Playing in a traveling band

~ Bands from outside the area have discovered the appeal of a nice stop in Cape on their way to other cities.

Memphis-based rockers Giant Bear rumble into Cape Girardeau long before the "orchestral funkabilly" six-piece is set to start its Friday night show. As soon as the van stops in front of Port Cape Girardeau, the work begins, hauling loads of amplifiers, cables, instruments and mics up to the second floor.

This lifestyle is far from the glamorized rock-star life of excess enjoyed by the superbands. Like any indie touring act, Giant Bear's shows are work -- before, during and after. And like any indie touring act, Giant Bear has to make its name from busting its collective butt on the road.

"We don't do this because we want to be rock stars," said Jana Misener, cellist and singer for Giant Bear. Affectionately known on stage as "Ophelia," Misener is effectively the frontman (or is it frontwoman?) of the rockabilly-orchestra-alt-country sounding Bear.

This particular band's road has taken them throughout the South, through the deserts of the Southwest, and more than once all the way out to California. Since September that van has logged more than 17,000 miles, and the Bear has made a lot of friends, particularly in Louisiana.

Giant Bear isn't the only band with Cape in its crosshairs.

Cape Girardeau has become a frequent stop on the road for a number of touring acts originating outside the area -- usually groups from the Midwest with small to medium-sized followings, trying to expand their fanbase by winning over the Cape crowd.

For these bands the most uplifting moments are when they win new fans in new markets.

Jana Misener, cellist and singer for Giant Bear, remembers one stop in Louisiana. The band had been to Baton Rouge before, playing before a pretty good crowd. Upon their return, they had won some real fans.

"There was this girl who I could see was singing every word to every song," said Misener. "It was an awesome feeling."

Every month local bars play host to bands like The Schwag, Lojic, Tiffany Christopher, The Station and other groups from places all over the Midwest. Meanwhile bands from Cape do the same in other cities -- hitting the road to win new fans away from the area in hopes of developing the kind of large following that will sustain a rock and roll career.

It's safe to say most of them aren't banking on becoming major-label stars. They just want to be a widely known indie band that can command a loyal fanbase outside of just their hometown.

At least that's the hope for Giant Bear. The University of Memphis students that make up the band have a real passion for music and the road -- working full time, going to school and touring when they can.

Bar owners are often eager to oblige. They say they like to book regional touring acts not because Cape doesn't have homegrown talent, but because more variety better serves the market for live entertainment.

"The thing is there are only so many venues to go around," said Doc Cain, Port Cape owner. Cain relies heavily on talent from outside the area to supplement his local live music offerings like regular shows from local blues-rock king Bruce Zimmerman. He books multiple bands from outside the area each month.

"We try to bring something in to the area, something people haven't seen before. We want to offer the best entertainment."

The law of supply and demand dictates that regional acts coming in to Cape will draw away from the crowds local bands might experience playing on the same night. But local musician Mike Renick, who lately has played more local shows than probably any other act, said he likes to see bands from outside the Southeast Missouri/Southern Illinois region roll in to set up shop in Cape Girardeau.

"I think it's good for the Cape music scene to be able to have bands that want to come in here and play," said Renick. "Obviously, you want to try and make the scene here as good as it can be, and if other bands are wanting to come in and make this a regular stop for them, that's a good thing."

Renick uses some different logic when thinking about the supply and demand quandary -- regional acts that come to Cape bring more people downtown to bar hop.

"Having a lot of action is good, because people get out and jump from bar to bar and watch different bands play."

Fat Tuesday's drunken revelry is an example. Crowds flooded downtown, Renick said, flowing like liquor from one bar to another, getting drunker, seeing bands and digging the music.

Anyone in the business of booking or playing shows will tell you that a touring band playing in uncharted territory isn't guaranteed a good turnout, though.

Giant Bear experienced that very problem in their last Cape show, the second time they appeared here. Where the first show saw an enthusiastic crowd -- dancing to the Bear's high-energy mix of banjo, mandolin, guitar, cello, bass, drums and flute -- the second show's crowd was small and zombie-esque.

No one danced, and those people who did provide some warm bodies for the Yacht Club seemed more interested in socializing than in the music.

Those kind of shows, says bassist/vocalist Robert "Crash" Humphreys, are exhausting to the extreme.

Cain said he knows he's taking a chance whenever he brings in a live act, but if they play good music he won't hesitate to book.

But sometimes even shows that start slow end up being big rock parties. The beautiful thing is to see an audience develop before your very eyes in a way that wasn't possible 20 years age, he said.

Ahh, the wonder of the cell phone.

"You start out with 25 or 30 people, and it's amazing to watch this happen, they like it and they get on their cell phones, then you have 20 more people, then 20 more, then you have a packed house," Cain said.

Cain watched it happen last year with Tiffany Christopher, a Springfield, Mo., based female rocker oozing with sexual energy. The crowd ate her act up, they called their friends, and the joint was hopping.

Sometimes the cell-phone effect isn't even needed to pack a house. The Schwag has enjoyed large crowds at all its Cape shows, crowds that already knew of the groups reputation as Missouri's premier Grateful Dead tribute band.

That didn't happen for Giant Bear last time around, but it's likely they and their Light Bright logo will see Cape again. Maybe next time Cape will be kinder.