Two Tons Of Steel
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Two Tons Of Steel

San Antonio, Texas, United States | Established. Jan 01, 2016 | INDIE

San Antonio, Texas, United States | INDIE
Established on Jan, 2016
Band Country Americana

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This band has not uploaded any videos
This band has not uploaded any videos

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"John Goodspeed: Two Tons makes Saturday stop at Gruene"

Web Posted: 06/21/2007 02:21 PM CDT

San Antonio Express-News

Two Tons of Steel is no stranger to Gruene Hall.

The "countrybilly" band specializing in a revved-up fusion of roots rock and roots country is in the midst of its Two Ton Tuesdays, a weekly barn burner from Memorial Day through Aug. 14 that has drawn a cultlike following of dancers, toe-tappers, hooters and hollerers since rolling the dice on a dead night a dozen years ago.

Two Tons is still tossing sevens with Two Ton Tuesdays, and they're coming up with 11 on their only Saturday night gig this summer at Gruene Hall. The Texas Sapphires of Austin will open with their own brand of roots country.

"Tuesdays are their own thing, and a Saturday night is a whole different group of people, along with a bunch of the Tuesday regulars," lead singer, guitarist, songwriter and Express-News photographer Kevin Geil said. "A lot of people can't make it on Tuesday nights because they work late or have to get up early for work on Wednesday."

The Saturday show will be much the same as the ones on Tuesdays — with the quintet delivering a blistering set of rockabilly favorites along with their own compositions.

Bassist Chris Rhoades is making his Tuesday debut this summer, joining Denny Mathis, a member of the Texas Steel Guitar Players Hall of Fame; lead guitarist Dennis Fallon; and drummer Chris Dodds. All but Mathis also sing.

The popularity of the Tuesdays keeps amazing Geil, who begins each season wondering if it will be the one that stops percolating. So far, the flame's still high and the moths keep coming from far and wide, including some who have hit every Tuesday since the beginning.

"People keep hearing about it and come to see what it's all about, and they tell more people," Geil said. "Last week there were some from California who'd set their sights on a vacation around Two Ton Tuesday.

"They were blown away by the Texas dance hall culture, a deal for the whole family. They don't have that in California."

To sweeten this season's pot, label mates from Palo Duro Records will be opening Two Ton Tuesdays in July, including Trent Summar July 3 and Eleven Hundred Springs (who will be at John T. Floore Country Store Friday night) July 10.

If you just can't wait, head down to Port Aransas Friday night to catch them at Pelican's Landing's live music series. Or see the videos and blogs on the redesigned www.twotons.com. Or check out www.concert.tv for on-demand videos if your cable TV provider is Comcast, Charter, Insight or Cox. - San Antonio Express-News


"ROCK STAR : THE REALITY"

Rock star: The reality
MUSIC: Traffic jams, mishaps, long days - but, in the end, the fan club grows
11:08 AM CDT on Tuesday, September 5, 2006
Stories and photos by GUY REYNOLDS Staff Photographer
"This is bad. This is bad. Good God, this is bad."
Kevin Geil stands looking into the trailer muttering to himself after pulling off of U.S. 281 northwest of San Antonio. Moments ago, a man in a green van pulled alongside, honking and jerking his thumb back over his shoulder. "Did I leave the door open?" Mr. Geil wonders aloud. Finding the trailer door ajar and the lock gone, he quickly runs through a mental inventory of what's missing. He secures the latch with a screwdriver and gets back into the van. Less than a quarter-mile away, he spots a man pushing a wheeled black case with a red plastic bin on top toward his pickup. Mr. Geil leans out this window, gestures wildly and hollers into the din of the traffic.
After giving the man a T-shirt for his trouble and reloading the case of drums and the bin of shirts, Mr. Geil eases back into traffic to meet his bandmates.
Two Tons of Steel has clawed its way up the list of popular Texas bar bands over the last decade. This year, the band released a live-from-Gruene Hall CD-DVD combo, made numerous Texas road trips and played a two-week string of gigs in Europe. But life on the road for the four traveling members of the band isn't always as smooth as some of their songs.
A recent two-day road trip to North Texas for three shows in 27 hours featured camaraderie born of familiarity, a grueling but unstructured schedule and intraband tension common to any regional group. The shows will be numbers 91, 92 and 93 this year.
"Hey, we only work a couple of hours a day," Mr. Geil jokes. "We just have a long commute."
The group, formed 11 years ago in San Antonio, has two founding members, Mr. Geil, 43, the guitarist, singer and principal songwriter, and Dennis Fallon, 42, the lead guitarist. They're joined by Ric Ramirez, 45, on the upright bass, and Chris Dodds, 33, on drums.
Their Web site describes the music as "equal parts Elvis Presley and Elvis Costello, with a liberal dose of Buddy Holly and a dollop of the Ramones." For a sound that doesn't fit snugly into any music industry category, Mr. Geil came up with the term "countrybilly."
The band's popularity in the southern part of Texas is solid. It's the top-drawing act at venerable Gruene Hall, where the door topped 10,000 during the recently completed 12-week run of Two Ton Tuesdays. In Dallas and Fort Worth, the band is not as popular, which is why the musicians traveled so far on a recent Friday. "We're always trying to reach a new audience and expand our base," Mr. Geil says.
On the road again
Mr. Geil's day starts at 6 a.m., when he gets his daughters, Cheyenne and Presley, fed and off to elementary school. At his home in the Texas Hill Country north of San Antonio, he meets with contractors working on backyard landscaping. Before departing, he writes checks totaling more than $4,000 for the work. "It takes a lifetime to make it and a minute to spend it," he says.
Mr. Geil spends a sizable chunk of the day with a cellphone stuck to his ear, and, before long, he hooks up with Davis McLarty, his agent in Austin, cementing commitments for gigs later this year.
While packing the van and trailer with shirts, hats and CDs to sell, he's thinking about other possible gigs in Denton and Fort Worth. Reaching his publicist, he asks her to try to arrange an in-store appearance for Saturday afternoon. Before long, she calls back to tell him that a short set at Bill's Records and Tapes in Dallas is a done deal.
After getting gas and surviving the wayward gear incident, Mr. Geil picks up bandmates Mr. Dodds and Mr. Fallon. By 2:30 p.m., they hit Interstate 35 north to pick up Mr. Ramirez. He recently moved to Austin, and getting him and his big bass is an added obstacle.
Mr. Geil drives. "It's easier on my soul. The other two just drive too fast, tailgating at 90 miles an hour, pulling a trailer," he says, shaking his head. Mr. Fallon, riding shotgun, reads Vintage Guitar magazine and Mr. Dodds plays solitaire on his cellphone. Mr. Dodds is the band's fifth drummer. "Man, they eat drummers for lunch. It's like a regular Spinal Tap," he says.
In Austin, the three band members find themselves trapped in traffic and unable to reach the bass player. Inside the van, hot under the collar isn't just a cliché. As the temperature gauge nears the danger zone, the air conditioner is switched off and the windows are lowered. The '97 Chevy conversion van, bought used three years ago, has 170,000 miles and a new radiator. They suspect a leaking hose, but no one had time to take it back to the shop.
Then Mr. Dodds finds a missed call and voice mail. "It's Ric. He's going on by himself. Says he'll meet us in Denton."
Stuck in Austin rush-hour traffic, Mr. Geil starts to boil. "I'm about to say screw this, let's go home."
"Dude, I'm gonna come up there and give you a hug," Mr. Dodds says.
"This is classic Two Tons travel," Mr. Geil says, "chaos from beginning to getting home."
"This is rock star livin' right about now," Mr. Dodds adds.
'They just rocked my world'
Three of the four players have second jobs. Mr. Geil is a photographer at the Express-News in San Antonio, where he primarily shoots fashion, studio and pre-arranged location assignments. "I have a very understanding and supportive boss," he says about managing his work and music. "I work seven days a week, and this week seems like a lot more than seven days."
Mr. Dodds has five kids, a wife with a broken leg and a totaled van at home. He runs a computer consulting and network business. Mr. Fallon is divorced and admits that a musician's lifestyle contributed to that. He teaches guitar lessons. Mr. Ramirez is a full-time musician.
This weekend's tour begins in Denton, at Dan's Silver Leaf, a club in an old industrial area near the courthouse square. When they arrive that evening – after six hours on the road and 309 more miles on the odometer – Mr. Ramirez is there waiting in his car. The mess in Austin added an hour and a half to the trip, and the greeting is subdued.
They set up with the help of Jimmy Smith, the band liaison and soundman. A single-song sound check is performed while people begin to arrive at the club.
"We usually try to do three or four," Mr. Geil says, "but it felt real good up there."
Folding tables and metal racks are put up; lights are attached; mannequins are shirted; hats, CDs, posters and stickers are spread out. Merchandise sales are an important part of the band's income. "It helps cover our travel costs, the gas, food, motels and stuff," Mr. Geil says.
After changing clothes in the van, the band members restring their guitars, down a few drinks and sell some CDs.
Opening act Los Super Vatos finishes and Two Tons launches into its set. In no time, Mr. Geil and Mr. Fallon are dripping with sweat and dancers are jamming a small space. The club's air conditioner is about as good as the Chevy van's.
Mr. Geil nearly collapses backstage at the end of the nonstop two-hour show but regroups quickly enough to head back up for an encore. Then, he hits the merchandise table for a meet-and-greet that continues for another hour.
Elizabeth Fitzpatrick, who came to see the opening act, clutches two CDs and a shirt. After hugging Mr. Geil goodbye, she's the last to leave.
"Oh, they just rocked my world," she says of Two Tons of Steel, which she heard for the first time that night. "I'm going to see them in Fort Worth again tomorrow."
Next up, Day Two
After getting directions to IHOP and a motel, the four band members make their way through Denton's deserted streets at a little past 3 a.m. Mr. Geil's 23-hour day ends as he carries his guitars to the Super 8 motel at about 5 a.m.
Up, showered and on the road at a little past noon, the band stops at Babe's Chicken Dinner House in Carrollton. The floor manager comps lunch after learning who they are. Mr. Geil returns the favor with CDs.
They kill an hour inside the cavernous and well-air-conditioned Bass Pro Shop in Grapevine before heading to Dallas for a quick and easy five-song in-store show. Then it's on to Fort Worth's Stockyards district for a packed house at the White Elephant Saloon.
This time, they get there plenty early for the sound check and setup.
True to her word, Ms. Fitzpatrick shows up and dances in front of the stage the entire show.
She is exactly why the band makes the long trip. As Mr. Geil said earlier in the weekend, "We're trying to expand and build our fan base."
Even if they have to do it one fan at a time.
E-mail greynolds@dallasnews.com - DALLAS MORING NEWS


Discography

"Not That Lucky" (Smith Entertainment/2009), "Two Ton Tuesday Live From Gruene Hall" (Palo Duro Records/2007), "Vegas" (Palo Duro Recods/2005), "Transparent"(Palo Duro Records/2004)

Photos

Bio

Before there was Americana, before there was Texas Country, Two Tons of Steel front man Kevin Geil and his original band, “Dead Crickets,” rocked a sound that blended the best of musical worlds and pushed the envelope of “Texas” sound with a signature brand of high-energy country meets raw punk.

The San Antonio-based group packed the small bars and local hangouts and quickly became the Alamo City’s most-loved band, earning them a spot on the cover of Billboard Magazine in 1996. It was the beginning of a twenty year journey for Geil and the 4-piece ensemble.

Releasing “Two Tons Of Steel” in 1994 and “Crazy For My Baby” in 1995 on Blue Fire Records, a sponsorship deal with Lone Star Beer quickly followed. Dead Crickets, renamed Two Tons of Steel in 1996 began traveling outside of Texas, including stops at the Grand Ole’ Opry in Nashville, Tenn., the National Theater in Havana, Cuba, and European tours, to greet fans who had embraced their Texas-born sound. In 1996 they released “Oh No!” on their independent label, “Big Bellied Records.” They followed up
the passion project with a live recording at the legendary Gruene Hall in Gruene, Texas, taped during a Two Ton Tuesday Show 1998.

In 2013, the band marks 18 years of “Two Ton Tuesday Live from Gruene Hall.” The summer-long event drew 13,000 fans in 2012 and more than 150,000 fans since it began its annual run in 1995.

The popular concert series was captured in “Two Ton Tuesday Live,” a DVD-CD combo released on Palo Duro Records in 2006. Also that year, the band’s first national release, “Vegas,” produced by Grammy Award-winning producer Lloyd Maines on the Palo Duro label, took them to No. 7 on the Americana Music Charts and was one of the top 20 releases of 2006. Two Tons released “Not That Lucky” in 2009. The album peaked at No. 4 on the Americana Music Charts and has made Two Tons of Steel a band to watch in 2013.

Two Tons Of Steel, Kevin Geil, Jake 'Sidecar' Marchese on Upright Bass, Will Owen Gage on Lead Guitar and Rich Alcorta on Drums continued to push the line between country and punk with their most recent project 'Unraveled' produced by Lloyd Maines in 2013.  The band recently wrapped up recording on their latest album, again with Lloyd, and expect a release early next year.