Static: The Entertainment Specialists

By Cassondra Guilbeau
The Times of SWLA

Static

All too often, cover bands are given the stigma of being unoriginal or not quite as talented as other bands. And usually, that stigma is given by other “original” bands.

Southwest Louisiana has plenty of musical acts that are dispelling that stigma, and leading the charge is Static. The Lake Area favorite is celebrating 10 years on the scene this year, and was voted favorite band by the readers of The Times of Southwest Louisiana.

Several band members have come and gone over the past decade. But Static today, still has its two original core members, Alastair White, bass and vocals, and Jamie McCabe, guitar and vocals. The rest of the band includes Jonathan Johnson, lead vocals and guitar; Garrett “Possum” Judice, accordion and vocals; and Jacob “Lil Jackob” Robles, drums.

For the last ten years, Static has “been there and back.” In their early days, the band had the notion that they would “make it” in the music business. They had their share of that type of success. In 2004, the band peaked.

“Static was ultra legitimate. I have the income tax records to show we played over 200 shows,” White said.

Jonathan Johnson, lead vocals, guitar

During that time, the band had a staff, merchandise…and problems. “I’ve paid for this franchise three times,” White said. According to Johnson, different members left at different times, with White and McCabe buying the other original members out each time. “At one point it seemed like we had different members at every gig,” Judice noted.

But, time heals old wounds and current band members get along well with former band members. Many of them play together on other projects. “There are many avenues and offshoots of the Static story,” Johnson said.

Well, simply put, that is the history of Static, but there is much more to the story. “This era of the band, to me, is defining,” White said. The guys have a very realistic and appreciative view of Static. They no longer have that notion to make it big in the music industry.

“In my opinion, there are two types of bands out there. There are people who are trying to make it in music, and more power to them. But, there is also a market for, and something to be said for, those weekend warriors who go to work every day and then on weekends they are playing your Mardi Gras ball or your wedding,” Johnson said. “They show up at your event, and you have a really good time because, man, that band was good.”

This attitude is exactly why Static has been voted best band. When you book Static, you know you are going to have a good time. They are self-described “entertainment specialists.” And they want to give a shout out to their “compatriots” like Soul Vacation and the Kadillacs, who focus on bringing a good time to the area.

Alastair White, bass and vocals

“This is a customer-service industry,” Johnson said. And they know their industry well. As a “cover band,” and this is a title they wear proudly, they have a wide array of not just songs, but musical genres in their repertoire. You want an 80s rock band? Call Static. You want a hard rock band? Call Static. You want a Cajun band? Call Static. You want punk or country? You get the point.

So, beyond having an extensive playlist of your favorites across all genres, what is so unique and creative about Static? Glad you asked. Static created a sound that is all its own. It's a sound that blends these genres. A sound they call Zydecore. They describe the sound as “a progressive mixture of Cajun and rock that thrills audiences and fills the dance floor all night long.” Imagine metal guitar juxtaposed with an accordion.

“We are Zydecore man,” White joked. But Johnson added, “In our mind, it fits.”

The guys brought their sound to the recording studio in the past. Of course, in the earlier days of the group, the idea was to sell as many albums as possible and get their music out to the world. They have a different approach these days. They want to have fun, make the music they love and hope other people enjoy it.

Jamie McCabe, guitar and vocals

It helps that members of Static have their own recording studio. They can record their music on their own and in their own way. “Recording is grueling. It’s not easy,” Johnson said. “When you are in a studio, you are in a stale environment, and you are not amped up at all.”

But, what makes it easier is the experience they bring to the table. “You learn a little bit each time,” Judice said. The accordion player recorded his first cd when he was just 13. He then recorded his next cd when he was 14 at Lake Charles Music. So, the guy knows a thing or two. As a matter of fact, other band members compared acquiring “Possum” to the Black Eyed Peas bringing in Fergie. “Static is extremely lucky to have acquired his services,” White said.

Static has recently recorded another album. They are currently putting those finishing touches on it. “You want to put something out there, and say ‘this is something we created,’” Johnson said. “The idea that we are doing all of this stuff so we can create something new and make a buck off of it, that is not what we are about.”

The fact is, the guys don’t make their living from their music, and that isn’t what they want. Judice is a student at McNeese and all of the other band members have careers that they don’t see as an avenue to the music. The music is just something they want to do.

“Ultimately, this is about enjoyment,” Johnson said. “Everyone likes to make a little cash, so to say it’s totally not about the money is naive.”

Garrett “Possum” Judice, accordion and vocals
Well, if it is about the enjoyment, Static is having a blast. They have built a brand in this market and are booked consistently in the Lake Area. Even if you haven’t actually heard Static play before, you may know them by reputation. They built a foundation on professionalism.

But, they also pride themselves on knowing their audience. Their gigs usually consist of multiple sets. During the first set, if the crowd isn’t “feeling it” they can look ahead and make changes to fit the crowd. This is something that bands that strictly play original music can’t do.

“Sometimes there is a struggle between what the audience wants and what the band can provide so that both are having a good time,” Johnson said. This seems to be a problem Static has solved to perfection.

This isn’t to say you won’t hear original songs when you go to a Static show. They are pretty good at reading the crowd to know when to break out the original music. “Sometimes when they get it, they stay on the dance floor and dance because they have to,” White said.

Jacob “Lil Jackob” Robles, drums

The creative pursuits and originality of this band isn’t confined to the musical stage or the studio. They are currently working with White’s cousin to develop a comic book featuring aliens (the little green men kind) based on members of the band. Just like the musicians themselves, the aliens each do their own thing by day, but at night they come together for a common purpose. Their purpose is to introduce this new form of music—Zydecore—to the world.

So, if you ever hear someone say that cover bands aren’t original, take them to a Static show. They won’t see little green men take the stage, but they are likely to have a blast and quickly agree with the readers of The Times.

Crooks Carnival: Got Alligator? Never a Dull Moment

By Nancy Correro
The Times of SWLA




There are a lot of bands trying to be heard and make it to the big time. The three main ingredients that separate those bands from one another are talent, dedication, and luck. Crooks Carnival has for certain talent and dedication. Now, they just need a little lady luck.
Crooks Carnival is: Cody Royer—lead singer, vox/rythym guitar, Justin Crain—lead guitar, Mike Alexander—drums, and Jay Moody—bass.

I sat down to chat with Royer, Crain, and Alexander (Moody couldn’t be there—he was recording at the time) about their plans for the band and how a trip to Houston, and a recently deceased alligator, gave them inspiration for two of their latest songs.

These are some of the hardest working guys in music around here. They have a three hour show of cover tunes and now, they are going to be hitting us with their original music as well.

Justin Crain, Lead Guitar

“The object of this band wasn’t to be a cover band, and we wanted to play, but we hadn’t been on the stage in a while so we thought, let’s get a three hour cover show together before we start to write. That whole first six to eight months we were learning those songs we kept holding off on writing. We thought we should get our three hour show down and then start filtering some covers in. Most of the good gigs around here, they want cover bands. And nobody around here that’s original has a three hour show. That’s why they’re all playing with three and four bands a night and it’s always just us all night,” Crain said.

The band did exactly as they had promised themselves and they started writing songs.
The bands style of writing is to bring ideas to the table, primarily the writing team of Crain and Royer, and see where it takes them as a whole band.

“It’s a little bit of everything. Me and Crain come from two different styles of music writing and music backgrounds so sometimes we’ll get together and we’ll both sit down and start working on some guitar parts and we’ll start feeding off of each other and Mike and everybody,” Royer said.
“Most of the time a riff or lyrics will come from me or from Cody and then we all get together and see if everybody agrees on it,” Crain said.

Two of those songs, Whiskey Well and Dixie Trick were written on a recent trip to Houston. It seems there were some interesting moments during the trip.

“Our birthdays are real close together and so we decided the following weekend that just me and Crain would go to Houston and meet some friends. We stayed downtown in Houston and we were waiting to go out and we wrote Dixie Trick in the garage of a downtown apartment just sitting outside right in front of the interstate with our alligator in the back of the truck,” Royer said.

“We picked up an alligator on the way,” Crain said, laughing.

I asked if this alligator was alive. As an interviewer, I was imagining all sorts of scenarios.
“No, it was dead,” said both Crain and Royer at the same time, laughing. “It stunk,” added Crain.

They explained how a dead alligator ended up in their truck, and with this explanation, I am certain there is more to the story.

Cody Royer, Lead Singer & Rythym Guitar

“Well there was a traffic jam and we got out and people watched us get out and get the jumper cables and we tried to jump start the alligator. That’s what happens when we go places,” Royer said.

A band that plays hard together, works hard together. Crooks Carnival has only been together for a year. In that year, they have created a powerhouse, hard rock band with a unique sound and style.
“We’re just happy to be where we are at, you know. We’ve been together almost a year. We’ve worked our butts off to get where we are,” Royer said.

Crain and Royer ran into each other at a Candlebox concert. They both went to Sam Houston High School in Moss Bluff, but didn’t hang out together. Royer gave Crain a call after being reacquainted at the concert.

“We got a bunch of people together—everybody we knew that could play music so we could have a full band, just to see what everybody was doing. We did that the first day, [Crain] heard me sing and then we formed the band right there, I mean we kind of picked out the group from people that were there at the moment so we could get started. We stayed together. We slowly filtered people out that were just helping and moved people in that wanted to be permanent that we felt like were on the same page that we were,” Royer said.

As with many bands, members come and go for a variety of reasons. Recently, Crooks Carnival had to replace their drummer. Crain was working sound at Isle of Capri when her heard Mike Alexander playing drums with another band. He knew Alexander was the drummer they needed. So Crain approached Alexander about the opportunity.

“I’ve been on the road from 90 to about 2004 I was touring across the country. I was playing with Mike Zito, David St. Romain and I started playing with Laurel. Well, I’m a rock player and these guys play all the rock stuff I like to play and I said [to Laurel] hey look, I’m going to go do this,” Alexander said. Alexander has been with the band for about two months now.
There is a consensus amongst bands and other artistic acts in Lake Charles that there needs to be more community support.

“It’s hard to make a living in Lake Charles as a band. That’s why I stayed on the road for so long. People in the Mid West go out to see a band and it’s nothing against Lake Charles or anything, but people going to OB’s are not going there to see the band. There is not a music venue where people go and watch music. When I first started out, if you played Monday you played the whole week until Saturday and this is that one club. Then you tear down and go to the next club. I did that for ten years easily,” Alexander said.

“But it’s not even like that now. There are still places where you can play during the week, but it’s in major cities, you know, St. Louis, Chicago, and Minneapolis.”

Crain and Royer were quick to respond to Alexander’s assessment of the difficult times and struggles a band can experience in a smaller market.

“That would be great to have that kind of scene,” Crain said.

“There is a lot of potential in Lake Charles; it’s just got to happen,” Royer said.

Crain went on to say that they had been meeting with others in the community of Lake Charles and they would all like to see an entertainment “subgroup” stem off of the Downtown Development Committee.

“I think that is in the works. They’ve talked to people, some of the city officials about it. We are just trying to make things happen,” Crain said.

Crooks Carnival is making things happen. This is not a band that sits around waiting for work to come to them. They are active in the community and they are dedicated to their success as a band. October is a busy month for Crooks Carnival.

“We’ve got a deal that we are a part of on November 6th at McNeese State University. There will be a Showcase of different types of music. There will be some R&B acts, some singer/songwriter acts—a broad spectrum of acts. We are also doing a benefit at the civic center October 24th for The Art on Wheels Bike Show. We’ll be playing Halloween at OB’s, it’s huge,” Crain said.
“They’ll be having a costume contest there and we’ll be judging that. It’s going to be a big night, a big party,” Royer said.

If you like hard rock, you need to go check Crooks Carnival out. Their covers range from Guns n Roses to Motley Crue to Candlebox and many others. Most importantly, you will be hearing some original tunes in between the familiar songs. Check out their new tunes on the bands myspace page at: www.myspace.com/crookscarnival. You can book the band through their myspace page as well.

Fresh Nectar: ‘Fresh and Nectar-Like as Possible’

By Nancy Correro
The Times of SWLA

Fresh Nectar playing at Luna

Dave Evans and Ryan Bunch are the founding members of Fresh Nectar. I was invited to Stellar Beans, Dave’s new coffee house that Ryan runs for him, to chat with the guys about their band. I found them closing up shop for the day and we sat down on Stellar’s comfortable furniture to chat.

Fresh Nectar got started serendipitously. “Back in ‘99 I owned Dave’s Pub. It was a music venue here in town. I closed it up and started playing acoustic shows over at Pepe’s Place which was University Pub and Deli. I was playing over there and that’s where I met Ryan,” Evans said.
“We used to do four hour cover shows of Dave Mathews. He [Evans] would do a solo song while I ran to the bathroom and visa versa. The first time we started playing was when Dave asked me to sit in with him and John Guidroz. I showed up and John didn’t make it there that night and it was just Dave. So I sat in with him that night and ever since then we’ve been playing,” said Bunch.

Fresh Nectar has a unique blend of sounds. If you could think of the essence of the vocals in Pearl Jam, the guitars of Wilco, Blind Melon, Dave Matthews Band, and then throw in some Radiohead and a pinch of Tool—you’ll find Fresh Nectar.

“It’s really hard when people ask you, ‘hey, what type or style of music do you guys play?’ For me it’s real difficult to facilitate it into a category because we as a band like really heavy music and really light music. We like classical music, this kind, this kind, this kind, so it’s difficult to label it. Mostly it’s closely related to alternative— kind of an acoustic alternative. I guess you could say sort of like Dave Mathews band but it’s not as busy as the Dave Mathews Band. It’s a little bit more Pearl Jamish with acoustic,” Evans said.

When asked what inspired them to write their ballads The Gift and Rescue Dave said, “Love. Love and passion and real life. Usually, what will happen is I’ll have a basic idea for a song. I try to match the sound of the music to the subject matter. Matters of the heart are somewhat easy to write about. It’s the stuff you feel, see and have been through.”

“It’s totally identifiable,” Bunch said.

On the bands myspace page, they have two instrumentals. I asked them what made them choose to make Build and Bluehill Billygrass into instrumentals.

“There is a recorded version of Bluehill Billygrass that has lyrics. We recorded it without words because the words were not in place yet. Build was written that way with the intention of it having words but the line in it is so fast moving that nothing has really come to me,” Evans said.
“To me it [Build] stood on its own,” said Bunch.

“It’s pretty much taken on its own life. Build is usually the last song we play either that or it’s always connected to Bull. Bull was our first tune that I wrote that I asked Ryan to check out. And playing the acoustic guitar in drop D is really cool. It’s a very warm, comfortable sounding tone,” Evans said.

When talking with Evans and Bunch you begin to see how they are able to work with each other so well. Their respect for each other shows when talking about their song Chief. In the song Chief, there is a call and response between the lead guitar (Ryan) and the lead vocal (Dave).

“We’ve developed a kinship between us where our communication lines are completely and totally open. The boundary is I am a self taught guitar player. I enjoy writing stories and putting lines together and figuring out harmonies. I got with the right guy because he likes writing melodies and he has such an extensive knowledge. He’s kind of like my dictionary where as I’m kind of like his work horse. I’m a basic chord structure guy and he’s the virtuoso.”
“Whatever,” says Bunch.

“And he’s extremely humble,” says Evans.
Dave Evans of Fresh Nectar
Dave Evans is the owner and operator of Luna Bar & Grill. He has just opened Stellar Beans Coffee House. He had a band before he and Bunch started playing together.

Ryan Bunch had his own band as well before the two guys met and started playing together. He has a degree in classical performance.

“In classical music you don’t have lyrics that drive the music like pop music you have melody. So I like music with a defined melody—something that can stand on its own” Bunch said.

The band practices weekly and they play once a month at Luna Bar & Grill.

“I do it so I don’t go insane, really for me it’s the break from all the other things I have going on and I can just get things out. It’s therapeutic. Makes me feel better. It’s like medicine,” Evans said.

They recently added two members—keyboard player, Scotty Doland. “We added him back in June. He’s one of our dual purpose guys. He’s playing keyboard and percussion, and back-up vocals,” Evans said.

Debo, the saxophone player for Ashes of Babylon has joined up with them whenever he’s available. “He’s an unofficial member I guess you would call him,” Evans said.

This year they are going to try and get on with Contraband days and a couple other festivals where they are able to spread their wings a little bit more.

As a band they all have the same goal and it’s not to get signed and it’s not to go on tour. It’s so they can write songs.

“However, it would be great,” says Bunch.

“Oh, sure, oh if somebody got our album and was like God I’ve got to put this out, here’s a million, we would be like I need you to run the restaurant, I’m out. That’s how it would be don’t get me wrong, but that is not what we are after,” Evans says.

Right now, they are trying to accumulate their music. They are close to having 20 songs. Once they get to 25, they’ll probably stop and record all 25.

“We will have enough for two albums. For us it’s the product that we put out,” Evans said.
Fresh Nectar has one of those names that could mean so many things. So, I had to ask. Dave said he came up with the name.

He has an old friend that he first started playing music with. He was very enlightened and read a lot and always talked about “the Nectar of Ambrosia—the fruit of the gods.” Dave did some catering and called his catering service Nectar of Ambrosia Catering.

“Well, nobody knew what I was talking about. They would always ask, ‘what is ambrosia,’ and I would think to myself, I am not going to explain this to everybody... Mainly it’s fresh goodness. It has many meanings on many levels,” Evans said.

Fresh Nectar is Dave Evans, lead vocals and guitar, Ryan Bunch lead guitar and vocals, Edward LeBlanc, bass and vocals, Scotty Doland keyboard, percussion, and vocals. Fresh Nectar will be losing John Floyd on drums because he is moving to California. “We already have two or three people interested,” said Evans.

I asked both guys what their favorite Fresh Nectar song was. After considering for several moments Ryan Bunch said, “It would probably be a toss up between The Gift and Build.”

“The Gift and C-4,” Evans said. “I love C-4. I wrote C-4 at a point where I was about to break.

My levee had a crack in it. It’s basically about primal scream therapy. When I came up with it I saw myself running out into a field and just screaming, just letting it all out.”

Evans' father passed away October 11, 1997 and his daughter was born October 10, 1997. His mother took Polaroid’s of his daughter in one hospital and took them to show Evans' father in another hospital.

“Dad looked at them and he put them on his chest and it was all good. And a couple hours later he passed away. So that has always been with me. You can have your greatest moments and your lowest moments at basically the same time,” Evans said. He realized he needed to let some of this out and it came out in the song C-4.

“The C-4 thing is we wrote it with a capo on the 5th fret. The first chord of the song is C. So, C-4, but it came out as explosions or dynamite—C-4. It made this huge circle.

I love writing conceptual things like that,” Evans said.

One of the passions of the band is in keeping the Art and Culture of downtown Lake Charles alive. Part of that is Dave Evans hanging local art up in his Luna Restaurant and Stellar Beans and supporting local bands. You can see the art all over the walls when you enter and you can hear the bands when you go to Luna and eat or hang out. But more than that, the band wants it to be community and city driven. They want everyone to come out and enjoy the rich talent this city has.

“Arts and Culture falls by the wayside here. When people come into my place and wonder who created the art on the walls and I tell them its local art. They can’t believe it. Or when they hear a song by a local band and they can’t believe they’re from here—I think, what are we idiots? Are we cavemen? We have talented enough people here. There should be just as many people in the community to recognize it,” Evans said.

“Seventy-five percent of the people here don’t get out to support local bands,” Bunch said.
“I wouldn’t be doing the whole Luna thing over there if I wasn’t trying to stimulate the music scene. But I’ll bring in these totally great bands from all over the place and people will listen and say, oh, they’re okay. And I’ll think, are you out of your mind? Do you hear what those guys are up there doing? Then you find out they weren’t even paying attention,” Evans said.

Bunch and Evans joked around with each other at the end of the interview and they explained how important the band was as an outlet for them.

“Well, we do a whole lot of discussing things, drawing pictures while we are playing trying to come up with different ideas, fresh and Nectar-like as possible.”

Fresh Nectar can be heard at Luna Bar & Grill (337) 494-5862, 719 Ryan St., and also on their myspace page: www.myspace.com/lunabarandgrill. Don’t forget to check out Stellar Beans, 319 Broad St., (337) 564-5739.