In this remake of Meet the Beatles, Ringo is the ring-leader of an underground rock and roll band. We’ll name him “Ringo,” the star drummer of the Dung Beatles, by night. By day, he is mild-mannered Jeff Coleman, optometrist. Dr. Coleman leads his double life from a quiet Landfall cul-de-sac, his home base for 11 years, which he shares with his wife and roadie, Michelle, their two children, Dylan, 13, and Peyton, 11, and their Wheaton terrier, Maggie.
It’s been two years since the Dung Beatles formed over the Colemans’ garage and 44 years since The Beatles crashed onto the rock and roll scene. The local tribute band started on a whim and now books at least two gigs a month at local pubs and clubs.
“Twice a month is fun,” Coleman said. “Three times a month is a little bit of a chore. Four times a month, I’d call it a job.”
Coleman’s music room was already decked out with instruments when he met the band’s other members at a staged gathering
hosted by his friend Kathy Gresham, who wanted her eye doctor to meet some young musicians.
Staff photo by Joshua Curry
Dr. Jeff “Ringo” Coleman plays drums in the Dung Beatles, a fun local band that jams Beatles tunes around Wilmington. |
“She says, ‘You gotta come see this boy band. They’re practicing in this garage.’ I said, ‘No, no, no, no, no,’” Coleman remembered.
He went kicking but says he was blown away by their talent.
“I’ve seen bands and cover bands, and these guys were so young. They were rocking it. They were very friendly and easy to talk to,” he said.
Coleman invited them to come over and practice at his house in the spare room above the garage, which he calls the attic and was at one time supposed to be his children’s play room.
“They followed us over here, a little caravan of cars, and started jamming,” Michelle recalled.
The drummer bowed out, leaving a spot open for Coleman.
“I hadn’t jammed in years,” he said, but the group had so much fun they returned a night later.
“They said, ‘How about we come over and learn some Beatles tunes?’” Coleman said. “The next thing I know, Tom walks in and says, ‘Dude, we’re the Dung Beatles.’”
Tom is Tom Gossin, keyboard vocalist and solo artist with a growing local audience. His brother, Mike Gossin, plays guitar and sings backup, and their friend Zack Brandisi plays bass.
“I’m sort of a doodler on the guitar, but I play around,” Coleman said as he strummed his acoustic guitar, pumped his high hat cymbals and sang a raw version of “Falling.”
“This whole ‘Let’s play the Beatles’ thing … for these guys, it’s funny ... they’ve never heard some of the songs. They’re like, ‘Let’s get the album and listen to that song. Hey, that’s a good song, let’s learn that.’ Me, I’ve heard it but never played it,” Coleman said.
As the group slid into a regular Sunday night rehearsal schedule, Michelle said the neighbors
started
