ENTERTAINMENT
Bar gigs
to Billboard
Blues Traveler started out with
keg party jammin’ and ended
up with national band success
CoufUwy Photo
Blues Traveler will
perform at the Lone
County Convention
Center tonight.
By Layne Lakefish
Emerald Entertainment Editor
In the beginning they called
themselves The Blues Band.
Simple. To the point. But
since then, that point has
changed.
Now they're called Blues
Traveler. They stuck with
Blues, and added the word
Traveler to immortalize Gozer
the Traveler from Ghost
busters. Presto, a now name
There is one slight problem
though — they don't consider
themselves blues musicians.
"The music we play is more
rock ’n' roll," said Brendan
Hill, the band's 21-yoar-old
drummer. "It's like blues
Jazz."
It's exactly that sound that
Blues Traveler will be per
forming tonight at 9 p m. as
they take to the Lane County
Convention center stage, 79(>
VV. 13th St, Tickets can Ihi pur
chased at the EMU Main Desk
for $13.50 or at the door.
That rock-blues-jazz combi
nation is one thing that hasn’t
changed since tho four band
members first joined forces
back in 1983 They all met in
Now Jersey and proceeded to
become known as keg party
entertainment. Then, in 1987,
they packed thoir bags and
headed for New York City.
"I made a decision when 1
was 18," Hill said. "It was ei
ther go to college and all that,
or go on with music. We were
all really Into it, and we just
said, 'Let's do it."'
With thnt movn came their
name change. "When we got
to Now York, them wore so
many blues hands we decided
to change our name," Hill
said With that now name,
they went in search of gigs —
and found them.
They started playing at two
different bars, but quickly
moved on when they realized
they wore playing their unique
blend of musical styles for
purist audiences. From there
they landed a few more gigs,
hero and there, and soon they
wore playing 20 shows a
month.
By thon they had developer!
a following, and one night one
of the followers turned out to
be an A & M representative.
"We moved to Now York City,
played m clubs for throe years
and then hooked up with A A
M.” Mill said.
Not a had story for four men
from New Jersey — four young
men Ranging in age from 21
to 24, these guys have ulreudy
loured the country and re
leased two albums, of which
the most current one has al
ready hit the billboard charts
“This tour has been going
really well,” Hill said. "We're
usually an underground,
word-of-mouth band, but we
hit the Billboard charts l think
we re at number 125."
Now, Instead of looking for
house parties to play at,
they’re living the rock 'n' roll
life. “We got a share of fame.
but it's K-ss of an ego-famo and
more like friends,” Hill said.
"This is die experience of a
lifetime," he said. "One out of
a million get to do this, livery
day is a party, but you’ve got
to keep your head under con
trol.”
Their shows am big parties
too "Our live shows are much
more aggressive than our al
bums," Hill said "The open
ing band, Widespread Panic,
comes out to get the crowd’s
reaction. Then the rest of the
night is a party."
As for the future, it looks
like they’re going to stick with
music. "We all have the music
in us for now. but who can
tell," Hill said.
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