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Dreamin' Big, Rockin' Hard Link to story
June 25, 2003 Lee County - Erica McDowell and Dillon Garvey started performing together when they were just four and seven years old. Erica would belt out her favorite songs, while Dillon slammed pots and pans together. "People say we're like Black Sabbath meets Blondie," said Erica McDowell. Eleven- year-old Dillon Garvey and 14-year-old Erica McDowell started jamming as soon as the meet each other seven years ago. "I would sing and he would beat on the diaper wipes box. After that, we just clicked," said McDowell. Dillon traded in the baby wipes for a guitar, and Erica grabbed a microphone. About a year ago, they hit the stage. "Our first gig was at the Cab Stand." The gigs started flowing in and so did the money. "The practice is hard, but he money's good," said Garvey. Then, the duo decided to turn into a band and added 15-year-old Randy Brown, a bass guitarist and Mark Davis on drums. "I just loving playing," said Brown. "It's not about the money, just the music." But, with a median age of about 12 finding appropriate music is tough. "We really have to watch our lyrics," said McDowell. "A lot of the music has bad language." The group plays original songs written by Erica and Dillon as well as cover music. And, don't think the road to stardom is easy. "We practice for hours, until my throat hurts," said McDowell. It takes hard work to achieve big dreams. "I want to be famous," said Garvey. "I think playing on a big stage with thousands of screaming fans would be real cool," echoed Brown. Their full schedule of concerts is a good sign that those dreams may come true. Flare is opening for the Laney Strickland Band on Saturday at Grand Island Golf Club. Gates open at 5:30PM. Tickets are $10 in advance and $12 at the door. |
Burning for
stardom Link to story
ETHAN FOWLER ALBANY — Looks of surprise, amusement and admiration cover the faces of the mostly intoxicated crowd at Charley B's Sport Bar & Grill off Dawson Road late this Saturday night.
The mostly 20something audience takes in the face-contorting antics of Flare's 12-year-old ham of a guitarist Dillon Garvey. But Dillon, who at times puts on funny big hair wigs, captivates the throng with his amazing near-perfect medley of rock anthem choruses. His 30- to 40-second riffs range from The Scorpions' "Rock You Like a Hurricane" to Van Halen's "Eruption." The Lee County Middle School sixth-grader's blistering eight-song solo goes on for nearly 10 minutes, causing two women to gather in front of him and start praising him with raised arms and bows. After grabbing the crowd's attention, Dillon leaves the floor and bandmates William Todd and drummer Jamie Watson pick up a bass guitar and an electric guitar. Friend Jonathan Akins jumps behind the drums. The trio push the crowd into a further disbelief and delirium when they pull off an incredible instrumental version of Nirvana's signature song, "Smells Like Teen Spirit." Bar patrons yell out the grunge anthem's lyrics. Flare simply won't let the crowd go back to its drinking and idle chatter. Like a magician with a bag full of tricks, Flare waits to yank out possibly its best for last when its 15-year-old blond lead singer Erica McDowell grabs the mike. The Lee County High School freshman belts out Pat Benatar's "Heartbreaker," 3 Doors Down's "Kyptonite" and Kelly Osbourne's "Shut Up." Flare is set to play Charley B's again at 10 p.m. Saturday. The bar has a $5 cover charge. "They're excellent. They're amazing. They're phenomenal," said Club Extreme manager Brian Murphy, who has booked Flare twice and has them set to play the Albany club again on March 12 and May 7. "To be that young and to stick with something and to be that tenacious. ... I've heard them about two or three times and each time they get better. Each song they do, you can tell they practice." Flare formed last September. Dillon and Erica — who had known each other since they were 4 and 7, respectively — had previously played as a successful duo. Last summer, they won Rock 103's Battle of the Bands at Albany's Hooters. They beat 11 other complete bands to earn a spot at the Albany Drag Strip for Bike Days featuring the Marshall Tucker Band. Although they didn't win, Flare made a strong impression. And soon they started playing area nightclubs in Albany, Americus and Cordele. But with spectators often suggesting they add a bassist and drummer, Flare manager Matt Garvey, Dillon's father, heard about two Worth County High School freshmen who were best friends and could play. William and Jamie's tryout went "great," said William. The group suddenly became a formidable foursome. "I think we're pretty good," said William, 15. "Me and Jamie have been playing a long time and Dillon can play good and Erica can sing really good. (The future) looks pretty bright to me. I'm hoping to go far." Playing at area bars at such a young age — which they can do thanks to a legal contract with their parents' accompaniment — should help their promising futures. But it does bring its share of challenges. The teens have been exposed to some drunk behavior and dirty dancing. It also brings up safety issues for Erica. "I think it's fun, but I always make sure someone's with me," said Erica, who competes in softball and track at Lee County High School. Matt Garvey said the decision to play bars wasn't easy. "It was a tough choice for Erica's family, but we knew we had to and it's not easy to get into clubs. It's a hard sell," said Garvey, who has gone to more than 300 concerts and owns more than 6,500 albums. "It's the only venue we have unless you play outdoors or corporate functions or benefits." Even when the band was a duo, it played five gigs in one week last summer. And with Flare's growing popularity, getting playing time has only gotten easier. The band pulls in $350-$500 a night. "It's getting so we can't go to the mall anymore 'cause people recognize us," William said. "I've had a teacher ask for us to play a party and how much we'd charge." The backbone of the group lies in Dillon's amazing guitar playing. Dillon can play anything he hears boasts his mother. He counts AC/DC's Angus Young and MTV as his biggest influences. "About every day about two or three hours a day," Dillon said of how often he practices. Erica and Dillon — who live three houses from each other and recorded their first CD when they were 10 and 13 — have written seven original songs together with "Revenge" their best. The group covers 19 songs, ranging from Alanis Morissette's "One Hand in My Pocket," Joan Osbourne's "One of Us" and Neil Young's "Hey Hey My My." "There's no suggestive lyrics," said Erica, who just changes the song or eliminates the questionable lyric if a song contains one. However, with all the positives about the group, there are a couple minor things they could improve on. At least a couple of their cover songs came across pretty uninspired while Erica needs to interact more with the crowd between numbers. "There's some songs we play better than others," said Jamie, 17, who can play 10 instruments. "We enjoy playing, but not every song we have." Despite the slight rough spots in its live act, Flare's potential will likely continue to rise. The band is trying to play the five-stage prestigious three-day Music Midtown Festival in Atlanta in May. "I think they can go really far," Club Extreme's Murphy said. "They've written their own songs and they were just as good as the cover songs and they're a couple years old. If they keep it up, I don't think there's a limit on what they can do. |
