"The Remainders" were formed in the fall of 2003 to play one gig - the 25th La Crosse Central High School class reunion. Three of the five original band members were 1978 classmates - Kurt Schuldes [guitar], Ed Overholt [bass], and Beth Temte [vocals] - hence, the name "The Remainders" (i.e., what's left over from the class of '78). It was evident that night that old cross-town rivalries finally subsided after 25 years (or maybe everyone is just too old to care), because Steve Duff [keyboards] is actually a leftover from the La Crosse Logan class of '77. However, If you really want to know what the band's name represents, you have to ask Kurt - but be prepared for a long, in depth explanation of the investment policy for endowment funds (yawn).
In the summer of 2004, Beth relinquished her vocal duties to her younger brother Andy [lead vocals, rhythm guitar] (although he claims to be shy, Andy has worked his whole life to steal the stage from Beth), and percussionist Mark Kennedy has been keeping the beat since that first gig in 2003 (Mark was found wandering the streets of La Crosse looking for a gig and just kind of fell into the job - he has no connection whatsoever to the Central HS class of '78).
Although The Remainders seek to put smiles on the faces of music lovers everywhere, the true objective of the band is to provide therapy to a bunch of older working stiffs that need to keep their heads screwed on straight (Kennedy would vehemently object to this statement - he is in his mid-30's and his threads have been stripped since 1984). When you watch The Remainders live, you'll be looking at 5 guys who truly just want to have fun and are enjoying every minute and every note.
The Remainders have put together a unique playlist which is composed of rock opera, ballads, dance tunes, and good ol' power rock. Although there may be one exception, The Remainders don't play any songs that are less than 20 years old, so Classic Rock is what you'll hear all night long (when they start calling songs from the late 70s and early 80s "oldies," we quit!). Our motto is: "We Don't Play 'Freebird,'" so guys (and you know who you are), put your lighters away because we will never, ever, ever play 'Freebird.' Kurt and Andy used to play Freebird in their band "Aurora" and are rumored to have OD'd on Freebird during a 15 minute Schuldes guitar solo at the Log Cabin in Bangor in 1980.
Ed Overholt coined our other motto: "we're the band that plays lots of notes." This refers to our challenging, unique set list - we play a lot of tunes that other bands won't attempt. It also indicates clearly that although some band members possess advanced academic and applied degrees (MD, Ph.D., MBA, etc.), our use of grammar is poor at best...
So what do you get when you come watch The Remainders play? Great Classic Rock delivered to you with heart, soul, and a warm smile (unless we're in the middle of playing a song - in which case we are staring intently at our instruments, deep in thought, hoping and praying that we don't screw up).