Pink Houses
Watertown Riverfest Appearance
Saturday, August 2
4:30 p.m.
and
8:30 p.m.
By Greg
Ylvisaker of the Watertown Daily Times
staff
Tom Reitz, a
dentist from Edgerton who is also the lead singer and founder of the band Pink
Houses, did not want to be one of the "dime a dozen heavy metal and rock
and roll bands" when he was toying with the idea of starting his own band.
Reitz had been
on the music scene in southern Wisconsin for more than 20 years playing in
several bands including Delusions of Grandeur and Angel White. According to the
Pink Houses Web site he said "it's very hard to rise to the top of that
music genre" meaning heavy metal or rock. Having played in that area of music
for some time, he wanted to find a new niche enabling his band to be noticed,
and play larger venues and shows. According to the site there were no other
Mellencamp bands in the area.
"Initially
I wanted to do something where we would be the only game around," Reitz
said. "More than that though, was when you saw a live Mellencamp show, it
was just gripping. The instrumentation and backup vocals were fabulous, and we
really wanted to recreate the energy that he brought to the stage. It also fit
my voice range. I had never been a lead singer before, so I wanted to do
something that fit me."
The band was at
one point an 11 member band, but they are down to 10 now. A Pink Houses' show
will feature standard instruments, but also a saxophone, fiddle, accordion and
various other instruments. This format is complicated, and requires hard work
to achieve.
"It was
extremely challenging to get 10 people to rehearsal and up on stage,"
Reitz said. "After the band got together it was probably about nine months
before we were ready to hit the stage. It was about a year and a half before we
really gelled and came together. Everyone has families and jobs to think about
also, so things can get crazy at times."
While Pink
Houses stays in Wisconsin most of the time, they have played several shows in
other states.
"We've been
as far as St. Louis, but we do play in Illinois and Iowa. We've also played in
Valparaiso, Ind., and we'll probably be doing some casino work," Reitz
said.
This will be the
first trip the band will make to Riverfest. The show will feature original
Mellencamp hits, but also some covers he performed at his shows. The band will
also be performing covers not done by Mellencamp, but "with a Mellencamp
twist." Reitz said they enjoy playing festivals for several reasons.
"The best
part about festivals has to be the people, and the energy from the crowd,"
he said. "Another plus for us is the stages at festivals are usually
larger than a normal club stage. With a 10 member band, many places can't
accommodate us. These venues really let us spread out, and cut loose a
little."
Pink Houses will
perform twice on Saturday, Aug. 2. The first show begins at 4:30 p.m., and the
second show will start at 8:30 p.m.