oct. 28, ’81
emerald arts (Eb entertainment
There are lots of bands out there, and if you're not
careful, you could end up with a lousy band and a
lousy evening. For this reason, distractions' reviewers
offer their opinions of some of Eugene's better-known
bands.
bosworth brothers band ****
Any band that has Zappa's "Po-jama People'' in its repertoire is all
right with me But personal prejudice aside. The Bosworth Brothers
Band puts out some powerful, hard-driving rock and roll.
The band is a foursome of three Bosworths (Curt, Allen and Brent)
and one non-brother, Jeff Rogers Curt Bosworth, lead guitarist, is
definitely the star of the band, and can burn like Alvin Lee and wail like
Carlos Santana
Three-fourths of their material is original It's dynamic stuff, and
displays a decent, if not overwhelming amount of variety The three
brothers have been playing together since grade school, and it shows
It's a tight, well-rehearsed band, with a good balance between power
and control The band's ability to shift in and out of different rhythmic
grooves is commendable, even though it can get the dancers a little
confused
by matthew taylor
gaye lee russell band ★★
’ Kick-ass rock and roll' is how Gaye Lee
Russell describes the music her band plays The
description is apt This is by tar the kick-assingest
local rock band that I've had the privilege of
hearing
Russell's voice is pure and strong and
stunning She has a style all her own, which allows
her to pack lots of emotion into every note Her
voice rises and falls with a brilliant, uncontrived
drama that comes straight from the gut
But when she drops out, or sings harmony on a
tune, the three-piece backing band stands firmly by
itself This is due to Mike Kelsay's ability to play
rhythm and lead guitar simultaneously (a la Jimi
Hendrix), and bassist Ken Hanselman's masterful
precision and simplicity
The band plays a half-and-half mixture of
Hanselman's excellent originals and a wide range of
popular classics by The Stones, Spirit, Hendrix, The
Police, The Pretenders and Pat Benatar Should
cover charges triple or quadruple, The Gaye Lee
Hank Cooper of Los Xplorers.
Russell Band would still be worth seeing
by matthew taylor
gregg tripp **
Formerly The Hotz, Gregg Tripp and The Hotz,
and now simply Gregg Tripp, the only remaining
charter member is Tripp himself His new band is
tighter, more professional, more musically
competent, and much more boring Where the early
Hotz had a definite character and appeal, Tripp's
new band has none whatsoever The guitarist is
dreary, the bass player annoying, and Tripp seems
to have fallen to the occasion.
If the band's personality has changed (or
evaporated), the songs remain the same. Rock and
roll (sort of), with a smattering of ballads written by
Tripp comprise most of the show. The covers are
mostly Beatle songs, and many of Tripp's songs are
reminiscent of Paul McCartney The highlight of the
show is "Mama Let Him Play ", which beats
everyone else’s versions, including the original by j
Doucette.
Gregg Tripp is hot, and exciting—on the first
viewing After that, some of the ‘'spontaneity''
becomes a little unconvincing
by gordon brown
hot whacks ★★★*
Hot Whacks is a bar band, there’s no doubt
about that But any negative connotations that
come with that label should be immediately
forgotten Hot Whacks plays past and present
top-40 stuff, and plays it well. This four-piece band
puts out more quality sound than many bands twice
their size The fact that all four musicians help with
vocals gives their sound even greater depth.
Not only is the sound deep, it's diversified
Their music moves nicely from the surfer music of
continued on page 4b
See whet it's tike
to be a musician
doing ' show
case nights" on
page
3B
BBSS
the view from
the other
side of the
mike
by matt meyer
it's a tong way to
the top See
what Gregg
Tripp and Don
Latarsto have to
say about their
journeys on page
6B
aaoBBi
•The French
Lieutenants
Woman"
attempts a pretty
difficult feat.
See if it worked
on page