The Tarzan Bros. play hits from all eras, whether it
be '50s, '60s or '70s, but it's always original.
The Tarzan Bros. play hits from all eras, whether it
be '50s, '60s or '70s, but it's always original.
For those who grew up listening to live bands, you know that's a sound that no pre-recorded, piped in music can replace. From the crunch of a screaming Les Paul guitar to the sharp snap of a snare drum, live bands can make your heart pound and feet move all night long.
One such band, The Tarzan Bros., have been making people dance for years. Syracuse-based musicians Bill Harsma (guitar and vocals), Mark Gibson (guitar and vocals), Ralph Coleman (bass and vocals) and Wayne Stevens (drums and vocals) have been buddies for years, hanging out on their off hours at Gibson's BeBop Shop in Syracuse and performing in various area bands.
Three years ago, these musicians finally got the chance to create a band of their own and decided on the name "Tarzan Bros."
"The name represented the circus-like atmosphere we wanted to create," Harsma said.
"We wanted to perform '50s and '60s music, but not in the conventional oldies hits format," Harsma said. "We put together a tape of stuff we love, soul, rockabilly and blues, but we didn't want to be a lounge band, we wanted to rock, and this is not music for a museum. We strike a balance between songs people like and songs we love too, and we play music that people love to dance to. It's great to hear people tell us, 'Wow, we haven't heard that song in ages!'"
These kings of the urban jungle perform rock, blues, rockabilly and country the right way.
The Tarzan Bros. are a very simple band, just two guitars, bass, drums and vocals, no studio tricks, just rock and roll, stripped down and revved up. The band performs such rock and roll nuggets as "Rocket In My Pocket," "Green River," "Little Latin Lupe Lu" and "Secret Agent Man," among other '50s and '60s hits. Much of their repertoire is solid rock and roll that reminds us of when AM radio dominated the airwaves.
"We play enough of the hits, but it's also nice to turn people on to music that still deserves to be heard. We play with lots of energy and people respond to that," Harsma said.
"We have fun, it's that simple," Harsma said. "We are not a band that can be pigeonholed, we change our sets and add songs all the time, so it's always a surprise for our audience when we play anywhere. We really enjoy what we do and it comes across."
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