Tone Def All-Stars to bid adieu at 'home base' club

After a successful five-year, eclectic musical run, the Tone Def All-Stars are calling it quits.

On Saturday, the band hopes to go out with a bang, playing a show at the club that has become their home base, Breakaways, at 9 p.m. For guitarist/vocalist Darrel Chad, the end of Tone Def will be a bittersweet experience after a half-decade of fun.

"There were times in my life when everything was going wrong and the only thing that was going right" was the band was kicking, said Chad.

Tone Def formed back in 2000, after the members, who knew each other in college at Southeast Missouri State University, started playing together during open mic nights.

At the time the band consisted of Chad, Darren Burgfeld (vocals/trombone), drummer Ron Ruppel and bassist Pat Koetting. Chad said he decided to play guitar and sing, both things he had done for years but never together, at the open mic, and eventually the others joined along.

Tone Def was born.

Since that time, the band has enjoyed enthusiastic crowds and good times, earning a reputation as one of the area's most entertaining acts. Koetting recently left the band and Sam Godwin, formerly of Funky Donkey Cheese, took over on bass.

Now Burgfeld is moving to Dallas, and the rest of the band decided it was time to part ways instead of continuing to capitalize on the band's legacy.

"We've had an excellent run," said Chad. "Most people still have a pretty high opinion of us, so why beat a dead horse?"

During that run the members brought their wide array of musical influences -- from Chad's love of rock and metal to Ruppel's obsession with classic rock and punk to Burgfeld's affinity for hip-hop -- to create a unique musical experience.

Playing out was the main thrust of the band, which has never released a studio album, and fans became friends, said Chad.

Tone Def loved to have fun, but Chad cringes at the term "joke band." "It's entertaining," said Chad. "If you want to entertain, you can't just dismiss it and not take it seriously."

The band has also been instrumental in bringing some acts in from outside the area, like Fragile Porcelain Mice and Lojic, the band that will open for them Saturday.

But what Tone Def will probably be remembered for is their laid-back attitude and love of improv. Chad said the band's shows had a certain "Fly by the seat of your pants, fall down the steps and land on your feet element to them."

And they plan to go out the same way -- having a good time.

"I'm really looking forward to this last show because afterward we're going to Darren's house and we're going to tear it up."

Chad said the band members are thinking about the possibility of releasing a few studio tracks that are mostly completed in the future -- maybe one last bone for the Tone Def fans to chew on.

And of course, he and other members will be looking for new projects to work on. But they may not equal the fun and energy of Tone Def.

"So many things came together to make this a dream gig for me," said Chad.

msanders@semissourian.com

335-6611, extension 182