UnTrained Laymen

Center Stage: Untrained Laymen
By By
Thursday, November 1, 2007 4:06 PM CDT


Untrained Laymen will perform their mix of popular and original songs from 8:30 p.m. to 12:30 a.m. Saturday at Ivanhoe Pub & Eatery, 231 Main St. Cover charge is $4.

The unique backgrounds and influences of Untrained Laymen's members is reflected in their distinctively original sound and in their CDs, "Why Not Now" and "Weather The Storm."

Tom Hagemann on guitar and lead vocals lends his acoustic upbringing to the Laymen sound, having honed his smooth vocals and no-frills six string on James Taylor, CSN and early Lennon /McCartney among others. His writing ability is widely renowned in the area.

Skip Carlson adds a cutting-edge electronic element to the Laymen, allowing influences from Rush, U2, REM and a variety of innovators of the time to mesh with his own creative impulses and technical curiosity. The merging of tastes and talents as seemingly diverse as Tom's and Skip's gives the Untrained Laymen its signature sound, as timeless and unspoiled today as it was when the two first formed the band 22 years ago.

A longtime veteran of Racine bands, Ron Fox on bass and vocals holds down half of the Laymen rhythm section. Ron's clean-playing technique and effortless harmonies competently compliment the core Laymen musical menu.

Scott Fox, Ron's brother, anchors the band on drums. His keen sense of tempo and solid playing keep the Untrained Laymen on track, not to mention the timing between the two brothers on bass and drums is something you just can't teach.

Everyone seems to hear something different in the Untrained Laymen - a primary reason the band's been a top draw for so long. Some focus on Tom Hagemann's flawlessly clear and confidently subtle singing. Some hear Skip Carlson's fluid guitar passages and pick up a bit of the Edge's mastery, a sliver of Alex Lifeson, a touch of Peter Buck, yet personalized in a way that only Skip can translate through his playing. Ron and Scott form about the tightest framework a bass player and drummer can lay down. Ron can weave in and out musical styles without missing a beat, from Off Broadway to Barenaked Ladies. Scott's influence by drummers from Led Zepplin, Cheap Trick and off-Broadway make it clear his solid drumming reflects dedication to his craft.

Center Stage appears Thursdays in Out & About. The deadline for submitting information is one week in advance. Band members and /or nightclub owners should send a color or black-and-white photograph, the band's name and biographical information, name and position of each band member, Web site if available and name and telephone number of a contact person to: Loreen Mohr, The Journal Times, 212 fourth St., Racine, WI 53403; or send e-mail to: lmohr@journaltimes.com

For more information, call Loreen Mohr at (262) 631-1725. - Racine Journal Times

Center Stage: Untrained Laymen
By By
Thursday, November 1, 2007 4:06 PM CDT


Untrained Laymen will perform their mix of popular and original songs from 8:30 p.m. to 12:30 a.m. Saturday at Ivanhoe Pub & Eatery, 231 Main St. Cover charge is $4.

The unique backgrounds and influences of Untrained Laymen's members is reflected in their distinctively original sound and in their CDs, "Why Not Now" and "Weather The Storm."

Tom Hagemann on guitar and lead vocals lends his acoustic upbringing to the Laymen sound, having honed his smooth vocals and no-frills six string on James Taylor, CSN and early Lennon /McCartney among others. His writing ability is widely renowned in the area.

Skip Carlson adds a cutting-edge electronic element to the Laymen, allowing influences from Rush, U2, REM and a variety of innovators of the time to mesh with his own creative impulses and technical curiosity. The merging of tastes and talents as seemingly diverse as Tom's and Skip's gives the Untrained Laymen its signature sound, as timeless and unspoiled today as it was when the two first formed the band 22 years ago.

A longtime veteran of Racine bands, Ron Fox on bass and vocals holds down half of the Laymen rhythm section. Ron's clean-playing technique and effortless harmonies competently compliment the core Laymen musical menu.

Scott Fox, Ron's brother, anchors the band on drums. His keen sense of tempo and solid playing keep the Untrained Laymen on track, not to mention the timing between the two brothers on bass and drums is something you just can't teach.

Everyone seems to hear something different in the Untrained Laymen - a primary reason the band's been a top draw for so long. Some focus on Tom Hagemann's flawlessly clear and confidently subtle singing. Some hear Skip Carlson's fluid guitar passages and pick up a bit of the Edge's mastery, a sliver of Alex Lifeson, a touch of Peter Buck, yet personalized in a way that only Skip can translate through his playing. Ron and Scott form about the tightest framework a bass player and drummer can lay down. Ron can weave in and out musical styles without missing a beat, from Off Broadway to Barenaked Ladies. Scott's influence by drummers from Led Zepplin, Cheap Trick and off-Broadway make it clear his solid drumming reflects dedication to his craft.

Center Stage appears Thursdays in Out & About. The deadline for submitting information is one week in advance. Band members and /or nightclub owners should send a color or black-and-white photograph, the band's name and biographical information, name and position of each band member, Web site if available and name and telephone number of a contact person to: Loreen Mohr, The Journal Times, 212 fourth St., Racine, WI 53403; or send e-mail to: lmohr@journaltimes.com

For more information, call Loreen Mohr at (262) 631-1725. - Racine Journal Times

Center Stage: Untrained Laymen
By Journal Times staff
Thursday, March 25, 2004 11:00 AM CST


Racine's UnTrained Laymen will hold a CD release party from 10 p.m. to close Saturday at Optyx, 6501 Washington Ave. Cover charge is $7.

Formed in 1983, UnTrained Laymen have played more than 300 shows and have opened for bands such as The Romantics, The Alarm and Joan Jett. Combining a mix of creative originals with select cover songs from the '70s to today, by bands such as REM and the Beatles, the band always hosts a great time.

The group's music includes acoustic rock and alternative songs with powerful vocals and harmonies. In 1998, UnTrained Laymen released their first CD, "Why Not Now." Their second CD, "Weather the Storm," will be released Saturday for $15.

Band members are Tom Hagemann, vocals and acoustic guitar; Skip Carlson, electric guitar and vocals; Ron Fox, bass guitar and vocals; and Rick Shepard, drums.

Center Stage appears Thursdays in Out & About. Deadline for submitting information is one week in advance. For more information, call Loreen Mohr at (262) 631-1725. Send information to: Loreen Mohr, The Journal Times, 212 fourth St., Racine, WI 53403; or send e-mail to: lmohr@journaltimes.com

- Racine Journal Times

Center Stage: Untrained Laymen
By Journal Times staff
Thursday, March 25, 2004 11:00 AM CST


Racine's UnTrained Laymen will hold a CD release party from 10 p.m. to close Saturday at Optyx, 6501 Washington Ave. Cover charge is $7.

Formed in 1983, UnTrained Laymen have played more than 300 shows and have opened for bands such as The Romantics, The Alarm and Joan Jett. Combining a mix of creative originals with select cover songs from the '70s to today, by bands such as REM and the Beatles, the band always hosts a great time.

The group's music includes acoustic rock and alternative songs with powerful vocals and harmonies. In 1998, UnTrained Laymen released their first CD, "Why Not Now." Their second CD, "Weather the Storm," will be released Saturday for $15.

Band members are Tom Hagemann, vocals and acoustic guitar; Skip Carlson, electric guitar and vocals; Ron Fox, bass guitar and vocals; and Rick Shepard, drums.

Center Stage appears Thursdays in Out & About. Deadline for submitting information is one week in advance. For more information, call Loreen Mohr at (262) 631-1725. Send information to: Loreen Mohr, The Journal Times, 212 fourth St., Racine, WI 53403; or send e-mail to: lmohr@journaltimes.com

- Racine Journal Times

The Alarm to ring in Salmon-A-Rama
BY MARCI LAEHR TENUTA, July 13, 2001
Saturday, July 14, 2001 12:30 AM CDT


RACINE -- Opening night of the 27th annual Salmon-A-Rama is expected to be a true crowd-pleaser with the internationally known rock group The Alarm, headlining tonight.

"We are really excited," said Lora Halberstadt, Salmon-A-Rama entertainment coordinator. "We have had well-known acts from the '50s and '60s in the past, but this has to be the most well-known modern act to ever play Salmon-A-Rama."

The Alarm is the most successful rock group to ever come from Wales. They achieved worldwide recognition from 1981 to 1991 with 14 Top 50 singles and seven albums. The Alarm's discography included: "Declaration," "Strength," "Eye of the Hurricane," "Change" and "Raw" before disbanding in 1991.

The group shared the stage with U2 and Bob Dylan during their 10 years of international fame.

Today, The Alarm lives on through leader Mike Peters, who has hit the road with a full band supporting him. "This tour (Alarm 2001) is the kind of tour The Alarm never actually did in the first generation," Peters said. "We never went out and played the greatest-hits tour. We always had new music to convey, we always had a new album out, so that took center stage. Whereas this time, I'm able to just go through the catalog, choose the best songs we ever recorded or played live ... so it's great for the fans."

Peters recently remastered the entire catalog of albums into The Alarm 2000 collection with contributions from all the original band members.

Alarm 2001 has received rave reviews from Billboard magazine and VH1, and has played to sellout crowds as recently as June 25 in New York City.

The Alarm will take The Journal Times Main Stage at 8:30 tonight and again at 10 p.m. Untrained Laymen will open the event at 6:30 p.m. on the main stage, Al Clausen will play from 6:30 to 10:30 p.m. at Club Salmon-A-Rama, and Kickin' Kountry will perform from 6:30 to 10:30 p.m. on the WRJN Stage.

The 27th anniversary display of fireworks will begin at 9:30 p.m.

The Salmon-A-Rama grounds open at 6 p.m. Throughout the rest of the week, hours will be 11 a.m. to midnight, except for July 22 when the grounds close at 6 p.m.

The Salmon-A-Rama fishing contest begins 12:01 a.m. Saturday.

Season passes to the festival and fishing contest are $7 in advance and $10 at the door. Regular admission for adults is free until 6 p.m. Monday through Friday and $3 after 6 p.m. and all day on Saturday and Sunday. Children 12 and under are free. Fishermen with contest entry tickets are free. Admission for senior citizens 62 and older is $2 any time.

On Saturday nights free admission will be given to anyone with a Racine Raiders game admission ticket.

Organizers are encouraging festival goers to take Fourth Street and park in the Lake Avenue parking ramp - Racine Journal Times

The Alarm to ring in Salmon-A-Rama
BY MARCI LAEHR TENUTA, July 13, 2001
Saturday, July 14, 2001 12:30 AM CDT


RACINE -- Opening night of the 27th annual Salmon-A-Rama is expected to be a true crowd-pleaser with the internationally known rock group The Alarm, headlining tonight.

"We are really excited," said Lora Halberstadt, Salmon-A-Rama entertainment coordinator. "We have had well-known acts from the '50s and '60s in the past, but this has to be the most well-known modern act to ever play Salmon-A-Rama."

The Alarm is the most successful rock group to ever come from Wales. They achieved worldwide recognition from 1981 to 1991 with 14 Top 50 singles and seven albums. The Alarm's discography included: "Declaration," "Strength," "Eye of the Hurricane," "Change" and "Raw" before disbanding in 1991.

The group shared the stage with U2 and Bob Dylan during their 10 years of international fame.

Today, The Alarm lives on through leader Mike Peters, who has hit the road with a full band supporting him. "This tour (Alarm 2001) is the kind of tour The Alarm never actually did in the first generation," Peters said. "We never went out and played the greatest-hits tour. We always had new music to convey, we always had a new album out, so that took center stage. Whereas this time, I'm able to just go through the catalog, choose the best songs we ever recorded or played live ... so it's great for the fans."

Peters recently remastered the entire catalog of albums into The Alarm 2000 collection with contributions from all the original band members.

Alarm 2001 has received rave reviews from Billboard magazine and VH1, and has played to sellout crowds as recently as June 25 in New York City.

The Alarm will take The Journal Times Main Stage at 8:30 tonight and again at 10 p.m. Untrained Laymen will open the event at 6:30 p.m. on the main stage, Al Clausen will play from 6:30 to 10:30 p.m. at Club Salmon-A-Rama, and Kickin' Kountry will perform from 6:30 to 10:30 p.m. on the WRJN Stage.

The 27th anniversary display of fireworks will begin at 9:30 p.m.

The Salmon-A-Rama grounds open at 6 p.m. Throughout the rest of the week, hours will be 11 a.m. to midnight, except for July 22 when the grounds close at 6 p.m.

The Salmon-A-Rama fishing contest begins 12:01 a.m. Saturday.

Season passes to the festival and fishing contest are $7 in advance and $10 at the door. Regular admission for adults is free until 6 p.m. Monday through Friday and $3 after 6 p.m. and all day on Saturday and Sunday. Children 12 and under are free. Fishermen with contest entry tickets are free. Admission for senior citizens 62 and older is $2 any time.

On Saturday nights free admission will be given to anyone with a Racine Raiders game admission ticket.

Organizers are encouraging festival goers to take Fourth Street and park in the Lake Avenue parking ramp - Racine Journal Times

Sounding Board: Untrained Laymen back on local music scene
By Pat Fineran
Thursday, October 9, 1997 3:00 AM CDT


Pat Fineran for the Journal Times

I was sitting quietly the other night over a pint when the strangest thing happened. Well, maybe not the strangest. It wasn't like a walrus wearing a Jerry Valle mask waddled up beside me and broke out into a medley of Louis Armstrong songs. A tennis match of a conversation across from me suddenly stopped as I was asked with all seriousness, ``Whatever happened to Mike Love and John Stamos?"

Now, I can understand the part about Mike Love. The former Beach Boy will be playing right here in the Belle City in early November if there are others of you who now grow curious. But John Stamos? Really!

It seems to be human nature to ponder the question, ``Whatever happened to..." Let's set the wayback machine to 1984. Ronald Reagan was in his first term as president. Walter Mondale wanted a first term as president. A hotshot band named the Untrained Laymen formed in Racine.

Jet up to the present. Ronald Reagan's best year was 1984. Walter Mondale doesn't want to remember 1984. The Untrained Laymen Skip Carlsen, Tom Hagemann, Michael Edquist and Ron Fox wish they looked like they did in 1984. They do, however, sound as good as ever.

The Untrained Laymen played about 250 shows during their salad days in the mid- to late '80s, according to guitarist and keyboardist Carlsen. ``We only decided to start playing again regularly about a year ago," he says. ``We figured about four shows a year would be just right. We all have families now, and it's just a little harder to tour constantly."

Does one of the hottest bands ever to come out of Racine miss the road though?

``You know, touring can be a lot of headaches," Carlsen says, ``but it also gives you a lot of stories. You get together and say, `Remember the time that blonde's hair started on fire in the club?' It's kind of like Band Club for the guys."

Carlsen says the band has been writing a lot since it's not playing out so much. Anything that can be added to Untrained's spectacular original and cover catalog of Midwest jangle rock is a welcome tonic. Untrained Laymen will perform at George's Saturday. The last time they played the club was when Susan Lucci first started winning Emmys. O.K., so it will be a first time for them both.

Untrained Laymen Skip Carlsen and Michael Edquist have been regular contributors to Pastor Tim's CDs over the years. The two, along with a who's who of area talent, helped record ``Shoved By The Dove" and ``Lutheran Jello" for charity. The much-loved singing clergyman is flying away to Minnesota soon. The two discs of upbeat, eclectic music will remain available for purchase at Good Shepherd Lutheran Church.

It's easy to talk a lot of trash about musicians maybe because some of them are able to talk the talk with the best of them. When it comes right down to it though, most musical types have hearts of gold. They have a tendency to take care of their own and those in their broader community.

The details are a bit sketchy, but a benefit concert is in the early planning stages as this is being written. Seven-year-old Nicky Frederiksen has run into a bunch of medical problems that will tally up quite a hunk of change. To help her out, Mike Alvarez of the Sandcarvers is putting together the concert. The event is tentatively set for Oct. 19 at Club Fusion. The goal is to raise money by putting together some of the most diverse, talented bands in the area that may not be able to play some of our outdoor festivals.

I've often been of the opinion that ``What's Mine Is Yours." It just so happens that's the name of a compilation disc featuring a young Racine band. On the disc subtitled ``The Emo Diaries," Only Airplanes Count gets to show its own take on ``emo" music. As near as I can figure, emo is short for emotional and that is how Only Airplanes Count plays. The band is composed of Mark and Nick Sheppard, Ryan Poulsen and Whitney Teska. Check it out on Deep Elm Records - popvinyl@ol.com or e-mail the band at only airplanes=uno.com.

Have you ever wondered why some bands get all the ink and most of the jobs? Sure, talent plays into the equation, but maybe it's because they go to the right meetings. If you're involved in the music business, you should check out a Wisconsin Area Music Industry (WAMI) meeting. They're held the first Wednesday of every month at Dickens Pub in Milwaukee. November's speakers are Bob Babisch (chief booker of Summerfest) and John Ertl. Trust me, the contacts you'll make alone are worth it!

That's it for tis week. See some bands. - Racine Journal Times

Sounding Board: Untrained Laymen back on local music scene
By Pat Fineran
Thursday, October 9, 1997 3:00 AM CDT


Pat Fineran for the Journal Times

I was sitting quietly the other night over a pint when the strangest thing happened. Well, maybe not the strangest. It wasn't like a walrus wearing a Jerry Valle mask waddled up beside me and broke out into a medley of Louis Armstrong songs. A tennis match of a conversation across from me suddenly stopped as I was asked with all seriousness, ``Whatever happened to Mike Love and John Stamos?"

Now, I can understand the part about Mike Love. The former Beach Boy will be playing right here in the Belle City in early November if there are others of you who now grow curious. But John Stamos? Really!

It seems to be human nature to ponder the question, ``Whatever happened to..." Let's set the wayback machine to 1984. Ronald Reagan was in his first term as president. Walter Mondale wanted a first term as president. A hotshot band named the Untrained Laymen formed in Racine.

Jet up to the present. Ronald Reagan's best year was 1984. Walter Mondale doesn't want to remember 1984. The Untrained Laymen Skip Carlsen, Tom Hagemann, Michael Edquist and Ron Fox wish they looked like they did in 1984. They do, however, sound as good as ever.

The Untrained Laymen played about 250 shows during their salad days in the mid- to late '80s, according to guitarist and keyboardist Carlsen. ``We only decided to start playing again regularly about a year ago," he says. ``We figured about four shows a year would be just right. We all have families now, and it's just a little harder to tour constantly."

Does one of the hottest bands ever to come out of Racine miss the road though?

``You know, touring can be a lot of headaches," Carlsen says, ``but it also gives you a lot of stories. You get together and say, `Remember the time that blonde's hair started on fire in the club?' It's kind of like Band Club for the guys."

Carlsen says the band has been writing a lot since it's not playing out so much. Anything that can be added to Untrained's spectacular original and cover catalog of Midwest jangle rock is a welcome tonic. Untrained Laymen will perform at George's Saturday. The last time they played the club was when Susan Lucci first started winning Emmys. O.K., so it will be a first time for them both.

Untrained Laymen Skip Carlsen and Michael Edquist have been regular contributors to Pastor Tim's CDs over the years. The two, along with a who's who of area talent, helped record ``Shoved By The Dove" and ``Lutheran Jello" for charity. The much-loved singing clergyman is flying away to Minnesota soon. The two discs of upbeat, eclectic music will remain available for purchase at Good Shepherd Lutheran Church.

It's easy to talk a lot of trash about musicians maybe because some of them are able to talk the talk with the best of them. When it comes right down to it though, most musical types have hearts of gold. They have a tendency to take care of their own and those in their broader community.

The details are a bit sketchy, but a benefit concert is in the early planning stages as this is being written. Seven-year-old Nicky Frederiksen has run into a bunch of medical problems that will tally up quite a hunk of change. To help her out, Mike Alvarez of the Sandcarvers is putting together the concert. The event is tentatively set for Oct. 19 at Club Fusion. The goal is to raise money by putting together some of the most diverse, talented bands in the area that may not be able to play some of our outdoor festivals.

I've often been of the opinion that ``What's Mine Is Yours." It just so happens that's the name of a compilation disc featuring a young Racine band. On the disc subtitled ``The Emo Diaries," Only Airplanes Count gets to show its own take on ``emo" music. As near as I can figure, emo is short for emotional and that is how Only Airplanes Count plays. The band is composed of Mark and Nick Sheppard, Ryan Poulsen and Whitney Teska. Check it out on Deep Elm Records - popvinyl@ol.com or e-mail the band at only airplanes=uno.com.

Have you ever wondered why some bands get all the ink and most of the jobs? Sure, talent plays into the equation, but maybe it's because they go to the right meetings. If you're involved in the music business, you should check out a Wisconsin Area Music Industry (WAMI) meeting. They're held the first Wednesday of every month at Dickens Pub in Milwaukee. November's speakers are Bob Babisch (chief booker of Summerfest) and John Ertl. Trust me, the contacts you'll make alone are worth it!

That's it for tis week. See some bands. - Racine Journal Times