Imagine being a high school band and selling compact discs on a tour of the western United States. For the band, Whitewater ó made of brothers junior Mike and eighth-grader Derek Ulvila, and juniors Paul Quigley and Dennis Johnson ó this became reality. They gained exposure at convention in Idaho and are being booked for fairs in the summer. ìWeíll play ë50s, ë60s and some country music,î said Derek Ulvila. ìWe play whatever the people want us to.î The Ulvilas and Quigley spent Nov. 13-15 at a fair convention in Couer díAlene, Idaho, to gain publicity for a fair tour next summer. Mike Ulvila said they have already had responses. ìWeíve signed contracts for next summer and many more are calling,î said Mike Ulvila. ìWeíll sign as many (deals) as want us as long as they donít conflict.î Whitewater is invited to showcases in Texas in September 1998 and in Great Falls. The showcases involve the entire band playing for dinners, and possibly gaining many contracts as a result. Fairs run throughout the summer, and Whitewater is hoping to be booked for the entire time. They are now working on playing at the Bozeman and Missoula fairs ó two of the larger state fairs in Montana ó in the summer of 1998. If the CD is completed when the fairs begin, it will be sold at the bandís performances. ìWe hope that something good will come of this,î said Quigley. ìIt is our goal in life.î Three songs have been completed for the CD, and the group wrote another song on the trip to Idaho. It will be recorded at the studio at the Ulvilasí house. The CD will have about 10 or 11 songs, all written by Mike Ulvila and Quigley. ìOnce we have the songs recorded and mastered onto a CD, we will send them to disc maker that will print the CDs and the coversî said Mike Ulvila. ì(We have) fantastic quality for a home studio.î Quigley said that though he just started recording with the Ulvilas and Johnson ó who have been recording for five years ó the band has developed a workable chemistry. ìWe work really well together ó neither of us likes to be up in front, so we trade off and on,î said Quigley. ìWe feed off each other; itís not a one-man show.î Whitewaterís first performance including Quigley is Dec. 20 at the Double Tree Motel in Missoula. The motel booked the band after reading about them in a brochure published by the Rocky Mountain Association of Fairs. ìIím nervous, but really excited,î said Quigley. ìIt should be lots of fun.î The friends of the group said they could see a compatibility between the band members. ìI knew these guys would really be awesome together because they love music so much,î said junior Jennifer Stebbins. ìWhenever they are some place with music, they just zone out and music is the only thing that matters.î |
