cptcmber H
nyn
» For a look at what’s going
on in B-CS, see A Night on the
Town, included in today’s
issue of The Battalion.
■mrsday, September 13, 20
THE BATTALION
Page 11
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Local band has
come a long
way from small
beginnings
By Bf.th Brown
THE BATTALION
T he group began.
as many bands'
do, with two
guys sitting
around, strumming gui
tars and playing with
lyrics. But the members
of the band knew they
wanted to do more with
their talent, so they
formed a band.
After going through
several different mem
bers and even different
names, they became
Two Spy.
The band explains
that their name came
from two places. They
were inspired to use the
word ‘spy' from the pop
ular comic strip from
Mad Magazine, “Spy
Versus Spy,” and the
word ‘two’ was derived
from a story in the
Bible.
“We decided to make
it something that had to
do with the Bible ...
there were 12 spies that
went to check out the
Holy Land, and accord
ing to God, 10 were bad
and two were good. So,
we decided to be Two
Spy ... it’s catchy,”
McLawhon said.
Two Spy will perform
at Third Floor Cantina
tonight. All five mem
bers of Two Spy are
A&M students.
The band comprises
lead vocalist Ryan
McLawhon, a junior
speech communications
major; lead guitarist
Trent Foley, a senior
computer science major;
bass player Russell
Wedelich, a senior elec
trical engineering major;
drummer Eric Loftis, a
sophomore music major
and keyboard player
Chris Tucker, a sopho
more general studies
major.
McLawhon explained
that the guys had a band
in high school but did
not take it very far. Once
they came to A&M, Two
Spy, which had seven
members until this year,
began to play at local
clubs and bars such as
Zapatos, Shadow-
Canyon, Double Dave’s,
Rudder Fountain and the
Didgery Doo, which the
guys affectionately call
“the Didge.”
A favorite spot for the
band is Third Floor
Cantina, where they
have played several
times.
“Third Floor had
helped us out a lot,”
McLawhon said. “They
really like us, which is
cool. They recorded our
live album, and I’m sure
w'e’ll have more Third
Floor shows coming up.”
McLawhon said the
band also has played in
Houston and Copper
Mountain, Colo., but
“mostly we just stick
around here because we
have school.”
Foley said the band
likes playing in College
Station because of the
small-town atmosphere.
“There are far fewer
bands here, so it’s not as
easy to get lost in a
thousand bands,” he
said.
The band’s sound is
influenced by various
bands, including
Radiohead, Tori Amos,
311, the Dave Matthews
Band and McLawhon’s
favorite band, Toad the
Wet Sprocket.
McLawhon said lis
teners can expect “a lot
of fun music they can
jump around to, as well
as stuff they can sit back
and listen to for the nice
melodies.”
“Hopefully, we can
get people to think about
things,” Wedelich said.
Come see Two Spy at
Third Floor Cantina
tonight. Opening band
Exist will perform at 9
p.m. and Two Spy is
slated to play at 10:30
p.m. As Wedelich said,
“We just like to jam and
have fun.”
Chasing a "
i Rock ’n’Roll
l . . . . . . . . dream
Linus following their goals,
will play Friday at Third Floor Cantina
By Jane Holden
THE BATTALION
L inus has a goal in life, far
loftier than any modern
malady of wanting to
express their feelings or be
understood by their peers. Singer
Chris Pate, guitarist Steve Dokken,
bass player Eric Dickerson and drum
mer Sean Eubanks want to be the most
successful rock-and-roll act to ever
come out of College Station, Texas,
and their^ confidence is backed by
something greater than braggadocio:
determination.
“Most bands would have quit by
now,” Pate said, “We’ve been ripped
off, taken advantage of, and lost mem
bers ... About a year and a half ago, we
had to really ask ourselves if it was
time to quit, but we decided to keep
going. Now it’s to the end.”
Tonight at 10 p.m., Linus, with
opening guests Lure and Thread, will
perform at the Third Floor Cantina to
release their new, self-titled CD. Linus
fans should be pleased with the new
maturity of an already distinctive
sound, blending vocal harmony with
hard rock. “Satin,” the first single off
the new album, reflects this combina
tion and is the product of a developed
song-writing process.
Park sings to an intense musical
backdrop, “And this dress it fits you so
exceedingly well.” It is the kind of
song that causes the listener to hum its
harmony while banging along on an
imaginary drum set. “Satin” reveals a
sensitivity uncommon to most hard
rock music, and the new CD has
eleven more tracks packed with just
the same punch.
“We strive to express a positive
image,” Eubanks explained, to which
Pate added, “We don’t want to sing
about things that don’t matter. We just
want to stand for something, as hard
as that is and do something my mom
can be at least somewhat proud of.”
Linus’ eclectic sound manages to
remain true to the band’s own musical
message while taking cues from its
rock-and-roll predecessors. Linus is
influenced by Pate’s passion for the
Smashing Pumpkins, Dickerson’s
interest in hard rock and 1980s music
and Dokken’s cutting edge enthusiasm
for heavy metal influences such as
Korn and Slipknot. Toss in Eubanks'
country music craze and the outcome
is a dark and smooth melodic hard
rock sound with a modern twist. If the
band’s recent experiences are any indi
cation of this concoction’s success, it
would appear that the future holds
great things for this College Station-
based quartet.
Among the listed credentials on the
band's resume are an opening show for
Buckcherry in 1999 and an East Coast
tour in 2000, on which Linus dazzled
crowds at New York’s CBGBs.
“Anyone who is anyone in the music
industry started at CBGBs,” Pate said,
“In fact, U2 played their first United
States show there and it was definitely
the coolest part of our tour.” Linus also
performed in Boston, Nashville,
Atlanta and New Orleans and per
forms regularly in both Houston and
Oklahoma City.
Pate, Dokken, Dickerson and
Eubanks have had their share of ups and
downs but the band believes they have
what it takes in terms of talent and deter
mination to become that big success story
that originated in College Station.
“It would be really nice for the
whole thing to start here,” Pate said,
“We would love to be the first local
band signed by a major label.” The
aspiring stars shared the same quiet
confidence as Eubanks concluded, “I
bleed maroon.”
Tonight at the Third Floor Cantina,
Linus will proudly perform songs off
their new album. Fans are encouraged
to arrive at 10 p.m. and take advan
tage of the early opportunity to lay
hands on Linus’ new self-titled CD.
The cover charge is $5.
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Thursday
The local rock, funk and folk band Two
Spy will perform at 10 p.m. The energetic
and melodic sound of this multi-faceted
group is inspired by artists ranging in genre
from Tori Amos to 311. The intense musical
groove of special guest, Exist, will accom
pany the sound, adding a dash of flavor
described as “pleasantly tasteful but defi
nitely not decaf.” Cover charge is $5.
the Cantina tonight at 10 p.m. with special
guests, Oklahoma-based Lure and local
heavy metal band, Thread. Cover is $5.
At 10 p.m. Thanks for the Update, a local
rock band with an alternative twist, will be
performing for guests at the pizzeria. There
is no cover charge.
Show is to be announced.
Blue Valentine will entertain bar guests
on the outdoor stage at 9:30 p.m. Cover
charge is $3.
Acoustic singer Shane Walker will play a
blend of original and covered songs of the
Texas country and blues flavor with special
guest, Scott Austin. The show will start
around 9 p.m. There is no cover charge.
At 9:30 p.m. local act Feeding Five
Thousand will perform on the outdoor
stage. Cover charge is $5.
6-
At 9:30 p.m. Jay Goodin, a regular at the
ale house, will perform so me classic rock
covers with a splash of original acoustic
rock. There is no cover charge.
Wide Open Mic Night, hosted by Chad
Boyd, will begin on the porch stage at 8:30
p.m. Musicians are invited to express them
selves with cover songs or originals. There
is no cover charge.
Rspiday
'Thsi/L'et 'ffloiyv C'CwC&rvC’i'l
The Linus CD release party will kick off at
Bobby Hall and the Ice Cold Blues Band
will perform trendy blues music while lis
teners enjoy a cup of joe. Cover charge is
$1.
At 9 p.m., 6 Bridges will entertain guests
on the porch stage with acoustic guitars
and harmonization to familiar tunes by
Jack-O-Pierce and Cowboy Mouth as well as
some originals. There is no cover charge.
Saturday
At 10 p.m. the legend is here: Chris
Duarte will be performing at the Cantina.
Cover charge is $ 10.
Austin band Woodwork will be performing
alternative rock for latte-sipping coffee
house guests from 9 to midnight. Cover
charge is $1.
At 9 p.m. local favorites, 2welveLead, will
be performing on the patio stage. This hard
rocking alternative band will be laying down
the electronics for the night and giving
guests at the Cantina a rare acoustic show.
There is no cover charge.
Sunday
PxrvoA-
Corbin Maclain and K.O.R.A. are bring
ing the back porch to Shadow Canyon
Sunday. The roots-rock, Americana singer
Chris Knight will be performing all origi
nals, including the famous single, “It ain’t
easy being me." The show will last from 8
to 11 p.m
o ;
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