Former Kirkwood members reform as new performing duo

There is an old saying, "The family that plays together stays together." This seems the perfect catch phase for the many bands in the music industry that have done just that, combining the talents of multiple family members into one musical group. Cases in point: The Jackson Five, The Allman Brothers, the Everly Brothers and even the fictitious Blues Brothers. Back stage opportunities for brotherly bonding probably played a huge role in the internal maintenance and professional longevity of these groups. \nTaking their inspiration from these brotherly bands of yore, Bloomington twins Keven and Steven Leonard are making a name for themselves and their band with an upbeat mix of acoustics, vocals and a backbone of percussion from drummers Rob Herbert and Justin Shaw. \nThe Leonards, who had played together before at bars like Uncle Festers, were added to the Kirkwood lineup alongside founding members Brad Schaupeter and Frank Winegar in 2001. Providing vocals, bass and lead guitars for the group, the twins helped round out the bands sound and heart-throb reputation (see Winegar as Mr. Indiana in Cosmopolitan magazine's "Stud Showcase 2001"). \nAfter a year in Kirkwood, internal disputes and the impeding graduations of Schaupeter and Winegar prompted the brother's decision to split from Kirkwood. Keven says both Winegar and Schaupter set out to L.A. with the original intent of continuing to pursue success as a band. Since then, Schaupter has returned to work in his home town of Detriot, and Winegar is still working in his job with Mervyns. \n"To be honest with you, we don't really speak to them, which is kind of unfortunate," Keven says. "(There were) definitely some arguments and some words that should not have been said from both sides. They wanted to take the band further. We still had another year and there was no way we would have been willing to relocate, skip school, or take a year off because of that."\nFollowing their decision to split from Kirkwood, The Leonards decided to continue doing what they loved: performing. Starting their own band under the name "The Leonards," or "The Leonard Brothers," with the help of percussionist Rob Herbert (also of Right Side Down), they began booking gigs together in early April at bars such as Bluebird and Kilroy's Sports. \n"The Leonards take care of most of the managerial stuff with this band, so usually I just have to show up and drum," Herbert says. Since then they have built their lineup through the recent addition of drummer Justin Shaw (also of Run of the Mill). Herbert met Shaw their sophomore year while both were playing in the IU drumline, and suggested him to The Leonards when they were looking for ways to fill out their sound. \n"It's cool sharing the percussion role with Justin. He's a great drummer," Herbert says. "We do a lot of layering grooves, as well as trading solos. We try to change things up every show to keep it interesting, and we'll even try out new solo ideas on the fly." \nThe Leonards fill their sets with covers ranging from Guster to Bob Marley. While they no longer work original songs into their lineups, they often try to shake things up a bit by putting their own spin on popular songs such as Bon Jovi's "Living on a Prayer." \n"I think The Leonards just like to entertain," Shaw says. "They're not trying to change the face of music or make a huge impact on the music world. Sometimes people just want to go to the bars, hear music they're familiar with, get wasted and sing along, and The Leonards understand that."\nBoth Keven and Steven agree that one of their main purposes in the Bloomington scene is to have a good time and put on a good show. \n"We don't do anything big and flashy," Steven says. "We are college guys. We are no different than anybody there. (It's) such a cliché, but what you see is what you get." \nTheir love for performance and ambition in the music industry has motivated The Leonards to keep with the Bloomington music scene despite the competitive nature and sometimes poor reception from other local bands. \n"It's funny, you can supposedly have a rivalry with another band and not even know it," Steven says. "Because we're not really there to compete. This is all just for fun, and that's probably one of the most annoying things in Bloomington...the competition between bands." \nKeven agrees with his brother. Although he says the music scene in Bloomington has certainly flourished in the past few years, it is slightly hindered by the competition.\n"It's either you are cool with the bands or you're not," Keven says. "(The Bloomington music scene) could be so powerful if all these bands could support each other."\nFor now, the guys are just enjoying this time together, working well as a team as well as with the other members of the band. \n"Being best friends, it is so easy deciding what songs we want to do. We like the same music. There is always someone to practice with all the time, which is nice," Keven says. "The dynamics on stage with the other guys brings a freshness and make everything funner. We have been playing with each other for eight years, so whenever you bring someone else into the picture it is refreshing energy."\nPolitics of Bloomington music scene aside, The Leonards are having a love affair with the music. \n"We're college guys going up there and playing music and having a good time, and I hope that energy channels out to the crowd," Keven says. "People are like, 'you guys look like you are having a great time up there,' and we are"