Having a Ball ...old school style

In the '80s, while most of us were French/Tight (whatever you dorks called it) rolling our pants and teasing our hair (Aquanet forever!), rock bands such as Motley Crue, Twisted Sister and Guns N' Roses were shocking the airwaves and topping the charts. Now that the jeans have unrolled and the hair has died down, we're only left with nostalgic memories of the glam rock we grew to love. Then came Hairbanger's Ball.\nBased in Chicago, this group of musicians is a tribute band to '80s rock. Hairbanger's Ball has more than 65 songs in their repertoire. They cover bands such as Poison, Motley Crue, Guns N' Roses, Twisted Sister, Bon Jovi, Metallica and Def Leppard ... but better yet, they rock out with wigs.\nThe band consists of Polly Pantz on keyboard and vocals, Vic Voxx on vocals, Freddy Fingers and Jeff Jackson on guitar, Chris Crotch on bass and Zeek Zildjian on the drums. They played in Bloomington during Homecoming weekend earlier this month in shows at both the IMU and the Bluebird Nightclub.\n"Whenever Hairbanger's Ball rolls into town, you can always expect a crazy time," senior Matt Cole says. "They sound so great on stage, its hard to believe they are just covering."\nThe band will be back at the Bluebird Nov. 7 and 8.\n"At Bluebird, it's all about the '80s party," Crotch says. "If you don't know what that is, I suggest you get a wig and some vinyl pants and show up." \nPantz, Jackson and Fingers started the band in May 2001, and during the next year Zildijan, Crotch and Voxx joined. \nHairbanger's Ball has played all over the Midwest, creating quite a name for themselves. It's concerts have started extending further and further throughout the nation in places such as Las Vegas, Iowa City, Missouri and Alabama. On the tour bus, it's easy to find ways to pass the time.\n"It consists of Zeek and I watching movies, Freddy driving, or navigating our sound guru Jimbo, and Jeff and Polly sleeping," Crotch says. "We try to ride together unless our schedule is hectic enough that we have to fly." \nZiljian is more excited about the bus itself. \n"It's pretty pimped out," he says. "We have a DVD player, VCR, two TVs, fridge, freezer, stove, microwave, washer/dryer, shower, bathroom, two sinks, Playstation 2, porn and booze in the freezer. What more could you ask for?"\nCrotch says the band is always eager to bounce in Bloomington.\n"The Bluebird is easily the loudest crowd ever," Crotch says. "They seem to be very partial to Polly's songs, but Guns N' Roses works every time. My favorite time in Bloomington was when the crowd was so loud singing 'Enter Sandman' that I couldn't hear the monitor -- I just let them sing."\nAfter playing gigs in Illinois, Mississippi and Colorado, the band will return to the Bluebird the first weekend of November.\n"It's been simply amazing that so many people have gotten so much enjoyment out of this. It's equally astonishing that there has been a steady amount of fans that travel to our shows hundreds of miles away," Voxx says. "I think that a majority of our fans missed out on the era and we've done a good job of recreating it so that when people see our show, they get a chance to actually feel the experience firsthand."\nThe band, known for their big hair, colorful costumes, leather pants, shiny make-up and occasionally pyrotechnics, definitely takes the '80s look where even blue eyeshadow has never gone before.\n"I'm a leather pants kind of guy. But I have been known to wear ripped jeans and leopard print skivvies," Voxx says.\nThe band members might not have made it mainstream quite yet, but their passion and love for their music far exceeds their desire to shine in the spotlight. \n"I wouldn't call the success we've been blessed with 'mainstream,'" Zildjian says. "If we were selling 250,000 CDs in six months, that would be a different story. We just provide a service." \nThe genre of '80s glam rock has slowly started to disappear, but with the help of Hairbanger's, it's on it's way back. To learn more about the Hairbanger's Ball and to access tour dates, visit www.hairbangersball.com.