The Battalion. (College Station, Tex.) 1893-current, April 17, 1998, Image 5

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    iday • April 17, 1998
The Battalion
■ ' G IELIFE
browin' down the blues
,ocal band prepares for upcoming shows, CD recording
By April Towery
Staff writer
) ften musicians find it hard to describe their own
music. Throwaway People, however, has no
problem summing it up.
"It’s like a big funk peanut butter and jelly sand-
ch,” drummer Sam Pulley, a senior mechanical engi-
Hg major, said.
The band is a six-piece blues-rock group influenced
every musician from Beethoven to Duran Duran to
as’ own Stevie Ray Vaughan.
: driving force behind Throwaway People is lead
er and guitarist Craig Hanna, who graduated last
Eer with a degree in geography.
"Playing guitar is kind of its own religion for me,”
inna said. “I’ve taken everything we’ve ever written
!h( another level.”
The band formed as a trio two years ago with Han-
,bass player Lara Abrams and a drummer.
“Then we met Sam, and we thought he was cute,”
ima said.
Be trio met trumpet player Mark Oakland at a Tex
aco station, and he introduced them to saxophone
player Jason Whiteman. Then the group met key
boardist Steve Savitski at a blues jam, and thus the
Throwaway People we know today was born.
Abrams, a senior environmental design major, said
she is honored to play with such talented musicians.
“As for being a woman in the band, I guess the best
thing is that there are always five sexy guys around to
wait on my every whim ... just kidding,” she said. “But
really, I hardly ever have to carry any equipment be
cause these guys are total gentlemen.”
Abrams has had to deal with the stereotype of being
one of the few local female musicians who is serious
about what she’s doing.
“Unfortunately there are stereotypes of all kinds out
there, which could be the problem,” Abrams said. “But,
thank goodness what I do is about the love for the mu
sic, and not whether I wear a bra or not.”
Whiteman, a senior computer engineering major,
said his sax music is influenced by such greats as Frank
Morgan and Charlie Parker. Whiteman said the local
music scene has grown since he’s been at A&M, but
Throwaway People transcends the category.
- v
I
■Hnii
SPECIAL TO THE BATTALION
i/jqtote Savitski, Lara Abrams, Craig Hanna, Mark Oakland, Jason Whiteman and Sam Pulley are Throwaway People.
no ' -
“It’s gotten harder to be a musi
cian,” he said.
Abrams credits Whiteman and
Oakland, a graduate student in elec
trical engineering, as the “power
house” of the band.
“They make you want to get crazy
on the bar,” she said.
And music fans will have plenty of
opportunities to get crazy at Throw
away People shows this month and
next. The band has lined up several
shows on Northgate.
“We’re playing at Double Dave’s, at Gumbys — next
thing you know we’ll be playing at E-Z Mart.”
As for other future plans, the band will head to
Jumping Dog Studios in Austin to record in May.
“For now, I think our biggest goal is just to malce beer
money,” Pulley said.
In the meantime, Hanna said he has been taking gub
tar lessons from one of the greats, Chris Duarte, who
has rocked his world, so to speak.
“I really thought I knew what I was doing on guitar,”
Hanna said. “It’s been a big door-opener. He’s helped us
out a lot.”
Savitski, a graduate student in physics, said he has
learned it’s really no big deal to play live music.
“The glamour of being in front of a crowd really
doesn’t exist,” he said.
Although these musicians may not experience stage
fright, they have no problem incorporating the audi
ence into their shows.
“We feed off one another, give and take,” Pulley said.
“We have a good time. It will touch your soul and light
a fire in your britches at the same time.”
The band members learned a lesson about toning
things down a little when they played at a wedding.
“We changed some of the questionable lyrics, did a
lot of lounge that night and expanded every song into
about 15 minutes,” Hanna said.
One thing that is obvious from Throwaway People’s
shows is their obvious passion for music and quest to
just have a good time. It is evident that each member
loves expressing themselves through their music, and
they are able to incorporate a variety of feelings into
their live show.
Hanna said anyone who is remotely interested in
high-energy blues-rock will definitely enjoy their show.
“We want to be remembered as an honest band with
great-feeling music,” Hanna said.
Pulley, always eager to entertain, said he has anoth
er idea for how he wants the band to be remembered
when they leave College Station.
“Didn’t we see them in church?” he said with a smile.
When the band members are not joking with one
another, they do get serious. Abrams said the entire
band contributes their own to each song, but Hanna is
the creator and inspiration.
SPECIAL TO THE BATTALION
Mark Oakland, Jason Whiteman and Craig Hanna jam with Chris Duarte.
Hanna writes the band’s songs on a variety of topics.
His songs deal with broken hearts, love gone bad, deal
ing with everyday life, death, happiness and everything
in between that does not have words.
“Basically, the songs aren't necessarily about those
things, but about the feelings brought about by them,”
he said.
The instrumental tune “Left Too Soon” is about how
Hanna felt musically when his cousin died.
Oakland, influenced by Junior Medlow and Miles
Davis, said the songs have different colors.
“Even inside the same songs, we can tour different
territory,” Oakland.
As for a description of the music that is never played
the same way twice, Savitski said he heard a descrip
tion he’ll never forget.
“A friend of mine brought his new girlfriend to one
of our shows,” he said. “After the show, she came up to
me and said, ‘Your music really turns me on.’ That’s the
best compliment I’ve ever had. It always stuck with me.”
Upcoming Shows:
Fit April 17 Gumby’s Pizza at 9:30 p.m.
Sat. April 18 The Grove at 3 p.m.
Sat. April 18 Cow Hop at 10:30 p.m.
Sat April 25 Cow Hop at 10:30 p.m.
Sun. April 26 3rd Floor Cantina at 9:30 p.m.
Fri. May 1 Cow Hop at 10:30 p.m.
Sat. May 9 Crooked Path at 10:30 p.m.
Wed. May 13 Dixie Theatre at 9:30 p.m.
Thur. May 21 Palace Theatre at noon
Check out Throwaway People’s
Web site at
http://PersonalWebs.myriad.net/marko/
throwaway.htm
jyfei
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