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The below text is not current and was written over ten years ago, lots and lots has changed since then, but the below is posted for entertainment purposes only and will be updated soon.
Lavapop’s Bio as of 11/11/99
Lavapop is a four piece rock’n roll band based in Texas originally founded by songwriters Greg Ellenwood and James Shields. Current members include Michel Jerome on drums, Gary Adgate on bass guitar, Nic Schonbeck as lead guitarist, and James Shields on vocals and guitar.
Austin singer-songwriter James Shields graduated from the University of Texas in Austin in the Fall of ’96, double majoring in Physics and Economics. In the Spring of 1997, James joined up with Denton singer-songwriter Greg Ellenwood, Carrolton based bass guitar player/songwriter Gary Adgate, and Dallas drummer Michael Jerome Moore to record and perform original rock songs.
Beginning in the Summer of 1997, the band began regularly rehearsing Sunday nights in the old front room of Alley Cat Productions on Denton’s Fry Street. In the late Fall, Rio Wallace joined the band bringing to the band’s groove rock sound, his great skill at playing lead guitar. Normally rehearsals would start by James and/or Greg would presenting new songs to the band (the bones), and then the band would "flesh" them out. The band continued crafting the new songs while recording them, giving the music time to breathe, and ultimately spending nearly a year in the studio.
In the Winter of 1997, James Shields got a rough pre-master of the band’s forth coming CD into the hands of Willie Nelson. Willie liked what he heard, and has been a loyal fan of the band. He invited the band to perform at his annual Fourth of July Picnic in Luckenbach, Texas.
That same Winter, Greg Ellenwood was diagnosed with cancer. In the Spring of 1998, the band performed at Dallas venues Club Dada and the Dark Room.
The recording project that began in the Spring of 1997, became a physical entity when CD’s were manufactured, and then delivered July 2, 1998. The band’s performance at Willie Nelson’s picnic, in front of a crowd of nearly ten thousand, was a tremendous success. The band’s performance at the picnic can be viewed occasionally on the Austin Music Network or anytime at the band’s website(www.lavapop.com).
Fall 1998 found the band crafting new songs and performing on a regular basis at the Ft.Worth venue The Aardvark and occasionally at Dallas’ Barley House.
1998 was a very tough year for the band, seeing one of it valued members suffer from cancer. In 1999, Greg Ellenwood's suffering ended when he passed away on February 4th. His cancer that had been first discovered in his knee in December 1997, had spread from his knee to his spine to his lungs. Greg was forty one.
During that same Winter, the band started work on recording a new three song demo CD. Over the course of two years of playing together the band’s sound had matured substantially, hence the need for the band to document more accurately than their first CD where the band was now musically and what direction they were moving in. This demo project was released in late March, 1999. The band performed at the Curtain Club in Dallas in July. Later that Summer the band was forced to regroup.
Michael Jerome, who is known regionally and nationally for his work with Course Of Empire, pop poppins, and Cotton Mouth, Tx, got the gig playing drums for legendary British singer-songwriter-guitarist Richard Thompson. This meant Michael would be spending periods of time away from Lavapop while touring the US and Europe with Richard Thompson, though the band continues to perform with Michael when he is available. When he is not, a very capable drummer subs for him.
Rio Wallace now performs four sometimes six night a week for a disco cover band called Le Freak. Sooooo, Rio will continue to perform and record with Lavapop but on a very limited basis.
Lavapop has added guitarist Nic Schonbeck whose sound very much compliments Lavapop’s. Nic is from Sweden and currently attends the University of North Texas’ Jazz School, and plays in their 4 O’clock Lab Band. The interesting background story here is that James was in a band in 1993 called The Southern Cross with a bass player from Sweden named Ola who also attended UNT. When Ola graduated, he went back to Sweden and told everyone of the greatness of the Jazz School at UNT. Nic was a friend of Ola’s over in Sweden, and was later introduced to James in Texas through a mutual friend.
James Shields with various members of Lavapop currently performs every Wednesday at the Liquid Lounge, in Deep Ellum, Dallas, Texas back in May, 1999, and continues to do so [sic.last show there was in 2003 at the Liquid Lounge/Curtain Club]. James also calls Austin ’home’ and spends his weekends there either on 6th or out by the lake...
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