Newton musician Terry Bradley forms supergroup

They might be considered Newton’s supergroup, three musically-minded men who have spent many years between them playing in numerous groups, teaching others, and even playing in a few symphony orchestras.

Now, after many years of experience, the three musicians, Terry Bradley on bass, Matt Butler on guitar and Gary Van Gorp on drums, have formed a new band. They call themselves “Roy Hobbs,” after the fictional baseball player from “The Natural,” by Bernard Malamud.

“Basically, we’re just three old guys that got together to play some music,” Bradley said.

Bradley and Van Gorp played together in the ninth grade in Newton, in a band called “Exodous.” He formed The Voltaires in Newton in 1968 when he was 14. Since then, Van Gorp has spent 22 years in Pensacola, Fla., and Nashville, playing drums and managing several night clubs.

“All I’ve ever done is play,” Van Gorp said. “Me and Terry have come full circle, and Terry suggested we get together,” so the band was formed.

Bradley started playing guitar at the age of 5, and was a teacher at 12. He played with Van Gorp in a number of garage bands, then began studying the viola. He has played with the Des Moines Symphony throughout the ’80s and ’90s, as well as orchestras in Waterloo, Cedar Falls, Simpson and Central colleges. He has set the viola aside and continued playing guitar and teaching in a studio in his home.

Perhaps Butler’s most famous band was the Blinders, but he started with acoustic guitar, graduating to gospel, and even worked with “a Puerto Rican Jimi Hendrix act-alike” after the Blinders, then a few other bands and back to acoustic. Now, he’s fully amplified (his amp goes to 12, he says), and playing lead guitar and the majority of vocal duties for Roy Hobbs, although all the other members say they will be sharing vocal duties as well.

“Terry and I never played together until we worked on a project together,” Butler said, but would not elaborate further.

Now, the band has musical dates set for those who want to experience Roy Hobbs live. The band has been practicing in a garage at the Colfax Travel Center that Van Gorp manages, preparing for a
private party on Aug. 15, followed by an appearance at Prairie Meadows on Sept. 4, Sugar Grove Vineyard and Gathering Place on Sept. 12, and the Raceway Cafe on Sept. 26.

“Our format is rock and blues,” Van Gorp said. “Think John Hiatt, Little Feat, Grateful Dead, and Robert Earl Keen.”

The band brings a lot of fun and enthusiasm to their practice sessions, as well as pride in the accomplishments of lives full of music. Bradley said the members do have some ego.

“There’s plenty of ego to fill this room,” Bradley said.

But, Van Gorp added, “The important thing, once you reach a certain age, is you just want to play music.”