14 THE UNIVERSITY DAILY KANSAN
WAKARUSA
WEDNESDAY, JUNE 22, 2005
Woodward Apartments
1BR-$450
2BR-$550
3BR-$595
Washer/Dryer
$200 cash back at move in
$199 security deposit
6th and Michigan
Kasold on the Curve Townhomes
2BR-$545
2+BR-$645
3BR-$685
Laundry Rooms
Large Floorplans
California Apartments
1BR-$460
2BR-$565
3BR/2 Bath/2 Car Garage-$940
Great floor plans
Most with W/D hookups
5th and California
Hanover Townhomes
Two BR Townhomes
W/D hookups
Garage
Private off-street parking
Bradford Square
2 & 3 Bedrooms
Lots of space!
501 Colorado
Jacksonville Apartments
1BR-$460
2BR-$550
On-site laundry
Cats allowed
Security deposit-$199
700 Monterey Way
Country Club Apartments
Rates starting at $675
2BR and two bathrooms
W/D provided
830 square feet
512 Rockledge Road
1203 IOWA
Lawrence, KS 66044
785-841-4935
www.midwestpm.com
MUSIC
Lawrence band returns home
BY ADAM LAND
akand@kansan.com
KANSAW STAFF WRITER
Lawrence is rife with bands, many of which have a short shelf life, but out of this high-turnover environment came Big Metal Rooster. A jam band formed on a shared idea of music, which has led it out of Lawrence and around the country.
This weekend, the band came home. The band is made up of Lawrence residents Matt Miner, drums; Luke Henry, acoustic guitar; Billy Waasung, electric guitar; Tom Fleming, vocalist and lead guitar; and Derek Hein, bass. BMR played on the campground stage at the Wakarusa Music Festival to a crowd of about 500 people on the evening of June 16, packing the tent with sweaty bodies looking for entertainment or people in search of a break from the June heat.
This wasn't the first festival BMR has played this year. Two weeks before Wakarusa the band played a festival in Colorado. After that festival it spent two weeks in the southeast, playing shows in Alabama and Georgia.
The pace can be grueling, said Hein. But the band has to hit the pavement to keep what they call the "progression" going. The band wants to grow, not only musically but in terms of its fan base as well.
Within the last year the band turned a corner from Lawrence regular to a regional touring band.
"Two weeks on, then two weeks off," said Fleming. "We work really hard en the road and see coming home as a reward." Even though the band has been successful the tours are not always set up the same way.
Some venues provide lodging and a set amount of money to play, whereas others provide a percentage of door sales and nothing more. Either way the band members feel the touring is something they need to do.
"Sometimes we have to sleep in the van because we can't afford a room," Hein said.
This devotion toward their music was there from the beginning. Fleming said.
Hein and Fleming formed the band about five years ago. The two shared a common interest in music and both played instruments. They began to play and admitted the songs were not as polished as they are now.
"We thought it sounded great in the beginning," Hein said.
The first show the band played was at Pat's Blue Rib'n Barbecue; 1618 W.23rd St. The band received free beer and food for its performance, a king's ransom in the beginning.
During the next five years the band developed and built a solid fan base within Lawrence, and a fledgling fan base in other parts of the country.
"I've been listening since the beginning when they used to practice in my basement," Aaron Classi, Topeka senior, said. "Their music has many types and they will play something that speaks to you."
BMR constantly reiterated the love it has for its fans and the goal of drawing new ones after each show.
The goal, the members said, was not only to get better but to be recognized for what they were doing. And a benchmark for such a goal would be to have someone else do the laundry. Hein said.
Edited by Erin M. Droste