Friday, February 7, 1997
MUSIC:
Group members mesh well, look forward to prospect of record deal
despite great variance in their agesBy Vanessa VanderZanden
Daily Bruin Contributor
The curly-haired, smiling guitarist lets out a "woo" as he looks
to the drummer to place the next beat. The drummer, in turn, sends
out a grin along with a slick repetition of pings, steadying a
delighted gaze on the bassist. The bassist slips his chords under
the melody and gives the OK to the saxophonist to begin his intense
solo, just as the lead singer steps away from the mike and takes a
well-deserved break.
With musical forecasting this tight, it’s hard to believe that
the members of the blues/jazz/rock infusion, Generation Gap, range
from 15 to 57. Despite the spread, they return Sunday after Sunday
to 15-year-old lead singer Alex Band’s family mansion, plowing
through four hours of original tunes, perfecting their unique,
soulful sound. With dreams of procuring a record deal after their
performance at the Roxy Saturday, they fuel each other through the
hope of imminent success.
"You can tell we love the band and have a lot of faith in it,"
says Ray Clark, the 57-year-old shaggy, grey haired drummer. "We
feel like we’re gonna get signed."
Just such a view glues the odd mix of ages and personalities
together. Each looking for a serious operation to showcase their
talents, the members of Generation Gap found one another in a
roundabout sort of way. Stemming from 19-year-old lead guitarist
Aaron Kamin’s drive to locate a dedicated group of musicians, the
second-year UCLA student drew on all of his resources to form the
outfit.
"My girlfriend said her brother (Alex Band) played guitar, but
he was like 15 so I blew it off," explains Kamin. "Then, I heard
her brother come down one night after dinner and play his guitar by
himself and sing. I was all ‘Wow!’ I got chills."
The duo soon took off for a vacation where their song writing
talents came to the foreground. Able to devise new tunes sometimes
right in the middle of rehearsal, this "Lennon and McCartney of the
’90s," as Clark playfully calls them, discovered in each other the
backbone of the band of which both musicians had been dreaming.
Realizing a saxophonist would take the sound to a new dimension,
the two guitarists enlisted the help of various music teachers in
the area. When the somewhat eccentric 17-year-old Benny Golbin
answered the call, the pair were more than a little impressed.
"Most of the solos are just off the top of his head," Band says.
"Then he’ll play something that we’ll be like ‘That’s it! That’s
the one! Play that again!’" adds Clark, bouncing out of his
seat.
"There’s real good communication in this band," throws in the
crew cut 30-year-old bassist, Tommy Corona.
"There’s no egos. If anybody has an idea, we’ll try it," backs
up Clark.
Just such an attitude paved the way for Clark’s admittance into
the group. While the three teenagers tried working with other young
musicians, nothing quite clicked.
Eventually, the time came to place an ad in the Recycler.
However, none of the three youths expected the phone call they
received.
"He said he was like 50 years old, used to be a pro drummer, and
played with Chuck Berry," remembers Kamin of the initial
conversation. "I was like ‘OK, cool! Let me call you back. Give it
a shot,’" Band said.
Strangely enough, the band of mixed ages managed to find a
cohesive sound. Clark, who played with such blues greats as John
Guitar Watson and Little Walter years before the others were even
born, finally achieved the artistic freedom he has spent a lifetime
seeking. Despite having played the same show as a young Elvis
Presley and Jerry Lee Lewis, his jaded view of the music scene
caused him to lay down his drumsticks 20 years ago.
"But then, about three years ago, I went to this New Orleans
jazz festival and got hooked again, sort of like a junky taking
heroin," recalls Clark with child-like zeal.
"Yeah," concludes Clark, "I just think how great it is to be 57
and having this much fun!"
"I look forward to Sunday every week," affirms a cherubic Kamin.
"After we all leave here, it’s just, like, ‘When’s it gonna be
Sunday again?’"
CONCERT: Generation Gap plays the Roxy Saturday. Receive $4 off
if you buy tickets with a UCLA student ID. Call (310) 276-2222.
Generation Gap
Generation Gap plays the Roxy Saturday. The group believes the
chemistry between members and thoughts of imminent success fuel
their enthusiasm.