BACKSTAGE PASS ARTICLE AUGUST 1997
URBAN DISTURBANCE
Sometimes it’s disturbing. Chasing the brass ring. Striving to make your mark with YOUR own music. Sticking it out with your band mates and trying to build a cohesive unit while trying to gain some recognition in an urban area the size of Chicago. Record. Perform. Record again. Perform some more. It’s a vicious circle if you don’t have a path mapped out and the belief that someday it’s gonna pay off. But you gotta keep makin' some noise. Gotta keep raising a little hell. Gotta try drawing some more attention to the project. Sure you get up every morning to go to the day gig. But someday, someway music is gonna be the full time focus. Someday, someway it’s gotta be. That’s the day there’s gonna be a URBAN DISTURBANCE. The day when THEIR music is blaring, THEIR CD’s are selling, and THEIR shows are selling out. Cause this is the proverbial band with a plan, and it’s all starting now. August 15th actually. The day the CD is released. It all leads up to this.
The band has been around since 1990 and boasts a strong lineup of Randy Martinez playing an E.S.P. guitar, Jimmy Fernandez behind a custom DW drumset, Courtney Wayne using a Fender “P” bass, and Alan James belting it out through a shure microphone. These guys have played in former groups. Some pretty well known around the area. They list Skin-n-Bones, Redrum, Larue, Switch, Theatre, Cherri Lane, Peace Junkies, and Steel Bitcyn to name a few. With over 50 years of collective stage experience behind them they’ve settled in to give it a good push with this unit. We gave the band a questionnaire to answer. Here were their responses...
Backstage Pass: Where did the name originate from?
Urban Disturbance: From the words “Urban” and “Disturbance” being put together.
Backstage Pass: Clubs and Venues you’ve played?
Urban Disturbance: Riley’s Rock House, J.P. Duggans, Wantabee’s, Avalanche II, J.J. Kelley’s, Thurstons, Avalon, Toto’s, even the old Thirsty Whale. There are really too many to mention.
Backstage Pass: Places you’d realistically like to play?
Urban Disturbance: Dome Room, Double Door, Metro, eventually the Vic.
Backstage Pass: When you play out what percentage of cover tunes do you do? Who do you cover? Why them?
Urban Disturbance: We play approximately 30% cover songs. We will play songs from groups like The Guess Who, Aerosmith, Ted Nugent, Wild Cherry, Rolling Stones, Buddy Holly, Chili Peppers, Rare Earth, KISS, etc. We play them because that was the music we grew up with. From people we admire for their contribution to music and what it means to the “every day people”.
Backstage Pass: Who are the primary writers of the originals?
Urban Disturbance: Everyone contributes to the song writing. All four of us help to create the sound.
Backstage Pass: Performance highlights, special shows, or memorable experiences.
Urban Disturbance: When former heavyweight champion of the world Leon Spinks came up on stage at one show to help sing “Celebrate”. At the end it really made us proud when Leon said, “I lub you guyz.”
Backstage Pass: Recording experience. Studios. Cassette/CD releases?
Urban Disturbance: The only thing that really comes to mind is the CD we are working on at Metropolis. We have a CD release party at Synergy in West Chicago on August 15th. Bob Pucci is engineering and producing and it sounds totally “CARDIOFUNKADELIC!”
Backstage Pass: One outstanding song in your set?
Urban Disturbance: It depends on who’s listening. A heavy tune that stands out is “In Between”. A bluesy stand out would be “Desperation”. A cover tune that gets a lot of response is “Stranglehold”. Come out to a show and tell us. YOU decide!
Backstage Pass: One outstanding song you’ve recorded?
Urban Disturbance: “Inside”. It’s on the new CD
Backstage Pass: Upcoming Shows?
Urban Disturbance: Synergy - Friday August 15th. J.P. Duggans - Saturday August 23rd.
Backstage Pass: Public contact address?
Urban Disturbance: Urban Disturbance. PO BOX 904 - Steamwood, IL 60107
URBAN DISTURBANCE is one group who really is motivated to perform and promote. Make it a point to get to the big CD bash at Synergy in August. Better yet pick up a copy of the new release at Tower Records, or Impulse Music. It’s a disk that is totally disturbing, in an urban kind of way!
