PAPA ABORIGINE

They covet respect more than fame, take a no-nonsense attitude during "controlled band rehearsals" and long for the day when they can jam exclusively to a sound more important than its signature.

Is this really an aspiring American rock band? A group that has penetrated the glitz and glamor of MTV? They answer to the name of Papa Aborigine and plan on responding to challenges beyond Cape Girardeau, the place they now call home.

They're all in their early '20s, have extensive music backgrounds and bloodlines and they know one day they will be good enough to get a chance to make their imprint on the music world.

For now, however, Papa Aborigine thrives on hard work, unselfishness and constant self-appraisal. Oh, and they're a few riffs away from cutting a tape they will be proud to send to agents and record promoters.

"I know I'm not ready for a big-time setting and I think I can say that for the rest of the guys," said Papa Aborigine lead singer and keyboard player Billy Keys, who will appear next with the band at Big Als May 5 during Show Me Showcase '94.

Said bass player Chris Ford, "I could play the songs I believe in before a lot of people, but I don't really know when that will be. I'm writing and playing what is really me and all I ask for in return is respect for my work."

Obviously the band has no use for grandiose trappings or a following that would worship them as rock stars. They know what will make them happy, though. It's both simple and demanding.

"Playing original songs is what it's all about," said Keys. "We'll play the cover tunes because that's what you need to do to get the respect of a club owner and an audience, but playing what identifies us and brings us together as a unit is the ultimate."

They decided on the name for the band not because it sounded offbeat or as the result of some shallow experience. Rather, their decision on a name shows how much they dare to be different.

"There was this aborigine on one of our grade school text books that seemed interesting," said Keys. "I guess we settled on that name because an aborigine is tribal and the first of its kind. That's us and where we want to be," said Chris Ford.

Keys, Chris Ford, drummer Keller Ford and guitar player Alex Allen bonded five years ago to form something that is "better than a marriage."

"It's better than a marriage because it's four people functioning as one to produce the best possible music, none of us worrying about whether egos or feelings have been hurt," said Chris Ford.

Chris Ford and Billy Keys contributed to an original song while thinking of two different concepts. They ended up on the same musical wavelength.

"It was a spring or summer day when I was writing a song and I was just caught up with this idea of someone walking outside and discovering a stone," said Keys. "It was this natural high I got from just enjoying the surroundings and discovering the stone. That made me think of the title Summer Stone."

Ford, however, was thinking of something else. "It was during the World Series and I was listening to the sound in the background when the Atlanta Braves were at the plate," said Chris Ford. "There was this tribal noise that I focused on and that became part of the song."

Keller Ford didn't even like the name of the band at first. "It sounded too off-the-wall or cheezy at first, but now I think it's okay," said Keller Ford.

Keller Ford, who is not related to Chris save by ideals and talent, isn't afraid to speak his mind. "Billy wasn't always able to sound like Jim Morrison or some of the other groups we imitate," said Keller Ford.

Keys was playing with Chris Ford in a band called Amethyst when he realized he was falling short of the sound of Metallica's lead singer when he was working to produce the strains of "Enter Sandman".

"I was sounding like someone would expect a guy who looks like me to sound," said Keys, a junior music major at Southeast Missouri State who looks younger than 21. "Then Chris turned to me and said, sing like you want to kill. I got the sound I wanted," said Keys, who refers to Chris Ford as a "killer bass guitar player."

Chris Ford and Alex Allen have already proven themselves in state-wide competition. "They were voted all-state in competition in Lake of the Ozark," said Keys, whose greatest talent is as a trumpet player. "We'll work some trumpet into our songs later on, but not right now," said Keys.

Allen rarely speaks. But when he does he commands the attention of the entire band. "Alex is probably the strongest of us all," said Chris Ford. "He doesn't always talk, but when he does it's usually something that will change somebody's mind on lyrics or the sound of a song," said Keller Ford.

Throughout much of the interview, Allen is content to listen while gently strumming his guitar. He looks peaceful while his cohorts spoke their minds. Then Allen said,"I may only contribute a riff or two in each song, but that could lead to someone else thinking of something and before you know it we've got a new song."

Is this band closely knit? "We're more than just tight," said Keller Ford. "If I weren't able to play in this band anymore, I can't imagine Papa Aborigine sounding the same with a new drummer," he said. "We're so used to working off of each other's sound that I can't imagine ever sounding the same if we broke up."

Indeed, this is more than a musical marriage, ab-original in every way.