Interview: Dr. Jeffrey Neuhauser, Dr. James Moses, Kristen Dempsey, Bruce Benson of THE BACK BEATS Bring Vintage Rock-N-Roll to the Rialto Theatre

Taking care of a historic theatre, especially in a small town, can be a challenge with or without the threat of a plague. Many times, the buildings need upgrading, things break down, or sometimes go into disrepair altogether. So far, the folks with the Arts Council of Conway County have managed to keep the Rialto Theatre running through the hard times.

"We have been slow about letting the public back in due to the pandemic and general maintenance repairs," President Lindell Roberts said. "Recently though, activity has picked up. We've had some weddings, class reunions, and bands come through."

As part of the unofficial reopening, The Rialto Theatre is proud to welcome THE BACK BEATS band to the stage Saturday, Oct. 8, at 7pm. Hailing from Central Arkansas, THE BACK BEATS, which consists of Dr. Jeffrey Neuhauser-guitar/keyboards, Dr. James Moses-drums, Kristen Dempsey-vocals, Ginifer Fox-vocals, Scot Johnston-guitar, and Bruce Benson-bass guitar, are recapturing the essence of rock-n-roll from the 1950s and 1960s.

JAMES MOSES: For the Record we are delighted to be a part of the Rialto reopening.

JEFFREY NEUHAUSER: We have something special planned.

BWW: Really? Cool!

MOSES: We are going to take you on a little trip from the early days through the end of the classic period.

NEUHAUSER: We are going to give you the history of Rock-N-Roll.

MOSES: I think we will start with the first rock-n-roll song to be #1 on the charts, which was Rock Around The Clock, to the 1970s. It'll be fun. A little bit of talking and a lot of music.

The Back Beats origin began pre-COVID, when Dr. Neuhauser saw a performance by Sonny Burgess and the Pacers.

NEUHAUSER: I didn't know who these guys were. I looked at them and I thought they were really old, but these guys were killing it. When I learned the history and how they came up through the Memphis scene with Elvis and Jerry Lee Lewis and everything, I said these guys are the real deal. They were phenomenal with their instruments and, more so, they played with energy and passion. They played music I haven't heard in a while. They played music the way I imagined it was played years ago back in the day. It was like a time capsule going back in time.

With inspiration budding, Dr. Neuhauser decided he wanted to start a band.

NEUHAUSER: I thought this is a niche for a band to bring this music back, and let's play it with feeling and passion...let's play it like it was back in the day... not a lot of fancy effects, just play, sing in your mic, play in your amp, and just recreate that raw sound and everything like a time capsule from a band back 50 years ago or whatever. If we could do it well with feeling and passion, maybe younger people will get into it and say 'hey I didn't realize how cool that music could be.'

The Back Beats originally started as a boy band, but when the pandemic hit and members became busy, the group hired Dempsey and Fox to front the band.

MOSES: I tell you, Theresa, the best thing that happened to this band is when Kristen and Ginifer came aboard, because their singing is just outstanding....it's perfect. Both of them have outstanding voices, but together....

NEUHAUSER: Having two female voices at that caliber, I don't know that any local band can touch that, not that I've seen.

DEMPSEY: I've sung with a lot of people, but I've never sang with someone that it fits that well with.

BENSON: It's not always the case where the two singers can play in the same sandbox together.

BWW: Well that's exciting. I do love listening to strong female leads. How does everyone else fit in?

NEUHAUSER: The idea of the band is not so much virtuosity- no superstars. Everybody fits an image, everybody has a role, everybody plays together, everybody plays nice and tight....tight rhythms, good, catchy melodies, nice harmonies, good tasteful riffs on the guitar. There is not a lot of virtuosity or guitar hero or anything like that.

DEMPSEY: But we fit together very well, we get along well, and everything works out, which is what I like. So, it makes it fun.

NEUHAUSER: We are all having fun. It's been a really good ride. We play all different kinds of venues. You never know what you're going to get.

MOSES: We play a good mix, too- soul music, rhythm and blues, rock n roll, a little rockabilly, funky stuff...it's fun to mix it up.

NEUHAUSER: I want us to carve out our unique niche in the music scene.

MOSES: Nobody else does what we do. We try to do songs that everybody likes, and we try to do them the way they were done and not mess with it too much. We will give you a good show....a vintage rock-n-roll from the 50s and 60s.

The Rialto is in for a treat. Tickets are $10, and can be bought at the door or online at rialtomorrilton.com.

For more information on The Back Beats, visit their website at thebackbeats.net.

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