confusatron

Confusatron began in the spring of 2003 on the streets of "Funkytown" (Fort Worth), Texas with Matt Skates playing buckets and Brian Batson playing saxaphone for tourists and locals that passed by.
Matt and Brian soon began meeting other musicians interested in joining their informal jam session. Justin Pate would be the next to officially join. He started out playing drums but later moved to keyboards when the first of several drummers began to sit in with the band.
Percussionist Jonathon Irwin happened to see Matt playing buckets in front of a downtown coffee house. He introduced himself and, after talking for a bit, Matt encouraged Jonathon to bring his assortment of auxillary percussion to the next coffee shop gig. Jonathon showed up to the show and has been providing rythm for the group ever since.
At about the same time, Matt's brother Andrew Skates began showing up at gigs with his guitar, lending his ideas and distinct jazz style.
Things began to get a bit more serious late in 2003, when Confusatron would start their "resident" Thursday night shows at the Black Dog Tavern, downtown Fort Worth. This is where Darrell Would saw the band and approached them with the idea of letting him sit in with his laptop computer, various samplers, and other electronic goodies. With open minds and open ears, the boys agreed to let Darrell in on the gig. He has since become a major "mood setter" before and after the band plays, as well as adding his magic during the show.
By the Spring of 2004, the crowds at the Black Dog were steadily increasing when another local guitarist, Jon Stevens, would make his way into the band. With a background in blues,classic rock, 70's & 80's pop, and an affinity for jam bands, he has the skills solo smoothly for hours, or provide a simple 1 note texture for someone else to play over.
After a relatively smooth run with one drummer, circumstances would find Confusatron searching once again for some to fill the slot behind the drumset. When Lucas White heard about the opening, he jumped at the chance to audition for the band. After sitting in with them one night at the Black Dog, he proved that he could not only keep up with the different styles of music, but also listen to what the rest of the band was doing as well. From funk to drum-n-bass, house to odd-metered jazz songs, Lucas fills the slot nicely.
And so, with Matt on the bass now, Brian still blowing his sax, and with the help of the 6 other bandmates, Confusatron continues to keep the streets of Fort Worth "Funky".