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Page 6 lEe Blue Banner — Serving the University of North C^arolina at Asheville sinee 1982 November 16, 2006

Bandazian wins am the man •everyday *lpve like you nev#b hen it comes to Wd then the wind hurt* battle of the bands ving you, thats i it makes us sway *dance like nobody is to the rhythm ing* By Libby Rice Swr Wfortw including a knee replacement, that we make music has played a huge role in e kiwiprtiie Kevin Rumley sp)oke almost in my recovery and playing with come on just like * m(6s by Don Willk disbelief about himself and his Bandazian, Matt Rumley Combo e rodm band, Bandazian winning the 2006 and friends. It has been the best. id sMHi ^ a min otireight Rocktoberfest, Battle of the Bands “Everyone carries a life experi­ competition at The Orange Peel, ence and they apply it however id mPK dr||^^P I Talk to the hand For words to Vacate s( Oct. 29. they apply it. I’m very fortunate to t “We entered the competition just even be able to play music and le other way ^ the ear don't want to hear “Breathe” album cove really to see if we could get cho.sen have that outlet. I’m very lucky.” Fidelity Records for the top 10,” said Kevin This might hav helped am the man ' talk to the hand the ear Rumley, freshman education stu­ Bandazian take first place in the hen it comes to ^ dent. “1 think the people who Battle of the Bands. accepted us even were hesitant to “Being blessed to be able to play iving you, that’s what I do little ty ina let us in. They kept asking us if music with the musicians that 1 we’d played anywhere before, and have played with has been the we were like, ‘No, not really.’” most influential element in my nk\H|e The vast majority of Bandazian’s musical development,” Shull said. ou got the goods funkifmnk ifiiimers ^ 4ireak in the schedul gigs have been in Rumley and his “Kevin and Alex are two of my brother’s ba.sement. best friends and we have been lats what I need the funk^at|at getget^^high pi Jofficienliiirolantatifficien^blant lei “We just played live at The through a lot together.” Orange Peel, what we normally do Their prize for winning )u a gourmet recipe 4onkHy4pk it lingers ^ we wered in the basement. We’ve never real­ Rocktoberfest, Bandazian plans to ju slice and dice like peam buttt^r on rye^ ly played anywhere before and record a five-track demo with % rIglMing then we won. It was awesome,’ Echo Mountain Recording, which lute' and peel you cannot be to pickf said Rumley. has worked with other local bands

According to Rumley, like Toubab Krewe. The Asheville Megon Hagey - Staff Photographer Bandazian has been together Citizen-Times will also cover the through many different members bands’ five-day adventure in the Keller Williams performed at The Orange Peel Wednesday night, Williams performs with all of his ovni instruments and uses a technique { since the ninth grade of their studio in a series of articles. called looping in order to create an original sound, Williams also performs cover songs from bands such as the Grateful Dead. s high school career in Fairfax, “In the future, I definitely see a F Va. lot of Bandazian,” Keena said. a “We just swapped members a lot “We’re recording in December and V with whoever could play an instru­ we’re working on some new e ment. We’d be like, ‘Hey do you stuff” ( wanna play with us?”’ Rumley Rumley is majoring in education Keller Williams a said. “That’s just kind of how it at UNC Asheville. V started, and we’ve kept that men­ “I want to be a special education t tality of just friends playing music teacher,” Shull said. “I’d like Self -taught artist jams at The Orange Peel c ever since.” music to be everything, not just By Madison Hayes Staff Writer five-man band. on top of them,” Wilson said. ers, he does it like Keller, not life V Their sound is indescribable, something on the side but I love “His music and broad song “I’ve seen him play with other according to Rumley. “It’s just how it would sound if you lis­ working with special education On a somewhat cold and somber pool make him his own musical people on a number of occasions, rock,” he said. “Everything has tened to one of those bands' Wednesday night, the self-taught, genre,” Moore said. “He plays and he is still amazing. But, when inlluenced us. We all like so many albums.” “jam man” Keller Williams heat­ any form of guitar or bass you you buy tickets tb see Keller, you dilferent artists. On our newest Though every show is a good ed The Orange Peel with his can imagine and is phenomenal expect to see him by himself. He album, “In Vacant Fields,” we I’m very fortunate to even be show, William’s performance last ingenious combinations of at all stringed instruments. He Wednesday was a bit subdued, have a hip-hop singer. We also able to play music and have acoustic instruments, electronic has several electronic synthesiz­ (i 99 have the Rhodes keyboard, which according to Moore. that outlet. synthesizers and jovial lyrics. ers and devices that incorporate kind of has the old Neil Young “Keller is generally more “Keller Williams plays all his body movement and proximity One of Keller’s biggest sound.” involved with his shows, but 1 Mait Rumley own instruments, has a ridiculous to render pitch and tone. He also strengths and one of the main Like any band, one cannot pin­ sensed apprehension during his band member knack for beats and has an ever places emphasis on mouth harp­ reasons for his loyal follow­ performance,” Moore said. “He is point the exact influences of the changing style of music,” said ing and beat boxing, two very sound, only the inspirations. ing is his ability to connect a busy guy, touring the way he Joey Moore, freshman student at talented feats he excels at. The “Lately, I have been listening with the crowd every show. does, and physically wouldn’t be kids also.” Asheville Buncombe Technical fact he plays all the instruments to a lot of Charles Mingus, The able to cope with giving every Shull has somewhat different Community College. “Keller used in his songs gives him Stooges, Gang of Four, Bill Ben Wilson show his all.” plans but still predicts music. knows good music, appreciates more credibility as a tremen­ Evans Trio and Lou Reed,” said junior psj'chology student Although his performance “I paduated from the University good music, and can definitely dous solo artist.” Tim Shull, the bassist for may be been sub-par in compar­ of Virginia this year with a degree play good music. That combina­ To create his original sound, Bandazian. Life experiences ison to other shows, Keller still in mathematics and music,” he tion leads to a one-of-a-kind Williams uses a loop sampler to also carried Bandazian to where said. “I definitely foresee a lot of artist.” connected with the enthusiastic they are now. play a multitude of beats and is incredible to watch because he crowd, according to Wilson. music in my future in every shape rhythms all at once, a technique “1 was 19 when I went to Iraq and form.” U 99 is playing by himself” “One of Keller’s biggest called “looping” that he adopted Keller is a part of the SCI with the Marine Corps.,” Rumley Though music is a propelling His music and broad song strengths and one of the main said. “1 was there for only three from Bella Fleck and the Fidelity Records label and reasons for his loyal following is force in all of their lives, it seems Flecktones bassist Victor Wooten. months on the Syrian border when friendship is the unifying factor in pool make him his own sometimes plays with other his ability to connect with the I was blown up by an lED, like a musical genre. Relix magazine said “He not only artists, including Larry and crowd every show,” Wilson said. keeping Bandazian together for so channels his own emotions, but booby trap. It hit the guy in front long. Jenny Keel as “Keller and the “Keller is a wonderful per­ draws on the spirit of the audi­ of me. He was killed and the “We’re all just one big group of Joey M(X)re Keels”, String Cheese Incident former. Every show he just looks shrapnel sprayed all over the rest freshman student ence, occasionally looping the as “Keller Williams Incident,” like he is having so much fun up friends,” Rumley said. crowd into his own songs. The of us. I was sent to Walter Reed “Kevin has been more of an Umphrey’s McGee as “Keller on stage.” audience becomes part of the cho­ McGee,” and others. Hospital in D.C., right near where influence on me as a musician and Williams has gained a wide fol­ WilUams also has his own radio I grew up.” rus; like the poetry of the beat During his shows, Williams show called “Keller’s Cellar human being than anyone else,” lowing and a plethora of recogni­ generation and the bebop jazz of According to Rumley, Shull and Shull said. also plays cover songs from var­ Somewhat Ruleless Radio," tion for his ingenuity and original the 50’s, Williams has taken the ious artists like Grateful Dead, Alex Keena, the vocalist and gui­ Rumley’s recovery from his style. Williams caters to any Hosted by Willliams himself this tarist for Bandazian, visited roots of his jam band predecessors Bob Dylan, Joni Mitchell, Ani hour-long narrated show offers a time in Iraq changed their lives, demographic, but he usually tends and added a living, breathing life Rumley every day. according to Keena. DiFranco and more. mix of William’s favorite music. to draw out the younger crowd. force to his music.” It is this “Keller knows many of the kids “Every day they helped as 1 “Since then music in our life has “We get a young crowd for One can tune in-to it on radio sta­ learned to write and walk all over unique sound that makes Keller so coming out to his shows are also tion WNCW-FM or listen to it as taken on a whole new meaning,” Keller,” said Joseph Bollini, credible as a “one-man band”, again,” Rumley said. “They have Keena said. fans of really legendary artists and a live online stream from his Web Orange Peel security worker. “But according to Ben Wilson, junior bands like Grateful Dead, Joni been a major part of my recovery.” Bandazian’s new album “In it’s always big numbers.” site. psychology student. Mitchell and Bob Dylan,” Wilson Through all of this, music Vacant Fields,” is available on Using a vast mixture of acoustic remains a constant in Rumley’s “He plays all the different said. “So when he covers those iTunes and they are also on guitars, basses, drum machines, instruments in each song, using a life. myspace.com at bands it’s Uke he is doing a little For more information about synthesizers and more, Williams loop sampler to lay down individ­ tribute and thanking them for then- “After 20 some surgeries. www.myspace.com/bandazian. is a solo act that sounds like a Keller Williams, visit his Web site | ual tracks and then adding others music. When he does those cov­ at http./Avww.kellerwilliams.net

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