Wheelchair Renegades
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Wheelchair Renegades

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The best kept secret in music

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"Wheelchair Renegades: In it for the long haul"

"Being in a band is one big marriage," said guitarist and singer Tim Lahr of Wheelchair Renegades. "I have one girlfriend, and two boyfriends."

Relaying messages of inspiration and being completely dedicated is what Wheelchair Renegades is all about.

"You can be happy, but you can never be content with the success of a band," Lahr said. "Every show is a work in progress to that final goal."

The band consists of Tim Reed, singer and guitar; Chad Lahr, bassist and singer; and Adam Brown on drums. The three have been playing together in Corvallis since they were 16 years old.

All best friends, the band won a talent show in high school, which proved to be the foundation for their instant local fame. Now older, wiser and improved, the band has come a long way.

The band members came up with the name Wheelchair Renegades when they were 17.

"At the time we all thought it was a cool name," Reed said.

Some of their edgy hard rock influences are The Matches, U2, Ben Folds Five, and Hip-Hop artist The Game.

"Our music is a message of hope," Lahr said. "We try to live what we sing about, and keep it real."

Recently, the band came out with a release called "The Best is yet to Come." This is the first studio-produced album for the band. The disc features songs based on life experiences, personal opinions and beliefs.

"We want to inspire people with our music, and help change lives," Reed said.

Inspiring lyrics are heard right away with songs like "The Best is Yet to Come," and "It Starts Today," which talk about how people need to start to live their life today and not wait for dreams but go out and achieve them.

"We get our lyrics from experiences and things that we've seen in life," Lahr said.

Being around for a long time, the band has completed four tours. Touring is a favorite for all the members of the band.

Touring, members said, is all about sleeping in the van and having no personal space. It is about hanging out in parking lots, talking to people and then driving to the next concert site.

Wheelchair Renegades has done a lot for the OSU-Corvallis community. They feel that they can connect with college-aged kids.

They get the best response from the college community, especially, playing at the MU Quad. Since there isn't an all-age music avenue in Corvallis, playing on or around campus is the next best thing.

They participated in many school-sponsored events this year including most recently Relay for Life and Rock the Green. Wheelchair Renegades has gotten a lot of publicity on campus, and has certainly increased their fan base.

"If we can make a little dent with someone, somewhere then we have done our job," Lahr said.


Jenna Santelli

http://media.barometer.orst.edu/media/storage/paper854/news/2007/05/25/Diversions/Wheelchair.Renegades.In.It.For.The.Long.Haul-2907954.shtml - OSU Barometer 5/25/07


"The Wheelchair Renegades unleash the freshman fury"

It's 11 p.m. on Wednesday night in the McNary Dining Center, and three overly excited guys grab their gummy bears and beloved push-up pops to talk about music, friendship and the power of live shows. The Wheelchair Renegades do a lot more than the typical college freshman band. So far, they've already toured in California, played sizable venues in Portland and are in the midst of booking another Cali tour for spring break.

Tim Reed (guitar and vocals), Chad Lahr (bass and vocals) and Adam Brown (drums) have been playing together for two years; however, Chad and Tim have been buddies ever since sniffing glue in kindergarten.

Adam, still known as "the new guy," joined in the festivies later. "They called me up and I had no idea who they were, but they're the reason I graduated early. Before I knew these guys I was so quiet. They basically corrupted me."

Growing up in Corvallis, The Wheelchair Renegades always struggled with the small, local music scene. The guys have played every show possible, even some crappy ones -- but any exposure is good exposure. Because they take live performances seriously, they've helped organize shows and overseen that everything runs smoothly.

Their love for performing led them to a 12-day tour this past December in California.

"Tim did all the booking, actually," Chad said. "He went online and found venues and called every single one of 'em. We have a couple of friends in bands that we hooked up with and did some shows with, too." Five guys literally living in Tim's 1994 Ford Aerostar for 12 days ... now that's dedication.

Overall, the tour was well worth missing a few showers. After a good show in San Francisco, three guys who ran a professional studio approached them and said they could record for free. So they extended the tour two more days and got over $1,000 of recording time. Not to mention earning fans' respect in each city.

This three-piece band incorporates a unique spin on modern rock 'n' roll, with catchy choruses and technical vocal harmonies, drawing major influence from bands like Blink 182, Less Than Jake, The Matches, Van Halen and Five Iron Frenzy.

"When you watch a band onstage, you can tell how they are as people," Tim said. "You can tell exactly how they feel about their music and fans." The guys in Wheelchair Renegades are all about playing live. "Live shows show if they're actually having fun," Chad said.

"A huge thing that holds our band together is friendship," Chad said. Maybe it's the fact that they basically hang out with each other. They even brought along two friends on tour: Pat, who helped helped with merch and video taping, and "Asian Chad," who was the resident guitar tech.

"When you watch our band, you just see no matter what your music style or taste is ... we're three guys that are doing what we love and are trying to make everyone in the crowd have as much fun as we're having onstage," Tim said.

Five years from now they hope to be touring full time and being able to live off this whole music gig. Good luck.

You can check out The Wheelchair Renegades around Corvallis, probably more often than you'd think, seeing as Tim has five jobs: Chevron, painting a house this week only, guitar lessons, Schafers and deep-tissue massages (for the band only, sorry!) Chad also sports the stylish Chevron jacket while Adam enjoys the unemployed life. (Employers: he's seeking work!)

They're playing tonight at Crescent Valley High School for the Mr. CV benefit starting at 9 p.m., and it's only $3. Hoping to make the cut for the upcoming Battle of the Bands, the boys will be playing Feb. 27 at Club Platinum.

For sound clips, contact information and some sweet pictures, check out http://www.myspace.com/wheelchairrenegades. Or just call them up. As Chad so eloquently put: "We'll play just about anywhere!"



Alicia DeCosta, Diversions writer

The Daily Barometer, 737-6377
- The Daily Barometer Oregon State University


"Local bands to 'Rock the Quad'"

Sunshine, shorts and sleeveless shirts beg one thing short of summer vacation: outdoor entertainment.

And what better way to start than a free concert in the MU Quad?

Wheelchair Renegades will kick off the show at 3:30 this afternoon, followed by Runaway Game and Sweater Club, as part of the first Rock on Campus concert.

"We got an idea to make a music scene," said Wheelchair Renegades guitarist and vocalist Tim Reed. "That's what Rock on Campus is all about."

A freshman in business marketing, Reed worked with his band and the MUPC to put on today's show. The ultimate goal is to amplify the all-age music scene in Corvallis.

"We want to get bands on campus to be able to connect," Reed said.

And to further that mission, he created the Web site rockoncampus.tripod.com.

"It's basically a resource to get bands together to talk and organize shows," said Chad Lahr, bassist and vocalist for the band.

Reed and Lahr are joined by percussionist Adam Brown, as well as Pat Oldham and Chad Harrington. After three years together, the five 19-year-olds boast shows at local venues such as Platinum and Headline, as well as several Portland locales and a six-show California tour. The band plans to record this week with Knob and Tube Productions, a local studio owned and operated by OSU student Sesh Kanery.

The concert's second band, Runaway Game, has also played around Corvallis and will compete in this year's Battle of the Bands.

Mike Pearsall (drums), Kyle Leber (bass) and Miles Mattern (guitar and vocals) are excited to see local musicians come together.

"There are a lot of good bands in Corvallis, but the music scene is lame," said Leber, a junior in psychology. Leber and the other band members have high hopes for Rock on Campus concerts.

Sweater Club is also jazzed up for the event. "We're excited to be involved in the community of campus bands," said guitarist and vocalist Matt Jager.

Pearsall agrees. "Tim [Reed] from Wheelchair Renegades should be applauded for putting this together."



Ashley Blake, staff writer

campus@dailybarometer.com, 737-2232 - The Daily Barometer Oregon Stat Univeristy


"Corvallis band scene:"

Following is a list of some of the best and brightest acts to emerge from the Corvallis scene. It's not an exhaustive list, but these are the groups that are changing our world...

...Wheelchair Renegades: Fresh back from their California tour. Catch these emo rockers before their first recording takes them out of town for good. - Eugene Weekly


Discography

Corporate Christmas (demo) 2005
1. One More Crash
2. Jaded and Cynic
3. Guardian Angel
4. Homesick
5. Reprise

Handbook for the Sellout EP 2005
1. Not Tonight
2. Guardian Angel
3. Jaded and Cynic
4. One More Crash
5. Just Blink
6. Homesick
7. Reprise

The Best is Yet to Come LP 2006
(all new recordings)
1. It Starts Today
2. One More Crash
3. Best is Yet to Come
4. Homesick
5. Guardian Angel
6. Jaded & Cynic
7. Time Passes By
8. Not Tonight
9. Destroy the World
10. Just Blink
11. Stop the Rain

Army of Hope EP 2007
1. Let it Go
2. November 28th

Photos

Feeling a bit camera shy

Bio

This relentless three-piece has been winning fans over for the last 3 years and, before you know it, will leave you with a mile high headache that yearns for more. Wheelchair Renegades shell out high energy rock and roll that pulls influences from modern musicians like The Matches and Less Than Jake, as well as older acts from Van Halen to U2. It all comes together as one of the hardest hitting bands that you will ever see, aggressive songs that hit you like a freight train and the onstage energy of a Slayer show tied together by melodic vocal progressions and near constant harmony.

Wheelchair Renegades debut full length CD entitled “The Best is yet to Come” is barely off the presses and will soon be in the hands of kids all over the west coast. The 11 songs on this record are the anthems to the lives of the three men that wrote them. This band wears their hearts on their sleeves and it all comes out on the stage. These young men hold nothing back as they run, jump, and rock you out of this world. The entire time that you see Wheelchair Renegades on stage, listen to “The Best is yet to Come,” or talk to these men in person nothing will be made clearer than their message of hope. The record and live show screams to NEVER give up on your dreams and fight for what you believe in no matter what the opposition. In their own words: ‘We are Wheelchair Renegades. The music that we play is the story of our lives. This is our message to the world: “Never lose hope. Never give up. Now is our time. The best is yet to come…’”