Locked and Loaded aiming to please audience
Marissa Rauch, staff writer

The usual off-key, wailing wasn’t coming from the karaoke room at Graham’s Central Station recently. Instead, the head-banging groove of a rock and roll band called Locked and Loaded was drawing attention.

The members of Locked and Loaded were hot and sweaty, but they continued, with smiles on their faces, to entertain the crowd standing around the stage. The band played the songs the audience requested and wanted to hear, as their main motive was to please the crowd and send them home happy that January night.

Locked and Loaded members consist of a current student and three other former students from South Plains College. Steve Speer of Conroe, rocks out hard and fast on the lead guitar, while John Cearley of Hobbs, N.M. adds his own licks on the bass guitar. Bill Allen of San Antonio puts the needed driving beat into the songs on the drums, and Shunn Harvey of Morton adds his amazing vocals to make the band complete. Their combined talent is what makes them irresistible to fans.

Since 1993, when he received his first guitar, Speer has been strumming and picking the guitar strings. However, he initially came to SPC to study engineering and architecture in the summer of 2001.  He wasn’t here long though when he realized that music was his true passion.

“I just wasn’t happy or fulfilled doing anything else,” Speer said.

He then went on to graduate with a degree in commercial music and sound technology in May 2004. Since then, Speer has gone on to play in other bands until he decided to start his own band with Cearley after a former band he was in broke up. When asked who his biggest influences were artistically, Slash, Zakk Wylde and Stevie Ray Vaughn are the first names that come out of Speer’s mouth. However, it was his parents who really supported and influenced him the most, he added.

“They believed in me more than I believed in myself back then,” Speer said.

When it comes to naming the professors at SPC that were most influential to him, Darren Welch, Steve Williams, Tim McCasland, Ed Marsh and Jay Lemon were among those he mentioned.

“Every single teacher I took I got something from,” Speer said. “They all taught me to look at things real openly and real widely, and to look at the full circle.”

Cearley is perhaps the most different from any of the other members of the band, because he didn’t start playing the bass guitar until he started playing for Locked and Loaded. It was only supposed to be temporary until a real bass guitar player could be found, but Cearley ended up staying with the bass and the band. He had originally been playing an acoustic guitar for 13 years.

“I started playing the guitar in seventh grade, but I had really been playing the air guitar since I was eight,” Cearley said. “Ever since then, I loved rock music.”

His favorite artists now include Dimebag Daryl and Zakk Wylde. Like Speer, Cearley also received a degree in commercial music and sound technology at SPC in May 2004. Among the teachers that influenced his music the most are John Reed and John Hartin.

“John Hartin took my guitar playing through the roof,” Cearley said.

Harvey, the singer who can croon softly to a rock and roll love song and then crank up the volume to a more upbeat song such as “Purple Rain”, began singing about 10 years ago. He originally sang Contemporary Christian songs, then moved on to country music before graduating to rock and roll. His performance experiences ranges from singing in his church’s choir to rocking out in Locked and Loaded in bars in Lubbock. He was even in SPC’s first “Thursday Night Live” ensemble when he attended college in 1994. He recently proved that he can still hang with college students when he played with Locked and Loaded on Alterna TV in December 2004.

When asked about who influenced him the most artistically, Ian Moore and Stevie Ray Vaughn are his first choices. But he says that his mom was the one who influenced and believed in him the most. At SPC, the professor who helped him the most was Cary Banks.

“Oh yeah, Cary Banks was great!” Harvey added.

Allen, the only member of Locked and Loaded who still attends SPC, began playing the drums almost 10 years ago. He bought his first drum set for $100 and was on stage playing in a band started by a co-worker of his stepfather. Ever since then, he hasn’t been able to leave the stage.

Allen became the drummer of Locked and Loaded in May, when he saw a flyer requesting a drummer for the band.

“I practiced with them one time, and I’ve been playing with them ever since,” Allen said.

Allen’s favorite artist is Neal Peart, who plays for Rush, but he says his mom was the most influential and most supportive when he began playing the drums.

“She did everything she could to help,” Allen said.

Allen has only been attending SPC since the spring of 2004, but his favorite instructor so far is Scott Faris.

“He’s an awesome instructor, and I can ask him anything,” Allen said.

When asked if they missed SPC, Speer, Cearley and Harvey all agree that they miss it a lot and would go back if they could. Cearley is even thinking about taking that step and coming back for more lessons.

Locked and Loaded was recently sponsored by Coors Light Beer, and, according to their fans, they’re emerging as one of the hottest rock bands in Lubbock. You can catch them at Grahams Central Station, Rocky Laurue’s or Texas Café in Lubbock. The band currently does not have a website, but can be contacted at lockedandloadedband@yahoo.com.