Singer Kevin Fowler may have a tough act to follow when he comes to Baton Rouge. Bravo Charlie, a local country band, will open for Fowler at the Varsity Theatre tonight at 9:30. The band consists of University mass communication junior Justin Runyon; University alumni Dustin Bailey, Josh Cartmill and Mark Vidrine; and Kansas native Darren Strope. “Bravo Charlie is our life,” said Vidrine, the band’s electric guitarist and singer. He described the band’s music as a mixture of southern rock and country. Bravo Charlie plays covers of songs from artists such as Pat Green, Lynyrd Skynyrd and Randy Rogers, who all inspired the band’s sound, Vidrine said. The band also covers some of Fowler’s songs. Cartmill said he has seen Fowler perform on several occasions. “He plays a lot of good dancing music,” Cartmill said. “But it is more country than Bravo Charlie.” Cartmill, who plays the acoustic guitar and sings, said the band likes to cover more obscure songs from these artists. “We do songs we like to do, not songs that are necessarily popular,” Vidrine said. The band does not just play renditions. They have several original songs that are popular among their fans. “‘Nancy,’ which has a good country beat, is always a crowd pleaser,” Vidrine said. “And ‘Superman’ is nice and rowdy.” Vidrine said the songs he writes follow a common theme. “They are about love and loss,” he said. “And getting rowdy.” Cartmill, also a contributing songwriter, said he writes about various subjects. “I write about whatever inspires me: loving, drinking and dancing,” he said. “One is about a bad habit, some are about girls I met at bars and another is about is about my girlfriend.” Runyon, the bass player, said Vidrine and Cartmill bring the initial ideas for the songs, and the rest of the band adds a spin to them. “It becomes a joint effort,” he said. “But Mark and Josh are the primary drivers of the songs.” The band said their main goal is to sign with a record label. “We are just shopping around,” Vidrine said. “We will sign with whoever picks us.” The band is recording a studio album in about a month. The debut album will include five or six of their original songs. “We are very proud we got to this point,” Runyon said. Although Bravo Charlie’s fan base consists mostly of locals and the band’s friends, the band still expects a large turnout at the Varsity. The band said it has been promoting quite a bit for the gig. It has been passing out fliers around campus and doing Internet promotion through MySpace.com and Facebook.com The band members said crowds enjoy its music when they play at other venues, such as Northgate Tavern and Mellow Mushroom. Doors at the Varsity will open at 8 p.m.
—-Contact Drew Belle Zerby at [email protected]