The 1980s will forever be remembered as a decade responsible for technological innovation with the advent of the Internet and world political progress with the collapse of Soviet communism that ended the Cold War.
But what about the music – the soundtrack of adolescence playing in the background as these events unfolded?
Although the music of the 1980s remains an integral part of the decade, its corresponding image has forced devoted listeners into seclusion, ashamed to admit their undying love for and uncontrollable impulse to crave the sounds of Quiet Riot, Twisted Sister and the New Kids on the Block.
Local band Fenster, however, is ready to shed the negative image associated with the 1980s and are excited to revisit the music of their youth. Fenster, along with a number of other local bands, will present the ” ’80s Rock Show” tomorrow night at the Brickyard.
“Image definitely does hurt creativity, and it has a lot to do with the image that many of these bands were portraying,” said Roman Kravec, guitarist for the Columbus-based band Fenster. “I used to be an ’80s guitarist and I don’t like to brag about that too much because I had the appropriate hairdo of the time and my guitar was practically all pink. It was pretty funny.”
Others involved with the band agree.
“To put it modestly, some of the ’80s bands really did look a bit odd,” said Ryan Heitkamp, vice president of Fenster’s marketing team and a senior in communication. “But they’re still getting their stuff played and that’s what’s important. The music is definitely worth listening to.”
Kravec said the idea for the festival came about by chance during one of the many journeys the band has endured since it was formed in 1996.
“We were coming back from a show a while back, and a radio station just happened to be playing ’80s rock songs the entire weekend,” he said. “We listened to the songs and thought many of them would be fun and cool to play ourselves. One idea led to another and we decided to do it.”
Although the group cites many of the bands of the 1980s as influences, it doesn’t limit itself to the confines of one genre. Heitkamp said Fenster draws its inspiration from a variety of bands ranging from the Beatles to Incubus, including elements of ska.
Kravec agrees but said some of the guitarists whom he admired to most, such as Poison’s rowdy C.C. Deville and Motley Crue’s gruesome Mick Mars, were pioneers of the more famous “hair bands” of the decade. The group has also been known to cover songs from such artists as Stevie Wonder, Average White Band and Lionel Richie.
“As far as Fenster is concerned, we’re a horn-driven rock band, and that’s the way we like to classify our music,” he said. “But the average age of the band members is about 26. A lot of us started playing our appropriate musical instruments during the ’80s. We were young, our minds were fresh and that was the music on the radio at the time.”
Kravec added that the band has been fortunate to have been able to incorporate a multitude of genres into their sound as well. “We have the ability to play jazz, funk, rock and Latin,” he said. “We don’t limit ourselves because we have the ability to play that broad range of music.”
As the concept of the ” ’80s Rock Show” progressed, Fenster decided to invite other local bands – based on a criteria of “originality, ability to play, stage show and overall coolness” – to take part in the event.
In order to showcase original material, the project evolved into a show during which each of the participating groups could mix their own music with an array of covers, all taking place in a venue housing a large amount of people who don’t normally have the chance to see original acts perform and hear original music being played.
“We never really had a lot of influence in the cover music area, and Columbus has a huge population of people that like to hear covers,” Kravec said. “So, what better way is there than to have original bands come out and play cover music?”
Kravec said one of the main goals of the ” ’80s Rock Show” is to expose people primarily interested in cover music to the local original music scene. A compilation CD has been pressed to promote the festival and will be available during the show to showcase the original music of the participating bands.
“Everybody loves the ’80s music,” Heitkamp said. “It’s something we all grew up with. We want to play our own stuff as well and when people come out to hear this old music, they may or may not have heard of the band before. They get a sense of how good these groups are on their own.”
As far as Fenster is concerned, the band, which derived its name from Benicio Del Toro’s character in the film “The Usual Suspects,” has continued to develop a positive reputation throughout the Midwest for its powerful and innovative style in addition to its exciting stage show. As a result of its 1999 self-titled debut receiving considerable airplay on mainstream radio, the group released the EP “Causing Problems” in 2000 as a culmination of new songs, live tunes and creative covers.
The band’s current lineup consists of Kravec, Paul Robinson on vocals, Jared Keron on drums and percussion, Ed D’Angelo on bass and a trumpet section featuring Brian Yarbrough and Tony Moore. In addition to the ” ’80s Rock Show,” the band will be performing at Oldfield’s on High on June 1 and at 4 Kegs on June 5.
Joining Fenster at the Brickyard tomorrow will be the Big Creek, Manda and the Marbles, Three Minute Mile and Planet 12. Doors are set to open at 9 p.m. to everyone aged 21 or older.
