PAPER TRAILS
Trio of pals have rockin’ good time
LINDA CAILLOUET
Just a year into its formation, the band Kyoto Boom is making its mark on the local music scene in Little Rock. The music — rock, postpunk and new wave — is very good, to be sure. But another head-turner during a recent show at On the Rocks in downtown Little Rock was the audience participation. The standouts in the crowd? The three 30-something women, front and center beside the stage, dancing nonstop and singing along to every word of every song. All smiles, they were clearly reveling in the show, one clutching a drumstick and enthusiastically waving it along to the beat. Big fans? Oh yeah, but they’re with the band — for better or for worse. They’re the wives. Charis Cook, Heather Raymond and Misha Boyne have been to nearly every show their husbands (lead singer, bassist, and keyboardist Scott Cook; lead guitarist Dave Raymond; and drummer Duke Boyne) have played, including outof-town gigs like the one Saturday in Fayetteville. As the band’s popularity grows, so does the wives’ friendship. “I was already friends with Charis, and the band brought Misha into our circle,” says Heather. The band simply provided the women with a weekly Girls’ Night Out. Each knew the other was free every Thursday night because their husbands — who have day jobs in banking, advertising and construction — were at band practice together. So, while their husbands jammed, they bonded over drinks out or staying in watching TV. But on this recent Thursday, the wives — who have careers of their own in retail, nursing and social work — were among the fans. “We love to show our support, and it’s a fun social outlet for us,” Heather says. “We’re hanging out with our friends, but we’re also with our husbands. It’s the best of both worlds.” And if their genuine excitement in watching their husbands come to life onstage and express this artistic side of their personalities proves contagious and gets the rest of the audience fired up, all the better. “If someone gets out of their seat because of us, that’s great,” adds Heather, who, when not dancing, is selling the band’s T-shirts at a table nearby. Misha Boyne agrees. “They’re up there on the stage, and it’s great to be able to support their talents. But we get to have an outlet, too,” she explains. At one point during the recent show, Charis joined the guys onstage to sing a duet, Crazy with husband Scott, who writes the band’s original material. “Scott’s been in bands ever since I’ve known him, and I’ve always gone to his shows,” she says of her husband of 8 1/2 years. “But now I can always count on two of my good girlfriends being there, hanging out and having a good time.” Wanna catch the band and their rockin’ cheerleading squad for yourself? Look for them, along with other bands, in Little Rock on Aug. 23 at a show at Pop in the Park in Riverfest Park or on Sept. 25 at On the Rocks. Paper Trails appears Monday, Wednesday and Friday. Contact Linda Caillouet at (501) 399-3636 or at lcaillouet@arkansasonline. com
