Whitewater Pass

By Christina Perryman
Music has always been a passion for Havertown resident Jeff LaBonde. LaBonde, a 1997 graduate of Haverford High School, holds a bachelor’s degree in vocal performance from Temple University and a master’s degree in religion from Gordon Conwell Seminary. LaBonde works as a private voice and guitar instructor, an actor, and as a cantor for All Saints Episcopal Church in Wynnewood.

"I always knew performance was drawing me," said LaBonde, who acted and sang in high school and college. "I was involved in a lot of theatre -- after school, teaching lessons and working as music director in church and theatre settings," he said."It’s all I really wanted to do, all that interested me."

In April, LaBonde took on a position that would help shape the current direction of his craft when he worked as the music director for Hedgerow Theatre’s production of “Godspell”.

For “Godspell,” LaBonde assembled a small band. “We got along so well both personally and musically that we decided to take some of my music and see where we could take it,” LaBonde said.

And so Whitewater Pass was born.

The band is comprised of founding members LaBonde, Chris LaBonde, Jeff’s brother, and Steve Gudelunas.

All the founding members have a strong background in performance. Chris LaBonde, of Ardmore, is a 1999 graduate of Haverford High School. He has a bachelor’s degree in music education from Temple University and works as an elementary school music teacher and band director at Senko Elementary and Charles Kelly Elementary in the Upper Darby School District.

Chris is also a cantor at All Saints Episcopal Church.

Gudelunas, of Bryn Mawr, is a 2005 graduate of Ridley High School and holds a BFA in Acting from The University of the Arts in Philadelphia. Gudelunas works as an actor.

Jeff LaBonde plays guitar and sings lead vocals, Gudelunas sings tenor and plays percussion and Chris LaBonde sings and plays keyboard. Recently added to the band were Chris Igidbashian on bass and Maura Johnston on piano.

"We came together this spring and started working hard after “Godspell” closed (in early May)," LaBonde said.

LaBonde describes the music as "rock, which is a huge category." But he hopes Whitewater Pass will be more akin to a Dave Matthews Band type show.

"It's very story driven, very vocally driven, melodic rock and roll," LaBonde said.

LaBonde writes the music and lyrics. "It's a series of songs I’ve gathered," he said. "This particular group is one gathered over the last few years as I went through some faith and heartbreak issues. The greatest art always comes from things you actually live through.”

"I went through three years of adversity while writing the music," LaBonde continued. "It’s an up and down thing letting yourself be an artist.”

The band's name came from a brainstorming session between the three founding members.

"We decided we liked water imagery and came to the idea of a place where a body of moving water comes between two mountain passes and white water forms. The name rolled off the tongue nicely," said LaBonde.

LaBonde said a variety of groups influence Whitewater Pass' sound including older bands such as the Beatles, Pink Floyd, Crosby, Stills and Nash, and the more modern music of Live, Oasis and Cold Play.

"I am a child of the 90s," LaBonde commented. "Dave Matthews was a very big influence."

While LaBonde writes the music, the harmony arrangement is a collaboration between him, Chris and Gudelunas.

The band's first album, “Charmed Youth,” is currently in the works. "We have 10 or 11 songs that are up to date in terms of readiness," said LaBonde. "There are many more in the works. We are developing our arrangements, letting ourselves get comfortable as a band before we look at finalizing the album." He said it will be 6-9 months before it is released.

For LaBonde, getting the band going was easier than he anticipated. Much of that ease is due to the current technological climate. "I really believe with the way things are, it is easier to get yourself out there," LaBonde said. The group began by working on the quality of the music, then "released our presence on Facebook," he said. After that came the group's website.

"We tried to use those resources to help build a fan base and we are generating traffic," said LaBonde. "From there, we reached out to get as many people in Philly as possible to know what we are doing." The outreach included playing open mics so people become familiar with the band. The group's first gig was at Milkboy in Ardmore.

"On some level, the other gigs fell into place because we reached out to everyone," LaBonde noted. "[Saying] here we are, we are in the area, if you like us give us a call and some places did really immediately."

LaBonde said the group has been fortunate in that, so far, their toughest obstacle has been finding a drummer.

"We have faced a little less adversity than I expected," he said. "We started working hard, people responded emphatically and we got some really good gigs."

Whitewater Pass has several shows booked including Tin Angel Acoustic Cafe, 10 p.m., Saturday, (Aug. 20), Philadelphia's Magic Gardens, 7 p.m. Saturday, (Aug. 27) and The Grape Room, 9:15 p.m., Saturday, (Sept. 17).

Although in its early stages, LaBonde and his band members are looking to the future. "It’s a young project but our goal is to see if we can make a show that’s good enough to get us on the road," he said. "We are trying to bring people along with us."

Whitewater Pass has released several songs on their website, with more added as they are completed. The online demos are preliminary arrangements that LaBonde hopes to expand to include varied instrumentation.

"The music, so far, is where we are so far. But our intention is to ramp it up, add full drums, add electric guitar, make it a little less docile than what's on the web," LaBonde said.

But for LaBonde, the vocals are "always the emphasis to which it comes back; that part of the music was what was first conceived."

"Like most good things, (Whitewater Pass) was born from a season of hardship. But it’s about going through something and coming out better and stronger from it at the end. Not to end up wallowing in misery but getting through it and overcoming it," said LaBonde.

• For more information on Whitewater Pass, to sample their music, or for a list of upcoming shows, visit www.whitewaterpassband.com or look for them on Facebook
- County Press