The Battalion iday • April 19,

"gin iUPSii FRIDAY GGIE lidate April 19, 1996 Rage 3 the Departmei ofessor and assoas ^ebraska-Lincok? Vlay 10. Conolejlij t program for lit. York and at decs Georgia, Band yearns to perform Iter Gmelch, a&:Q Eugene-Eugene looks ington State Unms ) May 10. ashington Statel'i is also worked at and the Univeni to increase following were chosen fei By James Francis Wonder, with the band Chicago as an alter­ Armstrong, a The Battalion nate favorite. % head of the bit “I like Stevie Wonder because of the mes­ nent, said all I ome say music is an sages he has,” Smith said. that they can As for Chicago, he said he sees it as “one rship and visio of the top brass bands,” and he enjoys the acquired taste. It feeling he receives from them. has administratis Another feeling Smith takes pleasure in ed scholar in ftufij comes in a variety of is the audience participation at the group’s arch, is effectivei: many performances. is) committed tok Sforms, and the people who fol“I look­ for people who take the time to listen to the music, people who like to move a search commit low the tunes are no different. when we are playing and give us a response sssor of health anil to know whether we did a good job or not,” as need to believe Eugene-Eugene will perform at the he said. “We try to project a very clean im­ vice, instead of te Brazos Brewing Company Saturday at age of Christian people who love to play fic area, 10 p.m. music and live life to the fullest.” ook at research.) The band, diverse in its performances, ares about teach "I see the band growing, pushing plays a grand amount of Earth, Wind and m rould be prettyb Fire from the 1970s and 1980s. ach, when you'if towards a bigger audience ... " At locations ranging from the Hilton to churches and dances to the Walden Retire­ — EUGENE SMITH JR. ognition thee® ment Community, the group performs up­ keyboardist, Eugene-Eugene is another import: beat, hip-hop music and gospel songs to classics such as “Moon River.” ge, you have Brothers James and Ernest Gibbs play Although Eugene-Eugene has been a eone whose resend guitar and drums, respectively; Ralph Mon- group for almost 10 years now, improve­ nition,” Ashley a civias is the band’s saxophonist, and Shawn ment is always an option. ication programs Lei Druery is an occasional female vocalist join­ “I see the band growing, pushing to­ ion, but I don’t tki ing the band at different sets. wards a bigger audience — more from state The Gibbs brothers hail from a musical to a national level,” Smith said. background in their family, but there is one Smith said he sees himself as more By Libe Goad band signed with RCA and spent the and LeBlanc’s passion for the Beatles, other individual who, although the only of a producer and songwriter as the fu­ The Bati alion next few months creating R U With Me. the Sex Pistols and met irst tirnt member of his lineage to partake in music, ture approaches. The new album should sound much somewhere in the middle to form Cow­ shares the band’s experiences. As the head of Master Dreamer Pro­ owboy Mouth is escaping like the band’s three previous albums, boy Mouth. o Glenn Mil The man responsible for the band’s dou­ ductions, he also publishes a maga­ from the kettle of music in LeBlanc said. But the July release will And unlike many bands, the mem­ d,” and theSloa ble name is Eugene Smith Jr., the group’s zine, Back to Basics, which is filled and serving its have the force behind a major label to bers searched out a name that would ears into a jitterk keyboardist who said the group is “a mix of with art, poems and short stories for Chome-grown sound to the resthelp of them along. sketch out the band’s personality, ing howls and he1 rhythm and blues and jazz with contempo­ the African-American community. the nation. “We’ve learned a lot of things,” he LeBlanc said. ay of the estimatii rary gospel.” “It’s all about going back to doing things The band is playing at the Dixie The­ said, “and we took much more time on The name comes from Sam Shepard, idents, alumni a:l He said his major influence is Stevie the way they used to be,” Smith said. atre Saturday night. this one.” the brooding western playwrite, in a ; gathered to waii After playing together for four years, Though Cowboy Mouth has moved play where two people look to one an­ ; dubbed “A Mira the band recently signed on with MCA up a notch in record labels, they stick to other for advice. reet.” Records and toured last fall with old- their original style — anything goes. LeBlanc says one character tries to Jasmine Blue strives to time friends, Hootie and the Blowfish. Of course, the band comes from a convince the other to become a per­ Fred LeBlanc, Cowboy Mouth drum­ heart of diversity in New Orleans. former. He tries to make a friend think mer and lead vocalist, said he and gui­ There, the Neville Brothers and he can use his talents to become a musi­ [ON mature after first album tarist , bassist Rob Savoy Marsalis family dug their roots. cal savior. and guitarist The Crescent City also birthed the “He tells him to be a rock ’n’ roll Je­ have played with Hootie and the Blow- beginning of rhythm and blues, Ca­ sus with a cowboy mouth,” he said. deadline fish for six years. jun and zydeco. “Cowboy Mouth was the only name The two bands would exchange Mixed in with the music of Better that we could all agree on.” )0 p.m, dates, playing together and always than Ezra and Dead Eye Dick, the band Another thing the band agrees with ■ tn-: looking for a good time. is a clear reflection of its roots. is getting back on stage. “We’d watch them get out and get On the band’s last album, It Means LeBlanc said the long months of T*V drunk,” LeBlanc said. Escape, the members’ different influ­ recording has made him lustful for per­ - »-• *t I i* * i Their camaraderie paid off. After ences showed through. forming live. Iff Hootie and the Blowfish hit it big, The album presents a mixture of “Our shows are based around the I fut i iftj they invited Cowboy Mouth on a pop, noisy guitar songs and a song best idea of old Gospel shows,” he said. “We fivj tour of the nation. sung by a cowboy on the range. want to cleanse and purge the crowd of The bands played together like old “When Paul and I formed the band,” bad spirits.” times, but with much larger audiences. LeBlanc said, “we wanted the musical It’s the good spirit that keeps LeBlanc said Cowboy Mouth found dexterity of the Neville Brothers and the band rolling. LeBlanc said hav­ many new listeners along the way. the intensity of the Sex Pistols.” ing fun inspires him to keep his “The best part was playing with old And so Cowboy Mouth began. creativity churning. friends for three weeks,” he said. The band members each came from “The main thing we want to get In Los Angeles, the corporate rock a musical background and each brought across is a sense of passion and ning daily ears were ready to listen. in a different musical taste. Sanchez’ happiness. LeBlanc said that after the show in acoustic guitar preference, Griffith’s “I do what I do,” he said, “because I r24,000, L.A., record offers fell into their lap. The country guitar, Savoy’s Cajun rhythms think we are f—king great.” By Amy Protas said. “I used to be in the studio all day for i! The Battalion class. It was great to go into the studio purely for creation purposes. It’s a tight Plebeian Monarchs finds meaning ith the exception of one, all the band getting recorded by a good produc­ members of Jasmine Blue are er, and it really shows up.” By Amy Protas used to turn on the radio station and beat on pots and childhood friends. When they Before recording the album, the band The Battalion pans along with the music.” Wwere in middle school, the members mainlywere played acoustic sets. Eventually the band obtained Chris Godbey, a bass player. all in bands. At the time, they did not re­ “The only gigs we’ve done have been in hat started out as a band Vanderpool said the band’s name has significance alize that one day, they would come to­ town as acoustic acts,” Love said. behind it. gether and record an album. “Recording the album was exciting be­ “Originally, we were just the plebeians,” Vanderpool Jasmine Blue came about when Karl cause we didn’t know what the music was for a high school talent said. “Eventually, we added Monarchs. Plebeians are Kunz, the band’s rhythm guitarist, re­ going to sound like by adding bass and common people, and of course, monarchs are kings. This turned to Bryan from Waco. drums. We liked it, but we also still like name is not about us as individuals, more about the con­ Marshall Love, vocalist and percus­ the songs in the acoustic format.” show has evolved into the cept. It shows the contradiction of being common and be­ Di, NightNEW5EDlH, After recording the album at Guinea Pig iielife Editor sionist and a 1995 Texas A&M journal­ ing a king.” Studios in College Station, the band ob­ i, Storts Editor ism graduate, said he had not been in­ Plebeian Monarchs. The MonarchsCollins saidare the band’s style can be compared to The dio Editor volved in music until he found out Kunz tained two new members: Watt Bigham, a W Police or . sjich, Graphics Ews* was back from Waco. freshman mechanical engineering major “Our music is really anthem-esque,” Vanderpool said. mphics Editor “Karl and I grew up together in and bassist, and drummer Rodney Ramirez. producing an album and are currently “An anthem is something you sing with patriotism. It’s Bryan,” Love said. “We parted ways Bigham said he started playing the similar to what we sing. When you sing the ‘Star Span­ when he went to music school in Waco. I bass at a young age. touring. The band is playing on North- gled Banner,’ you sing it like you mean it. That’s what we Pamela Benson, Eleif1 didn’t have much to do with music until I “I always thought Black Sabbath was try to do.” ter Pace, Kendra cool,” Bigham said, “so when I turned 'iggins came back from studying abroad in Italy Scheifley said although the music is somewhat mellow, 10, I got a bass. The guitar thing never Barry, Kristina Bun" in 1994. When I got back, Karl and I met gate Saturday at 8:45 p.m. it is still rock. d, David Hall, ler'1 really appealed to me. It all seemed up and began writing songs together.” “It’s definitely rock,” Scheifley said, “but in a U2 and ?rs; Pace Design®^ pretty pedestrian.” Kunz helped Love write an operetta Police style. We’re very vocal-oriented. Greg is good about The influences of the band run the "Music is a church, a place where you go uffin, Phil Leone, ii*1 for his senior honors thesis. The operetta harmonizing with Steve. I love listening to music that I ley gamut from Van Morrison to Yes to Jim­ is called and was performed on and worship." has the harmonizing element. We’re not a loud band. The Baxter, Rob Clark,f Figurine mie Hendrix to Kiss. The band mentioned >n, Elaine Mejia, Cl ' the A&M campus. lyrics are more of a positive nature.” sz & Kieran Walson Rush as the most common influence. — STEVEN COLLINS The band considers Daniel Lanois, who produced some ony Angkriwan, Ar‘ In October 1994, the band acquired Kunz said their sound can best be de­ guitarist/vocalist, Plebeian Monarchs e, Cory Willis 4 f'-:' Jonah Salih, a sophomore computer engi­ scribed as rock ’n’ roll. of Peter Gabriel’s and U2’s music, a strong influence. >dy Holley, {III Man1 neering major. “When we say alternative, it’s alterna­ “I would like us to aspire to be similar to him,” Schei­ Love said Salih can only be described tive to Seattle,” Kunz said. “The ’60s had its Greg Vanderpool, the band’s guitarist and vocalist, fley said. “His music is highly spiritual, yet down to as a guitar virtuoso. earth. It’s something you can sink your teeth into.” ’le, Ed Goodwin, own style of music, and we’re rooted deeply said the band was able to form again after the members ezada, )ames Vine)'*1 “Jonah’s sister brought him over to in ’60s music. We’re definitely not Smashing got out of college. The band’s other influences are and our apartment one night,” Love said. Pumpkins. We’re roots rock with soul.” “We were separated by college, but have recently Charlie Sexton. I'ay, Mandy Caler, ^ “He picked up a guitar, began playing, Kunz said the band would never have brought it back together,” Vanderpool said. “We’ve got­ Spiritualism is something that is extremely important and we knew then. He’s an incredible been able to record the album without ten into what we really want to be. We want to take it to the Monarchs. ixas A&M Universil)' ’ virtuoso guitar player. He began com­ the help of their friends. more seriously.” Collins said music embodies spiritualism. nt of Journalism, 'hone: 845-3313; fa': posing difficult melodic parts to fit over “We appreciate all the support we’ve Vanderpool and Steven Collins, guitarist and vocal­ “Music is a church,” Collins said, “a place where you go our music.” been getting,” Kunz said. “We really rely on ist, are the original members of the band. Collins and worship. It doesn’t exist in physical realm except for nr endorsemenlby^ In 1996, the three, with the help of our friends. We have a real tight circle of asked Steven Scheifley, a drummer, if he wanted to sound. When you go to church or you are watching a movie, ig, call 845-26%, V ? in 015 ReedMcDC two studio musicians playing bass and friends, and there’s so much technical stuff join the Monarchs. it’s not as powerful until the music comes in. It’s a universal iday. Eax: 84 5-267l _ drums, recorded Motherlover. going on that they help with. The album is Scheifley said he had been interested in music since he medium. Everyone who can hear the music can understand.” i student to pick upa-# just the end result for all these people that iter, $40 per school I** Kunz said recording the album was an was extremely young. At the beginning of the summer, the Monarchs will be re­ ’er or American E>()^ exciting experience. are getting paid nothing. They’re really “I play drums and I basically started when I was three leasing an album called Equus. It is named after a play writ­ “Recording the album was cool,” Kunz helping us.” years old,” Scheifley said. “I’m 25 and the oldest member ten in the 1970s by Peter Shaffer. The play, as with the al­ h Friday duringtliei; of the band. I’ve been playing forever, it seems like. I bum, deals with what people put up on a pedestal. the summer sessioi15 \&M University. nald Building, TesJ*