Rude Awakening, a Modern Rock band from Beatrice, Nebraska

Rude Awakening  noun (rood uh-wey-kuh-ning)

Members

• Daniel Buchanan- Guitar/Vocals
• James Fowler- Bass
• Scott Lloyd- Drums

Genres

• Modern Alternative
• "Fluffy Rock" Dan explains "'cuz we're all kinda fat, and it doesn't sound like anybody else--at least I like to think it doesn't."

Origin of Name

Originally Backseat Bandit, they were starting to take a new direction with their style and with Dan as the only remaining original member, they decided to look for a new name. Through search strategies such as putting names in a hat and asking fans to suggest names, they almost settled on Still Standing. Although, it was discovered that a national touring act had already snatched that name. So the band continued to play under a name that didn't fit them, until Dan's wife came up with a name that forced the three to cock their heads to the side.

They wanted an article such as "A" or "The" to precede the name, but its originator teased them until they were official known as "Rude Awakening."

Dan suggests a few meanings: "we're not very nice, how we play. It's heavier music, so some people might think that's something that would wake them up....Rude Awakening can also be that you're stuck in this matrix of thought, and to come out of that box is a rude awakening to realize that the world is crumbling around you."

Inspirations

Scott

• Danny Carey (Tool/Green Jelly)
• John Bonham (Led Zeppelin)
• Billy Cobham (From the '60's and '70's; first to to fuse Jazz with Rock and turn the drums into an instrument; inspired Danny Carey.)

James

• Flea (Red Hot Chili Peppers)
• Geddy Lee (Rush)

Daniel

• Billy Joe Armstrong (Green Day)
• Dave Grohl (Foo Fighters)
• Chris Cornell (Soundgarden/Audioslave)
• Fat Mike (NOFX)

While he's inspired by the others for their voices and guitars, Dan says that Fat Mike inspires him for his lyrics. He explains that Fat Mike is like him in the aspect of "I don't want something to be written just so that people will like it, I wanna write something that I wanna get off my chest--but that people should like too."

Writing

Since the name change, the band aimed for darker tones and a more serious approach. "You have religion, you have love that's falling apart; this is not the cheery poppy stuff," says Scott. They now try not to cuss and aim for many topics. If they have two similar songs, they will ditch one.

Besides those mentioned by Scott, Rude Awakening has covered the topics of government, the music industry, pollution, "America in general," and just everyday life.

In Backseat Bandit, Dan demanded ultimate control. Minus a few notes here and there, most songs were written by him. He clashed with many of Bandit's members. "I was taught to be full of myself...'a great guitarist is a cocky guitarist.'...I had a certain way that I wanted a song to sound" The original members even kicked Dan out as a result of his cockiness. However, they asked him back a year later.

"The complete turning point for me, though, is when I started giving control," says Dan, "there's only so much that one person can have, 'cuz that's just one person's views."  Now, instead of songs written and produced by Daniel Buchanan (Backseat Bandit still thrives as a solo project for Dan), Scott says that  "we all produce these songs...Dan comes in (with) the basic structure of the song, but he also says 'guys, tell me if you wanted something to change. " "We all play vital parts in making the song," says James, "we still have inflated egos, but now there's a suggestion box attached to it."

Two Backseat Bandit songs that Rude Awakening still plays, however, were written by a member that the band will always have an open invitation for return. Brandon Houseman, described by Scott as a "beautiful lyric writer," first the bassist, then guitarist, wrote "Means to an End," and "I Can See it in Your Eyes," both about the same person.

Three or Four Piece?

Including Brandon, their favorite choice, Rude Awakening, has auditioned several potential fourth members. Although, according to Scott, "every fourth member we've auditioned for this band has either a, backed out, or b, just stopped showing up." James further explains that "the whole reason we were even looking for a fourth member is just so that Dan could focus on two aspects of being the guitarist and the singer, and not all three: which is being the vocalist, the rhythm, and the lead." After many failed attempts at a fourth member, the band claim that they prefer the three piece.

Originals

A Rude Awakening set will include many Backseat Bandit songs that they threaten to ditch. Along with the aforementioned Brandon Houseman composed pair, other Backseat Bandit songs heard were also co-written by former members, in which Dan acquired permission from their co-writers to continue to play live. "(Revenge) Best Served Cold" derived from a poem by Bandit's first bassist/singer, John Webber. And "One Night Stand" was actually from a band that came before Backseat Bandit, DAM-MAD, which included its co-writer and Dan's band mate from another band he's in, C4, Anthony Uecker. Uecker also played lead guitar for a short time in a version of Backseat Bandit that included Houseman on rhythm guitar on Dan on strictly vocals.

On the Rude Awakening original originals, Scott assures that "this CD we're working on right now is gonna be very dark." Those songs include:

• "Decaying Love" (about a friend's love-life)
• "Clearly Out of Focus" (where Dan says "doesn't slam religion, but it does. It basically says that religion is flawed because you can't actually just believe in God."
• "The Hardest Part"
• "Modern Day Houdini" ("The disappearing act...you watch them live and you're like 'where the band go from the CD to this?"
• "Beyond Any Doubt" ("A Romeo and Juliet style romance" where it is assumed that the protagonist commits suicide to be with his lover.)

Covers

A Rude Awakening show is seasoned well with covers that showcase their style. Some you will hear are:

• Theory of a Deadman's "Hate My Life"
• "Brain Stew/Jaded" by Green Day
• "Say It Ain't So" by Weezer
• "Through Glass" by StoneSour
• "The Hand That Feeds" by Nine Inch Nails
• "Sober" by Tool
• "Santa Monica" by Everclear
• "Monkey Wrench" by Foo Fighters
• "Let It Die" by Foo Fighters
• "I Don't Care" by Apocalyptica and Adam Gontier

Rude Awakening also explained that they like twisting songs, like a dirty version of "Keep Your Hands to Yourself" by The Georgia Satellites, "On the karaoke circuit...I used to listen to everyone have their own versions of what to say; so I just kind of picked and choosed what I liked," says Dan. They will also pick and choose Pop songs and turn them into Rock songs, including "Apologize" by One Republic and "Whatcha Say" by Jason Derulo, and also the country song, "In Color" by Jamey Johnson.

Recordings

The band has recorded several demo songs and plans to record a full-length album this winter. Backseat Bandit, though, have recorded demos with Moonwagon Shed in Beatrice, Nebraska and Platinum Studios and a studio where they dubbed their results as the "Potato Sessions," both in Lincoln, Nebraska. Their last, "Potato Sessions," was, according to Dan, the same studio in which Larry the Cable Guy recorded his parts for Cars, and included the Rude Awakening lineup. Scott referred his current band mates to the studio as where his previous band, The Electricians, had recorded.

Rude Awakening have been seen at:

• Gibb's Place, Beatrice, Nebraska
• Hotter Than Hell Fest, Wymore, Nebraska
• Blue River Jam, Beatrice, Nebraska (two years)
• Private parties
• Knickerbockers (A favorite of the band, they feel as if they are in "auto-pilot" when there; they're comfortable with everything and everyone who works there. Dan also says that "you can feel the creative juices in the room...you know you're sharing a stage with people that have really been big," including his heroes, NOFX.)
• Risky's II, Beatrice, Nebraska, for the Citizens That Care Soldiers' Benefit

Rude Awakening have been seen with:

• Third World War
  
• Serotonin
  
• Indecision
• Harmonic Dissidents (A band that plays with a manikin for a drummer. Dan- "the funnest to play with." Scott- "like a performing arts show.")

Previous Lincoln Jam Band article subjects:

• C4 (who shares Dan as a singer)
• One Headlight High (Rude Awakening describes as "very tight")

Rude Awakening Online

• Facebook
  
• Myspace
  

Last Thoughts

Scott- "There's no right way to make music. There's no critical proven book that you can open up to page thirty-two --'Oh, this is how you write this part."

Catch Rude Awakening at Knickerbockers in Lincoln on October 23, with One Headlight High, The Admiral, and Perfect Strangers; for more details check out the event page on Facebook. Also, check out Dan's last show with C4, Halloween Havoc at the Holiday Inn Express in Beatrice on October 30th with Serotonin.

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