The Bad Examples, a Chicago area band that records on Chicago's own Waterdog record label, recently appeared in concert at Fitzgerald's in Berwyn, Illinois.
The opening act for the evening was an acoustic solo performance by Troy Campbell, a singer and guitarist for Loose Diamonds, a band from Austin, Texas. Campbell's sound, though a bit on the country-ish side, appeared to be thoroughly enjoyed by the small, but appreciative crowd.
As the time drew near for the Bad Examples to take the stage, the audience began to swell and the bar which had been comfortably full quickly became jam packed. It was quite obvious who these people had come out to see - the Bad Examples.
Aside from the usually exhilarating live show played to a packed house, the audience was expecting something more - this show would be the last performance of band member Terry Wathen.
Wathen, the drummer for the band, has been with them since their inception. In a short, impromptu interview before the show began he was asked why he was leaving.
"To take care of my dog," he answered.
Obviously, that is not the real reason behind Wathen's split, but since he evidently did not wish to discuss the matter, it was dropped.
Ralph Covert, lead singer and guitar player for the group, likens it to "a beautiful, twisted family." He is probably the most talkative of all of the members and when asked where he gets his inspiration says, "...my life. Being alive is a miracle ... If you can remember that every day you wake up, how much more inspiration can you ask for?"
Covert believes that the band's ties with Wathen are not completely broken. "Being in the band," he says, "is sort of like being in the army reserves... they always call you back."
Pickles Piekarski, the bass player, and Steve Gerlach, lead guitarist, are the other members of the Bad Examples. Neither of them had much to say except "I don't like interviews," (Piekarski) and "They called me," (Gerlach's response to a question about how he got started with the band.)
The Bad Examples have toured Europe twice and have had two songs make it into the top twenty there. Covert, speaking about this European success says, "The [record] companies can spend more money in Europe due to its smaller size. Most of the countries are about the same size as the Chicagoland area... we're just as big over here as we are over there."
Covert is right. Chicago audiences really love these guys. They sound as good live as they do on their recordings. And though they play often throughout the Chicagoland area, unfortunately, the only major Chicago radio station that they get any regular play on is WXRT, 93.1. With the release of their fourth CD, "Kisses Fifty Cents" hopefully that will all change.
"Right now, we're at a point where we feel like we're going to burst open," Covert says about their growing popularity. "It's a weird energy. It feels like just like it did the month before we had our first hit in Europe."