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Taking pride in being the hometown band<br>

From left, Bill Blasi, John Vail and Emmons Berry of Exit 64, reigning champions of the Williams Battle of the Bands contest.

“We’re here to provide the community its live performance needs,” said Blasi, a firefighter for the Tusayan district of the Kaibab National Forest. “We compete with every form of entertainment but sooner or later, everyone wants to hear a live band.”

But becoming a band wasn’t their goal when Vail and Blasi joined the Singing Cowboys for a benefit in Williams shortly after the Sept. 11 terrorist attacks. That benefit was arranged by Wazoo Peach Pitters frontman Karlsburger and Josephine Bustillos and raised a modest amount of money. Vail and Blasi teamed up again in December for another benefit at Grand Canyon. That was when they pursuaded Berry to join them.

“I’d been working on Emmons for years, and tried to talk him into playing with us, but to no avail,” said Vail. It took a meeting between Berry’s wife, Nora, and Vail’s wife, Clarinda, and the encouragement from both of them to get Berry to join.

“The wives got Emmons into it,” Vail said.

That benefit raised more than $2,000 and opened the door for more benefits for the band, starting with a fundraiser for the Kaibab Learning Center, followed by a benefit to help a resident whose home had burned. Those evolved into paying jobs at some of the biggest bashes of the year, including the Fourth of July celebration (though they got a break this year) and the Rotary Christmas Dinner Dance (for which they have already been booked this year). They also continue to support the Kaibab Learning Center, having performed forbenefits threee years in a row.

“We love doing that and love to be asked back,” Vail said.

The decision to keep their hometown roots is based on family considerations and long-term commitment to their communties and jobs. Vail’s wife, Clarinda, is a lifelong Tusayan resident and Berry worked for Xanterra for 24 years before leaving to become the parent to stay home with the kids.

The trio proved their mettle in 2002 and again this year at the Williams Battle of the Bands contest. They credit Elvis’ surprise arrival in a 1957 Thunderbird for the win in 2002. They had to relinquish the title in 2003 because Blasi was called away to fight a fire in Montana.

Two weeks ago, they reclaimed it. In this case, victory was particularly sweet.

“This year, the challenge was to do it without Elvis,” Blasi said.

It was also a challenge to do it with almost no rehearsal. Because Blasi was occupied for long hours on the Transfer Fire, the band only had time for one run-through of their 45-minute, 50s-themed set, which included “Rockin’ Robin,” “Rock Around the Clock” and “Livin’ in the USA.” They credit their chemistry and cohesiveness as a band for the win.

“It could have been a train crash at the Battle of the Bands, if there wasn’t that chemistry,” Blasi said.

They also believe their performance of Otis Redding’s “Try A Little Tenderness” – their favorite song to perform as a group – also helped clinch the win.

“It’s so off from what we do,” said Vail.

The band’s repertoire is a diverse collection of about 150 tunes from the 50s, 60s and 70s. The main criteria is that they be danceable. Berry and Blasi perform most of the vocals.

“The music we’re playing reaches a wide enough target audience,” said Vail. “It appeals to all ages.”

Their most-requested song is “La Bomba.” Other requests that made it into their lineup include “Sweet Home Alabama” and songs by Jimmy Buffett for (for the Squire’s Greg Bryan), Neil Young and Bob Dylan.

Berry said that based on their growing range of venues, they’ve also added an acoustic set by the likes of James Taylor, Gordon Lightfoot and Cat Stevens.

“I really enjoy that,” he said.

The trio, particularly Berry, are working on some original songs as well. They’ve also begun to branch out into different venues. While Blasi has been on-call during the fire season, Berry and Vail have been performing as a duo at Happy Trails in Tusayan. They also plan to perform on weekends at the Canyon Star at the Grand Hotel.

Between them, the group has several decades of musical experience.

Blasi, who spent 20 years as a drummer on the Arizona blues circuit before he joined the Forest Service as a fire fighter, is an inductee into the Arizona Blues Hall of Fame. He’s also worked with piano player S.E. Willis and with Elvin Bishop and Tommy Dukes. His influences range from black American soul, to 50s rock and what he calls “dyed in the wool blues stuff.”

He said his teenager tries to “educate” him on the merits of hip hop, “but in the words of Ray Charles, it doesn’t do anything for me.”

Berry has been playing in bands since seventh grade when he got his first guitar – something he’d been wanting for four years since he’d seen the Beatles perform on the Ed Sullivan Show. He played around Indianapolis for several years after he got out of college and brought his guitars here when he came to work for Xanterra. He also played for a while with a local band known as the Electric Chili Peppers.

Vail learned to play the trumpet, which paid his way through the New Mexico Military Institute. He went on to study music education in Boulder, Colo. There he was classically trained on woodwinds.

“I read everything I play,” he said. “I have no improvisation skills.”

He left the music behind when he came to Grand Canyon until he found a 1964 American Fender jazz bass and amp for $50 at a yard sale.

Now he plays an upright bass they call the “doghouse.” The group loves it, not only for its stage presence but also for its tone.

“It has that 50s thump,” Vail said.

He considers his bandmates far ahead of him musically.

“All the credit goes to these two guys,” he says of Blasi and Berry. “They brought me to perfomrance level.”

As far as jamming with other musicians, they say the opportunities are limited though they hope to change that in the future.

“We’re working on it,” Vail said. “This is such a seasonal area. It’s very rare and unique to keep a group together.”

Though they are the musicians that make Exit 64 what it is, all three members say that many other people have helped to keep the group together, including neighbors who have been tolerant of practices and those who book the band understanding that a fire call could take Blasi away at an inopportune time.

“It’s a gamble for us,” said Vail, “But the people we work with are understanding. We’re very appreciative that people understand.”

They also thank their families and their audiences.

“We’d like to give a special thanks to our wives and girlfriends for putting up with us,” Vail said. “It takes away from family time. And we’d like to thank the community in general for having us as their local band."


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