|
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.
See Also:
eugene's
wake? @ Maxwell's
www.skanatra.com
www.eugenerock.com
www.myspace.com/endofoctober
www.thegoldhawk.com
www.artkore.org
|
