BACKSTAGE PASS ARTICLE MAY 1997
GENERATIONS
"THEY'LL MAKE YOU FEEL LIKE DANCIN'"
Written By: LORRIE O'CONNOR
It's late at night and you're flipping through all the really bad cable channels looking for anything worth watching. Suddenly you hit a channel where a disco ball is spinning and a voice is calling, Won't you take me to - Funky Town! Girls with go-go boots are shaking their stuff at guys in platforms and bad hair. While you may laugh a little, you can t help but move along with the music. As songs like, Car Wash , Boogie Man and Jive Talkin float across the screen, you flashback to a different time, a different generation...
For six talented musicians, that K-Tel cable ad was more than a commercial, it was a calling. It prompted them to scour the city for bad 70's clothes, 8-tracks and large hair. GENERATIONS was born! GENERATIONS is funky-R&B-disco-dance band. Seasoned enough to cover songs from the 40's through the 90's, these retro junkies have found their forte covering 70's music that was too good to let die.
Once she was a funky singer, playing in a rock-n-roll band... Lead vocalist, Kristin Equi, is a powerhouse on stage. Formerly of The Rainshakers, she is every retro heroine combined. Whether she s calling for the Last Dance or declaring I Will Survive , this funky diva commands some R-E-S-P-E-C-T !
Sing us a song, your the piano man... would be keyboardist and vocalist, Gene Garcia's job. A life long musician (and lounge act at heart), Gene covers the spectrum from the soulful stylings of "Let's Get It On" and "Let s Stay Together" to a personalized funked out rap in "These Are The Good Times" . In keeping with true seventies style, Gene is also a dancing machine!
Everybody was Kung-Fu fighting.... That karate cat is Todd Smith, percussionist and crowd motivator. Count on Todd to have the latest dance steps and unmatched energy to keep the crowd on it s feet. He s also the ring leader for audience participation, games and trivia. Todd has the honor of choosing the GENERATIONS Dancing Queen and presenting her with a crown and sash at every show.
I want you to show me the way... What 70's band would be complete with out a Frampton song? Guitarist and vocalist, Jim Riley is a driving force in this band. Throughout his career, Jim has played with tons of Chicago area bands, tribute bands, done studio work and also teaches guitar and vocals. Whether he s covering Frampton, complete with the talk box, double teaming with Kristin on Grease s You re The One That I Want or blazing though Disco Inferno with searing slide guitar solos and wailing vocals, you ll be mesmerized.
Play that funky music white boy... Mike Mitchel would be the Peter Bradyish boy with the bass and the very large hair. Mike loves to get out and dance with the crowd. In fact, most nights he'll teach the audience how to Shake shake shake your booty... Solid Gold s got nothing on him!
The final player who ties the whole show together is drummer Mike Toerpe. Mike keeps the rhythm going strong through long forgotten hits like Copacabana and Brickhouse . Chances are most local music lovers have already seen Mike play in one band or another, or fill in on drums for just about every tribute band in the area. He is also the get-down-to-business man for GENERATIONS. Bookings, schedules, promotions, jewelry, practices, bell-bottoms and music is his daily routine.
GENERATIONS does it all. They are six extremely talented and creative musicians
who love to have a great time. They've played corporate parties, weddings and a wide
variety of venues in the surrounding states. They've rocked The Park West, Walter
Payton's Roundhouse, Lakeview Links, Synergy, both Slugger s and dozens of other
clubs. They were THEE party band at this years NCAA finals in Indianapolis. They
pack The Waterloo on Lincoln Avenue in Lincoln Park every Friday. You can reach the
GENERATIONS hotline at (630)469-9002. You can visit them on the Internet at
www.ntsource.com/~starchild/generations.html. This is a party that is not to be missed.
Next time you need some funk and groove in your life, say to yourself, I wanna put on
my, my, my, my, my boogie shoes and check out GENERATIONS. A good time is
guaranteed cuz That s the way, uh-huh uh-huh, I like it!
