Buckle up for The Family Wagon

Melodic riffs, soulful vocals and a driving backbone of a beat is the sound of The Family Wagon, PLNU’s emerging musical talent. This band of four can play anything from Jimi Hendrix solos to Pink Floyd tributes. Though the four upperclassmen have only been together for a month, vocalist Calen Lucas, guitarist Ryan Weiss, bassist Gareth Moore and drummer Bryan Bangerter have already created a distinct sound of their own: Classic 1970s rock meets My Morning Jacket.

The band is named after Moore’s 1998 Dodge Family Wagon. In the summer of 2003, Moore purchased the beloved vehicle and moved to Point Loma from Redlands. During the transfer, Moore missed the deadline for his application to PLNU and thus spent 2003-2004 living in his Family Wagon.

“It started out as a joke,” said Weiss. “I was like, ‘Dude, we should be called Family Wagon.’”

Weiss and Moore have been playing music together for a year. Before they started using Cunningham Dining Room in Nicholson Commons as a place to “jam,” the two chemistry majors practiced in Rohr Science and called themselves The Gypsy Hymns. In the summer of ’07, Bangerter, a transfer student from Hawaii, joined the band. Lucas completed The Family Wagon last January. Weiss’ father, Glenn, is sometimes featured with the band on mandolin, guitar or harmonica.

“He’s been rockin’ since the ‘60s,” Weiss said. “We like inviting him to play.”
His father joined the band with his harmonica for “Roadhouse Blues” (original by The Doors) at the February Flair in Ocean Beach last Friday. Their set that night consisted of three original songs and covers from The Beatles and The Rolling Stones.

“Their performance makes you feel alive,” said Tracy Le, a junior communications major. “Everyone’s so attractive musically; you can’t take your eyes off of them.”

The Family Wagon has not gone farther than Ocean Beach; February Flair was their first big gig.

“It was amazing,” said Moore. “It was the first time we played our original songs. It’s exhilarating to play on stage.”

Earlier this month, Nicholson Commons Events Manager Chelsea Barnes heard about the band “through a friend” and, without hearing its music, asked the band to be the main act for Café D’Amore on Valentine’s Day. The boys showed their versatility by playing jazz fusion and Michael Bolton’s “When a Man Loves a Woman.”

“It was a challenge, but we still got to play some Jimi [Hendrix],” said Bangerter, “We had a good time because none of us were on awkward dates.”

The Family Wagon can be contacted at bbangerter1987@pointloma.edu for booking. Their MySpace page is under construction.