I always like to hear about a new band creating a buzz in the local area. Underwood fits that category to a tee. They perform music you would hear on the radio on The Buzz, and they are attracting a strong following for their gigs. I caught up with Underwood at Shifters a couple of weeks after they had packed Shifter’s on New Year’s Eve. Underwood returns to Shifters on Saturday, February 25. 

     Underwood is comprised of Larry Underwood on bass and backing vocals, Rus Gib lead vocals, Mike Eicholz on lead guitar and Gil Rivera on drums. 

     Larry says that even though he is an Underwood, the band wasn’t named after him. “We had all come from other bands and frankly we couldn’t come up with any other name. We started with a different singer, but when we hooked up with Rus we started to take off. Getting Gil on drums has made Underwood what Mike and I wanted it to be.”

     Mike says that although they are a cover band, don’t confuse Underwood with the many classic rock cover bands in the area. “We do the newer stuff that you would hear on The Buzz. We cover bands like Cedar, Breaking Benjamin, Anberlin, 30 Seconds to Mars, Three Days Grace and Godsmack.”

     Gil says he is the only one in the band not living on the north side, as he lives in the Clear Lake area. “We have played at the Loading Dock in Galveston, but most of our gigs find me heading north. Besides Shifters, you will find us at both Concert Pub locations fairly regularly. Our gig calendar continues to expand.”

    Everyone in the band also has a day job, Gil says. “I am a flooring contractor, Larry does auto financing, Rus teaches music and Mike has owned an automobile repair business, Michael’s Automotive for many years.”

     “We have had the current line-up for over a year and our goal is to continue to build our following,” Larry says. “We want to get better and to continue to fine tune Underwood. This is a fun band to come listen to, which makes it a fun band to be in. Whether we start doing our own material remains to be seen.” 

     You can keep up with Underwood at Facebook/Underwoodband.