From starter gigs to shows overseas

Tom Reiterer can still remember rehearsing Guns N’ Roses’ “Knockin’ On Heaven’s Door” in the… Tom Reiterer can still remember rehearsing Guns N’ Roses’ “Knockin’ On Heaven’s Door” in the basement of his high school almost 13 years ago. Though he was a far cry from his current budding rock-star gigs as lead singer and guitarist of indie band Lamexcuse, those days ignited his passion for music.

Hailing from Graz, Austria, Lamexcuse originated with four members. But after one left to study abroad and his replacement underwent a throwing-out of sorts, the band was forced to play some six or so already-booked shows as a threesome (Reinhard Schilcher on bass, Gerfried Brunner on drums and Reiterer on vocals and guitar) – the line-up stuck (along with the addition of Patrick Moestl on keyboards for live shows), and the rest is history.

Compared to the likes of Dashboard Confessional, Travis, REM and Marcy Playground, Lamexcuse’s debut album, “All Important Little Things” showcases the band’s self-proclaimed acoustic, songwriter rock and proves Lamexcuse can both stand up to and stand apart from its big-name counterparts. Many bands tend to blanket their main message for fear that their lyrics or music aren’t good enough, Reiterer states. But this isn’t a problem for Lamexcuse: The band writes its own.

“We try not to over-produce songs,” Reiterer said in a recent interview. Lamexcuse tends to stick to the mantra that less is more: “The main goal is to really bring out the song and support it through the music – it’s not about the best drummer or who’s got the better guitar solos.”

Lamexcuse’s appeal is wide – it doesn’t target any specific audience. Reiterer claims both his grandma and his best friend’s little sister like its sound, despite their 70-year age difference. There are even hints of Reiterer’s own personal West Coast punk rock influence in his songwriting and harmonizing.

“We kind of serve every audience,” Reiterer said. “Of course we don’t want to have every audience, it’s not pop, it’s deeper.”

Accustomed to playing and recording in Austria, you’d think the band’s ongoing touring in the States would cause a bit of a culture shock, but Reiterer contests. It is true that in the Austrian music scene some fans speak German and others speak English, making it easier to reach and connect with them as musicians. However, when an American band comes to Austria, he explains, individuals react the same way as when they, the Austrians, travel to the United States- they appreciate that the band has traveled from afar. People are really interested in what the band’s doing and the statements it’s trying to make.

“The more exotic you are, the more interesting you are,” Reiterer joked. “It’s a great opportunity to be the ‘exotic people.'”

But Reiterer maintains that so far, the tour hasn’t been all glitz and glamour and strongly emphasizes the band’s humility. Most of Lamexcuse’s traveling is nothing more than driving around the country in an RV, constantly fearing running out of electricity and gas. Reiterer even recalls one Connecticut RV park owner charging them for a full night’s stay and then kicking them out for no reason.

“Traveling the U.S. is not a cheap thing,” Reiterer exclaims. Back in Austria, he was employed as a cab driver to pay the bills. All the other band members also held humdrum jobs to save up for the trip. Music, though, has always been in the master plan.

While the show’s final tour dates are not yet fixed, Lamexcuse plans to finish up on the West Coast around Los Angeles and San Francisco in late July, where its agency, Kickstart, is based. To learn more about the band, check out its official website at www.lamexcuse.com or its Myspace at www.myspace.com/lamexcusemusic.