| Band Members | 
Wade Burleson Band delivers
Regional country band returns to Waterford Inn
By Erica Wort
1-866-362-2167 Ext. 13870 ewort@heraldargus.com
Wade Burleson expects audience scrutiny and plans to deliver his best.
The Wade Burleson Band, an original country band based out of Culver, is returning Saturday to the Waterford Inn. As lead vocalist. rhythm guitarist and songwriter for the Wade Burleson Band, Burleson knows he has to come prepared.
"I'm the one everyone's looking at saying, OK, so what do you got"? Burleson said. "I'm starting to get used to the attention. I try to be a humble person about it, I just enjoy playing. In order to do it, you have to be out there."
Adjusting to audience reactions isn't the only change Burleson has dealt with recently.
The band has a new drummer, Mevlis Pouch from Austin, Texas.
There's a difference between a decent drummer and a really good drummer, Burleson said, and a change to the lineup is sometimes part of the business.
"You want to be the best you can be," Burleson explained. "This cat, I think is going to take us to a whole new level."
Burleson and Pouch are joined by Michael Matthis on lead guitar, keyboards and backup vocals and bassist Brandown Bow.
The band plays mostly original songs with some selected cover tunes thrown in the mix.
"I have a lot of material and there's a lot more to come," Burleson said. "It's like a hobby (songwriting), but it gets addicting."
Influenced by such diverse musicians as Hank Williams Jr., James Taylor, John Denver and Cat Stevens, Burleson has been writing songs for years. A full length CD was released in 2007, but the full band came together in recent months and has plans to produce more albums in the future.
Promising a high energy show, Burleson wants fans to expect a personable experience.
"We'll talk to anybody that's gonna talk to us," Burleson said. "People who want to shoot the breeze with you means a lot to us."
Waterford Inn Owner Alan Geleske has nothing but words of praise for the band.
"These guys are really, really good," Geleske said. "They're the nicest human beings I've ever had to deal with."
Burleson and the guys played at Waterford the 4th of July weekend. Though the turn-out wasn't as large as usual, those in the audience were incredibly impressed, Geleske described.
"I think he (Burleson) has got a lot more talent than what people recognize, and he's so humble he's the last person to tell you that they're that good," Geleske said.
Waterford Inn has an outside patio and deck as well as a large music venue with space for dancing. Typically a country and western bar, the Inn is slowly adapting to bring in all types of music and become more of a family restaurant along with the bar, Geleske said.
There is a cover charge for most of the bands that play the Inn, usually around $3, Geleske said.
Of Burleson, Geleske said, "He's the kind of guy that everybody would want to have for a friend. I'm so glad to have them here."
Waterford Inn is located at 6466 W. Johnson Rd., La Porte. Call (219) 879-9083 for information.
|
html
Online Now!
