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Etcetera Rock Revival
Original Members:
George Sanger, '75 Guitar (First Band)
David Sanger, '78 Drums (First Band)
Ron Michelson, '76 Keyboards (First Band)
Paul Ephrom, '76 Bass (First Band)
David Sanger has been the Drummer for Asleep at the wheel for years.
Read
the Article on David at bottom of Page.
George Sanger Now.
George in his Studio.
Mantis: George Sanger on Guitar AND David Sanger on Drums. This is their band while in College.
Asleep at the Wheel 2008. David Sanger on Drums.
David Now.
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Coronado Grown - David Sanger
by Alessandra Selgi-Harrigan
When he was 11 years old David Sanger was in a band called Etcetera Rock Revival. By the time he was 13 the band went on tour for two months across the U.S. Etcetera Rock Revival's
other members included his older brother George, who was 16, and two 17-year-olds. They traveled in a van, performed at friends' houses, stayed with family, friends or campgrounds along the way.
The music hasn't stopped for Sanger. Since 1986 he has played the drums for Asleep at the Wheel, a band that has won nine Grammy Awards.
Like his three siblings, Sanger chose his instrument in fourth grade and still remembers the name of his drum instructor, Bruce Sharp. The Coronado-based Etcetera Rock Revival performed at pep rallies and high
school dances. "We would've liked to play more but we weren't playing popular music. We were playing oldies when people didn't want to hear oldies," he said. Sanger also played in the Coronado High
School marching band and was recruited when he was in seventh grade. "Back in those days the high school band was so small they recruited three from my junior class to fill up the ranks," he recalled.
At 14 years old he left Coronado to attend a private school in Los Angeles and stayed
there until he graduated from Occidental College with a degree in history. Throughout his high school and college years he kept playing in a band with his brother George who also lived in Los Angeles.
Playing the drums was something that came easy for Sanger. "I didn't have to work on it every much. It was fun to do all the time," he said. But Sanger didn't think making a career out of playing
music was a possibility. As a child he remembers knowing only one person in Coronado that was a musician for a living and his job title was listed next to his name in the phonebook. "Now kids literally
grow up around professional musicians. It was an alien planet for me. I couldn't imagine ... I couldn't think I could go and do it," he said.
In 1984, Sanger, now 45, moved to Austin, Texas, considered the live music capital of the world, and started playing with W.C. Clark band. Two years later he was the drummer for Asleep at the Wheel.
Asleep at the Wheel plays big band music from the ‘30s and ‘50s using the fiddle, steel guitar and western instruments and is known for reviving the genre. "It's western swing. It's cowboys playing
jazz," he said. The band has performed in Europe, Brazil, Japan and still tours regularly in the U.S. The bread and butter of Asleep at the Wheel is reinterpreting older music. Last November the band
released four new records. Recently the band wrote a musical play on Bob Wills, who was the inspiration for the band, called "A Ride with Bob." Apart from working as a musician, Sanger owns Texas
Music Roundup, a record and music distribution company.
The early Coronado influences have stayed with Sanger through the years. People like Joey Harris, Bruce Sharp, Rick Lee and high school band director Bob Demmon played a role in shaping his musical career.
"They were guys older than me that played music. These guys had a huge influence on me," he said. Demmon was the first person that recorded Sanger's music.
What did his parents, who were both physicians, think about his music career? Sanger recalls the moment when his dad thought it might be OK after all. It was when he was talking to a nurse and he told her his
son was in band called Asleep at the Wheel and she exclaimed "I love that band!"
This spring Asleep at the Wheel will perform with Willie Nelson, Ray Price and Merle Haggard for the release of their new album. Asleep at the Wheel will open for the artists and will be the band for the tour
which starts in Las Vegas and ends at Radio City Music Hall. "For a band that's been around for 36 years it's nice to still be loved," he said.
Asleep at the Wheel famous singles include "Choo Choo Ch'Boogie," and "The Letter that Johnny Walker Read.
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For more information on the band, visit www.asleepatthewheel.com.
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