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Local band wins 'Battle of the Bands' title

By LEE ARNOLD
Staff Writer

SAINT ALBANS -- After a three months competition, Rockin' Horse, a rock band founded by Lincoln County native Dave "Corncob" McCormick, claimed the Rock 105 / CJ's Olde Main Pub, Battle of the Bands title.

After outlasting 24 other bands from the Kanawha Valley, and parts of eastern Kentucky and Ohio, Rockin' Horse was awarded a $5,000 cash prize Saturday night.

The championship round lasted for two days. Rockin' Horse opened the weekend with a Friday night performance, and the contest's runners up, Lack Thereof, played Saturday night.

"The great thing about this is that we made it through the competition on the strength of our original material," Steve Breedlove, guitarist for Rockin' Horse and Yawkey resident, said. "Other bands relied heavily on cover material."

More than half of the band's set was comprised of original songs.

Four of the bands nine, and sometimes 10, member band are from Lincoln County.

Steve Breedlove, Yawkey; David Breedlove, Yawkey; Wayne Holstien, Sod and McCormick, Sod, provide the core of the bands instrumentation with two of them being guitarists, one a bassist and the other a keyboards player.

The band's sound is self-described as being derived from southern rock and blues.

A testament to the band's musical roots would be the choice of cover songs that played during the competition, which included a Doors medley woven around "Roadhouse Blues," a Stevie Ray Vaughn tune, ZZ Top, and the song "I'm Feelin' Alright" which was popularized by Joe Cocker in the early 1970's, but had originally been recorded by Traffic in 1968, and later Grand Funk Railroad.

According to McCormick the band is 75-percent finished with its first recording, which is expected to be available this summer.

For now, the band can be heard on Rock 105's Homegrown radio program, which airs every Sunday night from 9 p.m. to 10 p.m.. The program features music from local bands.

"We gave them the songs 'The Music Man' and 'Forest for the Trees,'" McCormick said. "Those are two of heavier songs."

The next scheduled performances for the band are on March 29 and 30 at CJ's Olde Main Pub at St. Albans' Old Main Plaza near the River's Edge Restaurant.

Rockin' Horse is comprised of Dave McCormick, vocals and guitar; Steve Breedlove, Bass; Wayne Holstien, keyboards; David Breedlove, Guitar; Jimmy Lowe, Congas and percussion; Stan Bumgardner, fiddle; Tommy Hymes, Drums and vocals; Jason Newhouse, guitar; Allison Gunter, vocals; and on special occasions Jean Hana Davis, vocals.

For information on Rockin' Horse contact McCormick at 756-9432.

Or catch him performing his solo material at CJ's every Wednesday night, and at the 5th Quarter Restaurant in downtown Charleston every Thursday night.

To hear Rockin' Horse on Rock 105 contact the Rock 105 office at 525-9552 or 727-9552.