From the basement to the Bluebird: Kirkwood

Four guys are getting a taste of a dream shared by many: to be rock stars. Seniors Brad Schaupeter and Frank Winegar and sophomores Keven and Steven Leonard make up the band Kirkwood.\nWhile they haven't spent much time talking about stardom as a group, they've all thought about trying to make it in the music business. But they share the sentiment that it's important to keep their options open. \n"It's definitely one of those things. It's a tough industry," Schaupeter says. "I mean, if I had my way, yeah, I'd be a rock star. I just think there's more than just 'I want to.' You have to have the right things happen: be in the right place, the right time."\nKeven Leonard sums up the group's feelings. "I'm loving this now, and if the opportunity arises, if we get that chance, then I'm definitely going to take it."\nLife of a band\nAlmost every night, Kirkwood meets in the basement of the Sigma Pi house to hang out and make music. The rehearsal is laid back and informal. Instruments, amps and mics clutter the small room. A self-made sign with the name Kirkwood overlooks the room. Steven Leonard tunes his guitar while Winegar assembles his drum set. Meanwhile, Schaupeter uses his computer to listen to possible cover songs. They discuss their day's events and talk about future and past gigs. Sophie, Winegar's dog, even pays a visit. The guys stop to acknowledge her and joke about her dislike of Steven Leonard.\nWhen Winegar and Keven Leonard step out of the room for a moment, Shaupeter and Steven Leonard decide to jam acoustic for a few numbers. When they return, the group begins by rehearsing a cover of the Barenaked Ladies hit, "Pinch Me." The guys go on to work covers of "Lie In Our Graves" by Dave Matthew's Band, "Sweet Emotion" by Aerosmith and "Semi-Charmed Life" by Third Eye Blind among others. Schaupeter takes time out to do a mock impression of Nirvana's "Smells Like Teen Spirit" and jokes that the band should do it for fun at one of its gigs.\nKirkwood plays popular covers from the likes of Blink 182, Eve 6 and Dave Matthew's Band. But the guys also like to keep their audiences interested by playing covers of popular hip-hop songs. \n"That stuff is so much fun because nobody expects it, and most people know the words to it," Steven Leonard says. Aside from covers, Kirkwood has also been known to throw a few original songs into its sets. The members planned on releasing a two-track recording last month of their original material.\n"So many bands cover, but when you get people liking your own original stuff, it's really cool," Keven Leonard says.\nKirkwood finds inspiration from great musicians of the past, but also from some contemporary artists. Steven Leonard says the Beatles song "Please Please Me" first got him interested in vocal harmonizing while his brother looks to Paul McCartney as a great bass player. \n"I love the Beatles, but I have to go with Ben Folds Five," Schaupeter says. "He's a humongous influence on the piano." \nKirkwood is a relatively new band in the Bloomington area, and one that has had an interesting beginning. Schaupeter, vocals and keyboards, and Winegar, the band's drummer, played together under the name Kirkwood for about two and a half years before two members left. Desperate for new musicians, they searched for replacements. They found twin brothers Keven and Steven Leonard, who play bass and guitar respectively and had been playing together since seventh grade. Kirkwood reformed in December and plays gigs around the Midwest. \nThe band spends about 36 hours a week practicing and rehearsing. But these guys are not just musicians, they also have the numerous other responsibilities that go along with being college students. They not only have to worry about the next big show, but also about the next big accounting exam. \n"I'd rather practice than study, even though I should be studying," Keven Leonard says.\nThey must also find time for their fraternity obligations. Schaupeter and Winegar are members of Sigma Pi, while Keven and Steven Leonard are Sigma Chi members. Steven says a day in his life entails getting up at 10 a.m., going in and out of classes until 5 p.m., having dinner, watching TV or studying until 9 p.m., practicing with the band, and then going to bed around 3 a.m.\n"Typical rock star life," Leonard jokes, "going to bed late and waking up late."\nThe guys say they have no time left for jobs outside of the band, and they must work summers and rely on the money brought in from their gigs.\nLiving off the income of a band isn't easy, though. After paying the booking agency and the sound man, the guys say they average a net profit of about $700 a gig for a show at a fraternity house. But the guys don't complain about the money. They say the chance to perform is reward enough for the work they put in. \n"I guess sometimes you can find ways to complain about how much money you're making," Schaupeter says. "But seriously, getting paid to play music? For a college band, it's hard to complain."\nAll four guys agree that performing is their favorite aspect of being in a band. \n"I like to go out and party and have a good time, but I think it's more fun to be the ones entertaining," Keven Leonard says.\nThey also feel a sense of brotherhood from spending so much time together. \n"I love driving to the shows. I love the two-hour drives," Schaupeter says. "Sitting there talking. You get to know people really fast that way."\nThe guys don't have to look far for support in Bloomington, especially since the greek system is finding its way into the local bars. \n"I think the bar scene has kind of changed. It's become more greek-oriented," Schaupeter said. "It's probably good for us because we have a lot of guys from the house come out."\nThe gig\nAll of the hard work pays off the night of the show. The back room of the Bluebird is dark, lit only by neon signs and stage lights that cast beams of colored light through the smoke-filled bar. The few enthusiastic dancers have cleared the floor from the previous band, and the stage crew for Kirkwood takes time to set the stage. A few minutes before the guys come on, a group of their fraternity brothers congregate in front of the stage to cheer on the band.\n"This band is very up and coming," one of the brothers says. "Not a lot of people know about them, but I think that if they would have known ... a lot more people would be here right now."\nThe guys say they don't get nervous about performing anymore. \n"I used to get so nervous before shows," Keven Leonard says, "Now it's just like I've done it so much that I just get anxious. I just want to be up there so bad." \nSchaupeter says the key is being prepared for the gigs. "Basically you work hard for the weeks in advance, and then the night before and the night of you don't really want to have to think about it at all," Schaupeter says. "You want to be so perfect and ready to go that you just jump up there and do your thing."\nWhen the guys finally take the stage, the crowd on the dance floor grows considerably, and Kirkwood opens with a cover of "Hangin' Around" by the Counting Crows. Other songs in the set include Green Day's "When I Come Around," R.E.M.'s "It's The End Of The World As We Know It" and the Kirkwood original "Younger."\n"A lot of people get their highs from weekends just going out and partying," Keven Leonard says. "I like to do that too, but I can't describe the feeling of being on stage. Performing is definitely the highlight part."\nTo find out more about Kirkwood, including show dates, check out http://listen.to/kirkwood.