'There's no age limit to being a musician'

Columbia Basin performers band together

COLUMBIA BASIN - The musicians rehearsing on the stage of Soap Lake's Masquers Theater Monday afternoon go way back.

Soap Lake resident Darrell Morris, Ephrata resident Phil Bilodeau and Moses Lake resident Tom Brimm know each other from their days in junior high and high school in Ephrata and Moses Lake, while Soap Lake resident Don Johnstad moved into the area about 25 years ago to work with Bonnie Guitar, and joined the group about five years ago.

The four performers comprise part of several area bands.

This weekend, Morris, Brimm and Johnstad perform with Creston resident Chuck Dunlap as the Sagebrush Skillet Lickers at the Soap Lake Businessman's Club at 8 p.m. Friday, and at the Sun Banks Resort in Grand Coulee Saturday at 6:30 p.m.

Next weekend, they perform as Darrell Morris and the Wire for the first time at 1 p.m. July 19 during Ephrata's Basin Summer Sounds, promoting Morris' new CD, "Next Big Step." Seattle guitar player Rod Cook also performs with the group. Bilodeau is a guest keyboard player who also performs in the Cashmere-based band Slack Daddy.

"We kind of move around a little bit, all of us," Morris said.

"I think a lot of people are freelancing a lot more than they used to when they were younger," Bilodeau said. "We have core groups. I think what happens now is you've got several people that just sort of interact with different groups. That's what we do … The core of us, we go way back."

"We played together after junior high and high school, and we actually moved to the coast for a while," Brimm said. "We played on the coast for a while and then came back and went our separate ways for about 25 years."

Morris, Brimm and Bilodeau have played together, off and on, for about 30 years.

"You'd think they'd get it right and quit after 30 years," Johnstad joked, adding with a laugh, "They're still trying to figure out how to kick me out."

Morris said he was contacted by the Ephrata Chamber of Commerce to perform in Basin Summer Sounds, and called his fellow musicians.

"These are the guys who are the top musicians around," he said. "I couldn't find any better musicians even in Nashville. There's good musicians there, believe me, and everywhere, but there's some great musicians in this area. These guys here know my music."

Much of the cover music Morris performs is music he grew up with, the works of such musicians as Eric Clapton, Tom Petty, the Byrds and Bob Dylan plus his own music, which he says compares to those artists.

What keeps the Columbia Basin residents coming together, though, is something Brimm calls a "unique" chemistry.

"We all just play like mental telepathy, it kind of flows, you know?" he said. "And it's fun."

"I love playing with these guys," Morris said. "I love what we do. It feels good, so we do it."

"I've probably been in 100 bands - I've lived in L.A. and I've lived in Seattle - and this is probably my most exciting band I've ever been in," Johnstad said. "I just like these guys."

Bilodeau advises patience to any residents currently eyeing a musical career.

"Young people want it all right now and they don't realize they have to work hard to become a good musician, and stay on top of that," he said. "I don't think people realize the amount of time you have to dedicate to being pretty proficient at what you're doing. It just takes some dedication. Never be discouraged."

"Have fun at it," Brimm said. "Fun is a key thing, you know?"

"In fact, that's one thing that keeps us together and keeps us young," Bilodeau agreed. "We enjoy doing this, we can stretch back into our youth. You never have to give up your dreams. No matter what age you're at, you can always be enjoying something you like to do, stay involved in it. There's no age limit to being a musician."

The performers hope their audiences enjoy the music.

"I hope they throw their underwear on stage," Brimm said with a laugh.

The musicians' complete schedule can be found online at www.myspace.com/darrellmorrismusic. Morris' CD is available online through his MySpace page and will be available on his Web site, currently in the works.