Channel 69βs Kyle Schember laughs at the memory of a time when an unknown boy band named Backstreet Boys opened for them in Miami in the β90s.
βIt was around 1995 during Winter Music Conference on South Beach and there were shows happening everywhere in Miami that week,β Schember tells the Observer. βI think the venue was a strip club and these Backstreet Boys guys go on before us. (Manager) Lou Pearlman was there. I saw him and then their show started and Iβm like, what the hell is this?β
The final stop on a three-show mini-tour, Channel 69βs show Sunday at Trees in Deep Ellum was their first in Dallas in 27 years. T-4-2, also from Dallas and Anything Box were also on the bill. The lineup was united by a synth sound that soundtracked the new wave movement in the '80s and '90s. It was the start of a deviation from the traditional band setup with lead guitar, bass guitar and drums. Channel 69βs sound incorporates synthesizers and other technology.
βYou might remember this one,β lead singer John Allen Moore, aka Britain Ashley, had told the 100-plus fans in the audience before playing βPromise Is Breaking.β One major indication of the passing of time is the sight of Mooreβs wife and three kids in the audience. Itβs their first time seeing Dad onstage, and theyβre impressed.
βWe all had big egos, but weβve changed so much,β he tells us. βWe were competing with each other back then, but weβre in a good place now. Weβve grown up."
T-4-2, a keys and synth-driven duo, was up next. Their set was a mix of old and new β their latest album, Intruder, dropped about a year ago. Much like Channel 69, theyβre seeing a resurgence and rising interest from younger fans. Jay Gillian and Will Loconto cruised through eight tracks, closing with βBar of Light.β Gillian asks that the stage lights be dimmed and then produces an actual bar of light. Musically and visually, itβs the highlight of the evening.
Claude Strilio was the last man standing for Anything Box. Once a trio, Strilio now performs alone. Like VH1 Storytellers, he broke between tracks to offer background for the songs. During one story break, he asked for a beer, to which a fan obliges with a Michelob Ultra. Strillio finished with βCarmenβ and Will Loconto returned to the stage to assist with the eveningβs last song, βLiving in Oblivion.β
It was Cinco de Mayo and while most everyone in town was out drinking tequila, the dance floor was still busy at Trees. Itβs clear that people still care about Channel 69, T-4-2 and Anything Box.
βThis little tour was to just dip our toe in the water and see how it goes, but weβre happy with this turnout, itβs encouragingβ Schember adds.