thePULSEWe here at The Pulse are committed to giving local bands who are just under the radar, who haven’t quite broken through yet, a little push. There’s a catch, though ~ we’ll only feature a band if they first nominate a band for an upcoming issue, and so on. So check out this section to read more about some talented musicians who might just be the next big thing!
The Progressions
By Bobby Hankinson
Don’t let the name fool you; The Progressions are really anything but. In fact, they are the only band I’ve ever written about that doesn’t have a website. What they do have, however, is the right attitude. With a penchant for rocking out classics and an even bigger drive to just have a good time, this cover band is the perfect accompaniment to a good beer in a dank pub. And really, they’re okay with that status.
“I wanted to be a rock star growing up, it’d be a great life,” said guitarist Glen Martel. “Now, I just want to play ~ it’s fun.”
Martel, bassist and singer Jay West, and drummer Joe Lajoie aren’t trying to be something they’re not. They’re too busy doing what they do well.
“We really try to keep it loose and have fun. We try to play requests to the best of our ability,” Martel said. “If they want to hear ‘Blue Suede Shoes’ ten times, we’ll do it.”
The current incarnation of the band has been together for about eight months, though Martel and West have played together before. The good times they have on stage are just spill-over from the laughs they already share.
Martel’s emails say they are from “Mister Wonderful,” a name bestowed on him by his bandmate West. After dealing with some inner-band drama, Martel coyly asked West if he were glad he didn’t give the singer any problems. West’s response? “Yeah Glen, you’re just Mr. Wonderful.”
But it’s not all fun and games for the band, there’s real musicianship as well. Their influences are as varied as The Beatles, The Rolling Stones, Jimi Hendrix, and some rockabilly.
“We can do rock ‘n’ roll, we can do country, we can go from a Jerry Lee Lewis rocker to a Grateful Dead tune,” Martel said before attributing some of the band’s versatility to the talents of the singer. “He’s just a dead-on rock vocalist.”
When asked to compare the band to some of their younger counterparts, Martel said, “You can go home with your hearing after you hear us.” Though he also feels his band “…delivers the goods more consistently.”
Looking toward the future, Martel shares that the band would like to do a live recording of some sort, continue playing the Worcester area, and start hitting up some local festivals. He then added they have a world tour next week. Just kidding.
“That world tour thing was a joke, my wife would kill me.”
