Breaking News

Shake-ya-boogie with SELLOUT!

By Nina Libby

Thursday, October 23, 2008

If you want to get down to the sounds of Journey, Bob Marley and Aretha Franklin, then SELLOUT! is the cover band for you. The Lawrence-based band is made up of eight ordinary people who transform into their favorite icons to play pop classics. Gene Simmons, Elvis Presley, Wonder Woman and Marilyn Monroe are just some of the faces you’ll recognize on stage at SELLOUT! shows as the musicians play smash hits to get the crowd movin’ on the dance floor.

Steve Ozark, SELLOUT! bassist and Gene Simmons look-alike, started the band eight years ago with guitarist Nick Kounas. Ozark says the band prefers covering pop songs rather than producing their own songs.

“We didn’t name the band Sellout meaning selling out venues. We named it meaning we’ve sold out completely—what we like to call cheese with extra cheese,” Ozark says.

Sellout plays over-the-top hits from the past 40 years, and focuses on ‘70s disco and ‘80s pop tunes.

“I go to all the SELLOUT! shows at the Jazzhaus because I can dance to the music they cover,” says Rachel Stelmach, Overland Park senior and SELLOUT! fan.

Steven Kurutz, author of the book Like A Rolling Stone: The Strange Life of A Tribute Band, explains the appeal of band’s covering pop classics.

“Think about going out to a club on a Friday night. Do you want to hear songs you’ve never heard of or songs that you can dance to and have fun to?” Kurutz says. “Cover bands will get an immediate reaction from the audience when they play songs that the crowd is familiar with.”

SELLOUT! by no means a full-time job. The band performs on weekends at venues like the Bottleneck, the Jazzhaus and occasionally at weddings. When they’re not performing, the members of SELLOUT! are working 9-to-5 jobs.

For the members of Sellout, performing is a time to release and relax.

“Playing in SELLOUT! is both a passion and hobby for me, “ Ozark says. “Playing bass keeps my hands in shape, keeps me young, kills me early and as long as we’re learning new songs it’s exciting.’

Here’s a look at the people of Sellout as both performers and professionals.

Jenny Smith - Singer

Smith was recruited for SELLOUT! after a former member of the band saw her perform at a Renaissance festival four years ago.

During the week, Smith is a distributor for Mel-O-Cream International, Inc., a business that makes bakery products for supermarkets.

Before SELLOUT!, Smith was a lounge singer at Harrah’s Casino in Kansas City, Mo.

“I consider myself an entertainer, not a musician,” Smith says. “After performing with SELLOUT!, I realized that no other gig is as fun as this one.”

Smith says she picked Marilyn Monroe as her stage personality after a number of failed costumes.

“I started as Cyndi Lauper, but we had a personality conflict with that costume,” Smith says. “Joan Jet was way too racy because I was about 40 pounds heavier at that time.”

Nick Kounas - Guitarist

On stage he is Jim Morrison, but during the week, Kounas is busy running two businesses.

Kounas started Splash Placement, an advertising agency in Lawrence four years ago. He also owns six rental properties in Lawrence.

He graduated from the University of Kansas 10 years ago with a degree in business and advertising.

Kounas acts as a “hype man” at SELLOUT! shows. He sometimes stops the vocalists to get the audience to sing along, or he’ll jump off stage and play his guitar on the dance floor.

In his years with SELLOUT!, Kounas has seen members leave and return and some that never come back.

“SELLOUT! is a revolving door for a musician,” Kounas says. “I’ve performed with nine different female singers, seven drummers, four horn players, five guitarists and two

Steve Ozark - Bassist

Ozark owns Ozark Talent, a talent agency that has booked more than 29,000 concerts on five continents for an assortment of bands. He started the business 20 years ago and has booked groups such as Alkaline Trio and Savoy Brown.

Ozark came to Lawrence in 1985 after completing his master’s degree in education at the University of Missouri.

“I moved to Lawrence to play bass for The Backsliders,” says Ozark., who has also played bass for Bo Diddley, Spencer Davis, The Coasters, The Drifters and The Marvelettes.

Ozark started playing music in eighth grade after being injured playing basketball.

“I won the Mr. Camp award for South Side Chicago basketball camp in eighth grade, but the knees went out, so I took up music,” Ozark says.

His Gene Simmons costume is a perfect fit.

“I like being Gene because people who know me don’t know it’s me, and it hides my age,” Ozark says. “At least I’m younger and less ugly than Gene.”

Stephanie Kacsir - Singer

Kacsir is a fashion buyer for kids’ accessories and shoes for 4,400 Payless Shoesource stores. She lives in Topeka with her husband and children. She graduated from Kansas State University with degrees in fashion merchandising and business.

On the weekends, Kacsir belts out songs by Prince and Def Leppard in her infamous Wonder Woman costume.

“I was Olivia Newton John from Grease, but then my little girl told me I looked ugly with blonde hair,” Kacsir says. “I couldn’t find a character I loved, so I settled on Wonder Woman.”

During the week, Kacsir travels as a fashion buyer throughout the United States and sometimes internationally. She says singing is her passion, and SELLOUT! is the perfect opportunity for her to release some tension from work.

“We all have full-time jobs, but we- work together to make the band happen,” Kacsir says. “I sometimes travel all over the world for work, so the band is very flexible with my availability.”

Kacsir says she is content performing with Sellout and has no plans to pursue other musical endeavors.

Comments

Use the comment form below to begin a discussion about this content.

Advertisement