Average House Band staging reunion

In the late 1970s and into the mid-1980s, the Average House Band was a staple on the Putnam County club scene.

Tonight, the group -- a little older but still ready to rock -- will take the stage at the Walden Inn.

The band is comprised of guitarist and vocalist Danny Martin, guitarist Sandy Williams, guitarist and vocalist Steve Michael, drummer and vocalist Rod Kersey and drummer and vocalist Fred Badalli. All the members lived in Greencastle when the band was formed.

"I'm looking forward to it," Kersey said of the reunion show. "We won't get to rehearse aside from just briefly before the show, so we're going to just get in there and go for it."

Williams, Michael and Kersey still reside in Greencastle; Martin is coming in from his home in San Francisco for the show, while Badalli is traveling from Miami.

The group performs a wide variety of covers.

"It's kind of like Nashville meets Motown," Michael said. "We do everything from the Rolling Stones to Waylon Jennings and everything in between."

Many of the group's early shows were played at the Old Topper.

"They started having bands play there way back when," Michael said. "It just came together from there."

As AHB grew in popularity, they began playing other venues, traveling to Indianapolis and Terre Haute. They played private parties, and shared stages with such artists as Henry Lee Summer and Canned Heat.

When the Average House Band got together, all the members were in their 20s. Today, they are husbands, fathers, grandfathers and successful businessmen.

"We'd get together every once in a while, but last year was the first time we'd ever had an official reunion show," Michael said. "We decided then to try to do it every year."

The original line-up is playing at the Walden Inn tonight, but members of the band came and went over the years. Two former members are working in the music business -- Mike Wanchic tours with John Mellencamp, and David Grissom is a music director for the Dixie Chicks.

In their heyday, the Average House Band would play shows to benefit community activities, such as the Greencastle Fourth of July fireworks.

Tickets for tonight's performance are $5 at the door, and Michael said there are still plenty of good seats left. For more information, call 653-2761.