Boy Toy Tries New Combination

Boy Toy, 1401 W. Meeker St., Kent; tonight, tomorrow night, Monday, and Wednesday through Saturday, 9:30 p.m.; $1-$5, 854-0500.

When Pamela Moore went on a European tour with Bellevue's heavy-metal major-label group Queensryche two months ago, Boy Toy had to find a singer to fill in.

The band, now six years old, has had lineup changes before, but this time, they opted for their first male singer, Jeff Adams, to cover for Moore.

As the band's other lead vocalist, Karla Maylender, says, ``He's put the boy back in toy.''

For frequenters of Meeker's Landing, where the band plays tonight, tomorrow night, Monday, and Wednesday through Saturday, Boy Toy is a familiar name, though the group's lineup is not. Boy Toy, even with its frequent personnel changes, has established itself as one of the most recognizable Top 40 cover bands in the Seattle area, playing four shows a week, 48 weeks a year at established dance clubs.

``As personnel has changed, we've talked about changing the name,'' said Mike Mattingly, the 32-year-old guitarist who is the only founding member left in the group. ``But the fact that it's so well-known prevents us from doing that.'' So the name, a reference to the belt buckle Madonna wore on the ``Like A Virgin'' album cover, has stuck.

Moore, who has been with Boy Toy for 5 1/2 years, is scheduled to perform with the band when she returns from Europe the last week of the year. But her recent Queensryche tour, her involvement in a New York group named Radar, and the new-found vocal chemistry between Maylender and Adams has created some uncertainty as to Boy Toy's 1991 lineup. But one goal of the band, previously only a distant thought, has become a probable stepping stone for the next year.

``We work well together as musicians,'' said Jon Bayless, 34, the group's bass player, ``and although we're entertainers first as a Top 40 cover band, we feel it's a springboard to the swan dive of performing our own original music.''

``We've actually gotten encouragement from people who see us on a regular basis to play our own songs,'' said Mark Mattingly, 32, the band's drummer. The band does two original instrumentals in their live set.

``Waitresses and managers at the clubs we play, who hear us all the time, noticed a big difference the first week with Jeff,'' Mike Mattingly added.

Although the band members emphasize the importance of playing Top 40 covers in order to make a living, most of them have recorded original music, and they cite their talent as what holds the band together.

``We have some ominous players in this band,'' said Maylender, ``and we're going to ride that.''

Phil West is a freelance writer who lives in Renton.