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.