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The Rutabagas began opening for various bands around the Harrisburg area. The Rutabagas explosive style and energetic stage presence had been used to "warm" up anticipating crowds in preparation for the headliners. This three piece band was grown from local soil, and have worked the homegrown circuit with pleasant results. The Vukmanic brothers provide vocals, bass and guitar, while Stymie stirs the skins to stimulate a surfabilly style.
After playing in the Millennium 99 Music Conference the boys took some time off. During the past six months the Rutabagas have been consistently headlining their own shows. They have also been involved in dual bookings with such bands as: Big Tubba Mista and The Prostitutes. They have been charming club owners as well as crowds with their powerful, yet subtle surfabillly sound. John (lead singer) of Big Tubba Mista when asked "Who are the Rutabagas?'...was quoted as saying, "Who are they? They are the best rockabilly band in Harrisburg!" Although there have been several names thrust upon their musical style, they refrain from being labeled a rockabilly band.
"We've always embraced that sound, but we are not trying to emulated that sound in our music. We all come from working class families, and appreciate the importance of that genre of music as a whole. We can all relate to the blue collar mentality. Where you are in life depends on where you began. The lyrics portray our lives growing up and how we are living today. It's evident in the way we dress and the way we decorate our homes. We attempted to combine that style with the early surf music of the late 50's and early 60's. I guess "rockin' surfabilly" would best sum it up, because it is a little rock 'n' roll, a little hillbilly, and a little west coast surf." (Jon)
The Rutabagas have maintained their integrity and musical style over the years. Once a certain musical style hits the mainstream various artists copy cat that style until it is bled bone dry. The Rutabagas have been striving to entertain audiences with their unique style since 1991. Since then, there have been many influential "styles" of music to break through into the mainstream...alternative, glam rock, grunge, punk (Rancid an the reuniting of the Sex Pistols tour) ska, and techno. The boys never chose anyone of those avenues, they just continued to play their style of music.
"We never compromised our music to cater to the public. We made a conscious decision when we began this band to stay true to ourselves and our music. We have remained oblivious to the trends around us. I find it amusing when someone will try to compare us to bands that have just formed within the last few years. We are not a new band...we have been doing this now for eight years. We haven't conformed to anyone or anything." (Todd)
Whether it is headlining a show or opening for another band the boys are looking forward to the upcoming shows. "We've enjoyed playing with some of the "new" bands that are just starting out. We're trying to give them the same opportunity that bands like Notcho Ma and Bloombox gave us. Don't get me wrong...we're still opening for other bands and we enjoy that aspect of playing as well. We're still reaping the benefits of our earlier opening gigs. It gives us the opportunity to become introduced to a whole new audience. Basically, we are just looking forward to playing in general, with anyone, anywhere, anytime." (Stymie)
The boys are also looking forward to recording a CD. The band has written a number of originals and they want to make them available to their fans. The CD will give them the opportunity to get their music out to a wider audience.
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