for a white one. Lots of things about us have to do with white stuff, like ‘Ride the White Pony,’ but it doesn’t mean a thing.”
The performing band members on the CD are listed as Boy, Apollo, Chavez, Pegasus and Big-Baby — all with the last name of Von Lazer (there is no family connection purported or otherwise) and all credited with the music and production. Catalano claims to have already changed his Von Lazer name to Butterscotch, but it could be something else by now. Even though no one in the band claims which alias belongs to whom, the Dudes’ real names are public knowledge. Plus other facts about the real lives of the Dudes are available as the mystery continues to unfold.
Catalano worked as manager of Bar None, a nighttime downtown bar, since it opened in August 2008, just recently taking a full-time position as a graphic designer with a local firm, but still continues to book bands at the popular live music venue. Broomby works at his studio (recently recorded acts include Micah Walk, Deep Lunar Blue, Go! Tsunami and others), performs with two other bands and cares for his infant son. Laier owns and operates Sunsup Koffee Kafe, a restaurant and coffee shop at First and Calhoun with his wife Brianna, plus plays standup bass with the Jolly Cowboys and the Moonlight Rhythm Rangers. Benoit is a registered nurse at Memorial Medical Center and Davis works as an engineer for the Illinois EPA and is rumored to play keyboards with Go! Tsunami.
With the seemingly endless supply of enigmatic and suggestive song suggestions from drummer Benoit added to the genuinely creative and interesting music of the member musicians along with a recording studio available for infinite experimentation, the Dudes seem poised to continue on a path pointed out by the light of the Lazers.
What could possibly be a legitimate and desirable goal for a band determined to remain mysterious and raunchy, yet with a solid foundation of music and art to build a career upon; something tangible, but dreamy, plausible, but grand, reachable, but ambitious?
“Paris,” was Broomby’s one-word answer.
“Get a real picture taken in front of the Eiffel Tower,” chimed in Laier.
“Yeah, we really want to play Paris.
Don’t care where else or what else we do,” said Catalano. “Just for the fun of it. Euro-trash party. I’m sure we can get it if we work hard enough at it or keep bugging someone long enough.”
Now how would the Lazer Dudes translate into French?
The Lazer Dudes release Sexorcism June 11 at Bar None starting with opening acts What’s Fair and Prairie State Heartache around 10pm. For more information go to www.lazerdudes.com and www.myspace.com/lazerdudes or visit the Lazer Dudes on Illinois Times’ band directory.
Contact Tom Irwin at [email protected].
