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DIVERS NEEDED--The High Divers may be the best band in Austin--which would be no surprise to a few.
by Beky & Wings HauserAnyone seen The High Divers? Rock group right here in Austin...INCREDIBLE....and VIRILE! ( even though one or two need help dressing themselves... ) No?"I know...I know...we need to get out and play more," admits singer-diver, Damon O'Banion.If you've ever boarded a bus with a group of people and waited for a seemingly interminable period for the driver to climb aboard, you have some idea what their faithful fans have experienced the past year. When's the band showing up? When's this bird gonna' fly - or rather, when are these divers hittin' pay dirt? These guys fuckin' ROCK!!! What's the deal?'' Truly one of the best bands you'll never see, " HONKY's Jeff Pinkus explains, "unless you sell kind bud or have an open fridge policy. I see 'em all the time.''Even punk legend Gary Floyd chimes in, "The High Divers remind of those first hidden days in the family bathroom masturbating --- long ago, but something I will never forget...you know what I mean?"By no means complex is their catechism of amplified star power: Divers "do all the rockin,'" and "some big-wheel, straw boss financier" handles the rest of the band's affairs. Who would that be?"Got any ideas?" O'Banion fires back. "Are there any robber barons left in this town? What's Bill Ham up to these days? "With only a handful of shows in the Austin area the past year, The High Divers have become one of Austin's best-wept secrets. Back-fence talk to those who have never caught a Divers show. They're told how the band grooves and incites. Heavy riffs. Drums described as a head-banging relay race. Explosive vocals. Loony loves 'em. Tarantino's a fan. They tore it up on Formula One boss Flavio Briatore's yacht.Who are these guys?Brief History: In 1987 three of the Divers, who grew up together in the same neighborhood, formed a punk band called Blatant Disregard; singer Damon O'Banion, bassist Jason Dale, and drummer Jeff Chavez. After a few years of unholy terror - sharing stages with Fearless Iranians from Hell, NO FX, and Dresden 45 ( one of Jeff's OTHER bands ), Blatant Disregard decided to grow up and get real jobs. Fast forward almost TWENTY YEARS and bring in Matt Bruegger ( from Jeff's other, other band, Condemned Unit ) and Rigo Montano ( from Damon's other band, Drunken Thunder ). Get all that? Stir it up and you have decades of experience writing and shredding for the masses.Catch them if you can.MARK YOUR CALENDARS FOR FRIDAY, JUNE 30th - THE HIGH DIVERS perform live at the RED EYE FLY with HONKY and HAZARD COUNTY GIRLS ( and others ). They are celebrating the release of their debut album, "DIVIN' IN THE ROUGH," one of the best, if not entirely original, hard rock records to come out of Austin in quite some time. Not one song on the 10-track CD is a skipper, a self-produced triumph that holds up to repeated spins here at WHOOPSY headquarters. Favorites include, "Grave Babe," "The Hour," and "Ladies Room" ( a song written by the High Divers, not the KISS cover ). Bring a little extra cash ( or barter ) for a CD of your own.Few words strike more responsive chords in the hearts and minds of Austin than the simple phrase "comeback." The sentimentalists quickly conjure images of a badly whipped soldier band rallying to save the flag, a fighter thrice-knocked down who comes up with the knockout punch in the final seconds to save victory. Not the case for The High Divers. They never left. They're just finally getting their shit together.That makes us happy.
WHOOPSY
