Aural Fix Article

Aural Fix Article

The Outliers at Northshore Cafe

October, 2003

The Outliers Mix It Up At The
Northshore Cafe

By Kate Donohue

The Outliers mixed it up nicely at the Northshore Cafe this past Friday evening playing a cool set of hit songs spanning the last four decades in music. They left no genre unturned as they performed country, pop, rock, folk, and blues tunes. The Outliers are Joel Rubinson on harmonica, guitar, and vocals; Mark Truss on guitar and vocals; Laurie Dutchen on guitar and vocals; Brad Sporkin on drums; and David Meer and Mark Loebl on bass alternately.

The first set featured such favorites as "Landslide," sung ably by Laurie, "Shake, Rattle, and Roll" belted out by Joel, and "I'm A Believer" monkeyed around with by Mark. In Addition, the Outliers covered "What a Wonderful World," "Driving My Life Away," and "Sittin' on Top of the World." They gave each song its special due with the nostalgic fifties melody line, the country twang of Eddie Rabbit, and the Stray Cat strut with Jack Bruce-like bass riffs and Claptonesque lead guitar work.

In set two, the Outliers continued to treat us to their special blend of guitar and vocal harmonies. Who can go wrong with "Blackbird" or "One After 909" by the Beatles?

One highlight from this set was the blues classic "'Lectric Chair" covered by artists from Bessie Smith to David Bromberg. The Outliers gave a solid rendering to this tale of woe which also invited an audience sing-a-long on the chorus:

Judge, judge, please mister judge,
Send me to the 'lectric chair.
Judge,judge, good mister judge,
Let me go away from here!

As the band pulled into "Mystery Train" with chugging rhythm guitar from Laurie, lead from Mark, harmonica from Joel, and pumpin' bass from Mark, Joel wondered aloud that it was "just 24 hours ago I was playing harmonica on Beale Street where this song was recorded." This is the authenticity the music demanded and the audience required.

As the bassist was kind enough to explain to me, "The name Outliers means outside the norm." Truly they were. Two aspects of the Outliers presentation that sets them apart from the run-of-the-mill cover bands were their triple guitar onslaught and their well wrought three-part vocal harmonies. Mark Loebl's bass playing provided the necessary thump to keep the songs rolling along.

Of their particular sound, the band has said, "people who come to see us are intrigued by the sound of the Outliers. Invariably, they ask us why the sound is unique. To be honest, we're not completely sure why, but we have a theory. Each member of the band brings a different musical style and a different set of musical skills. In some bands this could spell disaster, but for some reason with us, it works! All of the different styles and skills end up working together to create a sound that is complex, interesting, and fun!"

Indeed, Joel, playing a Dean cutaway acoustic, brought the Country element; Laurie, playing an Ibanez cutaway acoustic, brought the Folk; Mark Truss, playing an acoustic-electric Ovation, brought the Rock 'n Roll; and Mark Loebl, playing his Epic Alembic bass, brought the classic Blues element. When the band is in full line up, David, who also plays bass, brings in the Jazz element, and Brad Sporkin on drums brings his love for Big Band music and Swing.

The Outliers have many fans, but their number one fan in the house on Friday night was Diance Berg. Diane is a ball of energy credited for getting the original Outlier lineup together. Visit the site to learn more about her and other fans of the Outliers.

Although the Long Island music scene prides itself on original artists, it's nice to see that a cover band can take an original and creative approach to presenting songs we all know and love. Other cover bands that offer a different twist on well-known songs are The Threetles, comprised of Frank Walker, Tom Cavanagh and Neil Cavanagh, who play Beatles songs and Three's Company, comprised of Patti Morrone, Dave Saul and Joey LaSpina, who play well-known songs from the 1970's and 1980's.

Check out the Outliers at www.outliermusic.com and learn about their unusual ways! And while you're at it, see what the Threetles and Three's Company are uo tp by visiting Frank Walker's site at www.bentpussycatrecords.com/
artists/spoonwalk.html and Patti Marrone's site at www.pattimarrone.com.

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