Page 6
Daily Nebraskan
Monday, September 9, 1985
LeRois
By Kyle Foster
Staff Reporter
The LeRoi Brothers (pronounced La
Roy), an Austin, Texas-based band that
has spawned other bands such as
Johnny Reno and The Tailgators, rock
tonight at The Drumstick, 547 N. 48th
St.
The band's sound is a little bit
country, a little bit of cajun blues and a
whole lot of old fashioned rock 'n' roll.
But they're more than just another good
rock 'n' roll band. They're a band with
an identity a sound they can call
their own, which is precisely what is
required to make a rock band great.
With their fiercly original sound, the
LeRoi Brothers have taken the big step
into the "gray zone" of American rock1
music. Of course all bands that venture
into this zone risk the alienation of
majority of rock music fans.
At this point in their career the
LeRoi Brothers are just such a band.
They have a heavy following across the
Midwest and western United States.
They have three fairly successful records
'Lucky Lucky Me 'fueled
By Kyle Foster
Staff Reporter
Imagine a wailing harmonica, danc
ing bass lines, a heavy-cutting guitar,
accordion, driving drums and booming
Record Review
vocals all rolled into one wild paranoid
sound. This is the sound of the LeRoi
Brothers on their latest album "Lucky
Lucky Me."
Listening to the LeRoi Brothers is a
little bit like playing with fire. They're
dangerous, out of control and, in rock
Seeger and Guthrie
keep crowd clapping
By Chris Welsch
Senior Editor
Pete Seeger, Arlo Guthrie and Bruce
Springsteen are the only musicians I
have ever seen make an audience feel
comfortable, at home and friendly in
the Bob Devaney Sports Center.
Concert Review
It's a big, impersonal place and the
name adds an establishment aura that
conflicts with the goals and ideals of
many musicians, especially Guthrie
and Seeger, who made the center seem
more like a barn.
About 1,900 people of various back
grounds watched the pair sing, joke,
chat and improvise for a little more
than two hours Friday night. There was
no pretension. No blaring amps, no
smoke, no Frisbees, and no electric
instruments.
Guthrie and Seeger took turns sing
ing. When Guthrie sang, Seeger laid on
the. revolving stage, propping himself
up on his elbows to watch.
The crowd clapped and sang along
with incredibly little cajoling. After the
concert, many could be heard saying it
was the best show they had seen.
Seeger and Guthrie opened the show
together with "Midnight Special." They
took turns playing many old favorites,
some union songs and original compo
sitions. A set of farm songs drew sympa
thetic applause. Guthrie played his
version of "McDonald's Farm" called
"Down on the American Farm." He
sang with a nasal twang similar to Bob
more than a rock V roll banc!
to prove it. Yet superstardom has eluded
them.
Steve Doerr, singer, songwriter arid
guitar player for the band said super
stardom and money are not the critical
goals of the LeRoi Brothers.
"We'd like to take it (the band) as
far as it will go," Doerr said, "If a mass
audience would start digging us it
would be great but we're not going to
change just to make a million. I'm not
going to wear tight Spandex pants and
a leather jacket."
Does Doerr think going commercial
will lower the band's standards?
"For me it would be lowering my
standards but there's a lot of com
mercially successful bands making a
lot of money doing what they want to
do. I say more power to 'em."
The band has modest goals, Doerr
said, "We want our audiences to have
fun. We have fun and we'd like to make
a living doing it."
Doerr said he'd like to make music
his life. "I'd like to think I'll be playing
10 years from now. Maybe I could be a
Willie Nelson or something."
'n' roll terms, their music really burns.
It is this element of danger, this raw
driving power which has fueled the band
in the past and helped it to survive the
split with Don Leady of the Tailgators
and Johnny Reno, who is now with the
Sax Maniacs. All of this power and
more is present on "Lucky Lucky Me."
The album opens with "Fight Fire
with Fire," a song representative of the
entire record. A wailing harmonica and
the raw, almost punk-sounding guitar
create an eerie sound and when vocal
ist Steve Doerr sings, "I'm gonna hyp
notize you with my voodoo" you know
he means it.
This serious, almost outlaw-sounding
Dylan's, but much smoother. Seeger
matched him with a couple of workers'
songs, and the concert continued that
way, each challenging the other to
come up with an appropriate match.
Seeger's voice was a little rough at
times. Despite 66 years of wear and
tear, however, he carried a tune with
little exertion.
Seeger sang a few union protest
songs that he originally sang with
Woody Guthrie, Arlo's father. He sang
"Hard Rain" by Bob Dylan and "I Want
to Be an Engineer," a women's protest
song by his half-sister Peggy. He belted
out a rousing version of the "Fixin'-To-Die
Rag" that had the audience singing
and clapping with the fervor of so many
flower children.
The message of the evening's songs
was decidedly leftist, and it's surpris
ing that the powers-that-be at the fair
scheduled the pair. Seeger was black
listed as a communist in the '50s. The
group that brought him to fame as a
folksinger, the Weavers, was forced to
disband because of right-wing pres
sure. Charges against Seeger from the
House Un-American Activities Commit
tee (a more ironic name could not be
found) were dismissed later.
Seeger didn't talk much during the
night; he said in a conversation later
that he preferred to let Guthrie talk.
Guthrie was congenial, and his gui
tar work was exceptional.
He did several songs in the "Alice's
Restaurant" style. He'd play a verse,
tell part of a story accompanied by
guitar, then sing another verse. Guthrie
didn't sing Alice's Restaurant, or his
other well-known song "Customs Man,"
but the crowd didn't seem to mind.
Please see SEEGER on 7
rhetoric continues throughout the record
in songs like "Dangerous Girl," "Elvis
in the Army," "Move It," "POW," and
"Give Up The Ghost."
The lyrics in "POW" are an excellent
example:
"POW, I 'm gonna get you baby.
POW, I'm gonna make you love
me. POW, Vm gonna shoot you
doum. POW I'm gonna make you
love me. "
"Move It" is another good example:
"So you got a mind of your own
now, baby, well then prove it.
And if my love it cramps your
style now, baby, well then move
V5f
V W m W HT
v w n
Open stage night showcases
local amateur entertainers
By Deb Pederson
Senior Reporter
Aspiring performers can get live
stage experience Tuesday nights
from 9 to 12:30 p.m. at Chesterfield,
Bottomsley & Potts beginning Sat
urday. Entertainment manager Suzanne
Border said most open stage acts at
Chesterfield's are musical but many
people come in to perform comedy
and dance numbers as well.
"We try to encourage all types of
acts," Border said. "It's kind of
1 1 ii ii i ' "
V "' ; ;
'Y -' ..
The LeRoi Brothers
by raw
it."
The album is not all so rough. "The
Back Door" can be described as a
Texas style polka complete with
accordian. "Walk With Me Darlin' " is a
tame, slow song. It's as tame as the
LeRoi Brothers know how to make.
"Little Bit of Sugar" and "I Don't
Wanna Step" have a fun, 50s sound.
My favorite song on the record is
"Give Up The Ghost." The organ line
throughout the song sounds like a wild
police siren. On top of this melody are
the same raw, cutting guitar licks
found throughout the record:
"Well I'm out of control and I'm way
out of line, 'cause I gave you my soul
, s?;
f .MM A 1 & a
potluck each week. You never know
what you'll get but it's a good show
each week."
No performance fee or cover is
charged, she said. And performers
can participate in as many open
stage nights as they want.
Chesterfields' open stage night
has its regulars, like guitar player
Arlie Prokop and 7-year-old fiddler
Billy Adams, she said.
Although open stages have been
tried at other bars, most of them
made the performances into a com
Vl! I
Courtesy Profile Records
power
and you gave me some line about being
in rock 'n' roll."
The song is best described as para
noid. It exposes the fears a rock 'n' roll
singer has that his job might have on a
personal relationship.
The song ends with: "Why don't you
give up the ghost and it will make it all
right 'cause I love you."
The "Ghost" is the idea that she
can't love him because he's in rock 'n'
roll.
For originality, great songs and in
teresting songs I'll give "Lucky Lucky
Me" a 3.6 on the G.PA scale.
1V'
Tom LauderDaily Nebraskan
petition, Border said.
"We think it's wrong to judge
amateur talent," she said.
Performers wishing to participate
should come to Chesterfield's at
about 8:30 p.m. on Tuesdays to get a
time slot for Saturday and have a
15-minute to 20-minute act prepared,
she said. The equipment and sound
technician is provided.
Local folk musician Chris Sayre
will run this season's open stage.
Open stage will continue as long
as people indicate interest in it,
Border said.
fM ft