For many, success with just one band is difficult, yet members of the local band Unbridled have found success with not just one band, but two. Under the name Unbridled, the band plays country, and under the name Metro the band plays Top 40. The members of Unbridled/Metro have found a way to blend their passion for different genres of music to create two distinct sounds. Singer Bethany Brown, bassist Brian Ritenour, and drummer Bob Breakiron Jr., are all Connellsville natives. Guitarist Babe Wilson is a native of Mt. Pleasant and keyboardist Jim Lishego is a native of New Stanton. Metro was formed in 1990, with Lishego, Wilson and Ritenour as three of the original members. Both Wilson and Ritenour were ready to take a break from playing in bands for a while when a call from Lishego changed their plans. Wilson was a member of Magic, a Top 40 band, before joining Metro. "Out of Magic, I said I want to take a break," said Wilson. That was when he was contacted about joining Metro. Ritenour echoed Wilson's thoughts, "Like Babe, I was going to take a year off, and two weeks later Jim called, saying, 'Hey, we're looking for a bass player.'" Metro stayed together until 2003, when a change in the music scene left the members of the band at a crossroads. "Right around 2003, we were doing all Top 40 dance music, and around 2003 all the music started going to rap. And we didn't want to rap, but we didn't want to quit playing. So, Brian said, 'Well, I wouldn't mind doing country again.' Babe said, 'I wouldn't mind doing it,' and the girl singer we had at the time said she wouldn't mind and the drummer didn't want to do it. And I said, 'Well, count me in,' and that's when we started Unbridled," said Lishego. Both Ritenour and Wilson played country previously. In 2004 Breakiron joined the band. Breakiron recalled following Metro and then Unbridled when they first went country and were playing with a different drummer. Brown was the last member to join Unbridled, which went through two singers before her. While playing as Unbridled, the band's past unexpectedly caught up with it, opening up more opportunities and re-introducing them to a new audience as Metro. According to Lishego, "Then what happened was, as we were doing the country thing, people who used to follow Metro around said, 'Could you guys put some dance music in?' and we said we're a country band. And they said, 'Yeah, but it would be nice to kinda hear something different just to break it up a little bit.' So, we started doing that, and when we did it we noticed the floor would get packed. And obviously club owners noticed that and they said, 'Do you guys think you could do a whole night of this stuff.'" After talking it over with the band, members decided to give it a shot. "So, some people booked Unbridled for the rest of the year, and some people booked Metro. We're doing two bands this year," said Lishego. Some clubs even booked both bands. "I think that's what separates us from quite a few bands out there is our versatility. And we've been told that a number of different times even by club owners and everyone. If we go into a new club and do a club as Unbridled and they hear Babe beltin' out 'Brick House,' they're just amazed that 'Brick House' doesn't sound like a country band trying to do 'Brick House.' It actually sounds like 'Brick House,'" said Ritenour. The variety in their music reflects the variety of their musical backgrounds. Lishego can trace his musical background to when his father brought home an accordion. His brother took lessons on it, and Lishego took an interest. From there he moved onto keyboards and joined his first band when he was 12. "I've been in and out of so many bands over the years," said Wilson. "Before I even played an instrument, I was a lead singer." Wilson was first turned onto country music by his father. In high school he was already playing in bands and writing original songs. Wilson said he started in Top 40 and soul, and after high school hit the road on the Holiday Inn circuit. After his stint on the road, he started playing country and writing more songs. During this time he said he wrote "a bunch of country tunes." In comparison to the other members, Brian Ritenour considers himself a "late bloomer." Ritenour said, "I didn't start until I was about 19." Despite his late start, music was in his blood, coming from a family of musicians. "I was practically born and raised on country music, mainly," he said. Ritenour started in a small garage band, and then joined his father and brothers in their family band, Shady Creek. The band was together for about nine years, before they decided to let it go. Breakiron joined his first band at 16. Although he didn't get his first drum set until he was 14, he was a drummer from the start. As a child, Breakiron said, "I would just pound on everything in the house." Breakiron received some pointers from Ritenour's brother, but said he is a self-taught drummer. "Over the years I've been in and out of basically just rock bands," said Breakiron. While the other members of Metro/Unbridled have years of experience performing with bands, for Brown this is a first. Although she has never sung with a band before, Brown is not new to singing and performing. "I've been singing forever," said Brown. As a child, Brown remembers singing "Somewhere Over the Rainbow" and "Tomorrow." In high school Brown performed in musicals and participated in All-Star Chorus. Variety can also be seen in the band's influences. They span almost every genre and era of music, including the Beatles, '80s hair band rock, Etta James, Christina Aguilera, Vince Gill, Stevie Wonder, Neil Young, Toby Keith and Alan Jackson. These influences impact the band's style as Wilson explained, "When I play, I use different styles. I mix up my sounds." He said he likes to throw a blues lick into a country song and vice versa. Their eclectic sound has also hit a chord with audiences. "We get a lot of people come up to us and say, 'I like the way you guys switch it around,'" said Wilson. The members of Unbridled/Metro said they like playing both the Top 40 and country, but admit that each have their own vibe. "It's so completely different," said Brown. "I like them both. It's just different." Aside from performing covers, the band also performs some original songs, including "It's Been a Long Time" by Ritenour, and a song they're working on, "Scootin' the Boot" by Wilson. Opening for Terri Clark at the Pepsi-Cola Roadhouse gave the band the opportunity to perform a song written by John Shaw, a writer out of Nashville. "We met this gentleman when we did the Terri Clark show down at the Pepsi-Cola Roadhouse. He was her guitar tech, and he's a singer, songwriter, publisher out of Nashville. He asked if we would be willing to do any of his material. And of course we said yeah, we'd be glad to, and a few weeks later he sent us a tape of some of his material, and we're doing one of his songs, 'Already Gone,'" said Ritenour. As well as opening for Terri Clark and Charlie Daniels, Unbridled has also opened for Joe Nichols, and performed at the Butler County Fair and last year at the Fayette County Fair. As for future plans, the band just wants to keep playing. "We really don't have plans. If we can continue to do what we do, I think everybody would be pretty happy," said Ritenour. For now, the band will continue to play as both Unbridled and Metro, building crowds for both and appreciating the support of their audiences and sponsors, CTS Screen Printing of West Newton and Smitty's Sports Bar in Uniontown. For more information, or the band's schedule, visit www.unbridledband.com

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