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The Wichitan May 6, 2009
Entertainment
Bart Crow takes grassroots approach to music Brittany Norman Editor in Chief
It all started when a homesick peacetime soldier picked up a guitar on his downtime and started writing songs. Bart Crow, front man of the Bart Crow Band, said he “never really took it serious” back then. Now he travels around the south with a band, playing different venues every night. He’s made his lonesome pastime into a way of life. Wichita Falls fans will have a chance to see the Bart Crow band at Outskirts on Thursday. While they might not know them by name, anyone with a clue at all about Texas music has heard a Bart Crow Band song or two over the radio waves. The single “Wear My Ring” spent so long on the Texas music charts last year that it was dubbed “the song that just won’t go away.” With the two-step beat dance halls love to play and the modern Outlaw sound that fans love to listen to, it’s no surprise that the band’s songs travel across Texas airwaves on a daily basis. At night, audiences get a taste of the Bart Crow brand of entertainment on stage, a part of the musical lifestyle that Crow doesn’t skimp on.
Photo Courtesy The Bart Crow Band will be playing Thursday at 10 p.m. at Outskirts in Wichita Falls.
“It can be a little demanding at times, and it’s tough to be away from my wife for long periods of time,” Crow said. “We take one weekend off a year. We did 180 shows last year. I’ve been on the road for seven years now, so it’s kind of become just a way of life.” Part of Crow’s life is also invested in giving back to the people who’ve gotten him where he is today. “My entire career, my life is just built on a fan base,” Crow said. “[Charity] is my thank you back to the fans and people
who’ve allowed me to do this and allowed the band to grow.” Charitable acts, such as playing a children’s benefit called “Music for Mika” in Maypearl, Texas every year, also give Crow a personal reward. “I get a personal high off doing good things for people,” Crow said. One recent good deed was inspired by Crow’s own time spent in the U.S. Army. “We sent a couple of guitars over to the troops in Afghanistan,” Crow said. He thinks his time in the mili-
tary has helped shape his career as well. “I know what it’s like to be homesick and lonely, so I think it gives me an insight of that,” Crow said. “The military makes you very disciplined and I know that’s helped with organizing and being a band leader. It’s also made me appreciate the job the military does.” Crow’s inspiration comes from a lot of places. “It varies,” he said. “Real life experiences, experiences that others have been through. Other music inspires me, too.”
Pausch, a computer science professor for Carnegie Mellon, delivered an actual last lecture titled “Really Achieving Your Childhood Dreams.” The speech has become an internet sensation reaching nearly 10 million hits on YouTube. Pausch with the help of Jeffrey Zaslow wrote a book over the speech titled The Last Lecture. In it, Pausch explored what made his life extraordinary and why he is a lucky person.
He divided his book into 53 mini lectures that he hopes will serve as a lifetime of wisdom he had hoped to impart to his three small children. And although he died a mere three months after publication, he left behind a unique and touching legacy. Picking up Pausch’s book for the first time, I expected it to be incredibly sad. It had all of the makings of a tear jerker, a young person struck down at the height of his life leaving a
beautiful wife to raise small children alone. And then there’s the terrifying idea that a person has to cram all of his or her life into a few -month span. Although, Pausch is quick to point out that he had a wonderful life. In fact, the entire book is about how he managed to succeed at living out his childhood dreams and how important it is for a person to take those dreams seriously.
The artist lineup on Crow’s iPod is diverse, a reflection of his many musical influences. “Lately I’ve been listening to a lot of Ray Charles and Creedence Clearwater Revival,” he said, adding that he “loves Creedence.” He said that listening to music outside the genre he plays in helps him keep his own sound fresh. “It helps, that way you don’t get too much tunnel vision, or get too pigeonholed in a certan style,” he said. Crow said if he could have written one song by anyone in the music business, it would be “Middle Aged Crazy” by Jerry Lee Lewis or “Backside of 30” by John Conlee. “Listen to them and you’ll know why,” he said. “They’re just amazing tunes.” After Crow got out of the army, he said he started taking music more seriously when he was in college. “I just started writing more and playing more, and so finally I booked a gig,” he said. “I was hooked. That was about seven years ago.” He played his first gig at the Agave in Stephenville. “Seven years later, we’re still scratching and clawing,” he said.
In the offbeat Texas music scene, a good fan base is the difference between success and obscurity. “I love my fans,” he said. “From the rowdy ones to the compassionate ones to the hardcore ones, it’s neat to think that we really have fans. I never thought I’d have fans, and now we actually have a handful and that’s pretty cool.” He keeps in touch with the people listening to his music through the band’s Myspace and Facebook pages. As for the future, Crow says he and the band are in it for the long haul. “I just hope to stay in it,” he said. “To keep building the fan base and keep selling tickets and making records. That’s all I want, to make fans and be pleasing to our fans.” As for goals, Crow said he’d really like to sell out Billy Bob’s. For now, though, he’s looking forward to playing at Outskirts. “I really enjoy playing Wichita Falls,” he said. “It’s still a work in progress for us. I feel like we’re still gaining fans and gaining the support of the radio station, and we’re gonna keep playing and keep plugging and hope that everyone will enjoy what we do and keep supporting us.”
It is also important to note that Pausch isn’t your average person. Faced with a few months to live, the average person wouldn’t spend countless hours preparing for a speech. One might even think he was being a little selfish concentrating on one last hurrah while he had precious little time left with his wife and children. However, there is a general likeability about Pausch that comes through in his honest,
concise thoughts. Basically, he is reminding readers to live life to the fullest, perhaps not the most novel message but definitely a creative delivery. Whether or not readers agree with the speech, the method or the time spent on his last lecture, it is impossible not to admire Pausch’s optimisms and strength.
Professor dies of cancer, leaves legacy with Last Lecture Heather Preston For the Wichitan
At 47 years old, Dr. Randy Pausch had a loving wife, three adoring kids, a great career, and the respect of his colleagues. He was also dying of cancer. A last lecture is a series conducted on college campuses nationwide where professors ponder their mortality and what legacy they would like to leave behind.
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