Reflection

 In this week’s blog post, band manager Derrick Miller will be discussing the band’s mutual love of music, from hitting up concerts to rocking out to jams in the car.

 Name: Derrick Miller

 Title: Band Manager

 This past weekend was a great example of why we do what we do. It was mostly about the music.

 On Saturday, Will Wackerman, Peter Wackerman and I attended a Roger Waters’ concert, where he performed “The Wall.” For anyone unsure of what that is, “The Wall” is a musical masterpiece by Pink Floyd.

 Admittedly, this wasn’t your typical concert. I’ve been to concerts where the entire audience area is nothing but a mosh pit. And I’ve been to concerts where you sit back and enjoy the music. This was more of a performance piece, something you might see off Broadway.

 Regardless, the performance was masterful.

 Keep in mind, this was my first concert this year and one of the few I’ve been to since 2009. Let’s just say, concerts cost money, and 2010 and 2011 were not the best years for concert going.

 Anyway, Will and Peter had been to numerous concerts within the week. The night before, Peter checked out Sawyer Brown. Earlier in the week, they had attended a Van Halen concert.

 It’s music, this classic to hard rock, that helped us first bond. In college, Will and I would listen to an array of music at various times of any given day. In fact, Saturday night, we were listening to music on our computers. His was filled with The Beatles, Led Zeppelin and a tons of other artists. Mine included some Beach Boys, Brand New, Foster the People and other random stuff.

 As much as we enjoyed the concert, that wasn’t the only part of the weekend that stood out to me, musically.

 During the day, Saturday, Will, Peter, Josh Beebe and I went traveling around Tulsa, looking for free comics and various other odd and ends. Well, along the way, we found ourselves singing along to the music on Will’s stereo. This included Mr. Big’s “To Be with You.”

 Later in the day, Josh, Peter and Shelby Coulter all gathered around the piano, as Peter played piano and Josh worked on his guitar skills.

 It’s those moments that signify a bonding over music. Those are my favorite moments.

Behind the Scenes

In this week’s blog post, band manager Derrick Miller discusses the importance of civic-minded events for the band, and what fans may have to look forward to this summer.

Name: Derrick Miller

Title: Band Manager

Since K-4 began, there have been many opportunities to help others through music. I know this might sound a bit odd. But trust me, nothing quiet shows a support system like a group of guys cranking up instruments and showing their vocal skills.

The first band performance was at the Relay for Life of Stephens County in Duncan, Okla. While this performance was admittedly rough, being the first performance, the band was able to take what they learned and grow from there.

Since that first outing, the band has taken on several other civic ventures, including the AMBUCS wine festival, also in Duncan, the Tulsa Heart Walk and the Route 66 Marathon.

These events have been the life’s blood of K-4. Sure getting paid to perform is awesome. But there’s also a reward, a payment, that extends from helping someone else. I’m not saying dollar bills sprout every time the band does something for another person, but that would be really awesome.

The point of these ventures is to show support for the causes. It’s great exposure for the band and it gives the band mates and opportunity to show their skills. But the truth is, civic fundraisers are the heart of the band.

This summer, the band is looking at performing for two Relay For Life events. Both are set for June. The first will be in Duncan, while the second is set for Sand Springs, Okla.

I know I can speak for the band when I say, the band may continue to get paid for performances, but these civic outings will continue to be just as important. Keep ‘em coming.

Story Time

In today’s blog entry, band manager Derrick Miller discusses the perks of performing.

Name: Derrick Miller

Title: Band manager

There’s a hype that comes with a performance, an almost expectation. It’s feeling that can pump energy into a band.

In K-4 performances, this energy is amazing. For them, it’s about performing. It’s about the music.

But there is also an energy in the audience. It’s not unusual for members of the audience to dance or sing along during a K-4 performance. I’ve seen it. It’s entertaining.

The fact that K-4 performs a mix of covers and original songs gives them an opportunity to build a fan base. While audience members may be lured by the well known tunes, it’s the original songs that seem to stand out. These are songs the band takes great pride in.

When the band members perform songs like “Turn It Up” and “Things to Say,” there’s a truth the audience is able to relate to. Being that several of us share song writing duties gives a spectrum of truths to choose from.

We have even surprised each other in the thoughtful song writing. There are stories here, but not all are for public consumption.

On the stage, the K-4 guys become one. They work together to create music people can live by. And seeing that is one of the greatest things about performing.

Often people know the music and are transported back to a time where the song has significant meaning. Maybe it was a first kiss. Maybe it was a child’s first words. Songs have a way of bringing back memories. And in a way, K-4 serves as the time machine.

Even when I hear them perform songs I’ve written, I get taken back to a time when I felt those feelings. Hearing my words takes me to a different place, a different time.

But with all the joys of performing, the important rule stays strong: Just have fun. That’s really what the band is all about.

Story Time

In this week’s blog entry, lead guitarist Will Wackerman discusses some of the many reasons why K-4 plays the songs they do.

Name: Will Wackerman

Title: Lead Guitarist

Here’s a riddle for you:  Why would a band that never lived in the 50s, 60s, or 70s, cover songs mainly from the ’50s, ’60s and ’70s?  Why do these guys like oldies so much?

The answer to this question is not hard to come by.  Growing up, Peter and I listened to nothing but oldies stations. We road in the back of the care and did not have control of the radio. We still don’t, really, unless we’re driving.

I don’t think I ever really listened to new music until eighth or ninth grade.  I discovered “Smells like Teen Spirit” by Nirvana in 1999. I thought it was brand new. I assure you, this is pretty hilarious. Laugh aloud, if you so desire.

I also thought Hanson was a girl group, but didn’t everybody?

Anyway, the reason K-4 sticks to the oldies is partly because those are the songs Peter and I know by heart. I think we know more about music before we were alive than the people who actually lived during the time period most of our songs come from.

Shelby and Josh don’t listen to the oldies as religiously as me and Peter, but they listen to some. Shelby grew up listening to oldies like the Four Seasons songs or bands like KISS and ZZ Top. Josh grew up listening to all new music, so we make him suffer our oldies as much as we can. It’s quite entertaining. 

If Josh had his way, we’d be a strictly new music heavy metal band. If Shelby had his way, we’d be a Japanese pop band. Heck, if I had my way, we’d be a Beatles tribute band.

This is why Peter has his way, mostly. He likes songs we all mostly agree with, and he actually puts the music together for each one. He is not lazy, and thus, has the most say.

Anyway, I have lost my train of thought and therefore, this blog entry must come to an end. This has been a presentation of the Will’s Blog is better than Derrick’s Blog, Blog. Thank you.

(Editor’s note: I’m not sure Will realizes this is the same blog. Anyway, all blogs are special in their own way. Although, I’m the one who writes for a living.)

Inside Scoop

In this week’s blog entry, band manager Derrick Miller discusses the music writing process for the band, duties he shares with just about everyone in the band.

Name: Derrick Miller

Title: Band Manager

Music doesn’t just appear. It isn’t just words on a page. They aren’t lyrics that form in your mouth.

To write good music, a lot of elements are needed. And it all starts with a story. What story do you plan to tell through this song. Is it about a victory? A heartbreak? Or just enjoying the moment?

When I write song lyrics, I write them to mean something. I may get an interesting set of lyrics popping into my head, but it often depends on what’s going on in my life at that moment or while I reflecting back on where I’ve been.

To me, the best song lyrics are about life and life experiences. And trust me, I’ve shared enough of these life experiences with the guys. They may not know what every lyric refers to, but they get the gist of the story.

Although the story is important, finding the right words to say this are equally important. You can have a story, but until you have words to relay how you feel, there isn’t a song. I know just about all of us have tried are hand at writing lyrics, and I must admit, the guys are pretty awesome at it.

But a song doesn’t fully become a song without music to go along. I write lyrics. I leave it up to the guys to put music to my story. Peter and Will Wackerman have been two of the best song writers I’ve have had the honor of knowing. Either can take one of my lyric songs and put music to it to bring it to life.

Collectively, we have written more than a dozen or so songs for the band. More are written frequently. But only those dozen or song have taken shape with instruments. Personally, I have written probably a hundred or more songs, but have only shared a few with the band.

Every time the guys write a new song, it’s almost like Christmas for K-4. And we hope the fans feel the same way.

Story Time

For this week’s blog entry, band manager Derrick Miller reflects on the beginning, as the band worked to establish itself.

Name: Derrick Miller

Title: Band Manager

I’m not sure when a band officially becomes a band. I don’t know whether it’s from the first agreement of “Yeah, that would be cool,” or from the first performance. If it’s from the first time anyone picks up an instrument, Will and Peter Wackerman have been playing instruments throughout their lives.

For me, when K-4 first felt like a genuine band wasn’t necessarily in the first performance. I think something clicked for me when they performed at the Winen’ on the Chisholm Trail Wine Festival, a gig I got them playing for the Duncan Ambucs.

Yes, this was another charitable event. But in that day, we had all four guys together on stage for the first time. Josh Beebe, bassist, was a new addition only a few months earlier.

Still, the way the guys interacted and performed with one another, they were establishing themselves. They had grown from humble players to an actual band. And the music sounded like music.

Sure there were still some growing pains. You can’t create a band without them. There’s always something you can’t foresee or struggles to learn new songs. And this time, the guys had aced the playlist, covering songs from various decades.

I guess you could say I was proud of them. They showed me what it means to be a band, the brotherhood established. I can’t remember how long the performance lasted, but I took numerous photos throughout the event, feeling like a proud mother at a school play.

And along the way, there have been many other milestones that have helped to strengthen the band members’ bond. Together they, along with me, have written original music. They have been paid to play. And they have been invited to perform for various functions.

But the best way to know if a band has officially become a band is when you can tell they’re having fun.

That’s something I see every performance.

Story Time

In today’s blog entry, K-4 band manager Derrick Miller discusses how the roots of K-4 began when he met lead guitarist William Wackerman.

Name: Derrick Miller

Title: Band Manager

There are certain people you will always remember meeting.

For me, one of those people is Will Wackerman. It was my sophomore year of college (his freshman), and we were rooming on the same floor of our college residence hall.

One night, our floor was having a nickel poker night. Honestly, I’m not a poker player. I don’t mind card games; I just haven’t taken time to learn the poker. Instead, several of us sat around playing other games, Black Jack and the sort.

Will was among the other players.

As I was playing these card games, Will was talking to be about Spider-Man. I’m not exactly sure how long he talked about the Marvel character, but I could probably talk about the entire storyline of Spider-Man based on my friendship with Will.

One of the first things I remember Will telling me, aside from how Spider-Man’s name is hyphenated, was how he wanted to start a band. That was one of his primary goals for college.

Up to that point, I had written tons of song lyrics (although most of my favorites were past that point). I hadn’t thought of joining a band, but the idea got my mind going.

I guess you could say, with Will’s acknowledgement of wanting to start a band, we were already on our way there. Our first band attempt came after we met K-4 drummer Shelby Coulter.

Throughout my first year of hanging with Will, we had filmed humorous videos, including “Night of the Living Chicken” and other nameless videos that have since left my mind. After we started hanging out with Shelby the following year, we started a video trilogy called “Slice.”

For the first film in the trilogy, Will, Shelby and I wrote a song called “The Slice Theme.” Creative, I know.

Well, the three of us and our friend Scott Robison recorded the song and video to go along. We called ourselves The Slicers, and the first band was formed. I guess you could say The Slicers gave the first glimpse of K-4.

In the following songs, Scott moved off the dorm floor. Peter Wackerman, K-4 lead singer and keyboardist, moved onto the floor and into the band. I guess you could say my desire to see The Slicers perform for a crowd is what inspired me to volunteer the band to perform at Relay For Life years later.

I just didn’t know what would get started.

Story Time

This week is the start of a new series, where individuals discuss their stories relating to K-4. This week, band manager Derrick Miller talks about the formation of the band and the first performance.

Name: Derrick Miller

K-4 started almost by accident. While there had been discussion on putting the band together, no action had take place, aside from William Wackerman, Peter Wackerman and Shelby Coulter working to perfect their chosen instruments.

I guess you could say I took matters into my own hands when I suggested the band to perform at Relay For Life in 2010. The guys didn’t know I had recommended they perform, and when I told them about it, they immediately went to work on learning songs and striving to pull together as a band.

While they may have not been expecting to perform, I was impressed by how quickly they pulled together. They learned a wide range of songs. Basically, they began a well packed IPod.

The first performance by K-4 was toward the beginning of June 2010. And it didn’t quite go a smoothly as we expected. In fact, things started out poorly when the band arrived. The band wasn’t even scheduled to perform until 2 in the morning, instead of performing in the early to mid-evening.

When the band performed, people were tired, and the energy was low, except for the band and my friends I invited to watch the band.

Since I really hadn’t really practiced with the band, although I was going to help by adding my vocal talents, I ended up singing some back up, while dancing in the background. If you watch the initial videos on YouTube, I look like a moron. I also got to take lead on singing a Green Day song, despite not being prepared int he least. But we still had fun, although there were frequent interruptions by the DJ that night, who was increasing rude.

Still, for a first performance, it wasn’t bad. It wasn’t good, but it wasn’t bad.

Of course, following the performance, the guys liked the idea of being a band. Josh Beebe was brought in later to play bass.

And it’s been a fun road ever since.

Q&A

In today’s Q&A, Josh Beebe discusses random items. This is the last traditional Q&A update, at least for a while.

Randomness

1. What is your favorite color?

Blue

2. What’s the first thing you think of when you wake up in the morning?

Really…already….

3. Singing in the shower, singing in the car or “Singing in the Rain”?

Shower

4. What is the official food of K-4?

Mac and Cheese

Q&A

Once again, it’s Will Wackerman’s turn to answer some questions. And you can’t get much better than random in your questioning.

Name: William Wackerman

Randomness

1. What is your favorite color?

Red or Blue.  I can’t decide. Raph or Leo? Mario or Sonic? Heck, I’ll just take both cause they’re Spider-Man’s prominent costume colors. 

2. What’s the first thing you think of when you wake up in the morning?

I am really awake? Was I really just asleep? Are we just living lives in somebody else’s dreamworld? Is there an echo in hear? Hey!! WINSTON!!!!

3. Singing in the shower, singing in the car or “Singing in the Rain”?

Car. Definitely car. 

4. What is the official food of K-4?

 Burger King/Cici’s. It used to be Taco Mayo, then Derrick became manager and scrapped that first thing.