European Stars And Stripes (Newspaper) - November 13, 1986, Darmstadt, Hesse                                Just picking grinnin1 and country clubbing Vanita coach staff writer Houston does t need rhinestone jackets and fancy glitter. This country Western quintet shines without Gaudy gimmicks. A twangy steel guitar nimble picking and Good of Down Home country music have made Houston one of he Mare popular bands on the military club circuit but the real secret behind Houston s Success is that they la give you what you came to hear. You want the outlaw country of Waylon and Williej Houston will play it for you. How about the country pop of Alabama and the Oak Ridge boys Houston will play that too. They la even play you some Honky Tonk by George junes and Merle Haggard if you ask them Nice enough. You gotta play what s popular says Houston s Lead Singer guitarist and frontman . Wes Wesley. Wes ought to know what the transplanted country Hoed owners want the Burly 36-year-old from Breckenridge Texas a sergeant first class in the army stationed at Heidelberg Germany has been playing the club circuit for seven years. During i hat time he s mastered the Subtle Art of crowd control a skill that seems to go hand in hand with playing the clubs. The thing that i m More proud of than anything else he says is that As Long is i been playing i can Only think of twice where there was a fight in a  Wes attributes that less to the nature of country Western crowds than to he fact that he himself gels involved he spots potential showdowns in the audience and cuts pm off at the  if i see problems developing i la Start picking on the Guy he explains. Ill gel everybody in the crowd looking at him and dedicate a song to him like Buck sheep of the  ii was t until 1983 that Wes met up with Houston by then the band had already been playing a year on the circuit and had Een countless musicians come and go. But that s not surprising for a club band says Wes. Most musicians on the circuit Are Active duty military personnel so High turnover rates in the bands  to be expected. The Only original member of Houston is drummer Dee Laughlin a music teacher and bandleader at Mannheim american High school. Formerly in a Rock band that played the military circuit the Sharon pa., native decided to Start a country band so thai she could perform regularly on weekends. It s easier to get work in dubs if you re in a country band says Dee because More clubs have Houston left to right a tit Fowler Ron Smith Dee Tough Lin Wei or the in guat guilty it fim Kathr. Country every weekend than Rock n  along with Wes and Dee Houston lineup includes master sgt Bernie Fowler of Heidelberg on guitar spec. 4 Ronald Smith of Mannheim or. Bass and steel guitarist Rex Speyer. The military members of the band mys Wes Are All in combat support or combat service support units so there s no Chance that they la be out in the Field for any great lengths of time. We know our work schedules pretty much far in Advance so when we have Artel or one of us goes on leave we just won t schedule any gigs for that period says Wes. Musicians have come to Houston no silly through word of Mouth and that word travels pretty quickly on the club circuit says Wes. Oftentimes too people will come up from the audience and inquire about openings. Still jobs in club bands Are plentiful. Somebody s always Hunting a keyboardist steel guitarist  whatever says Wes. The Josie Way to gel a Job is la he .1 inc Alisa and a musician. Nobody wants to hire jus .1 Singer unless you re a dynamite Singer and nobody wan 14 to hire a musician who does t sing unless you re the Best Sli i a guitar player this Side of  that s due obviously to the Money Factor. The  a club band receives is established by the commercial entertainment Branch of 1st personnel command in Schwet Zigun Germany. Houston receives an average of $5uo-$550 for five hours of playing time according to the band s agent representative Robert Laughlin. From this n 5% administrative fee is deducted by army clubs though not by air Force clubs which is returned to the Community. Then a 15% Agency fee is deducted and the balance is split among the musicians. Granted the  May not be the Best just some extra pocket Money for the musicians. Bui could stardom possibly lie ahead for a country land that plays the club circuit both Wes and Dee respond with an emphatic no at least not for Houston. For one thing Houston does t have any original songs and for another the band members Aren t interested in Hilling the big Lime. We re not looking to make it Rich and famous says Wes. We Wanna go Home after the gig we want Nur Persona time and we Wanna go out a couple times a week and have a Good Lime Pekin and grinning. Being on the Road is fun the comradeship driving Back and Forth slopping at 3 a. M. And drinking Tup of Coffee and eating Gulasch soup at the truck Stop. Out i would t want to do it for a  As Long As there Are country fans to the military however there will always be jobs for bands like Houston. Says Dee once you re a country person you re always interested in country music. Especially when you come Over Here it s like part of being  interest in country music is spreading throughout the civilian sector of Europe As Well says Wes. Along with playing in military clubs Houston also performs in Economy country clubs in Germany and France. Country music is the Kirl of music that appeals i everybody says Wes. It does t matter where you re from or what your background is if you were to sit in a club and listen to just one set of a band that performs a wide variety of country Musk you re a tinny find at least one Sony that you like. Moyle you la Only like country Rock or maybe Only traditional country. But if you give yourself half a Chance you la gel