Clone Inc.

Local bands are taking over the Papa John’s parking lot this Friday, presenting a sonic sampling of Laramie music.

Starting at 5 p.m., Laramie rock and punk-rock bands Spangler, Mr. V, Clone Inc, A View From The Sidelines, Dead River, Swamp Women, Sunshine Deathray, and Kitdy Speedball will take
the stage outside Papa Johns, on Third St. across from the Hastings Mall.

The show will run be 5–11 p.m., and there will be a $5 cover charge. Papa John’s will run food specials
and the Ranger bar will have drink specials for those 21 and up. Spangler and Mr. V have been on
the Laramie music scene for quite some time. Spangler has released two albums, 2002’s “Chloride” and 2005’s “Gone’er,” on One Legged Pup records. You can check out Spangler at
www.myspace.com/doompop.

Mr. V has also released two albums on One Legged Pup, 2003’s “40 Feet of Throbbing Pink Jesus” and 2004’s “Fluffy Love Songs.”

Clone Inc is the self-proclaimed “two headed monster of rock from Laramie, Wyo.,” according to the band’s Myspace page. The duo, consisting of Will Plumb and Mike Trujillo, has been around since September 2005, and have played venues all over the Front Range area. They have a five-song demo EP entitled “The Conspiracy Demo.”

A View From The Sidelines is a band new to the Laramie scene. This Friday’s show will be only the second they’ve ever played. “The band is really excited for this show. Not only is it our second show ever, but it’s also our very first show in our hometown of Laramie. We finally get to prove what we are all about,” bassist Dax Kovach said.

Dead River is a punk/rockabilly outfit. Their sound is self- described as “the sound you make when strangling someone you love.”

Kitdy Speedball tells an extensive story of how they were formed on their Myspace. They claim they were formed out of legend foretelling that “four men would arise from in times of great struggle
and take the reigns of world power,” concluding that “Kitdy Speedball Rocks. Amen.”

Swamp Women also has a humorous story to tell about how their band was created involving
peppermint tea, a cute “couple” in the grass and instruments made out of the bark of a tree. - Zach Sorensen - University of Wyoming Branding Iron - 9/14/06

CHEYENNE - Everything was on the line. This was the beginning of a promising rock career. Eric Clapton, Jimmy Hendrix - both were put on notice.

As a young ninth-grader and Led Zeppelin initiate, Mike Trujillo held in his hands an "old, beat up" classic acoustic guitar he had borrowed from a friend.

A panel of judges sat ready to determine if Trujillo, a guitar-strumming phenom and lyricist for the past six months, had what it took to be part of the McCormick Junior High Talent Show.

The first song he'd mastered on that acoustic was "Clementine," but he knew that would not be enough for this venue - "it wasn't very rock 'n' roll." He had to make an impact: He had to rock the judges' world.

And more - a pretty young student stood in the wings awaiting her own chance to shine, and Trujillo wanted "so hard to impress her."

So he opted to play a song he'd written, "Monster," instead.

But the only thing terrifying about Trujillo's debut was the performance itself.

"I was so nervous (that) I forgot the words halfway through, and I just stopped," Trujillo said. "It was horrific; I've never been so embarrassed in my life."

The panel never got back to Trujillo about the possibility of performing during the talent show. "Needless to say, the show went on without me," he said.

These days, though, it's not just the 22-year-old Trujillo who has the words to his songs thoroughly memorized - the growing fan base for his two-man band, Clone Inc., sing the lyrics to every song in the growing set.

Clone Inc. - which Trujillo describes as a "two-headed monster of rock" consisting one-half of Trujillo and the other of Will Plum, a UW graduate - is a conglomeration of influences that range from classic rock to grunge to jazz to Johnny Cash.

The band has played multiple ticketed performances in Denver as well as regional performances up and down the Front Range of Colorado and Wyoming.

"Your band would be nothing without people," said Trujillo, who graduated from Cheyenne's Central High in 2002 and now balances band, work, full-time school at the University of Wyoming and domestic bliss.

"I've got a lot on my plate - it's an interesting juggle that makes my life fun," said Trujillo. "I try to make sure that I keep the most important things first."

He met Megan Shiles in the spring of 2003. They married two years later.
"It's a lot work," Shiles said of balancing their lives. "I try to get involved as much as I can and help out."

Megan, an art major with a graphic design emphasis, puts together all the band's promotional materials.

"I kind of jumped in at the beginning; they needed a logo," said Megan, who now takes pictures of the band and compiles their data.

One of the most memorable moments for Megan occurred when she returned from a trip to Chicago. Her flight came into Denver International Airport at 7:30 p.m., and she drove directly to the Larimer Lounge in Denver, where the band was scheduled to play.

"I go to say hello, and they went on the stage," said Megan, who was touched when the band began to play "When You're Gone," a song written by Trujillo for Megan.

"He wrote that song while I was in Korea for a semester," Megan said. "It's very much indicative of how much we like to be together."

Mike Trujillo says he can't remember a time when music wasn't central to his life. In elementary school, he began playing the clarinet in the school band. But he became disenchanted with the instrument and began listening to a broader range of music.

In junior high, he discovered "The Immigrant Song" on Led Zeppelin's third album.

"The riff was just this driving riff throughout the entire song," Trujillo said, pantomiming the sound in the air. "It just blew me to the floor."

Thus began his love of the guitar and the ability to "run six strings and make it sound like a symphony." More than anything, Trujillo wanted to make his own mark on the guitar.

"You listen to Clapton, listen to Hendrix and Jimmy Page, and you can tell that's them," Trujillo said. "I wanted someday for someone to say, 'That's Mike Trujillo.'"

He credits his dad, a third-grade teacher at Noah Webster Christian School in Cheyenne, with "150 percent backing" of his musical aspirations. His father bought Trujillo a Mel Bay guitar book.

"I would sit in my room with the guitar," Trujillo said, and read and re-read the book and "practice the fingerings of the chords for hours on end until I was comfortable enough to switch from chord to chord."

The first rock song Trujillo remembers being able to cover was "Susie Q" by Creedence Clearwater Revival, a song he says had a "positive influence on me."

While at Central, Trujillo played in a band called "Natural Blend." After four years with a number of lineup changes, Trujillo decided "things just couldn't work out."
So he struck a demo of his own so that he could put together the songs "the way that I wanted them."

During Jubilee Days 2005 in Laramie, Trujillo filled in as sound technician for a cover band, Hurricane Hattie, at JJ's Bar. He was blown away by their drummer.

"I knew I wanted him to drum on my record," Trujillo said.

After spending some time together and playing music, the two realized they had a synergy.

"Now with Clone Inc., it's a collective process," said Trujillo, explaining that both he and Plum share in the music and lyric writing process.

"It'll either start off with a drum beat or a guitar riff," Trujillo said. "When we write music together, it usually just comes out of some kind of a jam. And you know as a musician within the first five minutes if it's something worth continuing."

After the two decided to form a band and cut a demo, they began the long process of deciding on a name. They went through a long list of names, but "none of them seemed to fit us."

Plum finally settled on "Clone."

There was just one problem.

"We did some research, and there's about 3,000 bands with the name 'Clone,'" Trujillo said. "So, Clone Inc. just seemed like a very good loophole."

They have been playing venues since September 2005 and will wrap up a 10-day, whirlwind summer tour in Colorado with a final show in Cheyenne on Aug. 25.

"Music's always been a big part of my life," Trujillo said. "There's a song for every mood and every moment you can be in . It doesn't matter who you are, (music) can touch you."
- Kevin Wingert - Wyoming Tribune Eagle - 7/23/06

Three area bands will join forces tonight at the University of Wyoming to bring students a sonic sampling of the Laramie-Cheyenne music scene. Another Dream, Save My Hero and Clone Inc. will blend their rock, punk and alternative influences during Local Band Night, at 8 p.m., tonight in the Wyoming Union Skylight Lounge.

Another Dream
Another Dream came together in Cheyenne more than two years ago to play for Battle of the
Bands, which they won. Its name birthed from a line of one of its own songs. As they try to escape the world and strive to find another dream, they remain an inspiration to the local scene, Student Activities Center, which is hosting the event, officials said. With a mix of heavy rock and punk, band members say they collectively share a love for “the Lord, Jesus Christ.”
Its Christian roots may seem innocent, but the four-piece rock ensemble has enough heavenly experience to make a musical explosion of rock and roll, fans say.
Peter Blomberg, guitarist and vocalist, said, “It’s going to freaking rule. My only worry is that they will ask us to play softer, which we can’t.”
For more information on Another Dream, visit www.anotherdream.com.

Save My Hero
Second to sweep the stage is Save My Hero, also born out of Cheyenne. Save My Hero began in May 2006 as an amateur rodeo team in Cheyenne, but found its true calling in music, the band’s Web site, www.myspace.com/savemyhero, says.
“Or possibly, we are just four guys who love all that is music and all that it represents. We love making and playing music and hope you can find a little piece of yourself in our songs,” the band says on its Web site.
Their music can be placed in the alternative, pop punk music craze genre, however, bassist Jason Joyce said, “In the end though, we try to stay as original as possible because it’s pointless to try to pass off another bands sound as our own.”
Their roots are grounded with bands such as Blink 182 and Taking Back Sunday. In the seven months they have been together, they have gained a strong following in Wyoming and are now
working on a professional demo.

Clone Inc.
Last to take the stage will be Laramie’s own Clone Inc. The rock duo likes to call itself a big, loud,
“rawk” band with tons of support from the Laramie scene. They started a year ago when guitarist and vocalist Mike Trujillo went in to record a solo album and found his missing link: drummer Will Plumb.
The two say they fell in love with each other’s talents and have produced two self-produced demos since.
Their influences range from classic Led Zeppelin to Queens of the Stone Age to Miles Davis, and have driven them to nonstop gigging across Wyoming, Colorado and Nebraska. Plumb said the show won’t disappoint. “It’s going to be too much rock for one band,” he said.
For more information on Clone Inc., visit www.myspace.com/cloneinc
Free food and soft drinks will be served at the event. Jason from Save My Hero said, “I mean, who can pass up free Corona Village food, even if they don’t want to listen to us, or haven’t heard us before?”
For more information on local band night, visit www.uwyo.edu/SAC.
- Samantha Getz - University of Wyoming Branding Iron - 11/8/06