Better Off Dead
Rock
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Better Off Dead - Kick-Ass 80's Rock!
LEXINGTON, Kentucky
United States
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7354
Last Login:
7/10/2009
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| Better Off Dead: General Info
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| Member Since | 4/3/2007 | | Band Members | Lowell Jackson - Singer
Craig Mayfield - Guitar and vocals
Michael Harris - Bass and vocals
Stewart Surgener - Drums and vocals
| | Influences | 80's guitar rock....oh, you want influences? OK. Lowell: Bon Jovi & most Disney soundtracks. Craig: David Gilmour and anything where the guitar player doesn't go way fast. Michael: Queen, Rush, Primus, Yes, and other progressive music that guys like and girls hate. Stewart: The Police, U2, Rush, Yes, Primus, King Crimson, and anything else that makes him want to play a drum solo. | | Sounds Like | Ummm...80's rock. In fact....sound just like 80's rock - we're a cover band! | | Record Label | Unsigned |
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Thursday Night Live
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Better Off Dead -Part 3
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Better Off Dead - Part 2
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Better off Dead - Thursday Night live 7/09/09
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Cheapside 4/10-4/11 pics are up!
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| About Better Off Dead |
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Lowell has been singing with groups in the Lexington and surrounding area for the past 5 years, and has taken rather well to being a lead singer and a rock star in general. His musical influences include Journey, Van Halen, and Billy Idol and he favors those who performed the “true 80’s rock” style of music. Those styles include the likes of Poison, Def Leppard and Bon Jovi, because they feature driving leads played on guitar rather than a keyboard synthesizer. He hails from Detroit, Michigan, so you could say he was born to be on stage. Four years of acting experience in theatre turned out to be a perfect pedigree for the actor-turned-singer, which loves being in front of a crowd. He enjoys the ‘letting your hair down” aspect of being a front man. “Anything goes when you’re in front of a crowd, and it’s my job to feed off them, and guide the performance accordingly. It’s entirely on our shoulders to make people laugh and lose themselves in the music, but if they feel the need to have a few shots and drink plenty of beer, it sure makes the job easier. So drink up and have a good time.”
Craig is the guitarist, backing vocalist, and Den Mother for Better Off Dead. The band never arrives at a gig unprepared thanks to his vastly populated equipment lists, although he does sometimes forget the all important batteries that keep the equipment going… and going… and going… insert energizer bunny. Craig has been playing cover music for years, many of them in the same band as Stewart, in one form or another, much to his mental detriment. He hails from Paris, KY, where he played his first gigs and met band-mate & longtime friend Michael. His musical influences include Eric Johnson & David Gilmour, and prides himself on his classic Stratocaster tone. Somehow along the way, he became an avid NASCAR fan. This is likely from the influence of his dad, who has attended every single one of Craig’s gigs, I believe. That’s OK; my dad hasn’t seen me play since 1988.
Michael hails from Millersburg, KY, which is like Paris, only different. He only recently moved to the "big city" of Paris, where he routinely now fights traffic jams, street crime, and smog alerts. Michael plays bass & performs backing & sometimes lead vocals for the group. As previously mentioned, Michael & Craig have been buds for quite awhile, and frequently use that leverage to ruthlessly get their way in the band. Michael is cool because he likes all the right 70’s & 80’s classic rock, from Journey to The Cars to Rush, all the way up to present day stuff, like Pearl Jam. He is the musical scholar of the band, and actually knows what an “E suspended” is. He has virtually a photographic memory for music & lyrics, and many a song would truly be lost without him. By the way, it’s “Michael,” not “Mike,” thank you very much.
Stewart plays drums & sings backing vocals for B.O.D. He is the veteran-playing musician of the group, which is a nice way to say he’s the oldest. His influences are also varied in rock, and include Yes, Rush, King Crimson, The Police, and any other band with a great drummer. He started playing in bands in Lexington in 1982, and has played in nearly every band that has come out of town since then, or at least the ones which remained unpopular. He is the coach of the band, offering his experience only at the worst times & when nobody wants to hear it. Nevertheless, he’s “either already played it, or could in no time,” when it comes to cover songs, a reply his band mates are used to. He loves to play drums solos, and lives for those gigs when people actually want him to. The first in the band to wear earplugs on stage, he sometimes forgets to take them out. He awaits the insidious onset of osteoarthritis.
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