Spotlight
Aug. 24 –
“Face to Face with the
Brothers Nace”
By Mike Kuelker
The first unusual
thing you notice about the Nace Brothers’ live act is their “look”: Dave Nace, the lead vocalist, plays behind a
stand-up drum kit forestage. What’s
more, it is a left-handed set with a right-handed high hat.
Dave Nace says he
would rather have the gawks now than the puzzled tares before he made the
change from sit-down to stand-up.
“I do a majority of
the lead vocals, and I was completely covered by drums,” he says. “People were wondering who was singing.”
The Warrensburg, MO
band – Dave Nace (drums, lead vocals), his brother Jim Nace (guitar, harmonica,
vocals), Tim Williams (bass, vocals) and Bart Colliver
(keyboards, acoustic guitar, vocals) – has more to offer than its visual
novelty, of course. They are at a
turning point in establishing a beachhead in
The band does not
want to burn any bridges, but the Landing, members discovered, is not the
easiest place for a regional band to build a following. Although no one in the band will say an
unkind word about the audiences or club owners – who they say they enjoy
working with – it is no secret that the Landing’s clientele can be transient
and fickle.
“We’ve been together
for eight years,” Dave says. “There’s a
tightness you acquire in that time that takes a certain audience to recognize.”
“We’d like to play a
club where we can bring the same people back,” Jim adds.
The Nace Brothers dip
into a wide range of styles for their repertoire, playing anything from classic
rock, new rock and soul to rockabilly, blues and various hyphenised
hybrids. Like many bands, they are
obliged to do so in order to make a living.
But a rich background contributes an authenticity to their eclectic song
list.
Dave and Jimmy Nace
are sons of Johnny Nace, a famed Midwest guitarist, whose musical influence
they readily acknowledge.
“We just grew up with
it and started at an early age,” Dave says.
“Jimmy played bass, and we were the rhythm
section for dad’s group for four years.
“When I was growing
up, I was influenced mainly by country music,: he
explained. “Then, I went through a
period where I was anti-country and I thought soul was the greatest. But then I got turned onto the blues and it
was a whole nw thing.”
The Nace Brothers may
be at their best and most distinctive, in fact, when they are at their lowdown
and bluesiest.
On “Nobody Knows You When You’re Down and Out,”
Jim Nace’s guitar restrained on the verse and chorus,
soars during the lead break – accenting textbook patterns and expressive
runs. Jim also contributes a raucous
harmonica to the group’s sound, particularly on “Mustang Sally.”
The Band’s inventive
approach rescues “Let It Rock: from its all-too-familiar progression. Dave Nace sacrifices some of the chaotic
thump and wham of Ginger Baker’s drumming on “Badge” but compensates quite
nicely with a commanding, gritty vocal style – especially on the next number,
“Strange Brew.” The aggressive vocals
turn the latter from a psychedelic standard into a blues-rock- chugger.
During their
continual barnstorming of
Between gigs, the
band has finished studio work on an EP cassette recorded in
The band anticipates
a late September release for the EP and hopes to entice the attention of a
major label. In the meantime, the band
members will do what they do best: tour themselves silly and play their songs their own way.
“For a while we were
wandering around in search of a style,” Dave says. “We like to find stuff that’s not too much mainstream. We grew
up with songs like ‘Strange Brew’ and ‘Fortunate Son.’ That’s the music that was happening – and we
still like it.
“You stifle yourself
by worrying if you sound enough like the radio.”