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'Packard House Weasel' Strives To Be Different

'Packard House Weasel' Strives To Be Different image 'Packard House Weasel' Strives To Be Different image
Parent Issue
Day
16
Month
August
Year
1970
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Copyright Protected
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Donated by the Ann Arbor News. © The Ann Arbor News.
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Sometimes they bound onto the stage to the strains of Handel's "Allelulia Chorus" from "The Messiah," tossing model airplanes to the crowd. Or, dressedin vintage baggy suits and zany hats, they might peel off those outfits to reveal Superman costumes beneath. Creativity and spontaniety liberally spriukled with fun - and good jazz rock music. Those are the keywords to describe "The Packard House Weasel," a jazz rock band composed of five Ann Arbor youths who recently walked off with first place honors in the state finals of the Jaycees' Battle of the Band Contest in Muskegon. Four of those five band members - sponsored by the Saline Jaycees - will compete this weekend in the regional contest in Toledo. (The fifth member was playing with another band at the time the first local Jaycee band battle was won, so can't compete in further contests). Bands from Michigan, Ohio, Indiana, Illinois and West Virgina will play in the Toledo contest. That winner will then go on to the national competition in New York City Aug. 29. The Weasel members are Dave Rossiter, 18, a Hurón High School gradúate; John Barry, 17, a senior at St. Thomas High School; Steve Adams, 18, a Hurón gradúate; Bill Gracie, 17, a senior at Hurón, and Alan Rutledge, 18, also a Hurón gradúate. Rutledge is the fifth member, ineligible to compete in the , Jaycees' contests. i Rossiter plays guitar, Barry bass and piano, Gracie percussion and drums, Rutledge bass, and versatile Steve Adams plays the flute, saxophone, organ, piano andclarinet. And all five sing. In the Musekgon contest July 25, Adams received a trophy for being the most versatile and outstanding individual musician at the contest. Eleven bands competed in those finals. The Weasel m e m b e r s explained that they try to be "different." Barry commented: "There's no point in getting into rock music if you're going to do the same thing as the Beatles and the Stones. There are just too many similar roups around today." The group picks up wild outfits, canes, hats and other accessories whever they can find them - like in family attics. And they go from there, trying to be spontaneous, and more importantly, striving to entertain the ence. "The audience is the most f important thing," Rossiter declaxed. "We play for them and want them to enjoy it. They're paying..s,to be ij tained." Adams added that he feels the group has a "responsibility to do more than just créate music. All our actions I and words should reflect our l total personality." The Weasel has a lot of fun i on stage ("a lot of groups are ' just too serious," Gracie commented. "We take our j music seriously, but we have j fun, too."), but they also take i pains with their music. They cali it jazz rock, but added that it's "basically our own. We don't know of anyone else who plays like we do." Many of their arrangements I are difficult, many are original. They say they have been ( ' ' ■ ,.. . . i r m m m i - - - ■-■■■■■■' ....n.-ii-i ■ ■ . . . . - influenced by many groups I and musicians, including JJethro Tull. Some of their songs, for instance, feature I the flute. The boys used to practice I at a house on Packard St. I (henee the group's name), I and say the Weasel portion of I the m o n i k e r means t h e y. I "have fun in life by doing common things unusually and unusual things commonly." The group "definitely" plans to stay together in the near future, doing basically'j the same type or sound. But they want go improve. "We want to progress," Barry said. "Anything goes in the future as long as we pro-l gress." I Poge 1

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