2005 Best New Performer
|
24.42% Unlikely Alibi*
Others with Votes (more than one):
Taj Maholics, Tenfold Back, Twelve and Two, Un-finished Business, Chinese Express, Color by
Numbers, Lee Miles, Made to Change, Poppa Woody & the Stiffs, RuleSeven, Silverado
Best New Performer
Best New Solo Artist
* On the ballot
|
The "new performer" moniker is really a just a technical term in this case. Calling a band "new" seems to imply that the members are new to being in a band, period. That is not the case. The guys in Unlikely Alibi are anything but "new" to music or being in bands. In fact, they’ve all been in bands before, successful bands, really good bands. So it should come as no surprise that they should get recognized for their latest project. Unlikely Alibi formed last November when frontman Todd Roth connected with Tony Timms and Duane Alexander. Timms and Alexander, bass and drums, respectively, are founding members of the now defunct Strut Train. Roth, who sings and plays organ and trumpet, was in Heavy Step, formerly Skavossas, Strut Train and Heavy Step both had considerable success in the early part of the millennium, with Strut Train winning multiple Whammy awards for their live performances and CD Aww Yeah, and both Strut Train and Heavy Step touring successfully throughout the Midwest. The addition of CookiePuss founder and guitarist Jerome Schooley rounds out the core. But, as anyone who caught the last couple of rounds of the whatzup Battle of the Bands knows, Unlikely Alibi double in size now and again. Added to the mix are Freak Brothers Matt Cashdollar on alto sax and Dan Cappelli on baritone sax, Aaron King on trombone and Curtis Shaw on vocals. It’s enough to have a four-piece Unlikely Alibi. With eight guys on stage, it’s like a turbocharger kicking in. Roth said winning as Best New Performer is a bit of a surprise. "I didn’t think we’d get it," Roth said. "We were up against some good competition." Unlikely Alibi shuffled and ska’d and got the Whammy crowd off to a good start with a bouncy set highlighting their infectious style. Roth is a bundle of energy and he gets the band into grooves that make your feet begin moving of their own accord. They are fun to watch. And they will be fun to watch for years to come, with any luck. And chances are good for more Whammys in the future. They just won’t come in the "new" band category. |
Copyright 2006 Ad Media Inc.
Unlikely Alibi are on a roll. After winning
a tight contest in the Battle of the Bands II
last August, ska/rock band have walked away with
the Best New Performer Whammy.