Our Fans of the Month for September are a couple who take to the skies to have a good time...
flying kites, that is, when they're not at Red Elvises shows. A few years ago they even got
some band members to try their hand at kite flying, how cool is that? Warren recently got his
own radio show on KNON in Dallas, airing on Sunday nights
from 10pm - 12midnight (Central Standard Time) and he promises to play lots of Red Elvises'
music so give it a listen online! |
Fan of the Month! |
For the record, what is your name? Warren Harris and Sandra Harris Where were you born, and where did you grow up? Lompoc CA... Boston MA. (Sandra) What were your main interests, entertainment and otherwise, growing up? Any obsessions you don’t mind people knowing about? Mine was radio broadcasting... Sandra's was the Navy.. Tell us about your musical endeavors and any musical instruments you play… None (for either of us) I'm just a radio freak.. |
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What accomplishments are you most proud of at this point in your life? Doing radio in Dallas for me, and Sandra's is kite flying.. What are your favorite movies? Anything by Monty Python (me) and anything by Johnny Depp (Sandra) Do you have any favorite books? Anything by Douglas Adams (both of us) |
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Any type.. we have over 2,000 CDs and 1,500 LPs
When, where, how, etc. did you first hear and experience Red Elvises?
Dallas, 1997 at Club Clearview... a 3 bill act with Elvis Herselvis, the Red E's and Mojo Nixon... fell in love right then and there..
About how many times have you seen them?
7 times all in Dallas... since we're the ones who made them come back..
Oh? Please tell me more about that, sounds like a story there!
When we first saw them in '97, we were flabbergasted... what a great band and a great sound!! We went to the website and signed up for the email list. Every once in awhile we would get the tour schedule. I kept noticing that they were playing in Texas, but not Dallas. They were in Houston, Austin, San Antonio... but no Dallas. In 1999, I called Igor up and asked him "Why not Dallas??" His response was that there were no clubs that wanted to book them. Since I work for a community radio station, I called my boss Dave Chaos and asked about getting them to come out to play a benefit. We talked for a few days about where to book them and settled on the Sons of Hermann hall in Big D. The Sons is a blues/folk/country landmark for over 90 years. If an artist has made it big in those genres, chances are that they've played the Sons. We asked the Sons if they'd let us have the upstairs room, and they said yes. We brought them in (on a Wednesday night), and they packed the house (200+ SRO). The owners of the Sons fell in love with them after that. Now you need to understand that the Sons is a very conservative music venue... this was the first time that they tried to bring in a 'Different' act... let alone one that had Russian overtones. The boyz wowed them and rocked the house!! So every year since then they've played the Sons. And every year since then, the audience has grown.. people tell other people and the crowd keeps getting bigger. An interesting note is that the average age of the crowd there is 40 years old. This venue seems to attract an older demographic, and each time they come back, it gets bigger and better. Igor and Oleg now consider Dallas a regular stop on the tour. They hook up with KNON and Sandra and myself and put on a great show. We've become good fans and good friends and I think since we take good care of them while they're here, they enjoy coming back. We used to get them on a Wednesday, now we get them on a Friday. This makes for a good turnout and makes money for the station. It's amazing that each time I see the old faces and a lot of new faces in the crowd.
Well done, Warren & Sandra, I'm sure all of Dallas appreciates you bringing Our Favorite Band to them! Thanks for your unique story!
What is it about Red Elvises that draws you to them, that you like the most?
The music and the great stage show.
What’s the farthest you’ve traveled to see them? And do you have a good story around that?
Dallas
Which show is your favorite of the Red Elvises shows you've seen?
April 2002 at the Sons of Hermann Hall in Dallas... Why?? 'Cuz we had to get the van fixed and call the troops out to get the gear to the location.
Any other standout, all time great memories of shows you’ve seen so far?
Yes.... When we had to repair the van, and get them to the show in time for the set at 9pm... The van lost a front bearing and we had to get it towed to my mechanic to fix it in time for the next show in Austin. I had to call him on his day off.
What are your favorite Red Elvises songs?
“Belly Dance” (Russian version), and “Closet Disco Dancer”
What would you like to see them do in the future? Any ideas? Anything you’d like to say to the band?
Yes... Make a greatest hits CD for the fans and voted by the fans
Okay, last question… Do you have anything you’d especially like to say to all the fans?
Keep up the underground support.... That's the way groups get noticed...
Red Elvises once flew some kites with Warren and Sandra...
 Igor flew "Natalie," an 8-foot-wide pair of panties including hose and legs!" |
 Zhenya and Oleg tried out some kite flying too! |