The Zone Insider

by Leroy Grey

Insider here, and I'm taking a break from the usual gossip to turn the lens inward. Cape's City of Roses Festival is this month, and with it, the chance for Cape's local bands to let their freak flags fly! To commemorate, we're turning attention to the Zone's weekly festival for local music, "The Indie Zone" (Sundays, 10pm).

Kevin, who co-hosts "The Indie Zone" with Tabatha, knows about local love. Kevin pitched the idea for "Indie" to the powers-that-be last spring, modeled after shows he'd heard in St Louis and Tulsa, OK (his home until two year ago.) He saw that a radio show specializing in original music from local and indie bands could anchor local scenes and nurture better music.

The show's local borders extend from St Louis to Nashville to Memphis. Producers mandated this, unsure of how much Cape music was fresh, clean, and ready for prime time. Since starting the show, however, Cape's bands have stepped up to the plate. Kevin's been impressed with the highly networked scene and solidaritous vibe.

That's all great, but what if I want to start a band? What does it take to make it in the jungle, to win the Battle of the Bands? How can I finally get my voice on the Zone? Determined to find out the answers, I conned somebody into interviewing a bunch of local bands with some strategically phrased questions.

TONE DEF ALL STARS is Cape's supergroup, born from a weekly open mic night at Jeremiah's. The weekly jam sessions were so fruitful, the group decided to make a formal debut at the 2001 City of Roses. The band name "Tone Def" was the first PG-rated name they could come up with.

Tone Def All Stars is, technically, a collective, but the five that usually make up Tone Def come from seven different bands. The All Stars have two unofficial band vehicles: Darryl's VW microbus and Pat's ten-speed.

ATTENTION SPAN ZERO: When Side of Fives left Cape, the songwriters that stayed behind began to write new songs. While teaching the songs to a new and distracted backing band, Gomer remarked "you've got a zero attention span, you know that?"

The title stuck. Their latest album is called "Pocket Full of Lies."

SAVANT: For two years, they made the rounds as Nemesis, until they learned about another band called Nemesis. The night before a gig, they consulted a psychology book for their current moniker. They released "Nothing Safe," their first album as Savant, in June. Also this summer, they took their show to St Louis' infamous Pops Nightclub - and lived to tell the tale. When asked who they'd like to open for, bassist John mentioned Linkin Park, "because we've told so many drunk girls that we already have."

INTERGALACTIC TAXI: While the band Colorwill was making the rounds last year, they met a soundman that could play bass; those are the seeds that became Intergalactic Taxi. The band vehicle is an old, white service van being reformatted and repainted for intergalactic travel. Before that, they're playing the Bel-Air September 19th.

CADENCE: Formerly known as One Short, their current lineup deserved a new name. One trip to the dictionary later, and they had a band name for the next day's gig. On a strict diet of original music, Cadence is hard-pressed to finding a stage in Cape, but finding plenty of action in St Louis.

So, what have we learned?

1) IT'S HARDER TO PICK A NAME THAN IT LOOKS. Intergalactic Taxi named themselves after an instrumental groove the band loved to play. Attention Span Zero was spawned from a heated rehearsal argument. Savant used to be called Nemesis, until they found out about a metal band with the same name. In a pinch, they employed the "flip-through-the-psychology-textbook" method (a variation of the popular "flip-through-the-dictionary" method.)

2) GET A JOB AT THE LOCAL INSTRUMENT STORE. Intergalactic Taxi found its army through the network of Shivelbine's staffers. Squadcar, Tone Def, 50 Cent Buddha, and many other bands have roots at the storied musical institution.

3) IF YOU WANT TO PLAY ORIGINALS, BE READY TO DRIVE. To a person, everyone interviewed considered Cape Girardeau a tough town to play original music. The majority of paying gigs in Cape come from the over-21 venues, places where people come to drink first and listen to music second. Besides the occasional house party or all-ages show, the best bet for sustained work is to take to the road, to St Louis or further (Attention Span - Champaign, IL; Intergalactic Taxi - outside Kansas City). After the essential gear, a sturdy vehicle is a good investment.

4) IF YOU GOTTA PLAY COVERS, IRISH DRINKING SONGS GET THEM EVERY TIME.

If this has inspired you to clear out the garage and start a new hobby, I'll deny it in court.

Well, class, that's all for today. Tune into the Indie Zone Sundays this month, as Kevin and Tabatha get the lowdown on this year's City of Roses Festival... unless you're reading this after the festival, in which case they'll be offering highlights from this year's City of Roses Festival. Next month, I'll actually do some work on this column. Open your ears...