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O'Conner, Langan & Wags (clockwise from upper left)
(TunkAlive) Chris & Wags, introduce yourselves to our readers and tell us what you do please.
(Langan) Hey my name is Chris Langan, and I am the lead vocalist/acoustic rhythm guitarist of the band.
(Wags) Hey everyone, my name is Chris Wagner, and I am the percussionist/background vocalist.
(Langan) Bill O’Connor is the third member, and he plays lead electric guitar.
(TA) What kind of music do you play?
(L) We are an acoustic trio, so we take covers from bands from the 60′s on up to today’s modern rock.
Wags – We try to cover all the bases, genre wise, as much as possible. But as Chris said we are basically an acoustic act so it hasn’t always been easy to cover some bands that people happen to request, but we have always been willing to try. I think adding Billy to the band gives us a little more freedom to expand our horizons musically since he is playing an electric guitar. We also like to play somewhat obscure songs that we might admire personally, but pleasing the audience is always at the forefront when we learn something new.
(TA) How did the new line-up come to be?
(W) That’s a bit of a long story, but I’ll try not to bore you with all the details. Basically, the three of us met 5 years or so ago through mutual friends and other local musicians in the area. We immediately hit it off having a mutual love for music. There were many jam sessions in my living room in those days, even though we were all doing our own thing musically. Then about two years ago, Chris and I decided to join forces and do an acoustic duo, which is something we talked about for years, but never developed due to other obligations. But finally all the cards fell right and Langan and Wags was in full gear, even though I never played percussion before being a guitar player for the most part. Everything was going great, and then Billy, who had been pursuing a musical career in Arizona for about a year, moved back home. With his former band Vibeline having been dissolved, we asked him to come play with us. Having so much time jamming together under our belts it was like trying on on old glove. It just fit perfectly. And we are are a much better band for it! Billy is an amazing musician, and invaluable to Chris and I. He plays the way every aspiring guitarist should. From the heart. It’s a beautiful thing to watch!!! And I feel honored to be on stage with musicians of Chris and Billy’s stature.
(TA) Chris, you write original music as well as perform covers. What artists/bands are your biggest inspirations?
(L) Well I’m 29 years old now so growing up in the 90′s, I was really into the whole Pearl Jam, Green Day, Nirvana type alternative rock. Some people might not be aware that the drums are actually my principle instrument, and as far as drummers go, I’d have to say Carter of Dave Matthews Band has shaped my style into what I play today. When it comes to writing lyrics and melodies on guitar, I’d have to say that bands like The Black Crowes, 311, The Beatles, The White Stripes (to name a few) are the bands that I really enjoy listening to and may be where I pull some of my inspiration from.
(TA) Can we expect some new original music from Langan, Wags & O’Connor?
(L) It’s definitely not out of the cards…Between the three of us, we all have a bunch of unfinished original songs that might be worth looking at. Since Billy has only been with us for about a month now, I think we’re gonna stay focused on getting the band as tight as possible before working on original material.
(W) Yeah, I can’t see us not doing some originals once we get a little more time under our belts. It’s just natural to wanna do that.
(TA) What’s the most ridiculous thing that happened since forming the new band?
(L) Well there hasn’t been a lot of time for anything too crazy to happen yet, however, we just did our first photo shoot this past weekend outside…It was ridiculously cold out! Haha.
(W) It’s only been a month so give it some time. There were plenty of funny things during the Langan and Wags gigs over the past few years. You know, the occasional fan nudity, which is always interesting.
(TA) What areas do you play in and how often?
(L) We play pretty much every weekend, and occasionally during the week anywhere from Moscow, to Scranton, to Dunmore, to Tunkhannock, to Lake Winola, to Avoca, to Dickson City and so on!
(TA) What do you think the secret to not getting burned out from playing so often is?
(L) I think the only way to keep things fresh is to continue to learn new material, play a venue only every 4-6 weeks, and most importantly…HAVE FUN!! There’s times where being a musician can seem like a job. Don’t let that happen!
(W) Perfectly said Chris!
(TA) The band has a lot of camaraderie – what keeps that going strong?
(W) As I mentioned, we have been friends for some time now and knowing each other so well helps a great deal. We rarely argue, and if we do it never lasts. We have too much fun together to let it bother us. And let me tell ya, these guys make me laugh when we are in the same room! But I think the fundamental reason we get along so well is that we all have such a deep love for music. Whether it’s playing together, listening to our favorite bands, going to their concerts together, or trying to find new stuff to turn each other on to. Music is the tie that binds, as it should be. Cause that’s what it’s all about for us.
(TA) What should we expect throughout 2011 from Langan, Wags & O’Connor?
(L) It’s gonna be a great year!! We’ve been booking alot of new places to play, learning a ton of new songs, and hopefully we’ll get some time to write some new original material for you to hear!
(W) Two words man: Great music. And lots of it!!!
Best of luck to the new band guys! We look forward to seeing more dates here in Tunkhannock.
Check out Langan, Wags & O’Connor on Facebook at http://www.facebook.com/langanwagsoconnor and become a fan. You won’t be disappointed.