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4/30/2008 2:54:00 PM  The Snake Oil Bandits: Kyle, Sean, Chris and Dave Gooding with Stephen and Liz Krupa. Dave Gooding is a doctor by day and a singer with the band with his family. The Family That Plays Music Together - Stays Together Sharyn Lonsdale Contributing Writer Englewood has its very own "Partridge Family" - sort of. There's no adorable tot banging a tambourine or a pretty teenage girl pretending to play a keyboard, like in the classic 1970s sitcom. But the "Snake Oil Bandits" are more of the real deal. Every member plays their own instrument and most sing. The Bandits' leader, Dave "Dr. G." Gooding is an Englewood physician by day, with a passion for music. He fronts the band he named after the old-time "cure all" for what ailed you, on guitar and lead vocals. Dave started playing in bands as a teenager in New Jersey, so he didn't really think twice about asking his sons, who all love music and played in their school jazz bands, to join the Bandits. Kyle, 17, plays bass, Sean, 15, is on drums and Chris, 12, is the youngest member, playing alto sax and keyboard. They're joined by family friends Stephen Krupa, 15, on guitar and vocals, and his mom Liz, who plays keyboard, sings and yes, even bangs the occasional tambourine. The band rehearses in the Gooding's Cape Haze home, in the large basement, affectionately called "The Snake Pit." Sharon Gooding jokes that her boys did not inherit their musical ability from her. She prefers to watch, "work the crowd" at their shows, make sure the boys are dressed appropriately and pack the bug spray when they play outdoors. Dave Gooding calls the band's music "Fun Rock and Roll." Their play list of classic rock and pop songs from the 1950s to the 90s includes covers of Elvis Presley, Creedence Clearwater, Bob Seger and the Drifters with a little David Bowie and The Romantics thrown in to keep people dancing. Surprisingly the teens love the old music. None of them care for the Hip Hop that their friends prefer and Stephen says there are no songs later than 1986 on his iPod. Kyle's favorite song to perform is the surf instrumental "Wipeout" and Stephen's is the 50-year-old classic "Johnny B. Goode." Both boys idolize the late Stevie Ray Vaughan, a guitar legend most of their classmates at Lemon Bay High School have never even heard of. Watching Liz smile and sing "I Can't Help Falling in Love" on the keyboard, surrounded by serious-looking boys with longish hair and you really can't help but think Shirley Partridge. "I get that a lot," says Liz, who owns Freedom Physical Therapy in Englewood. "They say 'Where's your bus?'" referring to the iconic psychedelic school bus, Shirley drove in the show. It's actually Liz's husband Greg, who does a lot of the driving, helps haul the equipment and works the sound at shows. Much like Shirley Jones, who played Shirley Partridge, Liz is a trained classical musician with a background in musical theater and standards. With the Bandits she gets to show her range, singing classics like "Crazy" and "Bad, Bad Leroy Brown." The band is making a name for itself in the area with regular gigs at the Bean Depot in El Jobean and at Fisherman's Village in Punta Gorda, but Dave says they're having a bit more trouble getting booked in the Englewood area although they hope to sing at Pioneer Days like they did last summer. "Sometimes it's hard to convince people to come hear us because it's just a group of kids," says Liz. But once they hear the Bandits rip through "Let's Twist Again" and "Hang on Sloopy," they don't feel that way anymore. "We have some groupies,' joked Liz, recalling girls who asked to have their picture taken with Kyle and Stephen. While music was the Partridge Family's major source of income, for the Snake Oil Bandits, it's more of a way to have a good time and get people dancing. The boys are all strong students and the Gooding boys all play hockey, Kyle is working on his Eagle Scout badge and Stephen is a Go-Kart champion. And Dave Gooding knows that getting together with his family and friends on a Thursday night in his basement to knock out a few of the songs he grew up with is a special thing that most fathers of teenage boys will ever get to experience. "I feel awesome," he says with a smile. "It's really great to be playing with the kids." The Snake Oil Bandits will be performing at the Bean Depot Café on State Road 776 in El Jobean from 7-10pm May 16 and inside Fisherman's Village on Retta Esplanade in Punta Gorda from 5-9pm May 24 and 6-9pm June 20. All ages are admitted and admission is free to all shows. For more information, call Dave Gooding at 474-1003 or visit their Web site, www.snakeoilbandits.com Sharyn Lonsdale is a freelance writer, editor and proofreader. Contact her at sharynlonsdale@msn.com or call 204-0273. Newton Studios, Inc. The Englewood REVIEW, 370 West Dearborn Street, Suite B Englewood FL 34223. Phone: (941) 474-4351 or Fax: (941) 474-8317.