Star Wars tribute band Darkside of the Force to play local bar

Courtesy of Darkside Of The Force

Cody Johnson playing guitar in his Jango Fett costume for the Star Wars tribute band Darkside Of The Force. The band is scheduled to play Wheat State Grille on Saturday.

Ever wonder what it would be like if Darth Vader channeled his anger through rock and roll instead of conquering the universe? For the answer look no further than Pittsburg’s Darkside of the Force.

The Star Wars tribute band takes some of their favorite rock songs and turns them into Star Wars inspired jams. But if you think about it, rock and roll has always had a love affair with evil.

“We’re all Star Wars nerds, and thought it’d be fun to put together something really awesome,” said Devin Krtek, the band’s bass player.

When he performs with Darkside Of The Force, Krtek appears in full Darth Vader costume and is joined on stage by Phil Struble (Storm Trooper) on drums, Cody Johnson (Jango Fett) on guitar and Brandon Nivens (Emperor Palpatine) on guitar and vocals.

“I won’t lie, I’ve always thought the bad guy’s were the coolest,” Krtek said. “I don’t care if it’s Transformers, or G.I. Joe, the bad guys were always more appealing to me.”

Don’t think that these guys just dress the part; they are true musicians and big fans of the science fiction epics.

“Return of the Jedi and the Empire Strikes Back are probably my favorites,” Krtek said. “They have the most action and those two really start to tie things together well. They also bring into perspective how large of a battle this is between the light and the dark side. I suppose you could argue the same point about the second two in the most recent series, but that debate would involve a one on one, face to face conversation and light sabers.”

As many of us did, Krtek grew up loving the Star Wars movies and all the merchandise that went along with it.

“My earliest memory of Star Wars would probably be watching all the movies with my Uncle Tommy,” Krtek said. “He spoiled me as a child and according to my parents I owned everything there was to own that was Star Wars. If only I’d kept all that stuff. I’d be a gazillionaire.”

While the band has a couple of originals, the band keeps the fans in mind while picking their set list.

“We pick songs that we like and enjoy playing,” Krtek said. “Well, not entirely. I pick songs that I think will appeal to the masses. I can’t stand AC/DC’s ‘Back in Black,’ but guess what? Everyone loves it.”

The band has a number of songs on their MySpace page, http://www.myspace.com/darksideoftheforceband, including tracks like “Vader In Black” and “Don’t Mess With Jabba The Hutt.”

“We really just want to entertain people and bring the greatness that is Star Wars in a new medium that hasn’t been done before; well hasn’t been done this well before,” Krtek said. “What would be awesome is if Lucas Arts decided to support or sponsor us, then you would really be amazed with what I could do.”

If Krtek ever gets the chance to speak to Star Wars creator George Lucas, he definitely has a lot to say.

“[I’d say] thanks for the most ultimate saga of all time that not only immensely entertains but also ties in underlying messages of religion, politics and philosophy. Or possibly, can I have a job?”

The Darkside of the Force is performing on Saturday at 8 p.m. at Wheat State Grille, 707 Commercial.