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Alumni band members return to Appalachian |
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Thursday, 06 September 2007 |
 Laura Reed and Deep Pocket perform at 10 p.m. tonight at Boone Saloon.
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by LINDSAY CRAVEN
Lifestyles Reporter
Music
will bring four Appalachian State alumni back to the place they used to
call home when Laura Reed and Deep Pocket performs at Boone Saloon
tonight.
The show begins at 10 p.m. and is 21 and up.
Lead singer/guitarist/songwriter Laura Reed and drummer Barret Helms are both Appalachian alumni. Bassist Ben Didelot, and keyboardist and organist, Ryan Burns also attended Appalachian State.
The band formed in summer 2006.
“Me and…Ryan Burns were in another band, Heavy Bet, and Laura was in a
band called Bootleg, and we saw her play a few times and Burns played
with her a few times but that’s how we met her,” Helms said. “Then both
the bands kinda broke up and she decided to put together her own
project and me and Burns and our bassist Ben Didelot joined in and
that’s how it started.”
Laura Reed and Deep Pocket believe they have a new sound to offer Boone that attendees might not be able to find elsewhere.
“[Our sound is] best described as R&B, funk and soul music I’d say.
Laura’s influences are Aretha Franklin…old school soul and for R&B
it’s more like Erykah Badu or Lauryn Hill and Amy Winehouse.
It’s got some slow ballads and then we have high tempo funk blasting to really get the party going,” Helms said.
Helms thinks that the band’s sound will mesh nicely with the
surrounding college scene while also pleasing community members not
affiliated with the university.
“It’s good because everybody likes it. Not just college-age people but
everyone in the whole town,” Helms said. “Some of our big fans are
middle-age couples. They like it, as well as people our own age -
people in college that can go out and have a good time and dance. It’s
a good up and down mix that everybody seems to enjoy. We haven’t ever
had a complaint.”
The band last performed in Boone a year ago at Café Portofino and Murphy’s Restaurant and Pub.
Helms says they are most looking forward to seeing some familiar faces at tonight’s performance.
“To see old friends and play Boone Saloon will be what we look forward
to most. I’ve never played at Boone Saloon, which is probably the best
place to see music there besides when a big band rolls into [Holmes
Convocation Center] or Legends,” Helms said.
Laura Reed and Deep Pocket found the payoff of performing live comes when the lights go down and the show begins.
“The actual part after everything’s set up and performing and working
with the crowd; it’s like we can be great, we can do whatever we want
to but if there’s no crowd, or if the crowd’s not into it then it’s not
good at all. But when you’re up there and you do your thing and
everybody is listening and they love it, that’s the best part,” Helms
said.
For more information about Laura Reed and Deep Pocket and to pre-order
a copy of the band’s debut CD “soul: music,” visit its Web site at
www.laurareedanddeeppocket.com.
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