Bands to Watch: Akoostikatz

If the "Bob & Tom Show" ever exits radio, Z-102 might consider replacing it with Chris & Tom.

They're not comedians, per se, but Chris Mathers and Tom Morrison inject a lot of humor into their set as the Akoositkatz. They not only pop out the occasional song by Adam Sandler and Tenacious D, but banter with each other and with the crowd.

It's when the crowd's not loud — not even breathing — they get perturbed. Whether it's because they wield acoustic guitars or because they play while seated, some listeners react as if the show is inside Blasco Library: "Shhhh!"

Silence may be golden, but they'd prefer a little racket.

"Sometimes it's frustrating for us that people look at what we do as just background music," Morrison said. "We don't always get a response, whereas it's OK to respond, say 'yeah!' or clap. Sometimes you're up there and finish a song and there's dead silence. You feel like a schmuck. You want something, like even a 'Whoo!'"

"Especially when you're like perfectly in tune and it sounds great," added Mathers.

But then they turned philosophical and typically comical.

"At least they're not throwing stuff at us," Mathers said. "That's nice."

"They're not leaving or running away, holding their ears," added Morrison.

"Or mooning us," Mathers said.

Those who appreciate hard rock that doesn't make you hard of hearing will appreciate Akoostikatz's set list. With Mathers practically beating his guitar, and Morrison handling all lead vocals, they feature such artists as System of Down, Billy Idol, and Sublime, among others.

"When we do Black Sabbath's 'Paranoid,'" said Morrison, "it's like, 'Oh, acoustic can rock.'"

Chris and Tom talked about Akoostikatz with Showcase.

HOME BASE
Erie.

BAND MEMBERS
Tom Morrison, guitars, lead vocals; Chris Mathers, guitars, vocals.

THE INSPIRATION
After leaving Higgledy Piggledy, Mathers wanted to keep playing out but without the hassle of dealing with an entire band. "I wanted to keep it simple," he said. "I just wanted to do an acoustic thing. It's easy, it's fun, and you can make money doing it."

Still, it's more fun with a partner. He found Morrison at the now-defunct Dessert Room. Mathers said:

"Let's just say I discovered Tom in a burned-out, smoke-filled coffee shop, playing for change in his guitar case. I saw he had a lot of talent and thought, 'This is someone I can work with.'"

THE SET LIST
Akoostikatz has a repertoire that includes about 200 songs, ranging from 1960s to today. Sample artists: Alice in Chains, Billy Idol, System of a Down, Sublime, Poison, Red Hot Chili Peppers, Stone Temple Pilots, Bon Jovi, Goo Goo Dolls, Tenacious D, Creed, Pearl Jam, and Guns 'n Roses.

MOST REQUESTED
"Lynyrd Skynyrd," said Mathers, sighing. Even though it's rock's biggest cliché, people shouting "Freebird"? "Yeah," said Morrison. "Some people are even serious."

FIRST CONCERT YOU EVER SAW
"1986 — Ultimate Sin tour with Ozzy, and Metallica opening with 'Master of Puppets,'" Mathers said. "Cliff [Burton] was still alive. I was a Metallica fan. That's who I came to see, though I loved Ozzy. It was awesome because there was like no one there, and I was right up front."

LAST GOOD CONCERT YOU SAW
"I don't get to too many concerts," Morrison said. "I caught the Kansas / Styx / John Waite show, and I was blown away by Kansas."

Mathers: "I saw Van Halen. That's the last show I saw but I was unimpressed."

Morrison: "What am I saying? Last summer in Virginia, I saw Billy Idol, and it rocked."

IDEAL BAND TO OPEN FOR
"Train," says Mathers. But hold the caboose. "I think we'd be a better fit opening for a band like Live," Morrison said.

WEB SITE
Not yet.

CDS
Mathers is recording a solo CD with Trevor Huster at Diecaster, and Tom plans to record, as well. "Our ultimate goal is to have a six-song EP to have at our shows," Morrison said. "Get them out and then get requests for our original stuff. Get that feeling of 'Oh, wow, people do care about original stuff.'"