Hard-rockin' cousins set out to make their mark on Alaska's music scene

Sometimes the secret to success is only a family member or two away. At least that's what Concerning Iscariot is finding out.

After an unsuccessful run as the band "Unleaded," brothers Kacey and Tyrell Tompkins turned to their Anchorage cousins, William and Wyatt Tompkins, for a little help. The result is "Concerning Iscariot," a band that is on the verge of completing its first CD, is kicking off a series of live shows around the Valley and Anchorage and just generally enjoying jamming together. Next summer, they expect to head to the Lower 48 to play.

"Tyrell and I have always played together, starting in our bedrooms, and then we moved to the garage was we got more stuff," Kacey Tompkins said. Moving into the recording studio and on stage was a bigger leap, however.

"We started with Wyatt playing guitar and a bass player that really didn't want to be there," Tyrell said. "Finally, William decided to come."

William had recently finished his college work studying music, and the addition of his talent -- he is an accomplished bass player who can play just about any instrument -- meant Concerning Iscariot officially got its start.

"He added a lot to the music," Tyrell said. "When they joined, we got deeper, more intricate, more technical. There's a little bit of jazz underlings in the music."

The foursome clicked right away, and their sound reflects it. It's high-energy, melody-driven music, but there's plenty of hard rock to appease a variety of fans -- from teens to adults. They aren't going to bash their guitars amid pyrotechnics, but they also aren't a "boy band" -- they are comfortable right in between on the music spectrum.

"Having been in radio, I know what a good song sounds like and what radio is looking for," said Kacey and Tyrell's father, K.B. Tompkins. "These guys are writing good songs, with strong melodies, and they are getting polished. They aren't the screaming type."

Tyrell handles the vocals with as much energy as is expected from a lead singer in a rock band. He also mixes in some guitar work. William handles the bass while his brother Wyatt sticks to guitars, with Kacey, the drummer, keeping it all together. They write their own work, and have compiled quite a set. Getting used to each other's styles took some time, but they are now clicking.

"I don't know chords, I don't know progressions, I don't know what I'm doing," Tyrell joked, adding that he is completely a self-taught musician, much to the ribbing of his cousins.

"We'll be jamming, and Tyrell will say, 'First I put my fingers here and then I put them there,' and I'll turn to William and say, 'He's playing an E major flat.' Tyrell's not encumbered by the rules, but he knows what he's doing," Wyatt said with a chuckle.

They have played at The Bistro and are regulars at Sammy's Pizza. On Dec. 13 they are playing at The Rock Climbing Gym in Anchorage, and the following weekend, on Dec. 19, they are opening for The Roman Candles at The Bistro.

While the live shows generate buzz about the band, they are genuinely excited to get back into the studio to complete their first CD. They are about two-thirds of the way done in the recording studio, and are trying to make time to get back in the studio an complete it. They already have a company ready to press the CDs, and will have a Web site up and running soon.

"Hey, if we play and get paid enough to eat, that's fine by me," Wyatt said. "We've got a good stage presence, we love music and are having fun jumping around with each other. Whether it's a stadium full of people or a room with one person in the audience, you're going to get a good show from us."