Image provided by: Clackamas Community College; Oregon City, OR
About The print. (Oregon City, Oregon) 1977-1989 | View Entire Issue (Feb. 17, 1982)
TEAMWORK IS IMPORTANT to the well being of the band. Marc Stoll & Dennis Mitchell don’t mind a bit. VERSATILITY IS A strong point of No Ties. Below drum mer Michael Keesy sings amidst oblivious dancers while guitarist Dennis Mitchell beats the skins for a while. Now the band plays and rehearses full-time and are booked two months in advance. They have played many major rock clubs in the Portland area, including The Orange Peel, Tippers, and Zaks, and are planning to continue playing the circuit. In a few weeks, No Ties will even play in Seattle. Beresford commented, “We have five strong vocalists^ We were originally looking for .that but we didn’t think we’d come close to finding it.”. ! Dennis Mitchell added, “We don’t do one particular type of music. It’s different kinds of beats and some of it is theatrical.” No Ties plays a variety of music, from Foreigner and Journey, to Loverboy and Billy Squire. However, they also concentrate on their originals, using 12 or 13 thus far. “People take really well to our originals,” Mitchell said. “We’ve been having good luck. It (audience response) is usually the way it was out here (at the College).” “Marc (Stoll) is the driving force behind our originals. He comes up with the off-the-wall ideas,” Beresford stated. Ideas for original songs are not easy to come by, but Stoll seems to have found the secret. “I get my ideas from girls,” explained Stoll. “The song ‘No Ties,’ was taken off of a Cling-Free advertisement. I was sitting in front of the T.V., falling asleep, and I wanted to be single anyway! So, I put: No one’s putting ties on me, I finally made myself static free, Nobody’s gonna cling, you’ll see, No one’s putting ties on me. I think our most potehtial songs are ‘No Ties,’ ‘Color Co ordinated,’ and ‘Take a Picture.’ ‘No Ties’ should be on KGON soon»?’ The name of the band came from their original song. True to the name, all the members of the band are single. Even though they are unattached, touring the country is not a considération for the band at this time, although making a record is. “We arç thinking about putting out either a 45 or an album, so we’ll have something to push,” Stoll related. “We’ll probably have to find a sponsor, though.” Money is a consideration for everyone these days and even No Ties is feeling the clinch. They are selling buttons and plan tb sell T-shirts soon, as a means completing their budget and pro moting the band. “Money is really tight especially investing in a rock-and-roll band. Potatoes in Idaho are a safer bet right now,” Beresford quipped. Roadies are a necessary part of every rock band, but they aren’t always easily found. “We have an unreliable road crew, you might say,” Stoll remarked. “We have two: Doug Preston on sound and Peter King on lights. Actually we have five but half of them don’t show up,” said Ron Hampton. Unusual experiences accompany nearly all bands, but No Ties has more problems with girls than anything else. The groupies are not shy. Stoll said with a smile, “We get a lot of girls lifting up their dresses!” Beresford added, “We have girls who will .flash one on us every once in a while. It’s kind of distracting. We’ll be playing and look up at the balcony and some girl will have her wazoo hanging but!” This is the first college appearance for No Ties, but the reception they received was warm enough to let them know they were appreciated. No Ties is oh the way up, and soon fans will have to pay concert prices to see them. But for now, check around. They will be playing in the Portland area for at least a few weeks. On a closing note, Stoll stated emphatically, “I think we pro bably get along better than any other band. We hang around together a lot and have a good time.” It'looks like No Ties will be together for a long while. Story by Tina Riggs Photos by Duane Hiersche and Tina Riggs The serious side of “No Ties”... Marc Stoll Michael Keesey Dennis Mitchell