FM Logic Rocks Southern Indiana

With this post, we welcome Karen Leist Bassett to the BareFootMusicNews family. Karen is an award-winning photographer hanging out in the center of the US, and since she is drawn to music and musicians, we’re hoping this is just the first of many musical adventures she shares with us. Along with her camera, her most prized possession is her late father’s circa 1967 Framus Atlantic with sunburst finish. And yes, she plays it and we’re not going to give up until we get to post of video of that, so watch this space! Her images will be found in our BareFoot FotoBlog.

 

By Karen Leist Bassett

In the hierarchy of musicians, bar bands tend to get little respect and even less fortune or glory. But these musical workhorses sometimes turn out to be diamonds in the rough-and-tumble bar scene, and FM Logic fits well in this category. For full disclosure, I was acquainted with the bass player, having crossed paths with him online in a variety of settings over the years, sharing photos and having a circle of friends that overlaps. That acquaintance was enough to raise my curiosity when I saw the announcement that his band was playing a local bar, but it wasn’t enough to give me any particular expectation of the quality of that performance. They were, after all, playing in something of a dive.

Dive in with a click and see what what happened…

Armed with my camera, and knowing only that FM Logic played classic rock covers, I stepped out on a recent Friday night, arriving just past their 9 o’clock start time. They were already playing as I entered the smokey bar, and there was a sizable crowd in attendance. Some folks got up to dance to various songs, but even among those who didn’t, people seemed to be universally enjoying the music. FM Logic had a loud garage band sound that I found hard not to tap my feet and sing along to. Being a classic rock cover band, the usuals were well represented, including (among many others): Eagles, Tommy Tutone, Rolling Stones, Billy Joel, Eric Clapton, Roy Orbison, Tom Petty, Van Morrison, The Beatles, and John Mellencamp (a hometown favorite considered a must-have for Hoosier venues). Primary vocalist Jason Frank changed the timbre of his voice subtly to match various songs without devolving into an outright impression of the original artists. The songs were fairly faithful to the originals with some occasional slight changes here and there for creative license and mood. All in all, FM Logic turned in a solid performance and ended up playing an extra set due to crowd demand.

I caught up with bassist Mark Curtis afterward to get the scoop on the guys. Curtis told me that FM Logic has been together for nearly five years, starting out as a 5-piece band. Attrition over time left them with three members until last year when their current drummer and primary vocalist joined their ranks. Their current lineup includes Mark Curtis on bass guitar; Rick Eaves on drums and vocals; Jason Frank on rhythm guitar and primary vocals; and John Kellams on lead guitar and vocals. Curtis cites Kellams as “the backbone of the band from the very beginning,” but he lists an impressive musical resume for each of the members: Eaves has been playing music in Louisville, KY area bands for 28 years; Frank has been playing music for 14 years, both in bands and on his own; Kellams has played solo for 20 years with FM Logic as his first group endeavor; and Curtis himself has played with various bands for over 30 years. With each member bringing so much individual musical experience to the table, it’s not surprising to see what they’ve achieved together with their sound. Curtis noted, “We really aren’t out to make a million dollars or anything like that, just to have fun and keep playing that music and enjoy each others company. We are all more like family than band mates.”

FM Logic plays a lot of bars, but also local festivals and dances at the VFW and KofC. When asked what their favorite gigs to play are, Curtis responded, “Our favorite type of gigs are mostly smaller venues because they are friendlier and not so uptight plus they can be very exciting at times to the point that you have to duck for cover.” And truly, they seemed very much in their element at the Korner Pub where I saw them. I asked Curtis where he saw the band in five years. “This is an easy one,” he replied. “In 5 years I’d like us to all still be together doing exactly what we are doing right now, playing our favorite old songs and having fun.” Given what I saw that smokey Friday night, I’d say they have a good shot at doing just that.

Catch FM Logic next at The Korner Pub in Georgetown, IN on March 26, 2010 at 9pm.

FM Logic’s current lineup includes Mark Curtis on bass guitar; Rick Eaves on drums and vocals; Jason Frank on rhythm guitar and primary vocals; and John Kellams on lead guitar and vocals.