Totally 80s

Interview with Totally 80s 

February 29, 2016

Describe your band, telling a little about it.

Totally 80s is comprised of 6 talented musicians who have come together for one purpose - to entertain!  There is really no guessing on what we do as our name says it all.  Totally 80s is the premier 80s tribute band in Western PA.  Based out of Pittsburgh, Totally 80s combines superb musicianship with authentic 80s dress and give-a-ways at every show.  Totally 80s takes you back to the heyday of MTV, Miami Vice, John Hughes movies, big hair, legwarmers, and the diverse music that defined a generation that lives on today!  

Totally 80s plays all of your favorite pop/rock hits from artists such as Prince, George Michael, Billy Idol, Madonna, INXS, Duran Duran, Bobby Brown, Cyndi Lauper, and many more!

What are your names? / Who plays what?

As a band, we are extremely fortunate to have some of the best musicians in the Pittsburgh area and a very multi-talented bunch as well!

Chris Murphy (aka Chris D'Fershurr) - Lead Vocals (and sometimes keys)

Liz Agey (aka Lizzy Lizz) - Lead Vocals

Ron Payne (aka DJ Ron P) - Keyboards & Vocals

Brian Heywood (aka B. Dawgg) - Bass & Vocals

Art Boehm (aka Art O'Graff) - Guitar & Vocals

Justin Page (J Rokk) -  Drums

Have members played with any other bands?

Yes.  With 6 members and a combined total of ONE MILLION years, we have been all over the map!  We aren't going to mention them all, but if you'd like to know more, please inquire.

Do you write your own music or perform covers?  Has it always been this way?  

Since Totally 80s is strictly a cover band, we always perform covers.  It would be extremely hard to write an 80's song in 2016.  :) 

What year did the band form? 

Totally 80s formed discussions in 2010, but was officially born in 2011 from the minds of the Niesdpozianski brothers - Chris & John.

Where is bands home?

All of our members hail from Pittsburgh, PA!

What's your style of genre?

Totally 80s is exactly what you would expect...a tribute to an entire decade.  What we pride ourselves on the most is the "danceability" of our song collection, along with the hits that everyone remembers and can sing along to All Night Long (pun intended).

What inspires your music?

Anything and everything 80's!!!

How often do you rehearse?

We rehearse every Wednesday evening and have our rehearsal home in Etna, PA thanks to the wonderful people at STORExpress (thanks Jen!)

What gear do you guys use?

Nothing but the best equipment (Realistic microphones from RadioShack)...just kidding.  Due to the moving action of the band, we try to use "wireless" everything, from mics, to amps, to monitors...we like to be mobile to jump off the stage and be interactive with our crowd.

Do you utilize a booking agency, and what are your thoughts around that?  Yes.  Fuzion Entertainment (www.fuzionentertainment.com).  The thoughts around using a booking agency is really mixed in the industry; however, using a booking agency helps the connection points that some bands cannot obtain on their own.  And, since Chris owns Fuzion Entertainment, we all felt it was a good idea.

Are you looking for a label, and what are your thoughts around that?  No, we are perfectly content with what we are doing.  However, if someone is interested in picking us up, we are always interested in the conversation.

What are your songs about?  

The 80's (use your imagination)!

What are the least and most people to attend one of your gigs?  Let's never talk about the least amount of people (thanks for coming, Mom!).  Aside from Steelers games, Pirates games, and larger venues drawing in 1,000's and 1,000's of people at our shows, we pride ourselves on playing for about 200 - 300 people every show.  At Jergel's, we usually draw many more...often upwards of 600 at one show.

What ages are most of your concert attendants?

Honestly, it's all over the place.  If you look at the core demographics on our Facebook Insights, it will tell you that the majority is women between the ages of 35 - 54, but we have people of all ages coming to our shows.  It's a completely diverse crowd and we love each and every single one of our fans!

Do you always play the same songs live, or do you vary?  Totally 80s strives to continually add new songs from the decade as much as possible.  We do keep about 50% of our songs in the set at all times (the ones that REALLY defined the 80's).  There is a fine line of keeping the show fresh and meeting the expectations of all of our fans.

Do you have a regular place you play live often?

Yes.  We have several partnering venues, but the official home of Totally 80s is Jergel's Rhythm Grill in Warrendale, PA.  Both Rick Jergel and Michael Lamanna took a chance on a brand new 80's band that had no following, was attempting to define itself, and simply was looking for a place to play music.  From 2011 to today in 2016, we have become one of the largest drawing bands at Jergel's!  We play there at least monthly and are the featured band for their Halloween Bash and now their NYE show!  Thanks to Rick and all of his incredible staff and all of our fans that come to see us every month.  Our next show at Jergel's in 

March 19, 2016...COME ON OUT!

What was your first gig like?  It was packed. Everyone dressed in 80's garb because it was billed as an "80's party"!  The band name for this show was "Better Of 80's" and a few shows later, the name Totally 80s caught on like wildfire!

What was your latest gig?  Our last show was at a completely redone venue in Oakmont, PA called The Oaks Theater.  It was our debut and a little different for us in that this was a "show" and not a "gig".  People we sitting comfortably in the cushioned seats, beer and wine in hand, but once we played our first couple songs, people started to dance in their seats, then they stood up to dance, and by the end of the night, people were down in front dancing the night away!  It was certainly a successful evening and we are in conversations with them to come back this year.

Have you had to cancel a gig?  Of course.  And, we have had shows cancel on us.  It's all part of the business and you roll with the punches.  

Where have you played live this year?  Jergel's, Latitude 360, Seven Springs, The Oaks Theater, Hollywood Casino (Mahoning Valley), and a Private Wedding in Sewickley, PA...and it's only February!

Where do you plan to gig the coming year?

We continue our journey with Jergel's on a monthly basis, Baja Bar & Grill (both inside and on the outdoor deck), Seven Springs (Summer Concert Series, Rib & Wing Fest, Wine Fest, Autumnfest, etc...), The Meadows Casino, a multitude of Community Days (Chartiers Valley, Findlay Township, Castle Shannon, ), the featured entertainment for the State of Pennsylvania Parks & Recreation Annual Event, Rocky Gap Casino, Linden Grove, Ford City Renaissance Community Partnership, Pittsburgh Pirates, Pittsburgh Steelers, The Crafthouse Stage & Grill, Squirrel Hill Sports Bar, Monroeville Concert Series...just to name a few!

Where can people buy your merchandise?

Surprisingly, people aren't very interested in merchandise.  They come to party and go home.  We have attempted to sell t-shirts, but have had little success, so we just gave them away at our shows.  Relying on our fans to dictate what we do, we will leave that up to them.

What do you think about people downloading music instead of buying records now a days?

Records!  Ahhhhhhhhhhh.  We like to listen to our music on Magnavox multi-colored cassette tapes!

Do you have any role models or idols?

Well, there's Billy Idol...ha!  There are far too many.  As a band, we have committed to doing music of the 80's, which means we focus our attention on the icons that made that decade a true success.

Is it easier to find inspiration from older bands, or bands that are more active today?

It's a clear answer for us....older bands give us the inspiration.  Bands today are perfectly fine, too, but we're not called "Totally 80s & Sometimes Today"!

What have been your biggest obstacles?

Totally 80s has been extremely fortunate and have had few obstacles to overcome.  We believe that is because we listen to what people are saying, make changes accordingly, and put our best foot/feet forward.

What advice would you give other bands or artists?

This is one of the hardest questions to answer for the general band community, but we have have narrowed it down to a few simple things:

- Treat your band like a business.

- Have fun on stage!

- Respect the industry and be honest at all times.

- Engage your crowd and remember to include them both on and off the stage.

How do you get psyched for a gig?

We don't change anything to get psyched for any of our shows.  We all go in with a united front...one that puts our audience first...to put on the best show that we can and entertain them all until the last note.

What are your web sites?

www.totes80s.com

How can people reach you?

Anyone can reach out to us on our website, Facebook page, or contact Chris Murphy directly.  Our email address is booking@totes80s.com and we check it multiple times a day.

Social media addresses?

www.facebook.com/Totally80sBand

@T80s - Twitter

T80s - Instagram

What are your plans for the future?

Totally 80s has no plans of going anywhere anytime soon.  We plan to continue to share our show with the Pittsburgh market, branch out to a more regional geography (already starting this year), and continue to listen to what our fans desire.  To help the show, we will continue to rotate songs, give away glow sticks and beads (it's crazy what people do for these things), and find unique ways to differentiate our performance.  This band truly understands that we are nothing without our fans and we can't say thank you enough to all of those who support us.

How do you think that this interview will help you in the local music scene and beyond?  This interview can help spread the word about live music.  It can help people understand more about Totally 80s (and all the other bands being interviewed).  It can develop a sense of community and interest in the continuation and exchange of information to help define an art that people pay money to see.

What is one thing even your biggest fans don't know about the band?  DJ Ron P is the only original member still in the band!

Do you have something to add?  Totally 80s prides itself on our show and our ability to keep people on the dance floor.  The energy in our crowds keeps US energized and we know that our success lies in the continuing support of our show and what we do.  We are always open for suggestions and want to hear from you.  Thanks for making Totally 80s so successful and we look forward to expanding and building our Totally 80s community along our 

Totally Gnarly...Totally Awesome journey!