Serious Trouble

Here Come the Blues
Waukesha BluesFest Enters Seventh Year this Weekend

Each of the 14 national, regional and local blues acts performing at Delafield's Naga-Waukee Park as part of the seventh annual Waukesha BluesFest Friday and Saturday share one thing in common. They are all deeply entrenched in this American art form.
Similarities could end there, however, since this is also an expansive and creative music genre.
Waukesha Native Todd Stair of the band Serious Trouble says he appreciated the diversity.
"You can play so many different styles of blues" he said, "that each song would sound nothing like the other one. And the improvisation that blues allows means you never have (to) play something the same way twice. The music lays a solid foundation."
His band which plays at 3:00 p.m. Friday, is evidence of how the soulful sound can appeal to generations. Stair plays bass while his son Kyle, 23, is on guitar. Drummer John Medler and singer Drew Turcotte round out the band, ensuring 30-somethings and 40-somethings are well represented. The blues provide an outlet for pure musical talent to take center stage, Stair said.
"I love the musicianship in blues; some of the best guitarists of their generations (such as Stevie Ray Vaughan and Buddy Guy) were and are blues musicians," he said. "I've learned more since I started playing the blues than I did in the decades I spent playing rock music."
Being able to share the experience with his son is also a special experience. Kyle is a self-taught guitarist who exhibited his talent early.
"The first guitar he picked up was a three-string instrument," Todd Stair said. "I didn't catch him in the act of playing it, but would find it moving to different locations throughout the house."
Blues performances can range from soothing and serene to blood-pumping, high energy affairs.
"Serious Trouble is more of a high energy band," Stair said. "We have a rock edge."
The two-day festival this weekend features live performances, an art show and the participation of local restaurants. - Waukesha Freeman August 2013 Conley Publiching

Ad for Shank Hall performance opening (direct support) for Chris Duarte Group
March 17th edition of Shepherd Express - Shank Hall Ad in Shepherd Express

Serious Trouble, featuring Waukesha West graduate Kyle Stair, has been named the opening act for international guitar sensation and Shrapnel Records recording artist, the Chris Duarte Group, for its performance at Shank Hall in Milwaukee on April 27.
Serious Trouble performs at 8 p.m., and the Chris Duarte Group performs at 9 p.m.
The Chris Duarte Group headlined Waukesha BluesFest that Serious Trouble also performed at. This will be the second time Serious Trouble has been part of the same show with the Chris Duarte Group.
For details, call 370-2139.

- Waukesha Freeman March 17, 2011

Kyle Stair,20, got his first guitar when he was only 6 or 7 years old. However, he really didn't pick it up and start playing until years later,the summer before his freshman year at Waukesha West High School. "My friend Tim got a bass and I started messing around with the guitar," Stair said. For Christmas that year he got a new,better guitar, and he's been playing ever since.
While some young guitarists explore pop or rock genres,Stair found his voice
with blues music and was a part of The Blues Club at Waukesha West when he
was a senior.
Among his influences, he said, are musicians such as Stevie Ray Vaughan, Albert King, B.B. King and Billy Joe Armstrong.
This year, he and his band, Serious Trouble, are playing at BluesFest on Aug.
14. The band is also giving a free show at Club Velvet on June 18. Featured at local
venues throughout the summer, the full schedule can be found on the web at
www.serioustroubleband.com.
“Right now we’re focused on writing original music, but we probably play two
times a month,” Stair said.
The band plays all kinds of music, but for Stair, hesaid blues is the style he
plays best.
Stair’s band also features his dad, Todd, on the bass guitar as well as drummer
John Medler and vocalist Andrew Turcotte.
While Stair has been growing musically, he hasn’t lost track of his studies.He graduated from Waukesha West in 2008 with a 3.5 grade point average and
was a four-year student athlete.
Stair is currently pursuing legal studies at University of Wisconsin-Madison
with the possibility of attending law school.
Balancing the focus on academics with music isn’t difficult, he said.
“I’ve been playing for quite a while,” Stair said. “I’ve got a pretty good routine.”
The band’s website features feedback from people attending shows, and Stair
said many members of the band, such as his father, have years of experience. - Waukesha Freeman June 10, 2010 click link above for actual article