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Whoare The Usual Suspects?
Why are they America's Most Wanted?
Manny Miles
Nome Zone Records
Q - What do The Lee Thomas Band, Naked Eye, The Powerhouse Blues Band, Fast Pitch, Axsent, Jo Mama, Centerline, and other successful Front Range bands have in common?
A - Jimmy Puma, Danny the Weasel, and Joe Bear!
These dynamic musicians have joined forces in a new venture sure to bring smiles to Colorado revelers. This new band performs a variety of fun loving, good natured rock music sure to get your feet tapping, your legs moving, and your smile growing.
The Boys Just Wanna Have Fun
"I love what we do in the Lee Thomas Band", says Danny, "and I wouldn't give that up for the world. But sometimes people aren't in the mood for a full night of original music -- sometimes they'd rather party and dance to something more familiar."
And familiar it is. This music has been the soundtrack to countless lives. The Usual Suspects perform rock favorites from the 60's through the 90's. "When we put this band together," declares Joe, "we decided to focus on the true defining songs of Classic Rock and Modern Rock -- the stuff we listen to on a regular basis."
When he says classics, he's not just tossing the word around. The evening is peppered with Beatles, Doors, Bowie, Cream, Who, Allman Brothers, Led Zeppelin, Steve Miller, Pink Floyd, Hendrix, and others. Mixed in with these staples are the more contemporary smashes by Big Head Todd and the Monsters, Barenaked Ladies, Stone Temple Pilots, Dishwalla, Duncan Shiek, Better than Ezra, U2, Gin Blossoms, Nirvana, Collective Soul, and others.
The setlist sounds carefully constructed, with an ear towards songs that work for kicking back and getting lost in the music, as well as others fulfilling that need to get up and dance. "Whether somebody wants to sit and listen to Until I Hear It From You by the Gin Blossoms, or get up and shake to Stevie Ray's Pride & Joy, we've got them covered", says Jimmy.
Well honed skills
With all this emphasis on good time party rock, it's refreshing to see that musicianship hasn’t taken a back seat. These guys have logged over two decades apiece in the music industry, and the experience shows. Tight grooves are interspersed with soaring solos, and vocal harmonies are abundant. Their use of three lead singers gives them the flexibility to portray an expansive range of material.
And to top it all off, these guys are a treat to watch!
Whether it's Jimmy spouting barroom philosophy between songs, Joe jumping around maniacally during a solo, or Danny flailing his arms like a whirling dervish, you can tell they enjoy presiding over the evening's merriment. You truly get the sense that there is nothing they'd rather be doing at the moment than infusing a room full of fun seekers with loads of the kind of energy that can only come from live music.
See them now!
While the members of The Usual Suspects obviously click together, they each remain committed to other, more (ahem!) serious band projects. Who knows what the future will bring for these talented individuals? I recommend that you go see them at your first opportunity -- fun like this isn't easy to come by, and this chance may not be around forever…
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