By TONY GUERRERO
Hays Post
After an absence of two years, Hays' band Dangerously Biased makes a comeback.
The Hays-based band is set to make their return Jan. 13 at Rose Garden Banquet Hall & Catering, 2350 E. Eighth St.
Dangerously Biased & Friends at Rose Garden Hall will feature Aether, Thunderbird Hotel, Tree Kitty and Black Cat J.
Bassist and vocalist for Dangerously Biased, Matt Isley, has been playing music since he was in high school.
He performed with different bands before working alongside drummer and vocalist for Dangerously Biased, Sutton Thompson.
Isley and Thompson performed two shows every weekend for months in 2021 before taking a break lasting over two years.
"We were ready to work on other aspects of our lives,"Isley said.
Thompson has since moved to Wichita, providing a challenge for the two-piece rock band to practice.
"It'll be every couple of weeks when we meet up and practice for an hour or two," Isley said.
After discussing the idea of organizing a concert with Aether and Thunderbird's guitarist, Hugo Hernandez, Isley felt inspired to re-enter the music scene.
"That conversation was an opportunity to set a goal and try to make something happen," Isley said.
Songs that Dangerously Biased will perform at the concert include "Whisper," "Jailbreak Maria Ross," "Same As I Once Was" and "I Saw It All."
"We play modern rock. It's not really heavy music but rock music with palatable vocals," Iskey said.
Iskey said he expects a big turnout and is excited yet nervous at the same time.
"It does help that it's a Hays show, and we know mostly everyone involved," he said. "It will be fun to reconnect with the scene after such a hiatus."
Future projects are in the works for Dangerously Biased who will remain in the music scene following their return.
"We have music that hasn't been recorded yet and music that is currently being written. It's a work in progress," Isley said.
You can follow Dangerously Biased on Facebook.
Aether and Thunderbird Hotel
Guitarist Hugo Hernandez performs with Aether and Thunderbird Hotel, both out of Dodge City.
Hernandez was originally part of a band with Orlando Galvan, who serves as the vocalist for Aether and Thunderbird Hotel, before the band disbanded.
"Orlando and I have been friends for a long time," he said. "We used to be in a band called Guns on Mars, but eventually they broke up, and we wanted to keep doing music."
The two would start a band together, Aether, enlisting bassist Chris Clark and drummer Alex Rodriguez.
"Aether is my main project. We're a hard rock band with a more modern mainstream radio rock like Chevelle or Deftones," Hernandez said.
The four-man band will be performing original song titles such as "Blue Pill," "Cheat Code" and "Make Me."
You can follow Aether on Facebook.
Thunderbird Hotel is Hernandez's second band, which he started with his brother, Alonso Carranza and drummer Dwight Imel.
"Alonso wanted to play and get involved in the music scene," Hernandez said. "We got him a bass, and we started writing music together."
Initially meant to be a three-man band, Thunderbird Hotel would introduce Galvan as their vocalist.
"Thunderbird is a mesh of other bands because we all play in different bands," Hernandez said.
Songs that Thunderbird will be performing include "Thin, "Queen of the Radio" and "Complacent."
"'Complacent' is more of a laid-back alternative jam Orlando wrote," Hernandez said. "It was originally an acoustic song, but we decided to make it a band song, and it came together really nicely."
Hernandez said both bands continue to practice and are confident about their upcoming show.
"We're feeling pretty good about it. We're getting in a couple more rehearsals, so we're as tight as we can be when performing," he said.
You can follow Thunderbird Hotel on Facebook.
Tree Kitty
Tree Kitty is the second band performing that is based in Hays.
Guitarist and vocalist Ryne Timken proposed the idea of creating a band with Ian Lewicki and Zach Martin as he was set to perform at an upcoming show in 2018.
"He asked the rest of us if we wanted to be in a band so he didn't have to do the gig alone, and it took off from there," Martin said.
Lewicki serves as the bassist and vocalist for Tree Kitty, while Martin takes on the role of the drummer.
Martin has been in the music scene since the fall of 2012, playing in various bands and maintaining his involvement in different musical projects.
"Over the last five years, I've filled in for four to five bands as the drummer," he said. "I'm currently active in two bands, Tree Kitty and another band called Billy."
Martin said that he would characterize Tree Kitty Music as not adhering to any specific style.
"It usually comes out in more punk fashion or psychedelic experimental," he said.
The trio will be performing songs such as "Comatose," "Creamy & Delicious" and "Millville."
The group is determined to achieve the goals they've set for themselves in the new year following months of being less active than usual.
"We're trying to write more and get new material out because we've been playing the same stuff for the last couple of years," Martin said. "We want to start working on getting another album out by the end of the year."
You can follow Tree Kitty on Facebook.
Black Cat J
Black Cat J is a band based in Wichita featuring Johnny Gamero as the only member who entered the music scene at 15 years old.
Gamero went through three different bands with various members before forming his own due to time restraints.
"I got tired of having to figure out people's schedules so I decided to be a one-man band," he said.
Gamero drew inspiration from other solo performers, admiring their capacity to deliver performances independently.
"Being in a union and seeing how other people do it all by themselves is impressive to me so I decided to try it out," he said.
Black Cat J's music is similar to '50s and '60s music with the influence of punk rock and horror.
"I love horror movies so I like to base my work off the horror genre," Gamero said.
Through his multitasking abilities, Gamero will perform songs such as "Witch's Cell" and "Vampirine Sk8ers."
"I play the drums with my feet while also playing the guitar and singing," he said. "It's really easy to get the band members together because it's just me."
Having experienced the demands of being a one-man band, Gamero recognizes the challenges that come with it and has joined another band called Ghost Town Strays.
"I finally got some people that want to be in a band with me," Gamero said. "I'm excited to be in a full band again and have two projects."
The concert begins at 7 p.m. as Black Cat J is scheduled to go first followed by Tree Kitty, Thunderbird Hotel, Aether and Dangerously Biased as the finale.
Dangerously Biased & Friends at Rose Garden also celebrates the 40th birthday of Marshal Anderson, event planner and longtime friend of several band members who will be part of the performance.
Attendees of all ages are invited for a fee of $10, excluding those aged 12 years and younger. Food and beverages will be available.
Dangerously Biased and Thunderbird Hotel will perform in Dodge City on Feb. 3 alongside other local bands. For more information, click here.