Local band Tintern Abbey looks for breakout show at Kilroy's

Hoping to duplicate and surpass the success of local bands such as Danagas, Tintern Abbey will play at 10:30 p.m. today at Kilroy's Sports Bar, 319 N. Walnut St., bringing its mix of raw energy and creation into what it hopes will be a breakout show.\nThe band derives its name from a William Wordsworth poem of the same name. \nThe group includes members from as far away as Long Island. The four members have been playing together for the past year and said they feel they have developed their strongest material yet.\nThe band is composed of junior Alex Shaurette (lead vocals, guitar), junior Kevin Rose (keyboards), sophomore David Golden (drums) and freshman Benny Appleby (bass). \nWordsworth's poem, about an abbey that survives a vicious fire, symbolizes the band's views on music and life, Shaurette said. \n"All stuff goes downhill, but the music is always there," Shaurette said, adding that Tintern Abbey's music is routed in emotion. "(The songs) are always about hope," he said. \nShaurette said the band has experienced struggles related to line-up changes in the past, which he attributes to musical progression. But he said this lineup seems to have solidified the personal interests of all members. \n"We're going to definitely stick together," Shaurette said.\nBlending styles from rock to jazz and citing influences from James Brown and Joe Jackson to Dave Matthews Band and Igor Stravinsky, Tintern Abbey prides itself on "making original music," Golden said.\nTintern Abbey is "similar to Ben Folds Five with a classic rock kind of vibe" said fan David Siegel. \n"I saw their show at the Bluebird, and the crowd was pretty into it -- lots of people on the dance floor," Siegel said. \nIn addition to its rock and jazz roots, the band admits it occasionally indulges in a bit of the Red Hot Chili Peppers or even some Jimi Hendrix. \n"Hendrix as if played by the Doors," Shaurette said. \nMusically, members of Tintern Abbey have outside interests. Rose plays the French horn; Golden spent part of the summer of 1998 in Europe with the United States Collegiate Wind Band, in which he traveled in more then seven countries. \nGolden, who said he developed a taste for music when he was young, nearly missed the opportunity to play with the band. He was at a crossroads, considering his future in music, when a music teacher told him, "'You've got to get in a band,'" he said.\nTintern Abbey, while not a jam band, promises a different performance each night. \n"One of our songs, "Flood," used to be a slow ballad, but we sped it up and it sounds a lot better now," Shaurette said. \nHe said changes in the set list and individual songs are common.\n"We've really grown with our live show," Golden said. "We try to get some crowd interaction." \nBand members said they hope their original work will do the trick tonight at Kilroy's Sports Bar.\n"I'm really excited about the show at Kilroy's," Shaurette said. "We've got some new stuff and we've got a chance for a lot of people to hear it." \nThe band expects to play at least one new song, "Some Days."\nTintern Abbey members hope to move to New York after graduation to play in a larger market. \n"We try to support local music," Shaurette said. "All the local bands try to lean off each other."\nGolden and Shaurette said local music and local fans are crucial, which is why the band members keep in touch with their fans through an e-mail news list, and have increased their fan-base by playing house parties and some shows at the Indiana Memorial Union.\nTintern Abbey will play 10:30 p.m. today at Kilroy's Sports Bar, 319 N. Walnut St., and Feb. 28 at Bear's Place, 1316 E. Third St. For more information, visit www.Tintern-Abbey.com.