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The sounds of jangly guitars coupled with introspective, sometimes sad yet clever lyrics are attracting people who are more than happy to sing along of England’s most beloved and sometimes loathed crooners.

     Panic, Dallas’s Smiths and Morrissey tribute band, has given fans what they want time and time again for the last two years. Josh Venable, former Dallas KDGE 102.1 DJ and long-time host of the Edge’s former Adventure Club show, channels Morrissey both in voice and stage presence. The 40-year-old dons a wig that depicts the best of Morrissey’s upswept hair and keeps flowers in his back jean pocket like his hero. He is backed by Glen Reynolds of Chomsky and Starr Blazerz on guitar; James Henderson of Baboon and Sunday Actors, also on guitar, and keyboards; Matt Kellum of Chomsky on drums; and Daniel Reid of Long Sword Spectacular on bass.

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    Venable started the band in the summer of 2012 with Reynolds, Reid, Kellum, and Baboon guitarist Mike Rudnicki. “We wanted to start this because The Smiths are one of my favorite bands. They’re one of Daniel’s favorite bands, and they are the greatest band of all time,” Venable said. “We wanted to do something that is important to us and that is important to other people. The Smiths are never going to get back together. Morrissey, if he doesn’t cancel, might play Dallas or might not, but the Smiths are never going to reform.”

     He and Reid started Panic after playing together in the Bruce Springsteen and the E-Street Band cover band Nightmare on E-Street in 2007-2010. The band featured Venable as The Boss, Reid on drums, and musicians from an array of Dallas bands. That band played less frequently than Panic now does as Venable lived in Los Angeles at the time.

   panic2  After Venable moved back to Big D, he was able to devote more time to starting a tribute band featuring his favorite lifelong music idol, Morrissey.  “No one wants to see a Dave Matthews’s tribute band. That band has never saved anyone’s life. Who wants to go see a Wang Chung or a Linkin Park tribute band? No one really cares,” Venable explained. “The Smiths, The Cure- these bands have saved peoples’ lives. Whether it’s us five up there singing them, or five other people, it makes no difference because it’s important to people. They are the most important band, maybe of all time, because they save lives,” Venable said.

     The Smiths music helped  make being a shy teenager and dealing with life’s woes a little more bearable for Venable. “They saved my life when I was in high school. I think I lived a very John Hughes sort of life growing up as a kid. I was depressed, just like a lot of other people are who love The Smiths. Those records and those songs are some of the most important things in my life, and have been since I was 14. I can’t imagine my life without these songs,” Venable said.

     One of the pivotal albums by The Smiths which left a lasting impression on Venable was “Strangeways, Here We Come.” “It absolutely changed my life. It opened my eyes to something that I had not been privy to up until this point because I had been listening to Warrant and Bon Jovi up until that point. Then you listen to The Smiths, and you go, ‘OK. I understand why life is important,” Venable said.

Putting the pieces together for the perfect fit

Rudnicki eventually left the band due to of lack of time as he was played in two other bands. “We recruited Mike Rudnicki. He came to us one day and said that Baboon was getting back into the swing of things, and he said that we weren’t going to be available anymore.”

     Henderson stepped in to fill his shoes in December, 2013, and the current line-up has remained the same.  Reynolds joined after he learned via Facebook that Venable started a Smiths tribute band, and he contacted Venable to join the band. “I asked him how could he do this band without me and he said, ‘Ah, that’s a good question’,” Reynolds said.

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      Reid said that he’s always surprised at how many people show up to the Panic shows. “Me, coming from a metal band, we’re lucky if our friends show up to the shows. It’s always nice to have a built-in audience.”

      “It’s like the Springsteen thing was such a drunken mess. It was fun, but with getting James, Glen, and Matt on board, we finally realized that we could be good,” Reid added. “The thing is that everybody knows how to do their homework. When we get to practice and if we have a new song, and maybe after two runs though, we got it because everybody knew their part.”

     daniel andjamesVenable, Kellum, Reid, and Reynolds unanimously decided that they really wanted Henderson to be in Panic. Luckily, the very talented guitarist was more than happy to oblige. “James was at one of our shows at the Double Wide, and I think that he was having a really bad day or something. He came up to Glen and said, ‘How do I get out of this mood?’ Glen said, ‘You should join our band’, and that was that,” Venable said.

     James, who works as a professional musician full-time, masters the task of mimicking Johnny Marr’s incredible handy work, which is not an easy feat for most guitarists. “James has been amazing to play with. I can’t say enough good things about the four people that I play with because all four of them are good, and they make me look infinitely better by being as good as they are,” Venable said. 

matt“Matt is like a machine. It’s amazing to watch him play.” They brought in a second guitarist to help with the guitar parts.

     “Daniel is fantastic as a bass player. Matt is a fantastic as a drummer. Glen and James are perfect. Like Daniel said, we actually can do things and go, ‘Hey we should do this song’ and no one says, ‘Oh, that’s impossible to do because it’s too hard. There are too many parts.’ We can do these songs because of the people that we’ve assembled, and I can’t say enough good things about that.”

     Panic chooses 20 songs to perform at each show, which they play every three to four months, with the majority of them being Smiths songs. Those include “How Soon Is Now?” and “There Is A Light That Never Goes Out”. They’re always throwing in a new song. One of those that Reid hopes that Panic will perform is The Smiths song “Barbarism Begins at Home” and the Morrissey song “Let The Right One Slip In,” as the song is “fucking rad”, Reid said. He enjoys playing “Shoplifters of the World” and “Girlfriend In A Coma” on stage, which is one of his favorite Smiths songs, and was the first Smiths song that he ever heard.

     Venable would also like to see Panic perform “Let The Right One Slip In” and Mozzer’s “Angel, Angel As We Go Down Together”. One of his favorite Morrissey songs is “Everyday Is Like Sunday”, which Panic performs at every show. His two favorite Smiths songs are “I Know It’s Over”, and to perform is “I Want The One I That I Can’t Have” . He would like to see Panic perform the musically difficult “A Rush And A Push And The Land Is Ours.”  

     Venable, who is now the program director and an on air personality at Z104.5 FM The Edge in Tulsa, Oklahoma, drives more than four hours to Dallas to perform with Panic and even to its practices. Panic has placed twice with the Dallas Cure tribute band, Le Cure at the Granada. Panic also played with the Dallas band ISHI, who performed as a Depeche Mode tribute band, and the Gorehounds, The Cramps tribute band, for Halloween, 2013 at the Dallas House of Blues. Panic also opened up for Blue October at Stubb’s in Austin to a sold out crowd of 2,200 people, which Venable is very grateful that he and his band mates were asked to attend.

Carrying the torch across state lines

 On October 24 Panic will prove that the light never goes out for The Smiths and Morrissey fans as the group will perform at The Vanguard in Tulsa on October 24. Panic will perform along with The Danner Party, a Velvet Underground tribute band, and an Oklahoma based Cure tribute band. This will be the second time that Panic has played in Tulsa. Unlike Morrissey, Panic actually plans to attend the Oct. 24th show rather than canceling it at last minute.

    To learn about upcoming Panic shows, visit the group’s Facebook pagehttps://www.facebook.com/#!/panicindallas . Venable said that they’ve received requests to play weddings, and the band would love to play a civil union. Check our their version of “The Joke Isn’t Funny Anymore” at https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=6I5xoQxIR5A . 

To book a show, contact Venable at joshvenable@gmail.com

     He doesn’t mind driving four hours to dress up as Morrissey and sing his favorite songs for people in the least, he said. “I get to play the songs that changed my life, and that is the most important thing in the world to me,” Venable said.

      Playing the music that has left a lasting impact on him, and then sharing that with fellow fans is also why he got so much joy out of hosting and planning the Adventure Club for 18 years at The Edge in Dallas.

     “That’s why I did the Adventure Club, as it wasn’t about me ever. It was always about making other people happy. You know, having people write to me saying that they found a box of cassettes labeled the Adventure Club from 1994-2000, that stirs something in me that I cannot begin to put into words,” Venable took over for Alex Luke, who started the show in the early 1990s. “It’s so important to me. I loved doing that show, and listening to Alex Luke made me happy. I love doing this. It makes people happy, and that’s all I care about. That’s my whole goal in life and has been for years.”

    joshmozzer  He and his band mates are succeeding in that regard per proof of the bouncing heads, swaying bodies, and smiling faces of people who continue to drive from near and far to sing their life, per se, and help celebrate one of the most influential and time honored bands of the 1980s, and its song-writer, Morrissey.

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 The Force proves to be strong with

Order 66 Toys after 5 years

 

By Brandi Price

Imperial troops kept watch along streets just off of the McKinney Square on Sept. 5 and 6 as Darth Vader, Princess Leia, Chewbacca, and an array of other characters from a galaxy far, far away helped celebrate the anniversary of their home away from home.

People of all shapes and sizes were dressed in their best costumes from characters from the movie franchise “Star Wars” to celebrate the fifth anniversary of Order 66 Toys store being in business. Men dressed as Storm Troopers, Shadow Troopers, and a Tie Fighter Pilot, otherwise known as the bad guys, walked along Chestnut Street and greeted passersby. Darth Vader even made an appearance inside of the store at 111 S. Chestnut Street as co-owner Jeff Durazzo and his song, Josh, his wife, Heather sold action figures, ships, vehicles, dolls, and many other items to an anxious customers.

There were plenty of recently released new figurines for sale from the much anticipated, upcoming “Star Wars Episode VII: The Force Awakens”, which opens in theaters on Dec. 18. “The Force Awakens” continues the story line decades after where “Return of the Jedi” ended. Veteran “Star Wars” actors Mark Hamill, Carrie Fisher, and Harrison Ford are featured in the new film, and will portray their much beloved characters Luke Skywalker, Princess Leia, and Han Solo. Actor Peter Mayhew will return to play Solo’s trusted Wookie friend, Chewbacca. Anthony Daniels will return to reprise his role as C-3PO, and Kenny Baker will also return to portray the beloved white and blue droid R2-D2.

            “Star Wars” fans who grew up watching “Star Wars Episode IV: A New Hope”, “Star Wars Episode V: The Empire Strikes Back”, and “Star Wars Episode VI: Return of the Jedi” and their children who became fans while watching the later released Episodes I, II, and III filled the store. They had their photos taken with people dressed as Chewbacca, Solo’s Woookie sidekick, and various other characters from the movies.

Those enthusiastic and devoted fans are what co-owners Jeff and Josh Durazzo attribute to the store’s continued success. “Our awesome customers are often our ambassadors. They bring in friends and let other ‘Star Wars’ fans know that we’re here,” said Order 66 Toys’ Social Media Manager Heather Durazzo.

The store was initially located at 208 E. Virginia Street in 2010, in a very small shop, which had previously been a watch repair shop. “That location was great for foot traffic, but we need more room!” explained Jeff Durazzo.

Two years later they packed up their prized merchandise, which spans more than three decades, and moved a little farther east along the downtown area to their larger, current location on Chestnut Street. The larger location provides the Durazzos to schedule events. More people flocked to the store, and fans found a place where they could share their enthusiasm for their love of the “Star Wars” universe.

“After we moved, we had more room to spread out and have events in the store. We were then able to get a lot more word out about the store,” said Heather Durazzo. She updates the store’s events on the store’s Facebook page at https://www.facebook.com/order66unleashed .

 Being located in downtown McKinney, with its constant annual and season events that bring in thousands of tourists has helped to bring more people into the store. “The downtown McKinney community has been indispensable to us. The many events on the square and the shopping attractions bring in locals and people who have never heard of us,” said Heather Durazzo. “The other shop owners have helped us out by promoting our events and tell their customers about our store.”

An example of some of the events that the owners of Order 66 Toys was in full swing on Sept. 5 and 6. The Durazzos brought in actresses Nalini Krishan, who portrayed Jedi Knight Barriss Offee in “Star Wars Episode II: Attack of the Clones”, and Orli Shoshan, who portrayed Jedi Master Shaak Ti in “Star Wars Episode II: Attack of the Clones” and in “Star Wars Episode III: Revenge of the Sith” to sign autographs and mingle with customers.

A costume contest was held, and children and adults alike dressed as Darth Vader, the short alien Jawas trade characters, Imperial Storm Troopers, and the infamous bounty hunter Boba Fett. Cameron Holly of Grapevine and John Simpson from Roanoke braved the heat and dressed in costume as Imperial troopers. Holly wore a black Imperial Tie Fighter Pilot, who pilots suit, which he designed himself.

Both men are part of the international 501st Legion non-profit group, where members dress as Imperial Storm Troopers, Shadow Troopers, Tie Fighter pilots, and sith lords. The group’s motto is, “Bad Guys Doing Good” as all members dress as imperial workers and those who practice the dark side of the force. Holly and Simpson are part of the local 501st Legion group, the Star Garrison. The organization requires members to create their own “Star Wars” character costumes, which must meet very stringent and specific requirements.

Simpson spent five months working on his trooper suit and Holly spent two months perfecting his pilot suit. Simpson said that he works on it, “all day and every day”, and that he and the rest of the volunteers devote their time, money and energy to the group for the love of “Star Wars” and to help kids. “We do it for the kids. Today we’re out here for a local Boy Scout,” Simpson said.

That Boy Scout is Marcus McEnroe, a local McKinney ISD high school student, who asked Order 66 Toys customers to help save lives by registering as a bone marrow donors. Getting people to register as bone marrow donors is part of his project for him to earn his Eagle Scout badge. He also wants to help a McKinney ISD middle school student who is currently fighter cancer.

Many people learned how just easy it is to help save life and practice the teachings of the lighter side of the Force by registering as a bone marrow donor, at the anniversary party. As of 4 p.m. on Sept. 6 at least 22 people had registered to be bone marrow donors. Order 66 customers who bought figurines of their favorite heroes also helped the Wounded Warriors non-profit organization earn more than $500. That money will be used to help improve lives of real-life heroes in the United States Armed Forces who have been wounded in battle. Jedi Master Yoda would be proud.