Houston's Other - - June 16, 1999

By MONIQUE A. HITCHINGS

Myla, voice, was the newest addition to a group whose three male members have been performing together for more than 10 years. Eight months prior to the Instant Karma show Myla had accused the band of needing an audience not a singer.

"But every band in its infancy must resolve early personality issues. It's tough for any female to step in and create music with three unfamiliar and hard-head males who also happen to be close friends with each other," David Barbee, the bass, said. "I have total respect for her because of the patience she showed in those first few weeks."

The band continued to work, and the Mardi Gras show went smoothly. None of the players seemed to miss a beat or a cue. They held the audience captive for more than two hours.

But during the recent Instant Karma show, Myla expressed a small doubt to the rest of the band members that perhaps the show may not go as well as Mardi Gras.

As the bassist brought the black shades to his eyes and prepared to begin the first tune, Myla turned from the microphone.

"Don't put the sunglasses on," she said to Dave, and then she turned back toward the audience.

Terry Matula, the guitar, shook his head as he caught Dave's questioning glance and began the show.

"We were tight," Dave recalled of the performance.

The trio, who currently is in the process of interviewing its third drummer, makes up one of the city's hottest new pop/rock bands.

Dave noticed something missing from his life after he graduated from the University of Houston Law School in 1998.

"Music had always been there, but I had not done anything with it for three years," the bassist said. "It was simply time to get back to my roots."

Myla, who sings and plays tambourine for the group, became a member after Terry and Dave placed an ad in a local newspaper searching for a female vocalist.

"It was the first time I'd ever done that and the last time as well," Myla said of her experience auditioning for the band.

The trio comes from diverse backgrounds - bringing a variety of experiences and ideas to each performance.

Terry began playing the guitar at the age of 9. He has played in a number of bands in high school and college, including school jazz band and original local bands.

He also studied classical and jazz guitar at the University of North Texas.

Myla's musical career began when she started taking piano lessons and singing in church at the age of 5.

"I never practiced the sheet music in front of me," Myla said. "I always just made stuff up and played that over and over so my mom thought I was practicing."

The young age of beginning musical talent continues with Dave, who started singing when he was 3.

He started playing the bass in 1994 and has played the keyboard since 1989.

When they're not performing, Dave is a lawyer, Terry is the technical director of the Johnjay Morning Show on the 93Q Country radio station, and Myla is the file manager for a company in the Heights.

The three 25-year-olds are constantly looking down the road at the band's future.

Six months from now, Terry said he envisions the band extensively touring the southern United States with a new CD.

In a year, he said he hopes the group is "signed to a major or independent record label and working on another CD.

"Beyond that, touring the world with a major label CD debut selling 3 million copies."

The group's high energy and diverse music selection enables it to endure more than two hours of stage performance at a time.

"I like playing live shows, writing songs and recording music," Terry said.