The High Rollers’ 20-year plan did not include shows overseas. Nor did it include bandmates reared on anything but country, or an original song that resulted in statewide radio play and its own dance in France, complete with instructional videos that received scores of hits on YouTube.
The High Rollers will perform Friday at the Henry Strater Theatre. They are bass player and vocalist Andy Janowsky, Jeff Johnson on fiddle and banjo, Ryan McCurry on piano and keyboards, Steve Dejka on drums and Darren Stroud on guitar. Friday’s show also will feature Jerome “Mr. Jay” Desoteux on guitar.
“It was not on the radar,” Janowsky said of the band’s popularity in France because of the hit single, “Colorado Girl.”
“It was out of the blue. You work hard and you don’t give up. The people in France that hired us were impressed with our work ethic. I’m one of those people (who believes) that the only way to get anywhere is to keep working hard,” he said.
Billed as “Guitar Wars,” Friday’s show will showcase the talent of each of the players, including the guitar talents of Stroud and Desoteux. Without a guitar player at the time, and not wanting to cancel an overseas show, the band took a chance and recruited Desoteux solely to play a set in France. He showed up for rehearsal knowing the band’s material with a matching work ethic. A friendship blossomed.
Stroud is the newest member, raised on rock ’n’ roll and recommended by McCurry to fill the then-vacant guitar slot. An eager and lifelong student of the guitar, Stroud jumped on the opportunity to improve his chops in an unfamiliar genre. “1980s-sounding rock guitar solos are in modern country. That’s really right at home for me,” Stroud said. “I’m really liking their tune list because it’s letting me dig back into the older style of country music. It’s definitely going to expand me as a player, which is really good for me.”
Theirs is a simple formula for success – the merchandise table may be empty after a show, and the fans are lining up, but there’s also a pursuit of fun through music. They’re compatible while maintaining a precise work ethic rivaling the most dedicated in the business, crafting a professional concert but keeping it fun. All bands should strive for fun and camaraderie first; success should follow.
“We have a nice bunch of guys. It’s fun,” Janowsky said. “If there’s strife in the band, it takes the fun out of playing music, but when everybody is on the same page and everybody likes each other, that’s when it’s great. That’s where we’re at right now. We have a fantastic band, all the way across the board.”
Liggett_b@fortlewis.edu. Bryant Liggett is a freelance writer and KDUR station manager.
Bryant’s best
Friday: Country music with High Rollers, 8:30 p.m., $10. Henry Strater Theatre, 699 Main Ave., 375-7160.
Sunday: Rock music with Broken Water, plus openers, 9 p.m. No cover. The Olde Schoolhouse, 46778 U.S. Highway 550, 259-2257.
