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The sweet slumber of a Caribbean vacation settles over a crowd when the fun-loving members of Syracuse-based band The Tarzan Bros. play "Groovin."
Whether it's a Sunday afternoon or a Saturday night, the group knows how to please an audience. With a lot of shakin' from John Mellancamp to Sam Cooke, audiences are sure to have a wild time.
Although they don't usually show up in animal print loincloths, The Tarzan Bros., who formed in 2003, still bring a lot of personality to a show. Guitarist/vocalist Mark "Beff Ravidi" Gibson is a nimble player who is accused by his bandmates of liking "soap, kittens and flossing," but that's not where the band's crazy flavor ends.
Bass player Ralph Coleman's nickname is "Howlin' Ralph", and percussion expert/vocalist Wayne Stevens is known as "Dr. Umsticks".
Spokesman, vocalist and guitarist for the band, Bill Harsma, isn't the normal one either; he's known as "Funny Hat", for reasons undisclosed.
Audience members can be sure that the band that has fun together, makes sure its audience stays together. The set list includes covers like "I Fought the Law" by The Bobby Fuller Four, mixing it up with Tarzan Bros. originals like the unusually intense "Eeyore's Shuffle" that never fails to rile up a crowd.
The Tarzan Bros. always put their own spin on covers. On The Beatles' "You Can't Do That", masterful lead vocals actually do justice to the original, twisting it into a funkier version of itself.
"Bill and I, our two voices sound real good together. Once we convinced the other two guys to sing, we can (now) do four-part harmonies," Gibson said.
The band is branching out into what Gibson calls "high and lonesome bluegrass harmonies" that include a cover of "The Shape I'm In" by The Band. Gibson has sung since he was child, something he was encouraged to do by his mother, a choir director.
"It's always been there. Billy (Harsma) would tell you the same thing, he's always been there. There's a great quote from Ella Fitzgerald, ‘the only thing better than singin' is more singin'’," Gibson said.
THE CITIZENS' SAY:
mark gibson (tarzan bros.) wrote on November 04, 2006 4:36 PM:
"Thank you, Erica, for the review and the kind words. Please come out to see the band if you get the
chance. And come up and introduce yourself. I'll buy you a beer if that's not unethical!"
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