Coin Operated - It's Just Magic

"For me, being in a cover band this time around is a whole lot of fun," Susan White, one of the lead singers for Coin Operated said. "When I was in a band in the 1990's, I was always trying to 'make it' and get signed. We were always playing showcase gigs in the hopes that an elusive 'someone' would see us."

As a rock-based cover band, four of the five members are vocalists, which allows the band to perform a wide variety of musical styles. Founded by Ted Moseley and Steve Triggs in 2007, Coin Operated debuted at the Black Hammock in February, 2008. Since that time, they have performed more than 50 gigs throughout the area.

The band includes:

Ted Moseley - bass/vocals
Steve Triggs - guitar/synth guitar/vocals
Anthony Lupo - drums
Wil Conine - lead guitar
Susan White - vocals/harmonica/keyboards

Mosley and Triggs were previously members of the local band Low Bid. More recently, Mosley, a twenty-year Navy veteran, toured the area with rock cover band Neon Dream. Triggs is also Communications Division Manager for Orange County and can be seen on Orange TV interviews and press conferences.

Conine is a veteran of three Warped Tours and has opened for several popular bands including Blink 182, The Vandals, Flock of Seagulls and MxPx.

White was active in the New York music circuit singing with a band that performed at some of the legendary venues there such as CBGB (Country Bluegrass Blues), The Bitter End, Village Gate and Cafe Wha. After she left the band, White was busy promoting other musicians and produced two compilations CDs for college radio distribution. She moved to the Orlando area in 2003 and joined Coin Operated in 2007.

Lupo, a UCF student, joined the Coin Operated last summer and is a former member of the band Carnevil. He has opened for Hell Yeah at Orlando's Hard Rock Cafe and performed for WJRR's Earth Day Birthday.

White believes that the wide range of musical backgrounds and interests helps to make the band appealing. "Triggs has a preference for roots/alt.country, like Kevin Gordon and Scott Miller and the Commonwealth; Moseley favors harder-edged alternative and classic rock like Foo Fighters, Metallica, and Led Zeppelin; Conine's influences are all over the place - from The Ataris, to New Found Glory, to Led Zeppelin and even Eddie Rabbit. Lupo is a metal head who also likes the Eagles, and White likes grrrl pop ala Joan Jett and Blondie, and jam-based blues like Grace Potter or old Fleetwood Mac."

"As a cover band, it's a bit of a different scene than doing original music," White said. The economy hits the local music scene as venues struggle to keep afloat. "In the last few months we have seen a lot of the bars that have music either shut down or change ownership, and that has made repeat bookings more difficult than it was just a few months ago. Timmie Macks in Altamonte and Rivals in Oviedo have closed and both were venues that consistently supported live music.

White's personal favorite venue is Turtle Bay on East Colonial Drive. "It's not fancy and it's a true neighborhood bar." she said. "It reminds me of the bars I used to play in, in Brooklyn. The owner is very supportive of live music, and we always have a great night whenever we play there. There's a big stage, the sound is good, and we usually don't have to compete with a sports game on 25 televisions."

"Coin Operated works hard at what they do." White admitted, "but it never stops being fun. Getting up on stage after a long week at work, hitting that first chord, having it all come together - it's just magic."

To learn more about Coin Operated, visit http://www.coinoperatedband.com/ where you will find contact information, schedules and sound clips from some of their most-requested songs.