Sarcasm Interview
Sarcasm Interview
When you mention "cover bands," for the most part, you'll get a mixed
reaction. Some people like them, some people don't and some people don't
care one way or another. As a writer who covers the music scene, both
local and national, I tend to lean towards all original music because,
honestly, it makes a more interesting article. But, I also enjoy going to see a
cover band here and there. You've gotta admit, there's quite a few of 'em out
there. Some are worth checking out, some aren't. One of the few cover
bands that I tend to write about and try to get people to check out is
Sarcasm. When I first became aware of this band, I heard some great things about
them. So, I finally made it out to a show and they quickly became one of
my favorite bands. Sarcasm performs a wide variety of material. I've heard
them do songs by Kiss, Queen, The Ramones, The Go Go's, Megadeth, Papa
Roach, Godsmack, Black Sabbath, Kix, Charlie Daniels, Kid Rock, Jackyl
and many others. Walking into a Sarcasm show is like walking into your
favorite record store and checking out everything from the new releases to the
classics to the bargain bins. They do some excellent AC/DC covers as
well...and those tunes, which include "Thunderstruck," "Stiff Upper
Lip," "Big Balls" and "You Shook Me All Night Long," usually get a good
reaction from the crowd. At least they did at the shows that I attended. People
went nuts.
But, what makes Sarcasm special is the fact that they're not just up
there on that stage playing music made famous by other people. When they put
on a show, they really put on a show...I'm talking total entertainment. In a
time where we put a label on everything in order to make it easy to
describe, Sarcasm is a "cover band." But, at least from my experience, I
think a better term would be a "party band." I have never walked away
from one of their shows disappointed. Actually, every Sarcasm show I ever
attended, I never walked away from it period...I had to be carried out!
Now that's a good time.
The band also has three additional members...sound man Lewie Bostian,
stage tech Steve Carl and light guy Robin Rhoads. Sarcasm rocks and these guys
help 'em to roll and the end result is one hell of an entertaining
package. In my continuing efforts to turn more people on to Sarcasm, I fired off
a few questions to vocalist Jeff Kline and this is what he had to say.
Paul Autry: First of all, introduce the band.
Jeff Kline: Brian Harig (drums), Cale Derr (guitar/vocals), Ralph
Burkhart
(guitar/vocals), Scott Mauray (bass) and Jeff Kline (vocals).
Paul Autry: How did Sarcasm come together?
Jeff Kline: Cale and I put it together and, after some changes, we are
what
we are today.
Paul Autry: How did you come up with the name Sarcasm?
Jeff Kline: My wife named us because we are rarely serious with each
other.
Paul Autry: What does each member bring into the band?
Jeff Kline: Scott and I do most of the planning, Cale is the most
technical in regards to the music, Brian is always the one to give us the kick in
the butt that we need at our low points, Ralph is the one who always seems
to be there to step in when needed (multi-talented) and we all have a sick
or different sense of humor as opposed to the average person.
Paul Autry: You have an exceptional live show and I'm sure there's a
lot of people out there who have yet to witness it. So, what would you say
to those people in order to get 'em to come check out a Sarcasm gig?
Jeff Kline: I think that people should go check out any band that they
have never seen and also give them a chance more than once because any band
can have an off night. I also feel that not just any band is for everyone.
There are a lot of bands out there and, if people would stop following
the flocks and give more than just the few who have the most following a
chance, I think a lot of people would be suprised that they may be
entertained by some band they had a misconception about and, in the end,
realize they now have more of a choice.
Paul Autry: Last time I saw you live, I noticed that you've updated your
set list a bit. So, what can people expect when they come to a Sarcasm
show?
Jeff Kline: You could hear anything from the likes of Disturbed to Kix,
Linkin Park to Charlie Daniels. We are there to have a good time and we
want our crowds to have a good time. So, when we choose music, it's for
the purpose of making people happy so they can enjoy themselves. If someone
has it in their mind that they want to come to our show and tell us we
messed something up they can just stay at home and keep their money because we
don't care if we mess up, we are there to entertain and if we are
entertaining by one of us pointing out to the crowd that we screwed up a
song then that becomes part of the show and also becomes entertaining.
Paul Autry: Every band has a reason for being out there...what's yours?
Jeff Kline: To entertain and have a great time doing it!
Paul Autry: Are there any shows that you've done that stand out as being
exceptionally good?
Jeff Kline: There are so many shows that we have had that we had a great
time at and I just can't pinpoint one. I will say though that I have had
just as much fun with just a handful of people as opposed to say, a
crowd of four hundred or so.
Paul Autry: Speaking of shows, what are some of your favorite places to
play?
Jeff Kline: Again, I don't have one place in mind that I can pinpoint.
But, I will say that I would rather play a small place with an owner who
treats us like humans instead of some well known place where the person who
runs it is just a guy making minimum wage who never had the balls to try to
live out his dream of being in a band so, he does this to kiss the ass of the
flavor of the month and then treats them like shit after they don't draw
the numbers he wants.
Paul Autry: I know you guys are out playing pretty much every weekend.
So, you probably don't get the chance to check out a lot of other bands.
But, I've gotta ask...are there any bands out there that you went to see that
you enjoy?
Jeff Kline: I think you're right...I haven't had much time to check out
other bands. Although we just did a show with an Alice In Chains tribute
that I thought really did the original Alice In Chains justice.
Paul Autry: What does the future hold for Sarcasm?
Jeff Kline: Hopefully longevity and some of our own material. As long as
people aren't uptight jackasses who don't want to laugh and have a good
time, I'm willing to try to entertain them.
Paul Autry: Final comments?
Jeff Kline: Pay a couple of dollars and go check out some live music.
You're pretty much going to take in around three hours plus of
entertainment and it's definitely cheaper than the movies.
Paul Autry: Who loves ya, baby?
Jeff Kline: My Great Dane, Maxwell.
For More Information:
http://www.sarcasmrocks.com