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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 ;
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