Collegiate Times

By Anne-Henley Beck

Features Editor

Band Name: True Sound

Band Members: King George Penn ? drums; Karanja Burke ? lead guitar; KC (Kill Caesar) Moyer ? vocalist; Julian Hayes (soon to be replaced by Cameron McLaughlin) ? bassist; Genesis Osagboro (stage name Jah-I-Witness) ?emcee

Genre of Music: Hip Hop first, some say reggae, rock, soul, all forms of black music whatever they may be around the world, funk, rap.

Past Venues: The Mars Theatre (North Carolina), State Theater (Falls Church, Va.), Alley Cats (Richmond, Va.); and locally at Bailey?s, Water Street Gallery and the Steppin? Out Festival

Upcoming Events: A farewell concert for Julian and an album release in February/March that hopefully (our) fan base will be able to name. We were supposed to release an album about a year ago, but weren?t ready. Now I think the fans will appreciate that we waited. The Blacksburg music scene has changed in the past year. Bailey?s used to accommodate sounds and atmosphere and people. Other venues have not been able to establish that yet. We have tried to play at other places, but couldn?t establish (the) same thing. We?re going to play at Burruss Tavern and have played at Water Street.

History of Band/Formation: We formed around the time of Sept. 11; that is when we were starting to practice, when the terrorist attacks were going on. We?ve become more unified with the same musical mind. I?ve recorded (my) own stuff and know the tricks of the recording studio. We?re a little older and wiser logistics-wise. We can step back and look at future and past events. We?ve been having people wanting us to do guest appearances, and all types of people. Our fan base was disappointed when we decided not to release an album. When we do it we want to be at our fullest. We want to accommodate more than that one demographic of people ? ghetto, suburbs, county. We pull upon all of these. It was hard choosing what songs. It?s like picking a favorite amongst your children. We finally figured out the songs and changed the method, incorporating a little bit of technology and doing everything to the best of our abilities. (Our) fan base has been waiting a year-and-a-half, so everyone is itching for it.

Future Prospects: We?re trying to go as far as our music and message will go. A label would be nice, but we?re all smart, educated people ? Let?s put it this way, it?d be nice, but we wouldn?t be devastated if it didn?t happen. It?ll go as it?s supposed to happen. The energy we put into getting a label can be put into energy of the band. We?re working on a small scale for now. As we become more experienced, get a fan base and grow with the fan base and expand on it, we want to deliver music for both the old and new listeners.

Live Performance: The true sound experience? There?s nothing really like it. The way I describe it is probably not the way it seems to others. It?s really a spiritual thing, like church. It may not seem like it because you are in a bar and people are drinking and smoking. We bless the stage before going on.

Here?s a good way of putting it. Our music is like medicine. No one would swallow the medicine without the sweet sugar in it. Our music is like that. Instead of going out and telling people that drugs are bad and they are being promiscuous, we sugar-coat it.

What differentiates you from other local bands: Other bands are not composed of King George Penn, KC, Julian, Cameron and myself. No matter how we might be similar to others, we are different. I used to be like, ?Oh we?re similar to these people or that band.? No, no, no, not anymore, we are who we are.

Website: www.intrinz.com, a message board where musicians can get together and talk

Band Name: Burning Dirty Band

Band Members: Cory Garman ? guitar and vocals; Jereme Steele ? piano and vocals; Ben Whitlock ? bass, Ryan Steele ? drums

Genre of Music: Rock and Roll more or less, blend of indie rock and regular rock and roll, Phish meets Wilco.

Past Venues: Top Of The Stairs, Jammin? Java (Washington, DC), Main Street Bar and Grille and State Theater (Falls Church, Va.), Winchester, Harrisonburg, North Carolina

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