If
there is anyone else that
would like to add a story,
comments, or pictures,
PLEASE go ahead and send
them!! It is certainly
not too late, and it would
be my pleasure to add more
to the page.
Well, enough chatter, now
let's get on with the GOOD
STUFF:
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
I have known The Benders
since 1997. Things
weren't real cool in my
life and I was just
starting to get out and
have some fun. Somebody
took me to see The
Benders at The Plaza Inn
to let my hair down.
Little did I know I was
going to meet someone
with their hair up.
Thanks Byron.
When I
met them the line up was
Byron, Kevin, Campy and
Mr. Freeze.
Then it
was Byron, Kevin, Campy
and Johnny.
Then it
was Byron, Eddie Z.,
Campy and Johnny.
Then it
was Byron, Kevin, Campy
and Johnny.
One night I started
talking to Kevin and his
lovely wife Jean during
a break and we became
fast friends. We went
out to breakfast after
the show was over at one
am. I think I got home
somewhere around 3 am.
It was great.
I have met the rest of
the band members thru
the years and you guys
are all great fun to
hang out with. The best
band to dance to for
sure.
I have
met some of their fun
fans during the years
,including my
husband. Love hanging
out with The Topeka
Gang.
Sarah
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
I have been a Benders
fan since the first time
I saw them about 4-5
years ago. They were
performing at the park
in Manhattan and I
quickly became a fan of
theirs. I love the
oldies music and there
is no other music that
is more fun to dance to.
My husband and I love to
dance and we try and
catch the Benders
whenever they are
performing around the
Topeka and Manhattan
area. The Benders have a
way of entertaining
their audiences not only
with their music but
with their "playful
antics". They really
seem to enjoy the work
they do and this
reflects in their
performances.
Brenda
Steele, Benders fan
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
The first time we saw the Bender's was at The Plaza. I
believe its probably
been 8 or 10 years ago
now. But, even prior to
that, we had been hearing
alot about them. Everyone
kept telling us that
we needed to come out and
hear this great band and
check out "that drummer's"
HAIR!!! We were
immediately impressed
with the Bender's. One
memory that sticks out in
my mind was thinking how
clean cut, friendly and
fun they were, and wanting
to go back and see them
again. I remember that
Kevin came over and sat
down and talked to us that
first night. He was very
personable, and we liked
him right away. Byron and
Campy have also been very
friendly and nice to us
all these
years.....actually, we
love all of the Bender's!
We have seen them in many
places over the years. We
even had them play for our
daughter's wedding, and I
already have them booked
for my class reunion next
year.
A couple years ago, we brought my mother out to hear them
play. She is now 97 years
old. They made her feel
so special, and
even presented her with a
t-shirt and posed for a
picture with her during
the show! The Bender's
are always soooo
appreciative of their
fans. They always
acknowledge us at all of
the shows we are at, as
the "King and Queen of
Donuts."
A few of my favorite songs are Brown Eyed Girl, Devil in the
Blue Dress, Land of 1000
Dances and Pink Cadillac.
Roy's favorites are Lucille and Love Me.
We always look forward to going out and hearing the band play.
They certainly have
brightened up our lives.
I honestly don't know what
we would ever do without
them!
Jane and Roy
Topeka, Kansas
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
My family came to be Benders fans during, and then after a
show they put on in Garden
City during their county
fair in 2004. Our son
Jonny soon developed a
tendency to dance to the
songs. We have a short
video of him "Finger
Poppin' " and dancing to
songs off of the "10
seconds" CD we bought at
the show. Our favorite
band member is THE GREAT
BYRONDO!! However they're
all really cool guys. We
were hoping to see them
play at Scott City this
summer at the rod run, but
since we didn't have a HOT
ROD, just a boring old
minivan we could not get
to see or hear them. Boo
Hoo!!
To relieve the disappointment, I immediately went to
my brother-in-law and
bought a SHOW PICK-UP
to have ready for next
year's events. Heh Heh!!!!
We hope to see the band
again soon, if they
come our way.
Sincerely,
Fans in Garden City
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
We first saw the Bender's
at Arts in the Park in
Manhattan this summer. We
thought they were very
entertaining. My
daughter, Josie, and I
were also at Purple Power
Play on Poyntz to hear the
band in September, and we
had a GREAT time. My
daughter got a t-shirt,
and the band was nice
enough to autograph it for
her.
We also bought their newest CD, which Josie
absolutely LOVES.
We cannot ever go anywhere
in the car without her
asking to listen to
the Bender's...the
Bender's...the Bender's!
--Julie
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
We got hooked on the Benders just before Christmas 5 years
ago. We went to a singles
dance in Manhattan, Kansas
and they were playing
there. We have heard alot
of bands over the years,
but these guys are the
best Midwest band out
there!
My husband plays drums as
well, and he is always
amazed that anyone could
play drums standing up!
These guys know how to
interact with the crowd.
They are down to earth and
friendly to everyone. I
think they are more fun to
go to than the high priced
bands out there who have
such big egos that they
forget who buys their
music. I hope the Benders
have many more successful
years to entertain because
they are the best! Rock
on!
Joyce and Eddie
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
I have been a Bender's fan
for about 5 years.
I have seen them several
times at Arts in the Park
and at Rambler's in
Manhattan, at Liederkranz
in Alma and in St. George
this summer during Family
Fun Day.
My favorite band member is Campy!
With that whole gangster
look going on-he is just
simply cool!
I also love his smile and
of course the bubble gum!
My favorite songs are
Mustang Sally and The
Hooter's Song.
Kendra
Wamego, Kansas
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
The first time I saw The
Benders was in
Independence, Missouri
where the band was "sort
of" the backup for a
Beatles tribute band
called Liverpool. I had
seen Liverpool before and
was impressed so we
decided to make the 50
mile trek to see them.
Wanting to get a good seat
I decided to go early to
get a good spot and I am
glad I did. The Benders
came on stage and of
course the first thing I
noticed was that wild and
crazy drummer with the big
hair!!
What the heck is that???
It can't be real ..or can
it??? Well I'll be......it
is real!!! WOW!!! ...and
to top it off the dude
plays the drums standing
up and sings too! Now I am
impressed. So my eyes
wander to the right and I
see this classy dude just
chowing down on his sax!
Geez..this guys rocks! I
am getting more impressed
by the minute. He also
sings, clowns
around....but that
sax...oh my my!!!!!!!
Here goes the eyes again
moving to the right and I
find the "Mr. Cool" Campy.
He looks like a gangster
in that suit and hat....no
wait!!! He is just plain
classy!!
He plays effortlessly and
smiles all the while
blowing monster bubbles
with the big wad of gum he
has. How cool is that???
Way cool I say. Wait...he
sings too...and very good
I might say with feeling
and expression. Gotta love
it! So call my eyes "The
Wanderer" if you may, but
they now travel to the far
right of the stage to find
this slick looking guitar
picker. Hey...he looks
good on stage. He fits the
part just right with his
attire and hair all
looking 50-ish. Now this
dude can sing high too! I
quickly was impressed by
the harmonies and their on
stage antics too. I am now
a Benders fan.....so
needless to say.....The
Benders....The
Benders....The Benders.
Buddy in Leavenworth (On
the outside looking in )
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
We have been Bender's fans since they started coming to the
Mickey's Landing in
Topeka which is now called
Down Under Lounge. We
started dancing there in
May of 1983, which is over
twenty two years ago, so
I am not sure when their
first time to play there
was, but I am sure it has
been at least fifteen
years ago.
It is lots of fun to dance to a live band and we don't go
dancing at a place unless
they do have a live band.
The Benders are our
favorite band, because we
know we will always have a
lot of fun. We are very
happy to have them come to
Topeka, Lawrence and
Manhattan so we can go
dancing with them.
We are also very lucky,
because Kevin put a link
to my website on the
Benders page and want to
thank them very much for
this.
Max & Pauline Williams
Topeka, Kansas
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
I have seen the Benders the last two years at Arts in the
Park in Manhattan and also
at Rambler's. I really
enjoy listening to the
band because they are so
much FUN. You always feel
relaxed and free of stress
when you are watching them
perform. Their music is
certainly a real
"pick-me-up". I have too
many favorite songs, so I
won't attempt to try and
name them all. All of
the band members are
really GREAT, but I think
my favorite would have to
be Campy.
He just OOZES COOL all
over the stage!
Theresa
Paxico, Kansas
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
I don't remember the
first time I saw the
Benders. It was a
while ago, maybe 10 or
15 years ago. I know
they did make an
impression on me
though. I couldn't
remember their
name, BUT I do
remember Byron's
hair. I wanna say it
was at the taste of
Johnson County. Though
that venue is no more,
thankfully the
Bender's still are!
Recently (in the last
5 years or so) I have
never missed them at
the Old Shawnee Days.
Remember the rain
storm? I've seen them
in Lawrence at that
county fair,
Santacaligon days, and
most recently at
Cheeseburger In
Paradise about a month
ago. I used to see
them at the singles
dance at the
Doubletree, but since
I'm now married I
don't go there any
more, obviously. I
live in the K.C. area.
Campy seems to be the
easiest to talk to,
for us. Although I
have had conversations
with Byron, Eddie Z,
and Kevin. My favorite
song is Guitarzan...but
they don't do it any
more. We (my wife and
I) like to hear Campy
sing. I don't know
why? I guess 'cause
he never does?
Another favorite
is The Lion Sleeps
Tonite...It's just a
great song. Also we
like Last Kiss.
We always have a great
time when The Bender's
are around. So much so
we were going to have
them play at our
wedding. Alas that was
the exact time the
band changed. I think
Eddie wanted a bigger
part or something,
because as I said
earlier-10 years ago
he didn't have a big
part...Then I saw them
again, and wow, a solo
in nearly every
song. I thought that
was a good move
because Eddie is very
talented. After the
change, I was
scrutinizing Kevin
May. I thought he was
a fine fit. They
really didn't miss a
beat. It turns out
that Kevin taught
Eddie how to play. It
was pointed out to me
that Kevin hits the
higher notes...better
and longer... and that
is also true....
Then I found out he
was an original
member...all the
better!
We don't have any
pictures, but we do
have several
autographed Cd's. The
Bender's are what they
say they are...Big
hair, Big fun!!
Their wit between
songs makes them seem
real. They seem to
enjoy their work. But
the best, and the most
memorable part of the
Benders...are the
outfits, and
choreography
(dancing). I've seen
other local 50's
bands... KrazyKats for
example, but they
don't have the
persona, the look, or
the personal touch
that the Benders do.
We hope to see a
lot more of The
Bender's. We try to
see them every time
they are near town.
Thanks for letting me
reminisce.
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
I first saw the
Benders in March of
this year at
Harrah's. They
totally impressed
me, so much so
that I decided to go
back the next night
to see them
again!!! I've been
a Bender' ADDICT
ever since. As for
why I like the
Benders...besides
the fact that they
are the greatest,
they always seem
like they are having
so much FUN and
aren't afraid to get
a little GOOFY once
in awhile. They
always make me
laugh, and that's
probably the biggest
reason-because
everyone could use
entertainment like
that after a long
week. It would
probably be easier
to list the songs
that I don't like,
so I won't even try
to list my
favorites. Favorite
band member - CAMPY
- just because.
I
REALLY, REALLY like
them all though.
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
We enjoy “The Benders” very much. Have seen them twice at
the Kansas State Samborees.
We have 3 of their
CD’s. They keep the place
jumping!
Good music and you can
always understand the
lyrics.
We are
from Valley Center,
Kansas.
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
We saw the Bender's this
summer for the first time
in Shawnee during the
summer concert series in
the parks. We were very
impressed by them....they
were certainly the best
band we had heard in quite
some time. They sure know
how to entertain a crowd,
and their music is out of
this world. It seems no
one plays the oldies
anymore, so that is a big
PLUS. Even though all the
guys are very talented,
our favorite is Kevin. He
is just outstanding on
that sax!! We saw the
band again over Labor Day
weekend at
Santa-Cali-Gon days and
once at the Ameristar this
fall.
Looking
forward to the Bender's
entertaining us
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
We love the Benders. We
have been fans for
probably the last 10
years. We discovered them
in Topeka at the Plaza
Inn. It was kind of a
scary place but we loved
to rock to the Benders
there. We have continued
to dance to the Benders
whenever they are in
Topeka and we have no
other commitments. Rock
On Benders...the Benders,
the Benders, the Benders,
the G...D...Benders!!!
May you and your rubber
chicken keep coming to
Topeka to entertain us!
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
My name is Dawn and I am a
huge Bender's fan. I
haven't been able to see
them for a very long time,
but I do check out their
website to see what they
are all up to. I used to
go see them all the time
when I lived in Kansas,
but since I moved to Grand
Prairie, Texas almost a
year ago I haven't been to
see them once. I can't
remember when the first
time was for me to see
them...it was a couple
years before I moved. The
Bender's are one of the
things I miss the most
about Kansas. You just
don't find a band like
them here.
I would
have to say that my
favorite song is Little
Surfer Girl.
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
I've seen the Benders
three times with my
wife. Two performances
were at the city park in
Little Apple, Manhattan,
Kansas. The other time
was at a bar at one of the
casinos in Kansas City.
We enjoyed the shows very
much.
I have two of their CD's,
which we listen to often.
Wish they were playing in
the area again.
Best Wishes
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
My co-worker/friend Lisa
and I have been fans of
the Bender's for the past
couple of years. We have
seen them perform at
Purple Power Play, Arts in
the Park and at Rambler's
in Manhattan,
also at the Vinewood in
Topeka.
We always love going out
and listening to the
Bender's. It is always
relaxing, and a perfect
way to end a stressful
week at work.
Our favorite band member
is Byron. We just love
his
"tidal wave" hair-do. He
is also very funny!! We
love the chicken routine
and of course his very
own Hooter's song.
-Ella and Lisa
Wamego, Kansas
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
I will never forget the FIRST time I saw the Benders.
It was at Purple Power
Play on Poyntz in 2003. I
could tell right away that
the Bender's were as
passionate about their
music as Manhattan and
K-State are about the
Wildcats and the color
Purple! (If you have ever
been to the Purple Power
Play-you would understand
the kind of PASSION that I
am talking about. It
looks like a massive
amount of purple paint has
been spilled all over
downtown!) I have always
loved oldies music, so it
was definitely the sound
that drew me closer to the
stage to listen! Not
only was the music great,
but the band itself
impressed me right away.
They were funny, full of
energy and just
entertaining to watch!
The first thing I noticed,
of course, was Byron's
hair. I remember I
even took a picture of him
because it impressed me so
much. I just KNEW that it
had to be some
sort of a wig or
hair piece. How in the
world would he ever
get his own hair to stand
up like that??!! It
wasn't until about
a year later that I was
convinced FOR SURE that it
was
INDEED his own hair. I
had also never seen a
stand up drummer
before. I love Byron's
humor, especially the hair
spray jokes, the birthday
song with Rodney the
rubber rooster, the Green
Acres song, Down on
the Corner, WIPEOUT on the
drums and of course his
Cheshire cat grin--you
know, the one that's every
bit as BIG as his hair!!
Ron Hanson was still with the band the first couple times I
saw them. Unfortunately
though, I never got the
chance to meet him,
as Kevin May was soon
to rejoin the Bender's.
Kevin came along about the
time that I really started
to follow the band more
closely. His ability to
play the sax impressed me
as much as Byron's
hair!!! All of the
Bender's are VERY gifted
musicians, but Kevin just
blazes on that saxophone!
I could listen to him play
all day long! Besides his
solo sax songs, I also
love to hear him sing as
well--especially Brown
Eyed Girl. I've also
never seen anyone that
could get away with
wearing a bright red suit,
and look as good in it as
Kevin does---except for
maybe Santa Claus!
Then there is Campy...as many have already said, he
is the total definition of
COOL. In addition to the
black suit and hat,
the bubble gum, and that
guilty-looking, "up to
something" smile that
makes up the Campy that we
all know and love...he is
a great bass player! His
antics are fun to watch on
stage-as he acts out so
many of the songs. I love
hear him sing as
well. Mustang Sally and
Bad to the Bone are a
couple of my favorites.
I am looking forward to meeting Dave, the newest member of
the Bender's. I
understand he is a very
skilled guitarist and
great vocalist, and I am
sure he will be an awesome
addition to the band.
On behalf of all of the
Benders fans out there, I
want to congratulate the
Benders again on their
20th year anniversary, and
may they continue
to entertain us with their
music, wit, and humor for
many many more years to
come!
-Lori Haug
