Those Peabodys tribute band plays final show

"All these songs were written by Those Peabodys," Bros Peabodys singer/guitarist Jack Lewandowski announced, casting a waft of confusion in front of a thin crowd during an Oct. 29 performance at The Hole in the Wall. It was the band's final performance.

With no further declarations, the stage erupted with an onslaught of ‘70s-style, cock-rockin' licks, raising blood pressures and eyebrows. Most of the crowd in attendance were captivated by their shear rock agility, but few were privy to the deeper phenomena they were witnessing.

Bros Peabodys, made up of San Antonio natives Kevin Gately, Jack Lewandowski, Ian White and Austinite Zach Kloepping exists only to play music they love, which just happens to be under-appreciated Austin music, revealing an admiration of Austin's music scene.

For Bros Peabodys, Those Peabodys was the under-appreciated Austin band.

The band's obsession with Those Peabodys all started with a random demo CD they acquired that ultimately lead to the formation of Austin's most obscure tribute band.

"We'd usually go to Austin only to see Those Peabodys. We'd sneak out, drive two and half, three hours combined to see this band play for 45 minutes. It was exciting going to Austin. You could just tell that there was more music going on there," said Gately.

By the time Gately and his bandmates graduated from high school, the allure of the music scene brought them together in Austin.

Active musicians in their own right, they would still find every opportunity to see Those Peabodys.

"I'm so happy that I got to see them always in a local show. We never had to fight through crowds. I could always be wherever I wanted to be to see them. My friends and I were all spoiled on this," Gately said.

For eleven years, Those Peabodys had a niche following among rock purists, the Red River scene and the incestuous music community.

Despite their oozing talent, their momentum never quite reached buzzworthy status. A month after their formal split in February 2009, their biggest fans would revive their music as Bros Peabodys.

"We all said everybody just learn the first album by the time we get to the first practice, which really wasn't that much to ask, because most of us already knew it," said Gately.

Bros Peabodys was born. Gately started talking to venues where their predecessors had played and got mostly pleasant reactions from the bookers.

But there was one unavoidable curiosity: "Do the Those Peabodys know about this?"

Coincidentally, at Bros Peabodys' first official show, former Those Peabodys' drummer Eric Conn was playing with his band The Vitamins on the same bill. Conn demonstrated some restrained flattery, but most memorably, he was concerned with their potentially zealous set list.

"We were thinking we should play all the obscure songs, because that's what people would appreciate," Gately said with a laugh. "But Eric basically knocked some sense into us."

In the "Live Music Capitol of the World," bands are born every minute. Sometimes the search for recognition in Austin's stew of music can obscure the notion of fun, and "making it" becomes the only objective of playing.

"To most people, Those Peabodys was just a band in Austin, so Bros Peabodys is going to be, at best, the same thing, but they've helped make Austin awesome for music lovers and musicians for over a decade. And that's pretty cool even though it's a thankless job. They aren't going to get a statue on Town Lake or anything. I guess we're their statue," said Gately.