Split Decision Rocks The Spot Bar & Grill
by K.R. Laurent
Friday the 13th and all is well at
The Spot Bar & Grill in Vancouver, Wash. Not only was everything
well, it was fabulous with a new band emerging on the classic rock
scene.
Split Decision rocked the house and the crowd
wanted more. From their opening number, Son of a Preacher Man,
you knew you were in for a treat. The band came right out of the
box with awesome vocals, tasty harmonies and great instrumentation.
As the show continued flying from one song to another, there was
a wonderful rotating of the lead vocals between players.
The band is: Mike Simpson, bass guitar and vocals;
James Deibert, lead guitar and vocals; Ron Stapleton, rhythm guitar
and guitar synthesizer; Marie Madura, lead vocals; and Gene Wood,
drums and vocals. If you noticed, there’s a lot of vocal work going
on with this band. From time to time, four-part harmonies are evident.
You don’t hear that very often.
While talking with the band, this writer noted
one recurring theme, the love of music and performance from an early
age.
Simpson’s mom, an accomplished violin player,
influenced him. Growing up in Beaverton, Simpson also picked up the
violin first and then made a transition to guitar around the age
of six.
His experience after moving to Vancouver increased
and he found himself again transitioning to the bass guitar because
his friends wanted to start a band but needed a bass player. By coincidence,
they also had a bass guitar for him to play.
Simpson started playing in club bands when he
was 19 years old, with one of his first bands, The Starving Musicians.
He joined another band with Gene Wood and they spent 15 years working
together. You may have heard of that band, Hokus Pokus. When members
of that band went in other directions, Simpson and Wood pooled their
resources and put together Split Decision. As there were shows still
on the books from the old band, they called in others to help them
fill in those dates.
One of those who answered the call was Stapleton.
An accomplished guitar player and teacher, Stapleton has played in
other local bands such as Haywire and Boogie Doctors. His friend,
instructor and mentor Steve Gaines influenced Stapleton, who hails
from Joplin, Missouri. You may have heard of Gaines, as he played
with a little band called Lynyrd Skynyrd. Stapleton recalled some
of his first bands performing in shows, backing up such artists as
Elvin Bishop and Charlie Daniels. After moving to the Vancouver area
in 1997, Stapleton continued his musicianship. When he hooked up
with Simpson and Wood, something clicked.
They were searching for a lead singer and, by
accident, ran into Marie Madura. They asked her to audition for the
band and they felt the match was great. Madura says she was also
raised in a musical family. Growing up in Wausau, Wis., Madura’s
dad, a local pastor, played numerous instruments and influenced other
family members.
As early as she can remember, Madura attended
music camps and joined her other family members performing in churches
and nursing homes in her youth. She picked up the guitar and developed
her wonderful singing voice. She moved to Vancouver nine years ago.
Now, here’s the fun part; Madura, after passing the audition for
Split Decision, was informed that the second guitar player in the
band was leaving and they were in search of another guitar player.
By coincidence, Madura’s high school friend was just finishing up
school and was interested.
Enter Diebert. Not only was Diebert a high school
friend, but Madura and Diebert sang and performed together back in
Wisconsin. Diebert was doing solo acoustic shows in the area when
he got the call from Madura to audition for the band. Diebert, an
accomplished guitar player and singer, says his influences were those “hair
bands” like Van Halen and Motley Crue. He then continued to hone
his craft listening to Brian May of Queen.
There is a recurring theme here. Gene Wood grew
up in a musical family, with his dad leading the charge. Wood’s dad
performed with Hank Williams Sr. With that said, Wood picked up the
drumsticks at 15 years of age and has been playing ever since. Wood
was born and raised in Vancouver, Wash. He recalled that he and his
family would get together and sing bluegrass music. His dad even
booked the Wood Family Singers at local county fairs. Wood went on
to perform in Jr. and high school stage bands. He joined numerous
groups along the way, landing with Hokus Pokus for a 15-year stint
before forming Split Decision.
If you’re looking for a great band and a great
club, check out Split Decision at The Spot Bar & Grill March
31-April 1. Speaking of The Spot Bar & Grill, check out their
full service bar and extensive menu. Owner Allen Dubois has put together
impressive choices.
Since The Spot is open for breakfast, you can
start your day with an omelet or eight-oz. steak. If you’re in the
neighborhood for lunch, check out the variety of sandwiches, burgers
or specials. Dinner fare offers full dinners from a filet of sole,
stuffed with scallops and crab with jasmine rice and vegetables;
top sirloin with prawns; or a bucket of steamed clams.
The Spot Bar & Grill is open at 7 a.m., seven
days a week. Every Friday and Saturday, The Spot hosts its own pool
tournaments. It is located at 7225 N.E. Fourth Plain Blvd., Vancouver,
Wash.
For more information on Split Decision you can
contact them by email at splitdecisionmusic@hotmail.com. Also, see
Bandstand this issue.
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