BAND

Hawkins Rise
By Andrew Jones

Anyone else think that there haven’t been too many good groovin’ rock bands coming our way recently? The emo scene has been ruling the last few years, so the showing on the local scene of good bands with classic rock roots has been on the wane. But thankfully, here comes Hawkins Rise. And their new album, “What We’re Like And Who We’ve Turned Out To Be,” shows that while a lot of their sound was born of bands from yesteryear, their wide range of influences comes together to make a style that is completely unique.

The band started out in 1999 when singers/guitarists Dan Simpson and Joe (Mags) Magnanti reconnected after having lost touch since high school. Magnanti then recruited Joe Grasso, with whom he had worked in the past, to play drums for the band. Soon after that, Dan met up with once close cousin Chris, who was more than happy to join in with the guys on the low end. So the two Joes and the two Simpsons have been collaborating ever since as Hawkins Rise, and the long-awaited 2006 release of “What We’re Like” shows just how musically potent the collaboration has turned out to be.

Each track has its own flavor, but pieced together with the vocal harmonies, each become part of a whole that is a singular pop rock art piece with many separate hints of homage. On “My Redemption,” there’s a lot of Latin Santana timbre swinging from the lead guitar licks. My ears steered me toward an old classic Joe Walsh tune as the influence for the main riff in “Thru 2 You.” “Cross Your Mind” has the vocal fullness of a folksy Beatles tune, while “Before This Night” bleeds a little taste of The Stones back to life. The guitar solos on “Flash in the Pan” as well as on a couple other tunes are reminiscent of J Mascus and Dinosaur Jr.

Despite all the different artists that have planted their seeds in the minds and hands of the guys in Hawkins Rise, the band’s vocal harmonies and collaborative energy pull them all together to make one distinct band that has produced one distinct album. So if you’d like to check out some real rock music built straight from the ground up, and if you like some diversity and a taste of something new via a few things classic, check HR out for yourself at these local shows:

Wednesday 11-29-06
Sky Bar, Somerville, MA

Friday 12-8-06
Our Place Pub, Gardner, MA

Thursday 12-14-06
Characters Pub, Gardner, MA

Hawkins Rise will show you what they’re like, and, therefore, who they’ve turned out to be.

For a complete listing of the band’s upcoming shows, merchandise, and other fun facts, go to www.hawkinsrise.com.

CD

John Gerard’s “All the Right Words” hits all the right chords as well

By Bobby Hankinson

Holliston-based singer-songwriter/guitarist John Gerard may be a solo artist, but there’s another element at play in his debut full-length album “All the Right Words”: Atmosphere. The hour-long disc spans fifteen tracks, but yet somehow feels like one cohesive magical moment.

From bittersweet opener “Honey” to tender closing track “My Name,” “All the Right Words” is a collection of songs perfectly fitting for a crisp fall day ~ at the same time bitingly cold and strangely comforting.

“I wanted the album to be intimate in the way that when people listen to it, they can feel like it’s for them and them only,” he said.

Gerard’s voice sounds weathered, but never weary. It drips with earnest emotion as he sweetly coos over his hauntingly beautiful arrangements. Each note rings out on his guitar to create a warm, glowing ambiance reminiscent of the solo work of Throwing Muses frontwoman Kristin Hersh. For an album recorded in just one February day in 2005, it sounds polished and pristine ~ thanks in part to Steve Rapson, who recorded the disc.

But before he was singing sweetly, Gerard was living in Paris, where he recalls, “Music was a lot more scarce; there’s was one main station playing Top 40 radio hits.”

At age 9, he moved to Framingham. He said he turned to music because, “I wasn’t good at sports ~ I was always the last picked.” After mastering air-guitar on a tennis racket to the tunes of Black Sabbath, Led Zeppelin, and the Police, he formed his first band when he was 14.

He continued playing around, taking the role of lead singer when the singer of one his earlier bands had a Peter Brady voice-changing moment. One of Gerard’s bands, a group capitalizing on the success of grunge, came close to getting signed, but the perils of the rock ‘n’ roll lifestyle got in the way.
“Everything you can lose a band to started happening,” he said.

In 2003, an open-mic night at the Green Dragon Tavern in Boston afforded Gerard a chance to embark on a solo career. As he began working and re-working the material that would become “All the Right Words,” he made a conscious decision to abandon the metaphorical writing he had been doing for a more direct lyrical style ~ touching on his experiences, stories he’s read, and drug addiction.

“I wanted to write something anybody could grab onto.”

In the end, however, it’s quite the other way around. It’s his honest lyrics and bewitching accompaniment that grab the listener, and they certainly don’t want to be let go.

For more information about John, his work, and his show schedule, check out www.johngerardmusic.com.

And be sure to catch him at The Red Door Coffeehouse, 140 Pearl Street in Framingham, at 8pm on Nov. 17.

CLUB

Duke’s Dueling Piano Bar
Bringing New Orleans to Worcester
By Brian Goslow

Everybody loves the New Orleans party spirit but not everyone’s had the chance to experience the Big Easy in all of its glory. Dave Domenick, owner of the Sh-Booms Entertainment Complex, has just changed that with the opening of Duke’s Dueling Piano Bar at 30 Major Taylor Boulevard, directly across the street from the Hilton Garden Inn.

“I wanted to do something different,” Domenick says. You only have to walk into the room and capture a glimpse of the duel pianos sitting atop the main stage to get an idea that indeed something different is going on. “We found the Baby Grands and we gutted them,” Domenick says. “All we wanted was the shell. We stripped them down and painted them and put the electric synthesizer keyboard inside. They’re actually better for what we’re doing ~ it’s cheating a bit but it sounds fantastic.”

Billy Connors, best know for his work at Jake Ivory’s of Boston, will regularly perform alongside Johnny O, who’s sent many a happy tourist home after they’ve caught his act at the Howl at the Moon Saloon in New Orleans. But you won’t catch the same show every night. “They’re going to rotate it to keep the show fresh,” says Domenick. “We don’t want the same show three nights in a row.”

The walls feature a collection of photos of legendary pianists; if you can’t connect with the faces of the musicians, you can certainly connect to the good times written all over the faces of women in the pictures. That’s exactly the point. “Absolutely,” Domenick says. “The thing’s really made for bachelorette parties, birthday parties, events with groups of people going out.” Dukes will be open Thursday through Saturday nights from 9 p.m. to 1:30 a.m. as well as on the night before Thanksgiving and New Year’s Eve. It’s also available for private functions and private parties.

Did we mention the idea is to party, party, party? “At the bachelorette party, they’ll get the bachelorette and sit her up on the piano and serenade her and sing a quasi dirty song for her,” Domenick promises. “I have two cameras that film the piano players [and] plays on the big screen so you can see the action on the video screen. We’ve got computers so that if it’s your birthday, we can shoot your name up on the screen flashing, ‘Happy Birthday!’ It’s not like 20 years ago. When we opened up, Sh-Boom’s had four police lights for a light show that cost about $100. Now you’ve got to do all this technical stuff and you’re buying Baby Grands and destroying them and putting keyboards in them. It’s a different world.”

It’s no coincidence that Duke’s officially opened the same week as the Hilton Garden Inn. Hotel guests are a major target audience. “A friend of mine owns a piano bar in Atlanta and he told me you really have to hit the hotels because the transients really have a blast with it,” Domenick says. “We’ll give them something to remember us by.”

ENTREPRENEUR

Mellissa Rouabhia of All in the Mix
By Michael J. Shivick

“Don’t wait for another person to make your dream come true,” says successful local entrepreneur Mellissa (Melle) Rouabhia. It’s a philosophy that many people preach, but often can’t turn into tangible results. Melle was nice enough to let us in on her secrets for success.

“I knew I wanted to do something that was my own, and I wanted to do something with food. I have been working at trade shows and fairs for almost 5 years, and I would observe all the booths. Anyone who has ever gone to a trade show or fair knows there are always the ‘dip people.’ I studied their products and learned that most people don’t even bother making [their dips] themselves. They actually order them pre-made and slap on their own labels. I also found out these pre-made mixes were full of fillers and artificial ingredients. So not only could I make the mixes myself but there was an opportunity to make them better than anyone else in the business. I wrote a business plan and worked about 80 hours a week to save up the initial investment money. I did all my own research. I started with spices and sour cream, and developed each flavor without preservatives or MSG.”

Where did Melle go from there, ìI got a job running a small kitchen for a theater show because of All in The Mix. The director saw my site and my shameless MySpace promotion and offered me the job.”

This dynamo seems so enthusiastic that it’s hard to imagine any downside to her business, but she does say there’s a small drawback to self-employment. “I have to do all the work,” exclaims Melle, “I can’t call in sick. If I don’t work, I don’t get paid…I vend in a few bars around Worcester and I found myself feeling obligated to bring some samples everywhere I go.”

Those samples cost her money, folks, and even though that’s sometimes tough, Melle reflects that “I never realized how satisfying it would be to see people enjoy something I made.î When I asked about any other economical barriers she was up against, Melle responded, “Unfortunately I’m not at a point where I can afford to pay for the really big trade shows and fairs like the Big E or the Woodstock Fair.”

Although she enjoys the challenge of selling her product to people at bars at night, she acknowledged that she would like to expand her venture. “I would love to have sold it [All in the Mix] in 5 years and have something bigger with an actual kitchen.” And given Mellle’s drive and knack for whipping up those delicious specialties, we’d be surprised if it takes her 5 years to get there.

All in The Mix’s line of gourmet dips and salsa mixes, which can be ordered just in time for party season, are available at www.allinthemix.net.