Outhouse Reunion Show April 18th

On April 18th, 2008, Outhouse reunited for a single blow out show at The Record Bar in Kansas City!  The show was a huge success - and that was no suprise to the hundreds of Outhouse fans that turned out.  Photos courtesy of  BRIANRICEPHOTO.COM.

Attention - This is NOT the official Outhouse website, but simply a fan website.  If you have any information or corrections to contribute, please contact us at kcbands@gmail.com thank you!

Visit the official Outhouse Myspace page at http://profile.myspace.com/index.cfm?fuseaction=user.viewprofile&friendid=62088661

Here's a Couple of Articles...

Outhouse, Welcome-Simon Speichert

Outhouse's debut album, Welcome, is a superb record. In listening to this album, I thought to myself, "Could there possibly be a better way to make a first impression?" I don't really think so.

A three-piece rock group from Kansas City, Outhouse inspire new thought in rock, at least to me. Their unique songwriting and real lyrics are a switch from the old alternative methods of "here's a riff, mumble some words".

Welcome has 13 different songs, different in sound, and different from each other. A reason this album differs from others is the length of songs. Most of Outhouse's songs average three minutes, while songs by other bands stretch too long. It's a refreshing change.

Ah, yes, the songs. When listened to repeatedly, the lyrics imply deep introspection. The music is great, not too heavy, not too soft, and some great hooks. It's hard to pick out the better songs, because they all are quite good. Well, I'll give it a shot. Some of the "better" songs on Welcome are the title track, with its catchy vocal hook, the Paul Westerberg -inspired "Nowhere Man", "Savior" and "Lie".

Well, I've pretty much summed it up, so if you'd like to get hooked on a new band before MTV gets to them, hurry down to your local record store.

Consumable was able to catch up with Bill Latas, guitarist and lead vocalist of Outhouse and get a few comments from him. Here's some of the feedback:

Consumable: The standout track is "Nowhere Man", which is much like an early Replacements song. How much has Westerberg or the 'Mats influenced your records?

Outhouse: Paul's songwriting has influenced me and the rest of us greatly. I don't think we try to sound like that but just the quality of those songs!!!!! Man if I can ever write em that good! You know, "Nowhere Man" sounds like that because of the way we play it. Sometimes we'll do it slow like a ballad and it takes on a whole new vibe. But yes, the 'Mats RULE!

C: The searing guitars remind me of the "Seattle sound", but the lyrics are realistically hopeful, rather than wasting away. What's your feelings on lyrics which are deliberately depressing?

OUT: I think anything deliberate other than honesty is just plain borish. Anymore, it seems to be the trend but I also feel that artists are moving away from that. Just the same, to write a "happy" song if you're not happy is bullshit. I find it amazing how easy it is to spot someone who is not being honest in their art. Either something hits me deep inside or it just hits the wall behind me, ya know? I also know that someone could listen to our music and it might wind up on their living room wall when I'm bearing my soul in a song and I absolutely mean what I'm saying.

I guess it is in the delivery. Some will tell a story in a song that has no first person perspective but you take that story like it was the absolute truth. I've always admired that in writers. Even fiction can be honest. So, to say "I'm going to write depressing lyrics because I think I should" is ridiculous. Yeah, I think that I'm ultimately hopeful in my lyrics because that is what I truly feel and believe.

C: On "Savior", you sing "What about my savior, laying down and waiting? / What about my savior, where is he now?" Is this a questioning of God through the eyes of a poor or downtrodden person? Labelmate Joan Osborne got into a bind with "One Of Us", asking much less pointed questions.

OUT: I hate to admit this but I tried NOT to make "Savior" into a song about faith. I couldn't do it. That was what was on my mind. I was always taught that to have "faith" was the one thing that you could always fall back on. When everything else seemed hopeless, you could still have faith and in my life, I have felt that. That has seen me through. Now, that is speaking of faith in-general which most of the song can be held as. However I'll spare you the asking and go ahead and say that, yes, the bridge is describing, in first person, the Crucifixion. What a visual, huh?

I was a while ago, very into Christianity and what I'm saying in this part of the song is that I'm questioning all of that now. "Turn my head against my will, and run like hell but I still know just where he is, God rest my soul." I guess I'm also asking for forgiveness at the same time as I'm running away from that. To get back to your question, it's not so much a questioning of God at all as much as it's a questioning of my own beliefs. It's a man at the end of his rope, yet still wanting to let go and also knowing that someone will catch him. Strange world I live in, huh?

C: Does it concern you that this song might raise people's concerns?

OUT: It raised my concern enough to write the lyrics and I only hope that other people will ask the same questions about themselves regardless of the answers. I'm not worried about any stigma or connotations from the song. I'll speak my mind and what I find to be true for me and if people can relate, cool. If not, too bad...I mean the whole song started from an idea that I got one day while driving. I saw a sign that said "lost dog found today" in someone's yard. I also saw that sign the next day and knew that it was lying purely because it said "today" and I had seen it yesterday! You can't believe in every sign you see...although it's twisted because one day, that sign was true and the next, it wasn't. Go figure...

C: Which bands are your inspirations, or favorites before being a group?

OUT: As a kid it was Kiss, Rush, and then U2. I think we all come from the age of huge arena shows and big productions. I love that stuff. I mean seeing a band in a club is great. But the big stuff? Oh yeah! Trip Shakespeare that will always hold a special place in my life; genius stuff!

C: Was there ever any apprehension about signing with a major label, as opposed to an indie?

OUT: Mercury, so far, has been absolutely great to us and I think we really have a shot at a long term thing here. There was no apprehension in signing to a major, either. We knew that this was right. It FELT right. We held out and waited on some other things. We have always made good decisions; that has been critical in achieving our goals. You have to be smart. The only thing that worries me with a major is the commitment to a long term build. I hope that we can construct a career instead of just a couple of records and I know that we have to keep writing great records to do that. I don't think that will be a problem, either.

_________________________________________________________________________________________________

Outhouse now a bunch of Zeros

by Troy Chrisman troy@thex.info

He's tuned up his bass, checked his rig and has time to rattle off some good stories before the curtain rises on a Friday night gig for he and his new band, The Zeros.

Gaddy (known as Brad Zero in The Zeros) is no stranger to curtains rising and his band tearing into the first song. This Friday night it's for the usual exuberant Raoul's Velvet Room crowd.

Seven years ago, it was for screaming fans waiting to see that new band "Outhouse" opening for stadium rock legends KISS.

Outhouse was Gaddy, singer/guitarist Bill Latas and drummer Shawn Poores. The Kansas City trio blasted the local scene for years before Mercury records signed them.

The next thing these guys from KC knew, they had a debut album and a five-week slot opening up for four pretty famous guys in greasepaint.

"It really was a dream come true," said Gaddy, who plays in The Zeros along with Poores (Shawn Zero) and Larry Zero (Larry Groce, formerly of Go Kart). "I mean, it was so kick ass to grow up listening to KISS and then to be sharing the same stage with them. They were so larger than life, and the whole experience was great.

"We never once got booed, and Gene Simmons came up to us dressed like the freakin' God of Thunder and told us if anyone ****ed with us, he'd personally kick their ass."

Submitted Photo

Former members of Outhouse are now . . . Zeros.

But it also included the record label losing money, people who had helped get them signed losing jobs and then far too much silence.

"There just came a point where we didn't hear anything from the record label," said Poores, who previously played in West Coast bands Naked Soul and local Irish group The Elders. "We had songs ready to go for a second record, but the label just didn't have money and we went a long time hearing nothing at all. The advice we got was to not bail out on the contract and ride it out, but we just stopped hearing anything at all."

And despite sticking it out and continuing to tour and play locally, the band went on hiatus in 2001. They reformed two years ago to play a show when sports radio host Jim Rome came to town.

"Rome still plays one of our songs on his show and it was a good show to do," Poores said. "But Bill has his own business now and we are having fun with The Zeros."

The Zeros play 1980s covers and mix familiar tunes with an energetic stage show.

"We're playing a lot of songs that we grew up listening to and these are the kind of things people want to hear," Gaddy said. "It's a lot of fun, and it's a good steady gig. And the door is still open as far as Outhouse doing something again. I'd love to do it."

But it would take all three members agreeing to get the band rolling again.

"I think Bill took everything the hardest - he was the singer and wrote all the lyrics - but he's got his own life now. We talk a lot and stay in touch, but he's got his construction business and we're really enjoying playing in this band."