Slash, Prince, Elvis, Bono, and Adele are some of the most recognizable names in the music world. It doesn’t matter who you are, you know these mononymous people when you hear them.

To be recognized by one simple name, you know you have reached the point of fame. Perhaps one day the names Walker, Ryder, Flyer, and Driver will join the ranks of famous mononyms.

You may be asking, who?

Although you may not be familiar with them, you soon will be as these fearsome four happen to be members of the local cover act Decade Divide.

While most cover acts are genre/era specific, Decade Divide pays homage to the music of the ’70s, ’80s, ’90s, and the 2000s with the next show being Saturday, March 26, at Mitchell’s Sports Bar & Neighborhood Grill.

Costume Changes

You can make the case that most cover bands span through decades, but these cats are not most bands. They will tell you themselves that they are not your boring, corner-of-the-bar cover band. As a matter of fact, each one of their sets is dedicated to a specific decade, even down to the band’s outfits.

“With each decade we change costumes,” frontman Walker said. “For our ’70s set, you might see us clad in bell bottoms and a nice burly mustache. For the ’80s, you might catch us in some Miami Vice-type getup, ripped jeans and a flannel for the ’90s, and maybe some Polo shirts and skinny jeans for the 2000s. We even encourage our audience to come dressed up, as we want everyone to be involved and have fun.”

Along with costume changes, show are jam-packed with a high level of energy and good-natured banter that invites audience interaction.

‘collective Love for Music’

The journey began in 2018 when a couple of the members of the group had the burning desire to get back on stage after a brief time off and began kicking around the concept of playing a variety of different music and costumes and making it a party.

“With a collective love for music and performing, we took that hunger along with this concept we’ve been creating and decided to have fun with it,” Walker said.

It wasn’t until almost a year later that it came to fruition and they took their ideas to the stage.

Things must have gone well. They were asked to perform at The Clyde as the opening act for Hairball. In 2020, they switched out a couple members and have remained the same lineup ever since: Walker (vocals), Ryder (guitar), Flyer (bass), and Driver (drums).

Although they wish to remain anonymous, chances are you’ve seen some of these guys in other local outfits such as Cougar Hunter, The Kickbacks, and SODA (System of Dying Angels). Together, these guys are destined to bring the party, no matter where they play.

Playing to the Crowd

The band’s ’70s set includes classic cuts from the likes of Eddie Money, Steve Miller Band, Hall & Oates, and Golden Earring, while the ’80s set will take you on a journey through the decade with Billy Idol, Joan Jett, and Van Halen.

A carefree vibe takes over for the ’90s, with tunes from Alanis Morissette, The Backstreet Boys, and Blink-182.

The 2000s are a recent addition and has gone over extremely well. During that set, you will hit the dance floor with pop-punk anthems from Fall Out Boy, Sum 41, and Katy Perry.

“Most nights we have a setlist beforehand but tend to play by ear and see what’s working with the crowd,” Walker said. “If we are playing at a place with an older, mature crowd, we might tend to rely more on the ’70s, while at a place with a younger crowd, we might ramp up the ’90s set a little more.

“Again, we try and judge the crowd and see what works.”

A perfect example is when the band played a private birthday party in Angola not too long ago.

“The crowd was made up of an age group that really hit the prime demographic for our ’80s and ’90s set,” Walker said. “It went so well, we had two encores and our haze machine set off the fire alarm at the end of the night. I believe we went over our expected finishing time, and people still wanted more.”

Keeping the Party Going

The guys have also been known to mix it up once in a while like they did last month at Flashback Live when that night’s theme was “1990s vs. 2000s.”

The evening was full of dance tunes and sing-alongs from Ricky Martin to Smashing Pumpkins to Maroon 5 to Coolio and everything in between. You just never know what the evening may hold.

Decade Divide has a number of shows on their upcoming calendar and plan to keep this well-oiled machine rolling. They are always looking for opportunities and hope to branch out in some new markets.

“We really want to see how far we can take this,” Walker said. “We hope to keep rotating our sets, expand our library, and venture out in the Midwest.”

Let’s hope so, and until then, prepare to have memories of yesteryear relived at the very same time memories are being created by Decade Divide.