Trouble Shooter, the End of an Era

In 1984, four high school boys got together and formed the band Trouble Shooter in Rushford. Rod and Bruce Darr, Dennis Overland and Dan Erickson began practicing in Jardiene and Irene Overland’s garage in South Rushford and decided they sounded pretty good together. 

Soon they went on to play at Rushford Days and took their first paying job at the VFW. From June 1984 to the end of 1985 they played 15 gigs together while several were still in high school and Rod was attending college. 

Now after over 40 years, the band has decided to retire this fall. They got together for a regular practice at Dennis Overland’s garage recently, but spent part of the evening reminiscing about their time together. 

First they talked about the early years and members of the band through the years. After Dan Erickson decided to drop out of the band for marriage and kids, Derek Berg joined Trouble Shooter. Through the years, Carl Johnson, Craig Johnson and Chris VonArx would end up joining Rod, Bruce and Dennis to make up Trouble Shooter. In 1989 Bruce Greenwood came on board. In 1989, Chris Von Arx reclaimed a spot for a while, but in 1998 Greenwood returned and has been in Trouble Shooter ever since.

The number of gigs increased as time went by. In their busiest year, the band estimates that they played a total of 311 shows. In total, Rod estimated they have played around 6,000 gigs. 

Asked individually for each’s personal favorite song over the years, Rod Darr declared that “Copperhead Road” by Steve Earle was his favorite for the longest time. Bruce Darr said “Running on Empty” by Jackson Browne was his favorite in the late ‘90s. Dennis Overland claimed “Watching Airplanes” by Gary Allan while Bruce Greenwood seconded Rod’s choice of “Copperhead Road.” This was also the second most requested song through the years. “Fishing in the Dark” decidedly took the spot of most requested throughout the years. 

There have been many highlights through the years. Rod Darr shared the time they opened for Taylor Swift in La Crosse in 2007. In the small venue, they had a crowd of around 800. They were playing “Stupid Boy” by Keith Urban when people in the crowd got out their phones and turned on the flashlights. This was a new thing at that time, and Rod totally enjoyed that!

Bruce Darr commented that a highlight can happen at any time — everything just feels right and sounds like you are nailing it! He remembered opening for the Nitty Gritty Dirt Band in La Crosse when Phil Costigan called and said there was a problem. The problem ended up being that the venue had a seats for 6,000 and 6,500 people had purchased tickets. The venue managed to add additional seating and the concert was a success.

Dennis Overland said a highlight for him was Trouble Shooter being invited to Nashville Music Showcase when only two or three bands in total were asked. Bruce Greenwood added that one of the other bands there was the band Lariat (later named Ricochet) which made it big.

Greenwood chose opening for Sawyer Browne when they played at Rockin’ on The Ridge event held on St. Joseph’s Ridge near the old Ridgeview Supper Club in rural La Crosse as his highlight. Rod Darr piped in, “It was just stacked with people!” 

The front man for Sawyer Browne was surprised at the turnout and had declared, “If you build it, they will come!” The estimate was that a crowd of 10,000 people were at that event. 

From 1990–1995, the band signed on with a Twin Cities music agency. During that time, they were gone for two week stints. They practiced during the days and played every night. While they learned a lot of new songs, averaging a minimum of six a week, they really wanted to stay around home more and eventually decided to no longer be on the road that much. 

The band members have few routines and no superstitions — they practice together but don’t use a set list to follow at a gig. Rod uses a talkback mic to let the rest of the band know what they will play next. They have a tight bond with each other; they know each other well. They have only had a sub a few times when an emergency surgery or death in the family occurred. 

When asked what made them decide to retire now, they said it just felt right. Rod plans on spending more time with his wife and parents; he said he still loves playing but he wants to focus on the people in his life. 

Bruce Darr shared that every year in July, the bookings would start arriving for the following year. For the last few years, they have taken longer to decide to continue and last year they made the decision to have 2024 as their last year. Once word got out about that, the bookings picked up a lot; in 2024, they booked 61 events. 

Bruce Darr will be playing with the Darr Family Band next year — after he’s not sure since his oldest son will head off to college then. 

Bruce Greenwood already plays with another musician, Virgil Trocinski; he expects that the duo will become even busier after Trouble Shooter ends. 

Dennis Overland has plans to get his knees fixed up and then hopes to return to golfing and possibly bowling. He’s also considering getting into more music production. 

Most of the members have full-time jobs — Rod is a licensed realtor and runs an online auction site, Bruce D. is a mail carrier for Houston and Hokah and Dennis has his own insurance company, Dennis Overland Insurance Agency. Bruce G. has already retired from his job as director of tuition and collection at St. Mary’s University. 

All of the band members actually met their spouses through Trouble Shooter. Dennis’s wife Sheri has also worked with the band as the sound tech for the past 11 years. When asked why she did it, she simply replied, “They needed somebody to watch the board.” She likes the job, but admits there are times when she’s frustrated. Sheri also works at Dennis’s agency. 

Trouble Shooter’s last gig will be September 28 at the Rushford Fire Hall. While they have been thinking about their last song, they haven’t decided yet. Rod will probably just let the guys know on the talkback mic as he usually does. 

Bruce Greenwood closed the reminiscing by saying how much they appreciated their parents and families for supporting the band through the years. “Our parents have been our biggest fans! Our families and spouses have been real supportive.” 

The band then headed outside to take a picture together in front of Dennis’s garage — a suitable site since it’s the same garage that they started practicing in over 40 years ago! Thanks for the memories, Trouble Shooter!