DATE: Sunday, August 3, 1997                TAG: 9708010328

SECTION: CAROLINA COAST          PAGE: 26   EDITION: FINAL 

                                            LENGTH:   51 lines

SLIC-50'S ACOUSTIC TUNES WILL REV UP AUDIENCES' ENGINES

If you've only recently begun to notice the band called Slic-50 in your local listings, forget about it.

The acoustic trio is an offshoot of two defunct Outer Banks bands. Paul DeLa Cruz (guitar-vocals) and Mitch Burnett (rhythm guitar-vocals) played in the rockin' Fillerup band. Lead guitarist/singer John Thurston was a member of the heavy alternative band Lockjaw.

DeLa Cruz and Burnett, who spent the winter months working as a duo in the Virgin Islands, recruited Thurston this spring after returning to the Outer Banks.

When the three men came together to discuss the musical avenue the band would take, it was a no-brainer. Slic-50 entered the burgeoning Outer Banks mellow music market.

``I saw this acoustic movement happening,'' DeLa Cruz says. ``So, we figured this style would get us more jobs.''

DeLa Cruz emphasizes that he and Burnett have been ``playing together for years.'' So they do bring solidity to the new band, which is playing five or six nights a week.

With DeLa Cruz's distinctive vocals, Burnett's steady rhythm playing and Thurston's fiery lead guitar, the trio manages to breathe life into songs by artists ranging from Pearl Jam to the Charlie Daniels Band.

``If someone doesn't like what we're playing at the moment,'' DeLa Cruz says, ``I tell them to stick around.''

Check out the artists that Slic-50 covers: Jethro Tull, Stone Temple Pilots, The Beatles, Goo Goo Dolls, The Church, Eric Clapton, Red Hot Chilli Peppers, Neil Young and Smokey Robinson.

``We pretty much go with what the audience wants,'' DeLa Cruz says. ``We add songs all the time.''

This Sunday, Slic-50 will headline the auction/benefit at Quagmire's for the Denise Johnson Memorial Fund. Donations will go toward a reward to capture the person or persons responsible for the murder of the Kill Devil Hills woman. Part of the proceeds will be donated in Johnson's name to a local charity.

DeLa Cruz says he's written a song about Johnson, a woman he once dated and who remained his friend after they split. He plans to perform the song at the benefit.

``I'm calling it `Her Smile,' '' he says. ``It was the most obvious thing about her. She was always smiling.'' ILLUSTRATION: Staff photo by DREW C. WILSON

The trio Slic-50 is, from left: Mitch Burnett, Paul DeLa Cruz and

John Thurston. DeLa Cruz and Burnett, who spent the winter months

working as a duo in the Virgin Islands, recruited Thurston this

spring after returning to the Outer Banks.

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