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Life & Arts

Mechanical Boy kicks off at Fitz's

Five-member band slated to go on tour throughout Midwest

by VALERIE CLIFTON
The Daily Cougar

Bring your dancing shoes to Fitzgerald’s, 2706 White Oak Drive, on Friday night to see Houston band Mechanical Boy before it tears through Texas and into the Midwest on a month-long tour.

Mechanical Boy comprises vocalist Tim Anderson, bassist Chris Applegate, keyboard player Jason Castle, guitarist Michael Regino and drummer Matt Wheeler. The band was previously a six-piece act before the departure of guitarist Joey Bellows.

"Chris, Mike and I were in a band called Ignite the Morning, and we weren’t satisfied with the direction of the band," Anderson said. "So we started a new project with Joey from The Emerging Culture and added Jason on keys and synthesizer.

"We tried three different drummers before we got Matt. He played for The Colour Clear, but they were in the process of ending when we asked him to try out."

Doing away with a bandmate, Anderson said, was necessary for the progress of the band.

"Joey was on a different page than the rest of us and just wasn’t into what we were doing. Surprisingly, it has had an incredibly positive effect on us mentally. Our shows are better, and the overall attitude is better," Anderson said.

This is the third tour Mechanical Boy has gone on since it formed. In December of 2004, the band went on what would have been a two-week tour.

"There were blizzards and record-setting snowfall in Utah and Nevada, so we turned around in Albuquerque," Anderson said.

The second tour was played in the Midwest last summer alongside San Antonio band Muldoon.

The band will revisit some of the same towns during this tour, Anderson said.

The band members will be travelling for a month in their Ford E-150 conversion van, referred to by Anderson as "the ultimate touring machine." However, they promise to leave some goodies for fans in the form of a three-song promo that will be given to all who enter Fitzgerald’s on Friday. 

Why should people come to the show? Anderson summarizes his reasoning in a convincing manner.

"I think the real question is ‘Why shouldn’t people see the show?' The answer is there is no reason you shouldn’t," Anderson said. "If you don’t go to the show, you’ll have this everlasting, never-ending feeling of shame and disappointment."

Also playing in Friday night’s lineup are Eldridge, Leaf, Lazlo, Parking Lot Carnival and Random Hero. Cover is $10 and doors open at 7 p.m.
 

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