BingBong’s members have been playing hard for years. Get to know them here.
Pam Barrett (Guitar/Vocals)
Pam Barrett is a Madison-based songwriter first hitting the scene fronting the Motor Primitives, a rock band known for a creative, diverse sound and fan-friendly live performances. Generally speaking, fans couldn’t help but dance! A throaty vibrato brings emotional immediacy to her melodic – at times portentous, at times rocking – songs. Her admiration for the “storyteller” tradition comes out in her songwriting. Listeners have described the songs as visually brilliant with characters who come alive. A close listener will discern a broad range of subject matter; her songs often subtly reflect her sense of social responsibility without being preachy. Others are character sketches with a poignancy reminiscent of a Knopfler, a Petty or even an Orbison. The vivid lyrical images are beautifully complemented by a variety of rhythms and melodies, some drawn from sources well-outside the rock genre.
As the driving force behind the Motor Primitives, she composed all but three songs on their four CDs released between 2006 and 2009. Her work with the Motor Primitives culminated in a performance in Austin, Texas during South by Southwest and winning the “Favorite Punk/Hard Rock” band award at the 2009 Madison Area Music Awards.
In 2003, Pam became one of the founding members of the Sigourney Weavers, a free spirited band that gained notoriety for pleasantly chaotic and loose rock arrangements – with just enough song structure to stay this side of jam band-land!
Pam continues to write lyrically sophisticated – but never stuffy – tunes. Her unique vocal warble(!) and her distinctive rhythm guitar style (ranging from rapid-fire counterpoint to jangly harmonizing to rumbly contentiousness) are now deployed with BingBong. As the front woman for BingBong, a band that features stunning musicianship, she brings a more disciplined approach, with songs crafted and arranged with precision and joy – in close collaboration with bandmates. During live shows, Pam uses her stage presence – a tough girl/guy persona – to engage fans. There is an incomparable death-defying swagger in her voice.
Danny Hicks (Lead Guitar)
Danny Hicks was hooked on melodic rock music to the sounds of Blondie, Cheap Trick, and The Police at an early age. He decided guitar would be his medium of choice.
The first credited gig outside of his parents’ church was a road trip with Madison college buddies in a band called Forbidden Colours. The four-hour drive to play 30 minutes near Peoria, IL started the ball rolling. This band eventually morphed into a half originals, half covers band called The Hollow that took Danny well into the nineties performing in Rockford area bars. The Hollow played covers by the likes of Dire Straits & Tom Petty; they released an all original album called Lost in 1992.
In 1999, Danny moved back to Madison and hooked up with pop mistress Courtney Collins. The duo instantly bonded over their mutual love of old-school power pop and began writing together. They added a rhythm section and started performing as Arena Venus, described by Kenneth Burns of The Isthmus as playing “gritty rock reminiscent of early Pretenders.” Arena Venus released an EP called Plucked in 2003 as well as the critics’ favorite Yuletide Swank, a full-length collection of Christmas songs. Rick Tvedt provided this review of Yuletide Swank, “Let’s get this out of the way straight off – this is the best Christmas album I’ve ever heard – anywhere. Brilliant arrangements and sublime musicianship… with a pristine recording and mix, delivering one of the best albums of the year.” Arena Venus fizzled out later in the aughts as band members moved on to various other projects.
Danny co-founded and performed in The Back 40’s. This was a band comprised of his partner, Annelies Howell, and other Madison musicians with a passion for old-school country. After a few years, The Back 40’s grew weary of four-hour bar gigs and the band transformed into Danny Paris and the Shiners, where Danny took the reigns as lead vocalist. This band played originals and fifties-styled rockabilly releasing an original EP called Hard to Resist.
One evening in early 2012, Danny collided with Pam Barrett at a local watering hole; they had briefly crossed paths over the years through the Motor Primitives and Arena Venus. Danny asked Pam what she was up to and if she was interested in starting a new musical endeavor. Pam said no… then maybe… then they co-founded BingBong. They immediately found their interests overlapped in pub rock, namely Rockpile, Nick Lowe, and The Pretenders. Danny began to weave his melodic lead guitar into Pam’s songs and together they’ve created some of the most terrific earworms ever cut to vinyl.
Danny finds melodic inspiration from guitarists like Johnny Marr & James Honeyman-Scott as well as technical inspiration from The Edge & Will Sergeant of Echo and the Bunnymen. His axe work has been described as powerful guitar parts, grinding dirty guitars, meaty & tasty (playing), and the richest guitar tone in the Midwest. This sounds like a recipe for a “big jangly” guitar sound with lots of harmonics.
Julie Kiland (Bass)
Julie Kiland grew up surrounded by music. Her mother was an accomplished classical pianist and her father could often be heard playing country and blues on his old Martin guitar in the living room. A self-described “child of the ‘80’s”, she was influenced by such artists as Blondie, Prince, Culture Club, Depeche Mode, Duran Duran and even (:::ahem:::) Hall & Oates. She spent her formative years playing flute, violin, saxophone, guitar, and singing in various choirs.
Her first foray into playing after college was in 1999 when she played bass on a couple of songs with the folk/pop band Thomas Stone. She eventually became their full-time bass player and released 2 CDs with them (Cast the First Stone and Born Again Stoned). Thomas Stone went on to become the mostly cover band, Cocktails with Betty. When this ended, Julie continued to hone her bass-playing chops in the bands Nerve Tonic and Wicked Lily, playing gigs in and around the Madison area.
In 2010, she had the opportunity to play bass with the Sigourney Weavers for a one off benefit show for Girls’ Rock Camp-Madison. The intended one time gig turned into 6 years, 1 album and Madison Area Music Awards (MAMA) nominations for Best Alternative Song and Best Alternative Album. It was with the Sigourney Weavers that Julie really developed her skills, playing with a group that did nearly all original music. In 2011, Julie continued to cultivate and polish her improvisation skills both with the Sigourney Weavers and with the band, Croaker, playing in and near Madison, WI, as well as the Nebraska Pop Festival and points in between.
It was also with the Sigourney Weavers that Julie met and got to know Pam Barrett. Pam’s style of writing (from progressive to power-pop) and catchy tunes seemed a great fit with Julie’s bass lines, so, in 2013, when she was asked to audition for BingBong, it was a ‘no-brainer’. Julie immediately clicked with the other members of BingBong and is grateful to play and collaborate with such gifted and capable musicians.
Brian Bentley (Drums)
Brian is a super cool dude which is probably why, since landing on the Madison music scene in the early 1990’s, he’s been laying down his groove with some of the dopest rock outfits in town like The Penny Dreadfuls, The Elizabeth Schaefer Band, Headpump, Jim James and the Damn Shames, and, more recently, The Fauxtons and The Grouvin’ Brothers. Then in 2011, when BingBong was a mere twinkle in someone’s eye, Brian signed on with this no drama, high talent squad.
When he’s not rocking your socks off, Brian is just a regular guy who loves hiking trails, mushing dogs, and sharing space and time with Christine, his wife and partner in crime for over 20 years.
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