Tulsa World

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Touring pop band gives Tulsa the love

by: JENNIFER CHANCELLOR World Scene Writer
Thursday, August 28, 2008
8/28/2008 3:31:12 AM

Oh, boy, do these five guys reminisce about the days when they lived in a tiny, rundown rental house in downtown Tulsa.

"We don't have anywhere to live," said Tim Convy, Moog synthesizer player for up-and-coming pop rocker Ludo during a recent telephone interview. "We spend so much time on the road that we usually just crash for a week or two in different people's houses when we get time off. Texas, Oklahoma, Kansas, Missouri."

Several years ago, the quintet wrote its first album here in Tulsa, made a promise to perform somewhere every single night, shared one car — and two ferrets.

"Yeah, it was weird," laughed Convy.

Originally from St. Louis, lead singer Andrew Volpe and guitarist Tim Ferrell moved to Tulsa to help them focus on songwriting — and live on the cheap. Soon, Convy joined them and the trio held nationwide auditions to round out their snarky, intellectual pop-rock band.

"Every time I'm back in Tulsa I think about how far we've come from winning over our first couple of fans," said Convy.

On Friday, the band will perform with local powerhouses The Effects, My Solstice and Texas act The Feds at the Marquee downtown.

These days, Ludo's out and about on the Warped Tour, it's headlining shows, it's going, going, going.

"The van lives," joked Convy, a la cult horror movie classic "Christine." "And we live in it."

Indeed, the vagabond lifestyle suits Ludo's fans well, too: The act recently won its first Top 10 single with "Love Me Dead," from its major-label Island/Def Jam release, "You're Awful, I Love You."

Ludo is often compared to alt-rock band Weezer because of its power-pop influences and ironic, cynical lyrics.

"Yeah, Weezer," agreed Convy. "And Queen — both are huge influences for us."

As is a roster of classic and influential musicians: Chuck Berry, The Beach Boys and all varieties of starry-eyed, early '60s pop, he said.

"We all listen to such different things," he admitted. "People often have misconceptions about our band."

Much like the namesake of Convy's band, discovered on a "movie night" in Tulsa when the guys got together to watch the 1986 fantasy flick "Labyrinth."

The gentle giant Ludo has the power to summon boulders by howling. Oh, the irony.

"The Ludo character is a lot like us," said Convy. "There's that fantastical fun and lightheartedness with an overall darkness and weirdness. He looks so much different than he actually is."

LUDO

with The Feds, My Solstice and The E1ects

When: Doors open 6:30 p.m. Friday

Where: The Marquee, 222 N. Main St.

Admission: $10 in advance, $12 at the door, available online at tulsaworld.com/OKCtickets, by calling (866) 966-1777 or visiting Starship Records in Tulsa.

Online: tulsaworld.com/Ludo

Jennifer Chancellor 581-8346
jennifer.chancellor@tulsaworld.com

Associate Images:

Tulsa's former homeboys in Ludo return for a show on Friday at The Marquee.

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