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Marsha
Marsha Marsha: Who Says You Can’t Have Fun Doing This Stuff?
I wasn’t expecting the two guys fronting the drummer to be sporting the Michael Chiklis look (though the guitarist slips on a funny mullet wig for Sweet Home Alabama). I am also a bit surprised that the drummer handles most of the singing while keeping a loud, steady beat, twirling and tossing his sticks in the air. (Take that, Phil Collins and Don Henley!) All three Marshas have fun on stage, jumping around and claiming to come from assorted cities—one minute it’s Cincinnati, the next it’s Phoenix. The set begins with Hard to Handle, which leaves no doubt that soul great Otis Redding laid down the definitive version. But then it’s on to the good stuff—867-5309, Jessie’s Girl, and a really pleasant surprise, Tone Loc’s rap crossover hit Funky Cold Medina. Marsha Marsha Marsha cleverly work in most of Van Morrison’s Brown Eyed Girl before they ease back into Loc. It’s almost like…jazz?! The Marshas are energetic and funny enough to get mileage out of old war-horses like Play That Funky Music White Boy. They do black pop—Michael Jackson’s Billie Jean does not induce drummer Diamond Dave (all three guys have “rock and roll” names, preferring to keep their real identities to themselves) into fits of falsetto, but the band remains true to the spirit of every number on their song list. For Cinco de Mayo, they trot out La Bamba and close the hour-long set with some good, noisy renditions of Aerosmith and Steve Miller. Dave and Fender, the guitarist, have played together for six years. Bass player KC Sunshine is the most recent addition to the group. “We’ve had several bass players,” Dave tells me, equating the bass spot in this band to Spinal Tap’s ever-changing drummers. To my knowledge, none of Marsha Marsha Marsha’s former bassists have exploded on stage. The guys are huge fans of Rob Reiner’s 1984 rockumentary, and they even perform Spinal Tap classics like Big Bottom and Tonight I’m Gonna Rock You during their regular appearances. You’ll have to catch them at Juana’s in Navarre or Helenback to hear those. Check their web page, marsha3.radpages.com for up-to-date gig information. “We’ve achieved our goals,” Dave says. “To stay booked and always get invited back where we play. We started out playing strictly MTV-type ‘80s tunes—Clash, Cars, et cetera—but as we developed, we added more classic rock.” All three Marshas demonstrate proficiency on their instruments while maintaining an appealing element or two of sloppy garage music. “A strange characteristic of this band is we don’t rehearse much,” Dave says. “When we add a song, we’ll work it up on our own. We’ve all got jobs and families, so we don’t sit around and jam like in the college days… “But at least my wife lets me play.” They Call Him the Slim
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I’ve
been trying to catch up with these guys ever since I heard their
sets focused heavily on ‘80s pop rock…you know, that
crap I grew up listening to. Marsha Marsha Marsha appear at Helenback
on Okaloosa Island regularly, but never when I drop in. Fortunately,
I found them on the bill for a big music and fashion event at
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