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Music

Meet the Band: Four Star Riot

A look at a band with local ties.

By JULIE GARISTO
Published March 1, 2007

THE BAND: Steve Alex, rhythm guitar and vocals; Chaz Winzenread, lead guitar and vocals; Johnny Deliz, bass; and Mike Chilton, drums.

SOUL TO ROCK AND BACK AGAIN: Clearwater residents Chilton and Alex met in middle school. They got together with Deliz and started Soulsystem in 1998, and they changed the name to Four Star Riot in 2003. As you'd imagine by their former band name, the guys borrowed heavily from the blues and Motown, incorporating R&B inflections and grooves. Later they went in a power pop direction, more like Cheap Trick. For their new CD, Burn So Bright, they return to what they consider a more classic, R&B-influenced style of pop.

STAGE PRESENCE: Alex has been praised for his rock-star performing style. "I think our band's focus on stage goes back to the tradition of the Stones and the Who," Alex says. "Those were rock bands that put on a show, before shoe gazing and being introverted became popular."

NATIONAL HEADLINERS SUPPORTED: Lit, Jimmy Eat World, Def Leppard, Sum 41, Sugarcult, Saliva and Bon Jovi.

GUITAR CURSE BROKEN? FSR has gone through several lead guitarists. "We have the Spinal Tap Syndrome with guitarists," Chilton says.

Alex: "Chaz has only been with us a month. He's really brilliant. He came in, and right away he absorbed so much."

WHY DID GUITARISTS LEAVE? "They were all great but had one problem, whether one guy was not interested in playing original music or one was not interested in covers," Alex said.

COVER WHIRL: Recent changes to the live show routine include playing out more often - every week - and performing two full sets, with one devoted completely to cover songs.

Alex: "There's an hour and a half of originals and an hour and a half of covers - good songs that aren't Brown Eyed Girl. We do Bowie, Tom Petty."

CELEBRITY SKINS: "I won my drum set in a contest," Chilton boasts. "It was Chad Smith's of the (Red Hot) Chili Peppers."

LYRICAL MASS DISTRACTION: "I do tend to write more abstract than literal," Alex says. "I don't fret proper rhyme schemes, just whatever comes naturally. I don't write lyrics down with a pen and paper. For the most part, I get a melody in my head, and then I start writing the lyrics on the fly. The song Everyone Knows is about the president and the war in Iraq."

CHECK 'EM OUT: 9:30 p.m. Friday and Saturday, Kelly's Beach Bar, 454 Mandalay Ave, Clearwater Beach. (727) 447-5080.

[Last modified February 28, 2007, 09:42:37]