Artist description A mixture of various styles of American roots music, known for rockin' loud and hard but also with country and folk inflections.

Music Style Roots and blues based rock

Musical Influences Rolling Stones, Tom Waits, Nick Cave, the Blasters, Gram Parsons

Similar Artists Stones, Dave Alvin (Blasters), Fabulous Thunderbirds, Tom Waits

Artist History Founded in late 1998, the Ventilators began performing locally in 1999 and moved on to begin playing regionally in late '99. The band landed a song on the 2000 Live From Bloomington CD compliation and recorded it's first full length album live at The Slippery Noodle Inn in Indianapolis in May of 2000. One of the obstacles the band has faced over the last few years has been the lack of a neat place to be pidgeonholed. Too loud and rock oriented for some blues fans, too blues oriented for some alternative types, not country enough to wear second hand store Urban Cowboy drag, the band nonetheless garnered a following locally . Late 2001 brought sweeping line-up changes, with the last of the core quartet leaving front-man Deke Hager to carry the torch. Re-joining the band on lead guitar is Jon Nilsen, formerly of the Dorkestra and the Bathtub Virgins. Bruce Lockwood took over the bass duties from Aaron Spelbring in early summer, and Dan Fierst, formerly of El Nino, took over the drums following Bob Spelbrings departure. Also joining the band in fall of 2001, Brian Gill on keyboards, also of the Dynamics, and Mary Janes violinist Heather Craig. The band has plans to go into the studio for it's first studio album and the first recordings with the new line-up in early 2002.

Group Members Deke Hager-vocals and acoustic guitar Jon Nilsen- lead guitar, slide guitar Bruce Lockwood- bass Dan Fierst- drums Heather Craig- violin Cara Swedran- vocals and percussion Brian Gill- keyboards

Instruments guitars, bass, drums, violin, piano, organ, tamborines, maracas, claves, washboard, trashcan, harmonica

Albums Live at The Slippery Noodle

Press Reviews October 13, 2001 By R.E. Paris , Herald-Times Reviewer Local rock 'n' roll veterans the Ventilators opened Thursday night's show. The band is led by Deke Hager on acoustic guitar and lead vocals, who gets down to the growling roots of rock, as in the Ventilators' opening belly-rumbling cover "Boom, Boom." Hager hushed the crowd when he sang off-mike to close Bo Diddley's "You Can't Judge a Book By Its Cover." In original songs, Hager paid homage to "John Dillinger's Manhood" with sliding ballad rock vocals, recalled a truck driving country-inflected "South Missouri" past and became a screaming machine gunner rocker on "Taxation." Tadas Paegle, no doubt one of the finest guitarists in Bloomington, played his last show with the Ventilators Thursday night. Unfortunately for Bloomington, Paegle is doing a day job move to Florida, where most of his extended family now lives. Paegle and Hager have played together, off and on, for 12 years, and have been the core of the Ventilators for four. The two were joined by Dan Fierst on drums and backing vocals, Bruce Lockwood on bass and Brian Gill on keyboards/synthesizer. Jon Nilsen will rejoin the Ventilators on electric guitar as Paegle departs. Nilsen played in earlier Ventilator incarnations. Local live music venues seem to be taking a hit from the world events of the last month. NRBQ has regularly filled Second Story or the Bluebird, but not at this performance. Perhaps our government's leaders should remind us all not only to go shopping, but also to support local and national live musical performances.

Location Bloomington, IN - USA

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