MUSICAL ALTERNATIVES: THE BRAVE LITTLE TOASTERS

The Brave Little Toasters is a band whose strength lies in the songs they write.

"I write from my own life experiences," said Clay Thomas, singer and guitarist for the Cape Girardeau-based band. "And I hope an honesty comes through that people can identify with."

Singer and bassist Lindsay Bowerman agrees: "Songs I've written like `So Sad My Sky,' `Perryville Shoe Factory' and `Save The Whales' are things people can hopefully identify with."

Brave Little Toasters came together as a band after a previous group, "Ship of Fools," disbanded, leaving only Thomas and Bowerman together.

Since then, the group has taken many forms, but with the addition of Reggie Vargas on guitar, Per Austreng on mandolin, and Bob Bigelow on drums, the line-up seems to have solidified.

Now, the band is hard at work trying to carve its own niche in the Southeast Missouri and Southern Illinois alternative music scene.

"Bob's addition to the band as a drummer and studio producer was very important," said Chuck Gower, the group's manager. "It added a new dimension to the songs."

Bigelow's full drum sound and studio experience (Riverside Studio in Cape Girardeau) gave the band a solid rhythm section, and a place to record.

"It's nice to have the luxury of a studio," said Bigelow," but without the quality of songwriting we have, it wouldn't make a difference."

The band currently is at work on a compact disc release for this summer, featuring 10 original songs.

"`In My Reign' has been played on the local radio stations here," said Thomas, "and we sort of consider it our first release."

The song is a beautiful ballad with a haunting melody. But it excludes the typical Top 40 lyrics, for a more honest approach.

Other planned songs for the project include: "Lover is a Leper," "Perryville Shoe Factory," "Shared Windows," "New Home," "Dead and Gone," "Out of Walls," "Not the Same Thing," and "Much Too Extreme."

The band recently added "Cry For the Children" to the project, a song sung by Bigelow and co-written with Vargas.

Before, during and after the project, the band hopes to play out as much as possible to promote it.

"We need to play St. Louis more, and get into Columbia," said Vargas, "just to expand our base."

The newest member of the group is mandolin player Per Austreng, who looks forward to playing out more.

"We had some important shows at the end of April in Carbondale and Cape Girardeau, and I'm excited to be a part of it all," Austreng said.

Look for the band to gig soon at Hangar 9 in Carbondale and at Jeremiah's in Cape Girardeau.