come out to see us,” Allen
said.
Illustrating their wide range of
appeal are two of the Twisters’ fu
ture bookings: they are scheduled to
play a graduation party in May and a
20-year class reunion in August.
The members of the Texas Twis
ters are married, well established in
the local community, and two of
them are fathers.
Allen, 33, is establishing a ranch
„ AG* JA cC\
ill «JllP
outside of town.
Bassist Lee Martin, 39, when not
being a musician, is a paramedic in
Bryan. Band practices must be
worked in around his 24 hours on,
48 hours off work schedule.
Myatt, 30, has a tendency to flick
his tongue at the crowd when play
ing live and to venture onto the
dance floor with his guitar to do a
Chuck Berry duckwalk. He owns
and operates a custom auto trim
business and is a full-time Texas
A&M psychology student.
The band members come from di
verse musical backgrounds.
“Wade’s actually the hard-rocker,
I’m more of a rock/blueser, and Lee
is more of a country rocker,” Allen
said.
This diversity is reflected in the
bands they played in before Decem
ber of 1987, when the Texas Tw
ters was founded: the rockabi
band Four Hams on Rye, tilt
rhythm and blues band High Cli
cago, and the hard rock band 0/Z,
However, the musicians are ablt
to blend their musical roots into tk
Twisters’ format. “We’ve matured,
Allen said. “We’re good enough till
we can do it. I guess it’s seasoning
— we’re all well seasoned.”
Vol.88 No. 131
Amateur musician likes idea of fame,
image associated with being in band
By Thomas Boylan
ENTERTAINMENT WRITER
They can be found anywhere —
amateur musicians who are not part
of any formal organization, who do
not play for money and who practice
whenever they can find the time.
Gary Ash, a freshman business
major, is an amateur guitar player.
He said he likes “the idea of becom
ing famous within two years after
teaching myself to play.
“More than that is just the idea of
being in a band, just the term, ‘being
in a band.’ ”
He and the informal group he
plays with have never made a public
show, keeping their musical talents
confined to one of the group mem
ber’s living room. They have not
named their group yet, although
they are considfering several names.
“We’ve narrowed it down to a few
names,” Ash said. “Let’s see, there’s
Hack Lizard and the Pap Smears,
Four White Boys, and Stand on One
Leg and Go Like This.”
The group plays a combination of
progressive and classic rock, which
they write themselves.
Ash is new to guitar playing. He
began teaching himself last semes
ter, but he has other musical experi
ence. He played the trumpet
throughout high school in in an or
chestra and symphonic band.
Ash switched to guitar because “it
has an interesting sound,” he said.
“It’s not something that you have to
have a lot of people around you to
play. Like, if you play a trumpet, you
have to have a whole symphonic
band around to play. With a guitar
you can sit down and write a song
any time you want to.”
Oversized t-shirts and tanks in 100%
cotton, screen-printed with the Texas
A&M insignia. Sizes S-M-L-XL. Young
Men’s Aetivewear.
FOLEY’S
Teachers
Not everyone wants to learn U
play on their own, however, and &
chers are available locally for sn
dents of almost any instrument. Si
rah Watts of Bryan teaches piano
and can start a student on voice,®
lin or viola. Most of her studentsart
adults, she said.
Practice, the burgeoning n»
cian’s byword, is not somethingsbt
forces on her students, she said. 1
don’t want to make people practkt
when they don’t want to,”snesaii
But when one of her students rt
sisted practicing, she tried toencoui
age him to change his mind.
“It didn't work,” she said
He says he enjoys sitting down
and just playing. “I get lost,” he said.
“It will be 6 o’clock, and I’ll pick up
the guitar, and it will be 10 o’clock
the next time I look at the clock.”
The other members of the band
include freshman Scott Guttormson,
keyboards and guitar; freshman
Paul Goulden, bass; and junior Ron
Chapman, drummer.
couldn’t inspire him to practice,
likes to sit and work theory papers
he’s going to make a great accoua-
tant someday. So I said, Do pii
think you could help me setup
schedule for you? Could you
how that works?’ ”
The result was a completepractict
schedule, written by the young
dent and presented to Watts at
next lesson.
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The Battalion
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STAFF WRITER
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