Just who is Hair Supply and who exactly do they think they are?
According to their online biographies, the band is the massively maned, synergistic blend of drummer Jazz McVanderhalen, hailing from Rough and Ready, California, a virtuoso of drums, damaru, mridangam, and dog whistle; frontman Pipes Vidovich, a Coxsackle, New York, native gifted on the microphone and recorder (mastered and basically abandoned in third grade); Seymour Tayle, the pride of Stiff Kitty, Calif., who wields the guitar, heavy metal sitar and harpsichord with the kind of aplomb that makes you use a word like "aplomb;" Weedles von Frankenberry, from parts unknown, who not only plays lead guitar, but also CPAP and pinball machines; and Philthy Trenches, a sonic triple-threat on bass guitar, Bavarian flugelhorn and cocktail mixer. (Note to self: This information should probably to be fact-checked at some juncture.)
Founded with some whooping and hollering in some Southern West Virginia holler (probably) five years ago, Hair Supply is a spot-on tribute band, specifically one that pays tribute to some of the more boisterously coiffed rock bands of the 1980s, such as Warrant, Foreigner, Poison, and Journey. Some late '70s tunes are also in the set mix. ("We're not the cream of the crop; we're more like the broccoli of the crop," Seymour declares. "Or the avocado," says Weedles. "Or possibly the snow peas," Seymour amends.)
With their high-volume music (and higher-volume hair), Hair Supply has cultivated a cult (not a Blue Oyster one, however) following from its rollicking, rocking stage appearances throughout the Tri-State area over the past half-decade.
Three of the band members agreed, freely and unsubpoenaed, to tell their sideburns -- er, sides -- of their story prior to an April rehearsal session at their private Hair Lair in Charleston.
"Philthy calls me up one day and says 'I've got this kid who's a really good singer,'" Weedles disclosed in a reflective moment of near-candor. "I said, 'Man, I'm too busy for this. I don't have time to start a band.' But Philthy insisted I go to listen to him. I went to hear the kid and thought, 'Maybe I do have time for this.' ... As time went on, the right guys have popped up. Seymour popped up. Once that got going, we became Hair Supply. Jazz came in; our other two drummers disappeared under really weird circumstances."
"I may or may not have set up my own gig," Jazz said cryptically.
"There's been some talk of replacing Jazz with his dad, whose name is Smooth Jazz," Weedles said.
"I'm kind of like the Richard Marx of 2023," Jazz countered as a retort of some sort.
Their hair-pop music rocks, but their look is integral to their success. "Seymour does not play unless he's got his happy pants. He's not happy unless he has his happy pants," Weedles said.
"This is true," Seymour confirmed. "They're Spandex, they're tight and they're colorful. They came from a thrift store in Columbus, Ohio."
"They're shiny," Weedles added. "If you're on stage and there are big lights, you can't get close to him -- it'll put your eyes out. It's like a glorious vision of light on his side. He's like an angel. A really smelly angel."
And the hair? "I'm really the only one who has hair [offstage]," Weedles revealed. "The rest don't have any hair at all. But we try to be as outrageous as we can. We sell every dollar store out with Aqua-Net, fake leather and Axe body spray."
Springfield/Springsteen -- Rick, rock 'n' rancor at Regatta
Hair Supply opened for '80s heartthrob/rocker Rick Springfield at 2022's re-emergent Charleston Sternwheel Regatta. There were, however, creative differences and friction backstage with the "Jessie's Girl" singer, the Hair Supply members allege.
"Yeah, we opened for Rick Springsteen," Weedles recalled, albeit incorrectly. "He was too afraid to meet with us. We met his band. They were nice guys, but he was way too star-struck to meet with us."
"He was very intimidated, especially when they told him we did three of his songs better than he did," Jazz noted.
"He didn't take that well," Seymour said.
"He was a little miffed," Weedles added.
Hair Force
Hair Supply's avid fan base, Hair Force, encompasses several generations but tends to skew toward a particular demographic, Weedles said.
"Our groupies are really awesome. They're much older, so they tend to have a lot more money. And they can't get away, because usually they have hip problems, so that makes them a lot easier to snag."
"Or they're our wives," Seymour clarified.
"Actually, I've been ordered to stay away from all of them. Legally," Jazz said.
"Yeah, he's really fertile," Weedles said. "I saw him just walk by a girl one time and she got pregnant. It was crazy."
"We hand out birth control to the first three rows of the audience," said Seymour.
"Most drummers throw out their drumsticks to the audience. I throw out home pregnancy tests," Jazz confessed.
"But our groupies tend to be older," Weedles said, restoring a fleeting moment of order to the chaos of the conversation and the original train of thought that derailed. "They tend to have really good 401Ks, so that's good.
"The only real tension in the band I have is with Jazz, because he has so many women. But I'm Weedles von Frankenberry. I'm the Sultan of Shred."
"But three of his kids might might not be his," Jazz replied.
"'Might not.' But I'm the potentate," Weedles rejoindered.
Hear the Hair Upcoming Hair Supply gigs include an 8 p.m. concert on June 10 at the Laidback Bar and Grill in Ironton, Ohio; the West Virginia Freedom Festival in Logan, opening for Def Leppard tribute band Adrenalize, at 6 p.m. on June 22; and Camp Holly in Diana (Webster Springs) at 8 p.m. on July 29. Local performance venues this fall will include the Golden Delicious Festival in Clay Sept. 15, the Dunbar Fall Festival Sept. 15, the West Virginia Pumpkin Festival in Milton Oct. 6, and the Monster Ball fundraiser at Valley Park, Hurricane, Oct. 21.
"We're in the middle of our We Probably Know Your Mom Tour right now," Weedles said. "It's just blowing up, and there's so many gigs we're not at liberty to talk about them all. Thailand said not to announce our world tour."
"We're touring the Nike factories," said Seymour.
(Again, to self: trust but verify.)
Hair Supply planned to launch its new streaming channel on June 1, accessible through the HD Media+ app via Roku. You can also hear the band in full-throated force at hairsupply.bandzoogle.com/home.
In the interest of full disclosure, when they let their hair down, the Hair Supply members are Johnny Compton (Weedles Von Frankenberry), Jeff Rakes (Seymour Tayle), Mike Vandergriff (Jazz McVanderhalen), Phil Perry (Philthy Trenches), and Dylan Vidovich (Pipes Vidovich).
"The image is all tongue in cheek," Compton said. "We have a lot of fun with the stage antics, but as far as the songs go, we're deadly serious about this. If you don't get your song right, Phil will beat ya! He's got a whip back there he beats us with." (Perry could not be reached for immediate comment or rebuttal -- or denial.)
"It's definitely fun. It's like when you're a kid and play dress-up. It's really pretty cool," Compton added.
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