Magpie

1. How long has your band been together?
Magpie has been together since 2002. We have had many members along the way, but we just keep going.

2. Who plays what in your band?
Kelley Patrick – Lead Vocals…Kerry Stewart – Bass and vocals…Aeneas Alldredge – Drums and vocals…Dale Alkula – Guitar

3. Which song is your band’s favorite that you all have written?
Right now, we are all digging “If I Had a Gun.” The groove is great and the lyrics are dedicated to a friend long lost.

4. Has your band published an album? If so, what is it called and where can it be bought?
We have gone through so many players and have recorded so many tracks, but nothing has ever been “officially” released. We have a single track on the CRINGE.COMPILATION V cd called “Rabbit.” Anybody who wants our music will get it. All they have to do is ask.

5. What is the significance of your band’s name?
A magpie is a bird that is often confused with a crow or raven. It symbolizes everything from good luck to an ominous event waiting to happen. Our band is a little dark and mysterious, so the name fits. Magpie also means “one who chatters.” Ha Ha…I don’t know about that!!

6. What is the best memory your band has had at a show or while on the road?
I really love when something unexpected happens. I am such a control freak, so this sounds weird coming from me. My favorite shows are the ones that have potential meltdown moments. At a show at Mad Lab, my bass player busted a string. He NEVER leaves home without an extra bass or at the very least, another set of strings. Before the show, we were laughing about the fact that he would probably bust a string during the set since he didn’t have a backup plan. Yep, on the second song, there goes the D string. Luckily, our friend Bill was playing the same gig and allowed us to use his bass for the rest of the set. Unfortunately, the bass was five-string and fretless! My bass player is incredible, but not used to THAT. Regardless, he hammered through the set like a monster. I like when the band comes together to conquer the problem. Those moments are the ones I love. We are human and we get right back on the horse. My guys just keep going like a freight train. That togetherness is such an awesome feeling!

7. What is the best city you have played in and why?
Columbus is our hometown and it is great to have those that you love in the audience. There are so many new bands and so many different kinds of music. Columbus is a great music town, no matter what they say.

8. What is your favorite venue you have played in and why?
I really like the feel at Skully’s Music Diner. It is larger than a lot of venues, but not too large. The stage is great. The people feel right.

9. What venue in your hometown would you recommend to other local bands and why?
Carabar is one of the newest venues in town. Also, one of the hippest! Skully’s Music Diner…larger venue, great sound, great stage, and great food

10. What can someone expect out of a live performance?
In your face rock! We try to be consistent, but there are times when we go completely the other direction and get dark and moody. We try hard to entertain the audience. I come from the era that people don’t just want to hear good music; they want to see a show. They want something that they can live vicariously through. Something that I heard in the audience while I was attending a show really sticks in my head. I overheard a girl say, “Aw, I could do better than them. Let’s go.” I didn’t feel like the band was giving it their all either. Her statement made me never want to be that band!

11. What places have you not played yet that you would like to and why?
We would love to hit the SXSW gig. Road trips are always awesome.

12. Which bands in your hometown would you recommend to others?
The Evil Queens
The Lindsay
Mors Ontologica

13. Which bands outside your hometown would you recommend to others?
Suffrajett – Chicago, IL
The Noise Machine – Myrtle Beach, SC
Adrian and the Sickness – Austin, TX
Alissa Moreno – Los Angeles, CA

14. Which bands would you like to play with that you have not had the opportunity to play with?
We have been in events that have had Red Dahlia on the bill, but always seem to play the event on a different day or a different stage. I would like to play a show with them sometime.

15. Which events, conferences and/or festivals have you attended that you would recommend for other bands?
The Chicks Rockfest is a great event to get involved in. Magpie could not play last year, but are extremely excited to play this year. There are some phenomenal bands playing this year. Locally, in Columbus, Comfest is coming up. The community gets together and has a great time for a 3 day party. Tons of bands, artists, vendors, food and beer!

16. Is there anything else interesting about your band that you would like to share that your fans might be interested in?
We are a p - Chicks Rockfest

"KELLEY PATRICK AND KERRY STEWART

Magpie's alterna-rock, full of melody and spunk and the occasional death threat, speaks to the fiery fueds between Kelley Patrick and Kerry Stewart growing up on the West Side.

"We have a history of not fighting very fair," said Patrick, 36. "We were bad kids."

She would sneak up from behind and slap his ears, then run off to safety behind the locked bathroom door, only to find him unscrewing the doorknob minutes later in his quest for revenge. Plenty of screaming and shouting ensued.

Since then, the siblings have mended fences and found quite the musical kinship.

The collaboration started when Stewart's old band realized they needed a new singer, he said. It turned out his sister had a lyrical touch just to his liking, plus stage presence. They formed the first incarnation of Magpie in 2000 with Patrick singing and Stewart on bass.

Stewart, 38, said he doesn't bristle with big brother syndrome when his sister draws catcalls from the crowd.

"We're so tough that he knows that I would definitely take care of the situation if it got out of hand," Patrick said."

--Chris Deville, The Alive
- Columbus Alive - Chris DeVille

"They were followed up by a band called "Magpie" who get my vote for "Best new band at longest named memorial show in the history of the world". Past couple of years the show did a "slow build" to the apparently better known acts in the area, this didn't happen as Magpie shouted out a raucus version of Complete Control. It was after their set that the Guiness started kickin' in and the bands started to come fast and furious." - Strummerville News

"Magpie even had me singing along with its dirty guitar version of "Garageland": "We're a garage band/ We come from garageland/ Woah-h-h-h-h. It's just a great song." - The Other Paper - John Petric