"Two pretty gals and three hairy-legged fellas" - that's how Lannette Pennell good-naturedly describes the band Almost Patsy Cline. The Bandera-based entertainers often bring their danceable songs and full harmonies to clubs in the Fredericksburg area. Photo by Phil Houseal

Details:
Almost Patsy Cline performs August 31 at Torre di Pietra, September 7 at Hondo's, and September 8 for the Fredericksburg Dance Club at Turner Hall. For bookings, visit www.almostpatsycline.com, or call 210-844-8549. CDs are available in Fredericksburg at Hondo's and Hill Country Music.

webmaster: phil@fullhouseproductions.net

More than Almost Patsy Cline

by Phil Houseal
Aug 29, 2007

I've always been curious how musicians name their bands. Finding anything that five creative individuals agree on is a Fantasy in A major. So my first question to singer and bass player Lanette Pennell was how their popular band came to be called Almost Patsy Cline.

"We decided to run names of the band by our friends," explained Lanette, who, with long-time friend and singer keyboardist Vicki Gillespie, formed this group about six years ago. "One fan said, 'You don't sound like Patsy Cline, but almost.'"

The name stuck. Thank goodness. Pennell told me another possibility was "two pretty gals, and three hairy-legged fellas."

Despite that searing image, it is the sound of the band that makes folks flock to hear them.

"We want our music to be as quality as Patsy Cline's music," Pennell said. "Her music was timeless, and crossed all genres. We feel our music is also timeless, a gift from that era."

All five band members sing, and everyone plays an instrument. Rick Reynolds plays drums, while Bryan Kibbe and Larry Nolan, Jr. (son of Texas Music Hall of Famer Larry Nolan) handle guitar duties. All are experienced veterans with years of experience sharing the spotlight with top local and national acts. They take turns singing lead, and their sound features lots of three and four part harmony.

"We just start down the line, and everybody takes a turn," Pennell said. "That way it's not hard on anyone, and the crowd gets to hear a variety. For a singer, the ultimate thing is to sing with other good singers. I think we have five good singers in our band. That makes it fun!"

Despite the name, their repertoire goes beyond Patsy Cline.

"We like to play what people want to hear," Pennell said. "We don't play many originals, we focus more on boomer music because that's the age we are, so we can target what people want to hear."

Apparently people want to dance, evidenced by what I saw the night I caught them at Hondo's. Tables were pushed back as couples clogged the dance floor.

"We try to make every song danceable," she said. "We focus on the old favorites - stuff you can sing along with and songs that bring back memories that make you feel good."

Speaking of names, the band has also earned the impressive moniker of "Official Goodwill Ambassador of Bandera, Texas." Consequently they perform lots of civic functions, festivals, and country club events. The day I called, Pennell and Gillespie were strolling and singing along Bandera's famed Main Street on behalf of the Frontier Times Museum.

With a name like Almost Patsy Cline, the band is clearly linked to that prolific singer, who recorded more than 600 songs in her tragically short career. The band's third and latest CD contains 15 of their most requested songs, all once performed by the country music legend.

"We feel Patsy Cline was the greatest country singer of all time," Pennell said. "We'd like our music to be that way."

That's fine with their fans... and more than "almost."

xxx