The White Falcon - 09.12.1988, Qupperneq 6

II
Kansas" rocks
by J02 Scott Johnson
Many NATO Base residents reached the "Point of
Know Return" last Sunday night when the
rock-and-roll band "Kansas" performed for a
capacity crowd at Hanger 831.
Iceland was the first stop on their DOD/USO tour
which will take them to England, Belgium, Germany
and the Azores.
The band, which recently released a new album,
"In the Spirit of Things," did the tour for several
different reasons.
"There's about two months of dead time after a
band releases an album before things start
happening," drummer Phil Ehart said, "and this
gives us a chance to get our act tight before we
start to tour.
"But, that's not the main reason we did this tour.
We did this tour because it's a cause we believe in.
We've volunteered before for other USO tours and
they've been very memorable."
Memorable is a word many NATO Base residents
will use when reflecting on "Kansas" and their time
spent here.
The group was very personable and met base
residents at every opportunity. While here, they
signed autographs and talked with residents at the
USO, Youth Center, Hospital, Marine Barracks and
after their performance.
“The audience here was great!" guitarist Steve
Morse said. "It wasn't just the audience that made
this stop fun, but the people that put in the long,
hard hours to make us comfortable. People went
out of their way for us and we really appreciated
it."
Even though the band has been around for 18
years, produced many albums and sold millions of
(L-R) Kansas lead guitarist Steve Morse and bass
guitarist Billy Greer jam during their Sunday night
concert. (Photo by J02 Scott Johnson)
base reside
Vocalist Steve Walsh belts out a high durimy^a
Kansas' classic song ‘Carry On '^^Bard
Walsh's soaring vocals and the band<BNfht rhytWB
captivated the NATO Base audience last Sunday night.
(Photo by J02 Scott Johnson)
Sgt. Rock-n-Roll was one of many NATO Base residents who enjoyed last Sunday
night's Kansas concert. (Photo by PH2 Scott E. Keesey)
records, the struggle to survive and flourish in the
dog-eat-dog world of rock-and-roll is, at times,
disheartening.
“The music business is very frustrating,
especially for an artist," Morse said. "Many times
you don't have a lot of say about what goes on an
album. You can't put what you think is best on the
record. Record companies decide what they think
is best and what will sell.
"The music industry stifles an artist creatively
because it turns them into businessmen. If the
artist is a purist and not willing to bend, then
they'll probably fail. It's definitely a frustrating
profession.“
Even though the music industry may be more
concerned with money than music, "Kansas" is still
a band that is unafraid to take chances and produce
music that is unique and never duplicated.
"We don't get labeled," guitarist Richard Williams
said. "You can't put a fence around us, because we
don't fit any certain mold.”
After finishing the DOD/USO tour, "Ka
embark on a stateside tour early next
promote "In the Spirit of Things.”
m
t^BPh
ill
to
ss guitarist Billy Greer meets Marine Sgt.
Jeffrey Shreve during a tour of the Marine Barracks.
(Photo by J02 Jodelle Blankenship)
Steve Walsji (L) signs an auto-
graph during a Youth Center visit.
(Photo by J02 Scott Johnson)
6
The White Falcon
December 9, 1988
7