Local band Soup records at Banita Creek Hall

The local band Soup recorded its first live CD at Banita Creek Hall last Wednesday night.

The band, consisting of SFA alum Colt Pope, lead vocals, rhythm guitar and harmonica; Anthony Parrotta, Ft. Worth senior, bass; Simon Page, lead guitar, and Josh Bickley, drums, gave the exceptional crowd at Banita Creek a solid performance as they recorded their first CD.

The band's influences of laid-back, warm sounds and funky twang were evident as they played songs such as "I Don't Mind," "Amy Shields Me" and "Let me Slide."

"Our music is a culmination of warm sounds and smooth upbeats," Pope said. "The song 'I Don't Mind' was influenced by Stevie Wonder, and you can tell many of our songs have easy-going lyrics and a '60s funk sound as well."

Fans agreed that Soup's easy-going lyrics and smooth sounds kept fans enjoying every minute of the concert.

"It was really cool to see a band that awesome so up-close and personal," Michael Shelton, Mabank sophomore, said. "They had great lyrics that many college kids can relate to. Themes such as hanging out with friends, relationships and parties are right up any college kid's alley."

The band also credited an array of other musicians with their style of play.

"The bands Sublime and Blind Melon were two of our biggest influences," Parrotta said. "Our band name was even named after Blind Melon's third album."

Fans consisted of many supportive friends and Sigma Chi fraternity brothers, since Pope and Parrotta have been members while attending SFA.

"It's really cool to see brothers so successful," Shelton, also a member of Sigma Chi, said. "Seeing people you know personally, especially brothers, made the atmosphere for the concert that much more enjoyable."

Pope and Parrotta, who have been consistently playing together the longest, began their collaboration as a duet, playing at Sports Shack during Open Mic Night on Tuesday nights.

"About four years ago, I started playing the guitar and writing songs," Pope said. "Since Anthony (Parrotta) was a good friend of mine and we enjoyed the same genres of music, I wanted him to enjoy the thrill of picking up an instrument and expressing himself like I did, so I told him he needed to start playing the bass and have some fun."

The band does not plan on slowing down any as they look forward to the future.

"We are playing at SFA's annual Spring Fest and want to start playing at larger venues in Tyler," Pope said. "Once Anthony finishes school this semester, we will be moving down to Austin and really focusing on becoming successful musicians."

CDs, which cost $10, should be completed as early as this week.

Anyone interested in buying a CD or finding more information about Soup can contact the band at www.myspace.com/sfasoup.

Soup agreed they want to become successful musicians.