Their concerns about what to call themselves baffle me
Ever since original drummer Drew left the band eugene, the remaining members have been struggling with changing their name for reasons that I really can’t comprehend. They somehow feel that their base identity was locked into that original line-up. Oh sure because of the length of time they were together that is true to a certain extent but all bands go thru times of change.
Whether it’s due to one or more members leaving (believe me I know a thing or two about that) or evolution in sound from new influences. However, in the case of this and other bands, the soul and spirit of the project remains unchanged. This more than most is a family affair and the family members are the constant here. Not to mention the fact that most of their catalog of tunes will continue to be associated with the name eugene. And rightfully so.
So please kids … not ‘eugene’s Wake’ or (God help us) ‘The Flat Leavers’ (as they hinted at tonight) … the name should be eugene … period.
It is a well known and unfortunate fact among bands that the rhythm section is always the hardest to fill. Everyone wants to be the lead singer or the guitar god up front making the fans salivate. So the chances of finding decent drummers and bassists can come few and far between. This seems to be especially true when it comes to drummers. Such is the dilemma for eugene.
Not too long ago they introduced new drummer Kimberly to a welcoming crowd at Maxwell’s. However, after a short period of time and several shows, she decided to leave the band. The reasons were pretty common; artistic differences and the difficulties of fitting into a tight clique that has such a long history. After all, two of the members of the band are brother and sister, the other is a cousin.
Tonight eugene was the featured act at the weekly ArtKore Open Mic that takes place at the Goldhawk. Club owner and member of the band Skanatra (yep, exactly what you think it is) Fran Azzarto was on drums and Greg Corra of the band End of October joined in on Djembe. Fran’s more jazz/swing style of playing along with Greg’s percussion helped to inject a freshness and syncopated twist to the band’s newer material as well as re-worked versions of some classics.
After the set I was telling singer/guitarist Dominick Della Fave that I was initially caught off guard by some of the alterations to the older songs but ultimately appreciated them. He told me a few folks were not so forgiving. Despite my cries for them to not change the name (for which I still stand steadfast), in the area of the music itself I am a firm believer that change in sound is both good and inevitable.
I really looking forward to their new recordings on which I believe Fran is playing. I just hope they put the right name on the CD cover.
