 "Photo: Jackie Sellinger")
In a town such as Amarillo, entertainment options have limitations.
Depending on the season, you could cool off at the water park or attempt the rides at the amusement park. Several popular restaurant chains straddling I-40 appeal to passers-by, and downtown Amarillo offers good restaurants and nightclubs. But for an everyday Amarillo crowd, your options may not be so widespread.
Cue the local musician.
They are all over Amarillo, but only a select few play the local bars and hotspots around town. Live. Raw. Completely personified as a group of guys who for a few hours on a Saturday night bang out some great songs in triumphant unison. Playing classic rock covers or their own originals, all are heartfelt and passionate. The speakers ooze sounds of melodic pleasure, and vocal cords screech rhythmic lyricism.
The guys who make up the local band scene in Amarillo have many differences, but all share one similarity: chemistry. It’s in the air, it’s on the stage and it lingers on their faces for the few seconds between songs.
“The camaraderie was important,” said guitarist Cory Flamming. “If you have a stressful life, that routine release is definitely something to look forward to.”
Flamming, 30, though currently not in a band, has been playing the guitar for 15 years. His father gave him his first guitar, an Airline, when he was 5 years old. Instead of becoming a true talent then, Flamming basically “tore it up.” When he finally did pick the guitar up to officially hone his skills, he discovered his love for making music.
“In college, for a good year and a half, all I did was write my own stuff,” Flamming said. “The goal was to go big.”
Flamming’s talent earned him several spots in different bands throughout the years. He soon found that the goal may be further away then he realized.
“I realized I wanted a family someday, and I wasn’t making money to be able to take care of one,” Flamming said.
“I had to get my priorities straight, so music was placed on the back burner.”
Flamming, 30, has a home building/remodeling business that now occupies most of his time, but he always plays “at least 30 minutes a day.”
For local musicians, dreams of becoming a touring act one day are not uncommon. The “rock star” life isn’t always for everyone. Even the most talented bands slip through the cracks due to temptations and egos. Young kids who brave the world of music don’t always see the big picture.
Timer, a local trio of young men, is circulating in Amarillo bars, and its mainstay not only is talent but also focus. Tyler Caffey, 23, said the band prefers to play one night a weekend instead of both Friday and Saturday, like most bands do.
“I like to focus all my attention into one show,” he said.
The band, made up of Caffey, guitarist/vocalist; bassist Lance Lomax, 20; and drummer John Sawyers, 24, is in the stages of compiling its own recordings. When playing, the boys generally tend to the audience and belt out a few alternative rock hits made famous by the Foo Fighters or Nirvana, but their originals get tossed in occasionally.
“People ask us a lot of the time to play our own stuff,” Caffey said. “We prefer to.”
The bands that thrive in Amarillo are not all in it for the big time, and none of them seem to be in it for the money. The music scene here sometimes favors country bands, and for alternative rock bands, audiences have dwindled somewhat. The economy always can be a deciding factor. It takes money to go out and have fun. Either way, these guys get up and play their shows.
“If there’s a big crowd, the songs have more life,” said Gabe Marinez, 37, singer and guitarist of Boss 420. “I’m doing the same thing, but it doesn’t always have the same result.”
Boss 420 has an immaculate push and pull in the group. These guys are talented and personable, and they all lead lives outside the band so that when they come together to perform, the result is ebb and flow.
As far as playing to an empty or full house, Marinez’s philosophy is that it’s all the same. Pick out that one person or group who seems uninterested and pull them into the set.
“I have the ability to read the audience and know who is listening and who isn’t,” Marinez said. “So the next song can be directed towards that group who needs to look at me.”
Marinez, along with bassist Brent Serurrier and drummer J.J. Moore, have been playing the local dive bars for some time now. The band has changed members over the last 10 years, put out a self-titled album in 2001 and has earned the respect of other musicians and fans. Though Marinez never had his sights set on a flouncing music career, the band has generated some local celebrity.
Marinez says the most enjoyable part of being in Boss is “the recognition.”
“That I get recognized as a musician is the best part,” Marinez said. “Having someone recognize you for your work and respecting you for it is a good feeling.”
In an instance like Boss, recognition comes with time and skill. Playing every weekend, thus gaining a usual crowd of listeners, is immense for a band in Amarillo. Bands here market themselves through MySpace, Facebook, the Edge magazine and other means of social networking, but good old-fashioned word of mouth helps out every now and then.
Level 5, a classic-rock cover band, has been playing together in local places for a year now. They have all been perfecting their skills for over 10 years, but the band has recently started to come into the music scene. Ranging in ages from 30 to 50, the five men in this band exude a tenacity for performing. They have incredible playing skills and love for nothing more than to keep their audience happy.
They were brought together by cousins Pablo Orta and David Pena, both guitar players for over 10 years. All five men come from Hereford and share the same passion for music.
“We’re never going to make lots of money, not at my age,” Orta said. “The whole idea is to play. It’s a serious hobby. Whatever money we make, we buy toys for the band.”
Each of the musicians brings their own talents to the table, and all of them have distinct and strong personalities. The amount of time these men have been engaged in music shows in every motion. Ben Garcia, the youngest and newest member of the group, says the guys are “very precise and very professional.”
Pena says the band comes up with a set list but the audience is the deciding factor on which songs the band will play. They have an upbeat sound and all the guys agree that their main goal is to have fun.
Everyone has had a thought or two about what it would be like to live the life of rock star. The glitz and glamour that comes with that life is not always what keeps a band motivated. Sometimes it’s about a dim lit bar, a good-sized audience and performing with others who share the same ideas and goals when it comes to music. The talent is there; the passion is there. All that’s left is a few good ears for it to fall upon.
Both Boss 420 and Timer can be found online at www.myspace.com/boss420rocks and www.myspace.com/timerband.
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