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About Ball & Chain:
Ball n Chain is a cover band doing a little bit of everything. We play the hits of the 80's, 90's and today. We also do a little metal, a little southern rock, a little blues. You name it we probably touch on it!
Julio Vasquez provides the powerful, demanding vocals that made the hits of the 80s stand out as classics and plays rhythm guitar. Julio's wife Shelley lays down the thumpin' basslines and joins in with backing vocals. Art Lujan takes the lead on guitar playing the scorching solos that were the trademark of 80s arena rock. Scotty Ward is providing the power behind the drums that drive the songs with hard hitting rhythms and beats!
Ball & Chain continues to prove that nothing beats a great cover band. We rock the stage with a sincerity and energy that is contagious and infectious!! Don't miss a show..if ya don't go...you'll never know!!
ABOUT JULIO AND SHELLEY:
Since we agreed a long time ago not to have separate sites, this is actually it for us here on MySpace.Once upon a time a long long time ago....in the west Texas town of Abilene, there was a young man and a young woman who both played in bands. Julio played in several metal "hair" bands doing mostly Firehouse, Warrant, Steelheart and the like. He started playing when he was 13 and has been a singer most of his life. Meanwhile Shelley was in a little blues and progressive southern rock band called Ball & Chain . She learned how to play when she was 22 and is mostly self taught and sort of an idiot sevant on bass. So there they were same town...same love of music....unaware of each other.
At a show in the town of Odessa.....five years before Julio and Shelley would ever even go on a date.....Julio went to see a band called Ball & Chain at a lovely bar called the Lone Star Oyster Bar. He told a friend that night that he was gonna marry that girl.
Five years pass and lots of stupid things happen.....then Shelley and Julio see each other out one night. She gets his number and says she will call. She does...it happens to be his birthday. They have their first date. I don't know if it was love at first sight...but something was definitely meant to be.
We have basically been together since. That was March of 1993....we moved to Arlington to get the hell outta Abilene. We didn't have much, but we had each other. We got married in October of 1993, we had our children, two of the most spectacular boys who are sweet, smart and loving. Shortly before Julio's 40th birthday he said he either wanted a band or a motorcycle. I thought the band would leave less road rash...so we opted for the band. Julio asked me to dust off my bass playing talent and see if we could make a go of it.Ball & Chain was re- born in the spring of 2006. This is our third year of playing locally. The original lineup was the two of us...Ray Hinehosa and John Doolin. (You should look them up... they are very talented guys!) We have had some changes in faces and like every band, some drama....but the Chain Gang has always managed to roll on and probably will.
ABOUT ART
Originally from El Paso, Tx. Home of the "any coin night" drink specials..... good times man! Big time party city!!!I started playing guitar around 7 or 8 yrs old. My dad was various conjunto bands, the 7 kings is the one i really remember! They used to play a 1-3-5 blues progression and call it Rocky Roll!lol! That got me started. Really got serious in high school i had guitar class all afternoon! My 1st band was called Havoc played a whole bunch of parts of songs! ha! Then i played with Banshee, we played all the queensryche, saxon, dio, and that underground metal band Metallica!!!!! it ran it's course and i ended up in a band called Witch! pretty bad ass. Then i discovered you could get paid and i played with "exit Zero!" great times too! Mitch if your in Dallas call me man!!! off the hook keyboardist!!!! I got married and quit playing thought it was the right thing to do and played pro golf for a while and figured out it was either golf or feed my family, so i came back to try my hand at what i really love to do and thats rock music! i played for a while with a band from Dallas called "black sheep" with some of the better originals that i've heard, heavy on the original, didn't sound like anything else! Benny's a great song writer man! Really didn't like the showcase here's $30 bucks for your trouble gigs so i hooked up with one of the better cover bands in the metroplex "Ball and Chain"! we've come along way and am proud to say we're on all night now!!! I coined the phrase," A TRIBUTE TO THE TRIBUTES" as tribute bands are big in Dallas, we tribute all those bands, its a sense of freedom musically! Dallas if full of great musicains and i enjoy listening to all of them!
ABOUT SCOTTY
In the early ninties, I moved to Ft. Worth and hooked up with the band Dedlok. Through those few years, we played just about every club the Dallas/Ft. Worth area had to offer. With the legendary Joe's Garage being our "home base," we enjoyed some succes in the local music scene when it meant something. But as they say, "All good things..." In 1993, being tired of working menial jobs, playing 2-3 times a week, and surviving on day old bologna sandwiches, I decided to quit music and get my career going. In those years, I did get the career on track, got married, had two kids, and eventually ended back in Ft. Worth. Knowing my passion for music, my wife suggested that I get off my ass and get back into the scene. I purchased another drum kit, outfitted it, and jumped feet first back in. The first band I auditioned for was Kohma, which was a huge departure from my previous band. Of course times had changed and I adapted to the hardcore music style landing the job. That got me playing the bigger clubs in Dallas. Due to differences with just about everything that went on in the band, I quit and started looking again. I was aware of a band that had a big reputation and was also looking for a drummer. After the second audition, Jack Quick asked me to join. This was the band I had been looking for. With JQ, I got to play all of the bigger clubs in the metroplex. With a more "southern" type hardcore sound, it suited me perfectly. But, things happen, and AGAIN....I was bandless. That's when I met Rusty who was wanting to start a band from scratch, so we formed XII GAGE PAYNE. Unfortunately by then, both Rusty (formally of Kromium) and I were burned out and needed an extended break. The extended break was not meant to be. Shortly after I left Jack Quick, they broke up. The bass player called me and asked if I could go to an audition with him for a band that needed a drummer and bass player, so I went. The band called me back, and with the stars lining up, I asked Rusty and to audition. Of course he nailed the part, and Hate Fool was formed. Whether you loved or hated us, you always remembered us. They are still some of the coolest, and most talented musicians I had the pleasure of playing with. Hate Fool had a good run, played a lot of shows, but eventually ran it's course. To be honest, I just got tired of the original music scene. Fast forward to now......I am now in the cover band Ball n Chain. I couldn't have asked for a more professional group to land in. It's a whole different vibe than original bands. I am freaking hyped to be here and look forward to a long relationship with my beloved 80's - 90's cover tunes. Rock on!
Art Lujan and Scotty Ward along with Julio and Shelley seem to be the best fit right now....we all have the same vision....the same private lives and a cohesiveness we just didn't have previously. We are the CHAIN GANG...and a motley crew we are! A Tribute To the Tributes is what Art calls us and that is true. We cover what everyone else does and we do some stuff ya won't hear anywhere else.
Ball & Chain has already shared the stage with the hottest Texas talent including Judas Rising, Alcohollica, Tooth n Nail, Xes Whiskey, EKG, Revengance, LiveWire and Diver Down, Love It To Death, Sedated,
Roc Zombie, and Drifter.....just to name a few. We have opened for National and International bands such as Dirty Penny, Gypsy Pistoleros, and Pussy Sisster.
Just say NO to showcase venues. Demand better for yourselves and your fans.
Ball & Chain wants to Thank CLB Photography, Norm of the Rockstar, Missy Fry, Paul Rosales, Angelo DuPont, Chards Shots, Keith Pixx/DFW Noise and Melissa Juarez for the great pics and videos they provide for us!!
