Can a four-piece band from Louisville that does alternative college dance tunes mixed with classic rock make a living playing? p If you're Insufficient Funds, the answer is "yes."
That's because Insufficient Funds is a band with a plan, according to Gary Duesner of Triangle Talent, which recently signed the group to a booking-contract. Duesner is very high on the group because of their professional attitude toward the music business.
The group did a lot of promotion, building a mailing list to send newsletters and postcards announcing their gigs, before getting with Triangle. Duesner and the band agree that this should continue.
The group consists of lead singer Richard Kutcher, who also helps out on keyboards; Andy Arnold, lead guitarist; Marvin Yates, bass; and Pete Ramsey on drums.
Kutcher, whose looks belie his years, has traveled around the Southeastern United States, working in bands and doing various shows such as those at Disneyland. This singing and dancing background stands him in good stead when he prances across the stage at an Insufficient Funds gig.
Arnold is leader of the band and handles the finances as well as equipment repair. The group began in his parents' basement and evolved through several configurations while there. It is Arnold who enforces the financial discipline that makes the group so unusual. As a result of this financial responsibility, they have accumulated equipment and paid for it, but they still need to buy about five thousand dollars worth of equipment to be able to compete with other working road bands, according to Kutcher.
Yates, the bassist, is in the process of leaving the group, recognizing that his priorities lie elsewhere. Ramsey, the drummer, is the main songwriter for the group and occasionally covers vocals.
The group also has a permanent sound man, David Steele, who is a trained musician. Kutcher asserts that Steele is the most important person in the band, because he determines the overall sound of the band.
Playing "intelligent music" – as opposed to fluff rock – from the Sixties through the Eighties, the quartet covers tunes by U2, REM, David Bowie, plus "classic" rock, lately lampooned in Doonesbury as lite rock." Duesner thinks that the combination is very hot at the moment. which means the group can play many different rooms.
The plan is to work around town, building on their success, while shaping up the song lists and stage show. Going full time is scheduled for later, but not much later, with gigs in the region leading to more jobs.
Oh, yes and the name – it was inspired by an automatic teller machine which refused to give an ex-band member money.
Members of the group hope that they will see those words only on their promotional material, never again on their bank accounts.