Applejack
Warren Kipner
It was the late '60s. Warren Kipner and his childhood friend, Rob Henson, moved from Australia to the UK in the hopes of starting a band. Over time, however, their relationship became increasingly strained. While Rob became heavily involved in psychedelia and the current protest scene, Warren still wanted nothing more than to make music.
Then came one dark and rainy night. Rob was returning home from another town and had time to come by and pick Warren up from a local concert. Before either of them could break the awkward silence of the ride, a car drifted towards them from the other lane, causing Rob to panick and turn the wheel.
The rest of that night was a blur for Warren. When he finally regained consciousness, he was in the hospital alone with a peculiar lack of feeling in his legs. Eventually a nurse gave him the grim news. Not only was Rob gone, but Warren himself would never be able to walk again. With those things went his dream of ever making music, or so it seemed.
Prior to the incident, however, Warren had become acquanted with a group of British chaps who were also looking to start a band. Eventually their lead guitarist, Barnie Sinclair, managed to get a hold of Warren. Together they convinced the band to make Warren their lead singer, prompting a quick makeover. By the time the early '70s came around, "Applejack" was swiftly on the rise as the new hit group. Their tunes were energetic and catchy, soft and moving when needed, but most of all, an air of intrigue surrounded the story of their frontman...
It wasn't one bit usual to turn on the television and see a young man singing about dancing while sitting, a microphone in one hand and the other merely hitting his knee with the beat. Then, for him to not stand up once during the concert, not even to bow, and eventually get carried off the stage by the group's best roadie? As soon as the band began putting out that Warren was paralyzed, the people were hooked. Newspapers around the country were hastily reaching out wanting to know more and more. How did it happen? What was it like living that way? Could he really not feel anything down there?
Warren didn't seem to mind the questions at first. Things were finally turning right for him, so who cared if interviewers were a little pushy now and then? So long as he had his band, the music, and the fans, getting labeled "disabled" first and "singer" second was the least of his worries. But over time, he began to notice the patterns more and more. And with increasing freqeuncy, he began to wonder...
Was it really the music the people loved? Or just the novelty?
The Band: (WIP)
- Warren Kipner - Lead vocals
- Barnie Sinclair - Lead guitar, vocals
- Don Collings - Rhythm guitar, vocals
- Andy Fairfield - Bass guitar
- Bruce Wild - Percussion
The powerful, energetic voice of Applejack, sometimes accompanied by a tamborine or maracas. Offstage, Warren is very polite and easygoing, always in the mood for a lighthearted joke. And, as he'll often say, the only thing he loves half as much as singing and writing songs is his adoring audience.
Compared to the frontman, Barnie is more outgoing and his onstage presence reflects this very well. He is always moving with an infectious smile among other faces to complement his playing. But don't let it make you think that he doesn't take his job extremely seriously deep down. And being the closet to Warren, he's always careful in the amount of attention he draws towards himself.
Donny is the youngest of the group- at least, we think so. Although he may look a bit small and baby-faced, he's an outstanding guitarist and perfectly fills in the lower harmony (when he remembers to sing).
Along with Bruce, Andy emerged from the ashes of another local group before landing a spot as the bass player and quiet one of Applejack. His down-to-earth personality and dry humor are quick to disprove any assumptions about him being shy.
Bruce's personality contrasts with Andy's in that he is often cracking jokes and encouraging the rest of the band. Although he is the oldest of the group, his drumming is always above and beyond in terms of energy.