the fourth republic

Andy Prebish - guitar
This is how rehearsals go: everyone gets together expecting to polish up some existing material, but Andy starts out by showing everyone this new riff that popped into his head the night before. Everyone picks up on it, adding a bridge here and a counter melody there, and an hour later there's yet another original to add to the list.
Adam Sleek - bass & vocals
The current line up of the Fourth Republic came together when Adam, thankfully, returned from Hawaii to his home state of Colorado. The band knew what to do next -- regroup, rehearse, write new songs, and get the show on the road!
Brian Kauffman - drums
" In my experience, there are two types of musicians: (1) the ones who believe that their job is to divine, or be told, what it is the audience wants and provide it, and (2) the ones who play what they hear and offer that to the audience, like it or lump it, not out of bloody-mindedness, but because they actually can't do anything else ... [we] were in the latter camp " - Bill Bruford

" Every musician primarily wants to be heard and secondarily needs to earn a living. As 10CC said, 'Art for art's sake, money for Christ's sake.' " - Stewart Copeland

Biography

With over a decade of experience playing music together, the Fourth Republic is something of an anomaly. Most local bands would have long since imploded. The Fourth Republic, a Denver Colorado based band, has not only hung in there, but has gotten better over time. Their sound is built on rich vocals, ringing guitars and a solid back beat. But don't think that they are some retro band with an out of date sound. Quite the contrary. Though they still fly the jangly guitar flag, they have continued to grow musically and personally over the years. Today they have grown into a tight band that plays finely crafted pop songs that are danceable but are also thought provoking.

The Fourth Republic was formed by guitarist Andy Prebish and singer Richard Rodriguez. After going through a succession of drummers and bass players, the line up was cemented with the additions of Brian Kauffman on drums and Adam Sleek on bass. Over the next several years the band played with some of the best local bands and performed at many of the areas popular venues. The band list is a venerable who's who of late 80's and early nineties artists. They include Big Head Todd and the Monsters, Twice Wilted, Sound and Fury, Soul Merchants, The Guild, and Western Waste among others. The venue list is also equally as impressive. The Garage at 23 Parrish, Club 156, JJ Mc Cabes, Tequila Sunrise, Zzenobias, The Mercury Cafe and The Grove are just some of the venues played. In addition to the live shows, the Fourth Republic was featured several times on KBCO's Local Edition and John Quills Radio Free Colorado. Two songs, Life Came Down and It Shows Again were used as background music for local radio commercials.

In 1994, singer Richard Rodriguez stepped aside to peruse his passion for bicycle racing and the band went on hiatus for several years. After the break, the three remaining members searched for a new lead singer. Not being able to find someone that fit both musically and temperamentally with the band, bassist Adam Sleek expressed interest in the job. Adam's lead vocals proved to be a perfect fit - the right man for the job had been with them all along.

Today the Fourth Republic is playing music that is contemporary and vital. This musical growth can be contributed to the fact that they continue to write new music on a constant basis. While many new bands struggle with their identities, the Fourth Republic has their own established sound that continues to mature with their own life experiences.

The new century has been very kind to the band. Over the past two years they have played all over the metro area. They have played such clubs as Herman's Hideaway, Tulagis, The Lions Lair and The Soiled Dove among others. In the spring of 2001 they held a successful residency at the Heavenly Daze Brewery. One recent highlight was being reunited with Big Head Todd and The Monsters for the Red Lady River Festival charity event. In the summer of 2001 they launched their website www.fourthrepublic.com. They are also on MP3.com, listed on www.ubl.com (the ultimate band list) and are found on www.rockymountiannews.com/mp3.

The future bodes well for the Fourth Republic. Having no pretensions, the band loves to play with all styles of other bands, and other bands have enjoyed sharing the bill with the Fourth Republic. The audiences are also very appreciative of the Fourth Republic's earnest aspirations and have rewarded the band with glowing compliments. Guitar, bass and drums have always been the foundation of rock and roll and the Fourth Republic is carrying that tradition with zest in to the modern world. It is for the spirit of the music that the Fourth Republic started and it is that same spirit that the band plays for today and will be the inspiration for their music in the future.