REBEL LINE • Registers Strong with Audiences

When it comes to the genre of Country music the musical collective known as Rebel Line clearly dominated the musical ears and sensibilities of fans and audiences throughout the Great Lakes Bay Region, securing a total of 10 top honors at this year’s 34thAnnual REVIEW Music Awards that consisted of Best Americana Duo (Travis Paten & Barry Clevenger), Best Band Website, Best Music Video, Best CD Release, Best Duo, Best Country Video, Country Male Vocalist (Travis Paten), Best Country Songwriter (Barry Clevenger), Best Country Musician (Barry Clevenger)and the coveted top honor of Best Country Band.

Consisting of Barry Clevenger (lead guitar & vocals), John ‘Boxcar’ Howard (bass guitar & vocals), lead vocalist Travis Paten, and Travis Edgerton on percussion & drums, the group’s dynamic focuses upon bare bones classic & modern country music for people looking to have a good time.

According to Paten, the current line-up of Rebel Line started in the spring of 2017. “Our four original members have a “six degrees of separation” kind of history, with each of us having played in other projects together over the past 20 years. After about a year and a half of playing nearly every weekend, our original bass player, Ken Pither, needed a change of schedule to spend time with family. John stepped in to help us out, and after a few gigs, we knew he was the best guy to fill Ken’s shoes”

“Our biggest goal with every performance is to give our audience the best possible show that we can. We accomplished a major goal last year with the release of our EP, “Grab ‘Em By The Hat”. As for the future, we hope to keep making music and entertaining crowds throughout Michigan and beyond.”

Given their win as ‘Best Country Band’ and ‘Best CD Release’ at this year’s RMA’s, what was the group’s reaction at winning those two honors; and what do they feel distinguishes their sound and approach from other bands in the country music genre?

“There are so many great country bands in this area, so we were humbled to have won these awards,” reflects Paten.  “It validates all of the hard work we put into not only our EP, but into every performance. We try to ensure every show is as interactive and high-energy as possible. Really, it’s all about the audience. They’re the reason we do what we do. These awards are because of them.” 

Given the Covid-19 lockdown, what plans and goals does the band have for the upcoming year?

“Throughout the lockdown, Travis P did a bi-weekly “Quarantine Karaoke” show to continue to engage with people,” notes Clevenger, “and we got together for a Facebook Live show as soon as we were able to. We really missed making music together and are eager to continue playing shows as often as possible. We’ve also started booking more private backyard parties, as we know many people still do not feel comfortable being out in large groups. We just want to do what we can to reach our audience.”

In terms of musical influences that have informed the group’s sensibilities, as with all good bands, they share many years of experience in many different groups and genres. Travis Paten has primarily fronted Country bands, while Barry, John and Travis Edgerton have performed a wide range of styles spanning everything from Jazz to Classical to Country to Rock & Blues.

“We like to think that we take a little bit of every musician we’ve ever played with and learned from,” states Paten.  “That’s what makes a good musician: the ability to learn from others, critiques and all, and work it into your own personal style.”

“We’d like to thank Review Magazine for holding this award show,” he concludes.  “It’s important to keep local music alive and thriving, and Review does an incredible job of promoting music in mid-Michigan. We’d also like to thank everyone that took the time to vote for us. We are grateful that we have so many great fans. It’s always the audience that makes a performance worthwhile. We can’t wait to see what the future holds for Rebel Line, and we look forward to making music together for many years to come.”