Original
Members
John
Albright ~ Keyboards
Paul
Barber ~ Guitar
Kevin
Jones ~ Guitar, Bass, Vocals
Steve
Smith ~ Drums
Later
Members
Phil
Patterson ~ Guitar
Kari
Sandvik ~ Vocals
Guest
Musicians
Mike
Mattingly ~ Guitar
Brian
Olendorf ~ Keyboards
John
Schwinberg ~ Bass
Crew
Doyle
Myers ~ Sound
Opus was originally formed in Ellensburg. Members were all CWSC/CWU students.Kevin Jones was on Bass & Lead Vocal; John Albright - Keyboards; Steve Smith - Drums and Paul on Guitar. Paul left the group after a short Canadian tour.
A later incarnation had Phil Patterson on guitar and added Kari Sandvik on vocals.
The original line-up was an amazing band.
Albert Engebretson, May 2007
Opus did some great originals in addition to flawlessly covering Steely Dan, Jackson Brown, The Police, and others from the late 70s and early 80s.
I ran sound for the band for a year or so in around 1980/81, and one of my fondest memories is of one night when, in response to Phil Patterson's Tom Petty-esque sprechstimme "You don't ... have ... to live like a refugee", the rest of the band replied in their usual perfect harmony "PHIL has to live like a ref-u-gee".
I still catch myself humming some of their originals to this day. I don't think I've heard a better college band before or since.
Doyle Myers, January 2009
