Waiting For One

There's a universal rule among musicians: When the words "Hey, guys, my girlfriend is going to be in the band!" are spoken by anyone, the band is finished. Waiting For One may just be one of the few exceptions.

The band started out as a duo featuring Kelly Shatzer and Wayne Nelson. Then Shatzer started dating Leah Blakely, a laid-off telecom employee and donkey rancher turned karaoke tycoon (no, I'm not making this up). WFO and Blakely's karaoke company (Totally Twisted Karaoke) co-hosted a party at her donkey ranch, and though nobody remembers it (yes, it was one of those kinds of parties), when they played the recordings back the next day, Blakely had apparently joined the band.

Nelson (guitar, vocals), Shatzer (guitar, vocals) and Blakely (bass, vocals) then appeared on John Rody's live webcast, and Rody decided they needed a drummer and put out the call -- which was heard by drummer Sean Holbrook's father in Washington, D.C. Even though Holbrook happened to live near the Blakely donkey ranch in Alvord, it took a webcast taped in Funkytown and viewed in the nation's capital to find him.

So what started out as an acoustic country act is now a full-blown Southern rock/outlaw country happening. The musicianship and vocals are first-rate, and the lyrics are catchy. The band's anthem, Drinking My Way to Righteousness, gets stuck in your head and won't leave. The most popular song of the night was a profanity-laden diatribe that I can't even quote the name of here (or any of the verses). It's enough to say that it had the entire club laughing. Nelson writes most of the lyrics, although Holbrook is contributing more and more as the band evolves.

As a frontman, Nelson is rather understated. But Shatzer makes up for that with rock-star jumping around and stage banter. His guitar work is more lead-oriented, and he uses a talk box (think Joe Walsh or Peter Frampton) and other effects tastefully and to good effect. Blakely's vocal harmonies and bass tie it all together nicely.

With a full karaoke schedule (Blakely's company provides karaoke in bars and restaurants from Dallas to Granbury) and the four band members living all over the Metroplex, Waiting For One doesn't get to play out as often as the members would like. So check out their website at www.waitingforone.com, and keep an eye out for their next show. For karaoke, check out www.totallytwistedkaraoke.com. Oh, and if you need a donkey, go to www.lazy-lranch.com. - DFW.com

Kelly Shatzer and Wayne Nelson are Waiting for One, an easy-on-the-ears acoustic duo whose music sits somewhere between America and Tom Petty. the sound is breezy yet rootsy. Plenty of harmonies are blended in, which include third member Leah Blakely on background vocals, to create a warm, homespun merger of rock, blues and country. Shatzer and Nelson are slowly working their way into the North Texas music scene. Waiting for One does not have a full-length CD yet, but it does have a nice demo handsomely packaged. The duo has been giving copies of it to fans at its gigs. - GuideLive.com

Their sound ranges from roots to rock, with a strong Texas flavor. Watch for Waiting for One to start percolating around the local music scene soon. - Robert Brooks - Tequila Karaoke