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About The Battalion. (College Station, Tex.) 1893-current | View Entire Issue (Sept. 3, 1998)
AJJ22 S 8 : Sent- _ Ill; Battalion Aggielife Page 3 • Thursday, September 3, 1998 Scorchin" >on and The Scorchers bring ‘alternative- untry’ sound to Shadow Canyon tonight BY MARIUM MOHIUDDIN Staff writer ^ ver wonder how the members of Depeche Mode, Mighty |iNighty Bosstones and The je sat down and decided their Id’smame. What determines a le can be anything from a com- Ition of their musical personali- ¥0 a political statement, lo how did Jason and the 'chers arrive at their name? 'his can be summed up in an explanation. Watch the band m.^rutnics r anc j ^ reason f or choice nesday aftemor^g name “scorchers” will be- horticulturec ie apparent. a the early ’80s country mu- was hanging on the hits of ny Rogers and Alabama, Correct^ 6 journey and Styx were the Sept. 1 ^ n 8 d on ^ ie P°P charts, man of theC' )n anc l die Scorchers arrived m was misquc:- orthgate pay ic udent use. e lot has acto iveral months ; Jed to a pay lor s and patrons: 5 not simply fo'S. on the scene and broke away from the softness of their prede cessors and brought a new sound to the music business. The alignment of the punk and honkey-tonk country was not a fa miliar sound. The band trail blazed the path for this music. Jason and the Scorchers were one of the first band to combine country music and punk. It is now common place, but at the time they were charting unfa miliar territory. They went beyond soft country with a slight edge to intense gui tar driven rock ’n’ roll with hard core honky-tonk. They were alternative country before it existed. Mark McKenzie, program di rector for 103.9-FM KHLR, said the band cannot be classified into Ki\ ■ Photos Courtesy of C. Taylor Crothers Above: Jason and The Scorchers will play at Shadow Canyon tonight with Bare, Jr. The country-punk band has been in the music busi ness for 17 years and is known for its high energy performances. Bottom left: Jason and The Shockers are (from left to right) Kenny Ames (bass guitar), Jason Ringenberg (vocals), Perry Baggs (drums) and Warner E. Hodges (lead guitar). n in Amaz one category because their music crosses many genres. “If you are interested in a di versity of music then you should see this band,” he said. “They take different aspects of music and they take many different in fluences and they bring them all together. The sound that they pro duce is the signature of the band.” Now 17 years and seven al bums later, the band is back on the road promoting their new live album Midnight Roads and Stages Seen. Willie Bennett, talent buyer for Shadow Canyon, said Jason and the Scorchers cater to a wide va riety of audiences. “They are not the standard country band and do not require the standard country listener,” he said. “This is not a two-stepping band. They are all over the stage. They are really rockers. They are alternative country to the largest extreme. ” Bennett said they are a dy namic band and their sound and stage presence are hard to put into words. “They are really fun to watch,” he said. “It is going to be quite a show and one that you will not want to miss. It will be one of those shows that people will be talking about the next day.” Jason and the Scorchers are known for their outrageous and ex tremely energetic performances. Ann Powers of The New York Times goes as far as to compare lead vocalist Jason Ringenbern to the energetic Jerry Lee Lewis. Many fans have gone on to say a live performance of this band is what rock'n’roll legends are made of. Warner Hodges, Jason and the Scorchers’ guitarist, said in a press release that the band’s roots are embedded in live perfor mances and is what led them to record the Midnight Roads album. “The way we look at it was, this is the most important thing we’ve done, so, let’s just go out and have fun,” Hodges said. “That’s how it had to happen, be cause that’s how we’ve always been as a live band. This record is who we are, with all the energy right there in front of you-and all the freckles and pimples, too.” Opening for Jason and the Scorchers will be Bare, Jr. anoth er band with roots in the country music business. Bennett said the whole night will be amazing and the combi nation of both bands will be very entertaining. “I am looking forward to Jason and the Scorchers, but I am also looking forward to their opening act Bare, Jr.,” he said. “Bare, Jr. is the son of Bobby Bare, one of country music’s legends. Both of them together is what will make the show unforgettable.” ay, Septedv 9:30 p.m ID glasses provide) lYrsom with *“ hii ' M45-I51- loi^ 001 ' ,|>ecl«l WHk " nollficaliim Ihw' ’ prior tothf' 1 " 1111 ' vouloltaW''" ryafl •eet ity DrW® SHOP OUR LABOR DAY WEEKEND SIDEWALK SALE! FRIDAY, SATURDAY, SUNDAY & MONDAY SEPTEMBER 4-7 Post Oak Mall Bealls, Dillard's, Foley's, JCPenney, Sears, Service Merchandise, The Food Court and 105 Speciality Stores. Open Monday-Saturday 10 to 9, Sunday 12 to 6. Customer Service Booth 764-0777. Texas 6 Bypass at Highway 30, College Station i