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About The Battalion. (College Station, Tex.) 1893-current | View Entire Issue (Sept. 4, 2003)
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( he Microsoft's opfl ," Putnam said. rification e Wednesdi iber 3 page “Gates esta^ review of coni ttions,” pres^ the Texas ' ation is Edd« vis. Aggielife The Battalion Page 3A • Thursday, September 4, 2003 Blue light special T ade Bowen &West 84 take the show on the road with Farewell to Sanity tour By Kim Katopodis THE BATTALION I Wade Bowen was born and bred in Texas. So was his music. But don’t let these facts put ■owen, or his music, in a box. I Sometimes his music has a honky-tonk feel tt it, sometimes it is more rock inspired, ■sually, the line between the two is blurred Ind what remains is a sound that needs its own lenre apart from the usual “Texas music” nold. I Wade Bowen & West 84 will ■lay at Shadow Canyon tonight ■long with Stoney LaRue and fcjango Walker as part of their "Farewell to Sanity” Tour. I No one band is the headliner of lie tour, but that’s just one thing that makes this tour distinct, said Khad Kudelka of Austin Universal Entertainment. I “The bands will determine who i playing first, second and third lach night before the show,” he laid. “The lineup will not be announced to the public. That way lone of the bands are perceived as leadliners or openers." I Another difference can be found ii the number of bands playing. ■wo bands typically tour together Ind play for about an hour and a half to two hours each. I Bowen, LaRue and Walker each ■lay for one hour. This time con- straint can really challenge the bands to give the audience their best music and most upbeat per- lormance, Bowen said. Wade Bowen & West 84 formed their band at Texas Tech University in 1998. I They started out as simply West 84 but later changed their name to Wade Bowen & West 84 because they thought it had better mass appeal. Three of the band members knew each other from their hometown of Waco but hadn’t played together until college. Bowen said his music is constantly evolving. During his college years, he was heavily influ enced by Willie Nelson, Robert Earl Keen and Jack Ingram. "That was where my true love of writing came from," he said. Country was his first influence, so his first album has a more heavy country sound com pared to the band’s newest release, “The Blue Light Live,” which Bowen said he sees as the band’s greatest hits album. “I love this album because this one is mainly for all the people that have fol lowed us from the beginning,” he said. “This album just defines what we do onstage. It is as raw and real as you can possibly get in an album....That is what I am most proud of about this album...it’s sincerity. There’s mess ups, mistakes, bottle breaking, drunken screams, stu pid comments,et * cetera, and that’s what makes it fun.” “The Blue Light Live” shows the evolu tion of Wade Bowen & West 84. The album takes the listener on a journey through the band’s previous albums. “Honkey-tonk country just got boring.” said Bowen. I still love it though.” Out of that boredom grew a new style This album just de fines what we do on stage. It is as raw and real as you can possibly get on an album...There's mess ups, mistakes, bottles breaking drunken screams, stupid com ments, etc, and that's what makes it fun. ” — Wade Bowen Singer and songwriter of Wade Bowen & West 84 and sound. Both his records and his shows have a new attitude.Wade Bowen & West 84 found that since they first started, the audiences have begun to crave a dif ferent kind of show. “I enjoy the rock stuff live,” Bowen said. “People are want ing a more upbeat rock show than a few years ago.” Some of Bowen’s inspiration comes from unlike ly sources. “Sometimes I listen to artists that I wouldn’t normally listen to in order to get new ideas for my music,” Bowen said. Bowen’s goal is to never be a cliche. That goal encom passes the feel of the band’s live shows. That’s why Bowen encourages people to see them live again if they have only seen them once, because the show changes every night. Those who are unfamiliar with the “Texas music” phenomenon should be satisfied with texastroubadors.corn’s definition of Texas country versus Nashville country from Bowen. “It’s a more acoustic sound, a more country sound, and it’s raw.... Nashville artists write for the nation and with a nationwide appeal, Texans write about what they grew up on, and Photo courtesy of* 36D MANAGEMENT Singer/songwriter Wade Bowen in concert Wade Bowen 6t West 84 play at Shadow Canyon tonight as far as the sounds, it’s two completely differ ent sounds, and everyone who listens to it knows that.” Many Texas country bands flock to College Station where their sound is general ly well received. Name recognition (famed country singer Jerry Jeff Walker is Django’s father) will draw crowds to Shadow Canyon, but they will stay for the original sound of all three. Those who like traditional, two-step coun try may want to skip this one. But music lovers seeking new sounds and a fun live show should plan to be at Shadow Canyon tonight. AURANT Boat est ster Bar Snapper 7S • Oysters -Sat li-n 79-775-9079 "hief jtsch, Sci|Tcch Editor ■sth, Copy Chief una, (iraphics Editor 1 Photo Editor igsley , Radio Product! i rbusch, Webmaster ; ay through Friday during# uring the summer sessW liversity. Periodicals ss changes to The Battalid 1 ’ 111. at Texas A&M University* rnalism. News offices are* 3; Fax: 845-2647; E-ma* ship or endorsement by# call 845-2696. For class- Reed McDonald, and ofW 678. ti Texas A&M student to pid oies 254. Mail subscriptions 7.50 for the summeror$l® i Express, call 845-2611