copyright the Chronicle May 28, 2014
by Bethany M. Dunbar
The estimated time of arrival for the new ETA compact disc of original music is: now.
The Evansville Transit Authority (ETA) band has been a local phenomenon for a dozen years and got its first paid gig when the boys were in high school. For the most part, they have played other people’s songs, from famous rock and country bands.
Their new self-titled CD is their own original music, and it’s good — good guitar playing, good singing, lyrics, and percussion.
The album has a variety of classic rock sounds. Some pieces sound a lot like an edgy version of the Eagles. On the website CD Baby the band is compared to Government Mule and Tom Petty and the Heartbreakers.
“Munchie Blues” howls like a real blues classic, and “Cheap Motels” is a lot about the lyrics:
“I spend most of my nights in cheap hotels; with a bottle and a 45.”
While the singer tries to figure out where his life went wrong, he shares some stories from the rooms around him: a teenage mom who shot the father of her child, a coked-out waiter in 14B.
“His time is getting shorter; he’s ready for the long goodbye.”
ETA has done such a great job over the years perfecting various musical styles that when they got to the moment of making their own, they had a huge repertoire of riffs and rills and so on to choose from.
The CD’s cover is simple: a photo of barn boards with the band name on a black banner across the middle. It’s got to do with why this band has worked so well for so long. They are not overly egotistical or showy; there’s not a prima donna in the bunch. They just love each other’s company and love making music.
Band members are Kyle Chadburn on lead guitar and vocals, Travis LeBlanc on drums and vocals, Adam Choiniere on rhythm guitar and vocals, and Chris Doncaster on bass.
ETA is known for its ability to improvise and for its sense of humor, and that shows up in full force on a song called, “Cool Aha.”
Some samples of its lyrics: “Have you heard the word about scrambled eggs?… There ain’t no basement at the Alamo.”
Many of the songs have a reference to home, including this one:
“Find your way back home from there to here. There’s some things in this life that don’t seem clear.”
The song, “A Way to Say Goodbye,” includes this lyric:
“On my way home I found a new direction; On my way home I left my past behind. It’s a curious thing the way a mind can travel; It’s a curious thing to travel in your mind.”
ETA’s large contingent of fans around the Northeast Kingdom will each want to get a copy ASAP, and for the five or ten people in the area who have not spent a Friday or Saturday evening dancing the night away to the sound of this band, this is your opportunity to see what you have been missing. The CD was produced by Bennett Shapiro and ETA, and it was manufactured at Northern Vermont Media in Jay. The CD will be available at their shows.
Get more information about ETA, and contact the band, at www.evansvilletransitauthority.com.
contact Bethany M. Dunbar at [email protected]
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