Top Roxxie becomes top dog ‘for the moment
By Matt Burton
Senior Reporter
Red Alert! Top Roxxie is on the
streets.
Local rock band Top Roxxie is
taking an unusual approach of getting
the word out. Instead of playing a lot
of gigs in the Lincoln area, they have
pounded the pavement downtown,
sporting Walkmans and hoping to
find prospective victims.
Top Roxxie includes Todd Briar
on lead guitar, Dave Garlick on vo
cals and guitar, Mike Wright on bass,
Eric Layman on guitar and vocals,
and Matt Ba on drums.
The band has something to say.
“We decided to go the obnoxious
route, rather than playing bars and
saying, ‘Top Roxxie is playing here
tonight. Check ‘cm out,”’ Briar said.
“We decided to hit the streets. We
piayeu our acoustics, we were od
noxious there. We’ve stood on the
streets in front of people and held up
fliers and said, ‘This is Top Roxxie.
Check us out. Just give us a chance.’
“It's just a matter of time before
something like this starts taking off.”
Layman agreed.
‘‘For a little while, people were
recognizing us from playing on the
street,” he said.
Top Roxxie released a self-titled
tape in October 1989. The effort was
rough, and the product wasn’t per
fect, but it ‘‘was a real brave effort
because we skipped the bar scene, the
cover scene, and all that, and put out
the tape,” said Garlick, who also
works as a KFMQ radio personality.
Top Roxxie is in the process of
recording another tape. The songs are
bettei, and they are using a better
recording studio, the band said.
A single, “Hot Lil* Babe,” will
be premiered on KFMQ’s 11 o’clock
News, a new-music program on Sun
day nights. Topp Roxxie is the first
local band to be leatured on the pro
gram , Garlick said, and host Joe Skarc
now welcomes material from local
bands.
Topp Roxxic likes the fact that
they are leading the local radio scene,
and arc “top dogs” for the moment.
Their name should spell that out.
Contrary to what it may seem, me
name “Top Roxxic” is not a cross
between ZZ Topp and Roxy Music.
“We were talking about music, as
in rock n’ roll and something that
rocks, and I just thought *ROXX,’
and I just said Roxxic, and it was Top
Koxxic, onar .saiu.
For the most part, Top Roxxie
draws on heavy metal for their influ
ences. George Lynch, Dokken and
Kiss arc favorites, but Garlick also
grew up with more melodic, pop music
such as Barry Manilow, N ight Ranger
and Journey.
“I got a lot of a different style than
these guys, which is why our music
sounds like it does. When we write,
everyone throws in their various as
pects into the melting pot,and we
come up with what is uniquely Top
Roxxie,” Garlick said.
Top Roxxie takes pride in their
policy of playing no cover songs.
“We just started with the idea of
doing nothing but all original, no real
compromise, pushing the idea to say,
‘Hey give us a chance. Listen to us.’
and I think you’ll like what you hear,’
Briar said.
“In our opinion, if you want to
hear Bon Jovi, buy the tape,” Garlick
said.
nil'll uiuiusiaam «v/i 5V1
ting an audience, Top Roxxie has
played only a couple charity shows.
One was for Amnesty International at
the Commonplace, 333 N 14th St.,
and another at Goodrich Junior High
School, 4600 Lewis Ave., for a canned
food drive.
Top Roxxie, however, wants to
change the situation and hopes to
play at the Concert in the Park in the
spring.
“We feel Top Roxxie fills a nitch,”
Garlick said. “There is no original
rock in Lincoln. There is original
college music and thrash, but no rock.”
——mm—I ■-irCTMini , n „ , ■
Joe Heinzle/Daily Nebraskan
Top Roxxie members talk with sound engineer John Leverett before a recording session.
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ristian group Higher Ground to rock union
not the Red Hot Chili Pepper’s latest of the Nebraska Union at 7:30 tonight,
but it is an entertaining show. The ministry’s appearance is sponsored
by the University of Nebraska-Lincoln In
i group Higher Ground, a Christian ter-Varsity Christian Fellowship. The nine
ministry from Rochester, N. Y., will singers and ten studio musicians study at
m a free concert in the Regency Suite Eastman School of Music.
tFrom the home office in Lincoln, Nebraska, »'
THE TOP TEN THINGS TO DO
on Friday and Saturday from 10 p.m. to Midnite.
PLUS THE WORLD S MOST DANGEROUS STAFF ,
P Late Night With Valentino's — Friday and Saturday from 10 p.m. to Midnite. '
*y3lentino& i,
■ The Pizza Restaurant I
N That Didn’t Stop With Pizza
■ 13th & Q • 35th & Holdrege
D.R.I. set to bring hard-corest
show to Omaha’s Ranch Bowl
py Micnaei Deeds
Senior Editor
Since its formation in a family bedroom in
1983, D.R.I. always has been called the laziest
band in the world.
Dubbed “dirty rotten imbeciles'* By those
fortunate enough to survive their sonic assault,
the foursome quickly released ‘ ‘The Dirt^ Rouen
LP,“ a collection of hardcore sounds.*
Now, the band Is worshipped in the midst ol
the thrash scene as the forefathers of a genera
tion. Their faces can be seen on the glossy
covers of music magazines reaching far cor-:
ners of the world; the band has toured North
America, Europe and Australia. But nothing
has slow ed D.R.I. down.
The band just kicked off its first tour in more ,
than a year, this time in support of the recently
released “Thrash Zone.” Spil>£Catsidy, Kurt
Breclu, Felix Griffin ami Jcihr, Menor will
attack Omaha’s Rauch Bow i, 1606 S. 72 St,
Sunday night , -
Hass player Menor, 23, is the only member
ofl> R.i. that wasn’t put* o! tb© original lineup
He joined the bandless th ant gear ago, and this
IS his first real tour. In a fitMpbonc interview
from Albeifuerque, New Mexico, Menor phi
losophized a link about 4ie land, the musicJ
and the Super Bowl.
*j4
Q: How did you become n part of D.R.I.?
A: Well, I’m from Connecticut. 1 ’d heard of
them, but I didn’t have any of their tapes. But
when I moved to San Francisco, I lived with the
bass player from Death Angel. I heard about
the audition and I got it. I couldn’t believe it.
Q: Had you been into speed metal and
hardcore?
A: Oh, yeah Thai’s why I’d heard of them.
Where I’m from - Connecticut - it’s real
remote. There’s nothing there tor musical in
fluences - just blues and reggae. That’s why 1
had to get the f- out of there.
Q: VVhat distinguishes D.R.I. from other
bands?
A: A lot ol people feel we pioneered hard
core. A lot ol magazines put us above — the
'“hard-corcst,” the fastest. We’re fast. We love
la play fast.
Q: What do you see as the future of
thrash?
A: The thrash scene is progressive. We re
going to be unique in our own style. Metallica,
they’re a great band. But we’re going to do all
right. We’ve already sold a lot of records
without even louring.
Q: Are crowds mellower here in the Mid
west?
A: No. Never. When we come to a town,
they’re ready. A lot of people have been telling
us they’ve been waiting for this to happen. It
gets really hairy.
Q: Do you have a lot of security at shows?
A: We don’t f- with security. A lot of them
get all hyped to heat people up.
Q: So how do you keep the fans off the
stage?
A: We tell them to come on stage. The other
night, wc kicked the bouncers off the Stage
They werepunchingjxxiple in the front rowroc
no reason. We waatcontaci with our Ians. We
just don't want our equipment trashed, like cm
New Year’s night §
Q: What would you be doing if you were*
a’fm D.R.I.?
Well, 1 feel very lucky, very foriunate.
i n a painter by trad
Q: D .81. writes songs about some pretty
gobtkalstuff What do you think of (ieorge
A:\Laughter) 1 think what he’s doing about
the drug scene-cocaine, heroin - that’s pretty
cool to stop all that s - because I don’t do
drugs. But leave us alone, I want my weed
Q: Do you guys take it pretty easy on the
road?
A: We lake care of ourselves. The gays told
me they already went through that wnu stage.
Q: Do you keep up on the world around
you? The Super Bowl?
A: The 'Nincrs, they ’re our team. They’re
my team. I’ve been a ‘ Niner fan all my life, and
now I live 10 minutes from Candlestick.
Q: Are you looking forward to the tour?
A: Oh, yeah. I’ve been wailing, just sitting
at home, hanging out. All my other friends arc
oh tour... Exodus... Mctallica — they just got
back. I’m glad to be going.
Tickets for D.R.I. are $9.75 in advance and
$10.75 the day ol the show. Doors open at 5
p.m.,andthe show starts at 6 p.m. Opening will
be Nasty Savage. All ages are welcome.
Linclive
Continued from Page 9
Chicago- and Texas-stylc blues band from
Lincoln, featuring the voice of Annette
Murrell, will play Wednesday at the Zoo
Bar.
Thursday, Fusion Force will play jazz
music at Julio’s Restaurant, 132 S. 13th St.,
and Oliver Riley and the Blues Notions will.
play at the Zoo Bar.
Oliver Riley and the Blues Notions was
voted top Kansas City blues band in 1989
by the Kansas City Blues Society.
Rock:
Tonight and Saturday, Bobby Curious
will play at Bash Riprock’s, Upper Level
238 N. 12th St.
A renowned and unmedicated maniac, as
well as a perennial favorite Lincoln cover
band, Bobby Curious has added some origi
nal songs to it’s playlist.
Tonight and Saturday, J.J. and the Blaze
will play at Chesterfield’s.
Tonight and Saturday, Finest Hour will
play at Oscar’s, 800 O St.