Taken from KANE COUNTY CHRONICLE Saturday
July 4, 1998 Entertainment PLUS, Section D
KAMPFIRE KOWBOYS' TUNES CAN'T BE LABELED
By Eric Schelkopf

ST CHARLES - You can't put a label on Kampfire Kowboys. Not even the band knows what to call their blend of country, folk and rock.
"We didn't know how to classify it. So we started a new category, - 'Rock Western Style,'" said Tom Colton of St. Charles, lead vocalist and guitarist in Kampfire Kowboys.

The band just released its first CD,"somewhere blue," and on Thursday will hold a CD release party at Chord On Blues, 106 S. First Ave., St. Charles.

Kampfire Kowboys will take the stage at 9PM. Doors open at 8PM.

The band will also be at Synergy II in West Chicago on July 24.

Colton formed Kampfire Kowboys in 1997 with fellow St. Charles resident Dave Piper, bass player in the band.

Rounding out Kampfire Kowboys are drummer Gary LaPlante of Hanover Park and lead guitarist Brian Tedeschi from Carol Stream.

"This is the best group of guys I have ever played with" said Colton, 43, who has been playing in bands since he was 18.

Colton got his first taste of stardom at age 20, when the band he was in, Centerfold, opened for Jeff Beck in Chicago.
In 1994, he released a CD called "Welcome The Rain," which has more of a pop-rock feel than Kampfire Kowboys. He described Kampfire Kowboys as having a sort of sing-along sound. "It is based on one vocal and one acoustic guitar. Because of that, we also can perform unplugged. Kampfire Kowboys has its folk and bluegrass roots to it, and the band puts more of a rock'n roll foundation to that."

Kampfire Kowboys are known for their energetic shows. "Each band member puts their personality into the performance," he said. When he is not moonlighting as a cowboy, Colton manages a law office in Batavia. All of the band members have full-time jobs.

Colton and Piper recorded "somewhere blue" with the help of engineer Jeff Murphy, who has worked with such bands as The Shoes, Material Issue and Local H. Colton released the 15-track CD on his own label, Deagan Records, a record and publishing company. "It fuels the whole project of Kampfire Kowboys," he said.

The CD is being sold at such stores as Kiss The Sky Records in Batavia, Borders Books in Geneva and Tower Record stores in Bloomingdale and Schaumburg. Right now, the band is working to develop a fan base. It just launched a web site, www.kampfirekowboys.com

"Our goal is to find our audience, to find those people who will like our music. I really think there is an audience just waiting for us," Colton said. And he thinks Kane County is the perfect place to win over fans. "This county is the perfect base for this kind of music. It is still rather rural and a little bit farther from the city. We like the idea of being from Kane County," he said.

So round up some of your friends and go see the Kampfire Kowboys from Kane County.
You'd be krazy not to.