Guitar provides an unconventional living
Tyler Allen
Issue date: 8/24/09 Section: Culture
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Gold and platinum records from bands like Poison and Kiss cover the walls, an array of guitars hang on display and a DeLorean is parked in the garage.
Leap is not a famous rock star, well, not exactly. He is the lead guitarist for local band Pompous Jack, a Merriam city council member and inventor of the GuitarLamp. He may not be a rock star, but he certainly lives the rock star lifestyle.
Leap grew up around Merriam, attending high school at Shawnee Mission Northwest, and began playing guitar at an early age.
"I originally learned to play guitar from Harvey Jet, who used to be the lead axe man for Black Oak Arkansas," Leap said.
Leap has since advanced his skills to become one of the better guitarists in the Kansas City area. He even beat out 60 other contestants in a contest to play with Poison, one of his favorite bands.
"There was this radio contest in 2000 where Poison would pick a guitar player to play a song with them during one of their concerts," Leap said. "There were 60 of us and we all battled it out and I ended up winning."
Leap further proved his skills during another contest in which guitarists competed to play with Ian Gillan, the original singer of Deep Purple.
He won again and got the chance to play "Smoke on the Water" with Gillan at the VooDoo Lounge.
With all his talent, it was only natural for Leap to start a band of his own. After moving in 2000 to his current loft in Merriam, he started gathering the ingredients for what would become Pompous Jack. He soon hooked up with local drummer Larry Sprang, who incidentally lived only blocks from Leap. The duo spent some time playing around town before meeting John Canterbury, the bassist to complete their trio.
Leap describes Pompous Jack's music as "Blink-182 meets Kiss."
"It's definitely not grungy or complaint, its just good-time rock and roll," Leap said.
Even if someone isn't into the brand of classic rock Pompous Jack puts out, their stage show will keep the fans coming back.
"People are pretty loyal because we put on a show," Leap said. "I do a deal where I shoot fire out of my Les Paul. If we're not allowed to use fire or flash pots, we use a confetti canon that's air powered. We also have a rotating drum riser."
One night on stage preparing to shoot fire out of his guitar, Leap was struck with the idea of making a lamp out of a guitar.
The next day Leap bought a used electric guitar and got to work. He took the guitar apart, gutted the inside, mounted the guitar on a microphone stand and installed a bulb on top.
After his project was complete, Leap knew he had something special.
Not long after, his instincts were validated through friend's adulations of his GuitarLamp creation, Leap began producing the lamps for profit. Soon his invention turned into a lucrative business.
Now, years later, Leap's lamps have been sold to everyone from Ted Nugent to the Jonas Brothers.
The business has also made him a recognizable figure in the small town of Merriam. So recognizable, in fact, that Leap was elected to the Merriam city council.
"My original theory about government, when I was younger, was stay away from them and they'll stay away from you," Leap said. "Once I became a property owner, my ideas changed."
After Leap bought the building in which he currently lives and runs his business, the city wanted to change the street and take away parking.
"I was like, 'These jack-asses sitting up there on the council, they're making all these decisions for you and me that I didn't know anything about,'" Leap said. "So I was like, 'Hell, I'm gonna get involved.' Anger kind of motivates."
During his campaign, Leap and the rest of Pompous Jack took to the back of a flat-bed semi and rolled through the streets of Merriam in a makeshift parade to promote Leap for city council.
"We went around and kinda played some blues rock, going through every street in my district," Leap said. "We had a DeLorean, some other cool cars, and then the band. People would hear the band, come out and look and see the sign 'Vote for Dan Leap' and they did. I won two to one the first time."
Now, currently in his second term, Leap is not sure about his future in politics. What he is sure about is the future of GuitarLamp.
He recently moved some of his products to Rock Candy Boutique, a vintage clothing store at 1413 W. 39th St. He has also expanded his business by licensing his patent on all lamps made from stringed instruments to a Boston-based company. He now collects royalties from the company's GuitarLamp sales every month.
As Dan Leap sits back in his loft, he reflects on how far the guitar has taken him.
"When I was young, I always hoped that I'd make my money with the guitar," Leap said. "I was thinking playing the guitar. Now I'm making my money with the guitar, but in a different way."
For more information on Leap's guitar lamps, visit www.guitarlamp.com.
tallen@unews.com
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