by rick grant rickgrant01@comcast.net
Last Friday night I traveled out to Tom & Betty’s in the Roosevelt Mall to check out Michael Hogan’s new band Sidewalk 65. Michael had played bass with Cloud 9 for eleven years, then left to form an original project She Said Yeah and Sidewalk 65 as a cover band specializing in music from the mid-1960s through the 1980s.
On a bitter cold night, I arrived to find Tom & Betty’s had not changed. It still showcases 1950s decor, attracting an older crowd that appreciate early rock’n’roll and love to dance. The band was cranking out the classic hits from the 1960s British Invasion, Motown, and 1970 funk. The band occasionally throws in 1980s new wave and 1990s power pop.
The Sidewalk 65 lineup includes Michael Hogan on bass and vocals, Anthony Derasmo on guitar and vocals, and Dennie Carter on drums and vocals. The band members have a special appreciation for The Beatles’ melodic hook-heavy pop and artists and bands that employ vocal harmonies in their songwriting styles.
Two members of Sidewalk 65 continue play in other bands and all three are veterans of the regional music scene. Michael is a member of She Said Yeah, which has roots back to The Philters from the mid 1980s. Michael was also a founding member of Cloud 9. Dennie stays busy with other creative projects as well, playing drums with Thee Monarchy V and other bands. Anthony is a veteran of several NYC bands and played locally with Take 5 until teaming up with Michael.
“I recently ran into Robert from Cloud 9 in the same place we last saw each other, which was definitely a cosmic deja vu experience. As to why we parted ways, well it’s just one of those things that happens to band members. I wanted to branch out into other things. Being in a band is like being married to three of four guys and sometimes it just doesn’t work for many different reasons. Anyway, I’m staying busy with both She Said Yeah and Sidewalk 65, playing a variety of gigs. More importantly, I’m writing songs and progressing as an artist, which was important to me. Music must change, and I am changing with it,” Michael said at the gig.
Michael went on to say he likes pop music and the British Invasion era and so his gigs with Sidewalk 65 fulfill his desire to play that music and have fun with it. And savvy musicians know if the band is having fun then they will pass that joy on to the audience and everybody goes home happy.
For musicians like Michael, playing in cover and original bands satisfies a broad spectrum of their artistry. Lately, I’ve encountered many original bands that also play some cover material to keep working. However, even older audiences are more accepting of a bands original material if it’s up to the standards of the group’s cover material.
In contrast, the younger audiences who patronize the modern rock venues will listen to 100 % original music, no matter how awful it sounds, which is cool. I encourage experimentation. But as these young people get older and more mature, their musical tastes change and they crave more sophisticated music, even if it’s in the new metal or punk genres.
My point is: Even avant-garde music can evolve into more sophisticated forms, which include advanced musicianship. Indeed, maintaining high standards of musicianship is the key to evolving modern rock and pop genres, staying popular with their audiences as they get older.
To prove my point, during the 2006 Grammy Awards, Paul McCartney performed Helter Skelter with a hot young modern rock band. It proved that the old and new can co-exist. That performance brought the house down and gave me chills. Man, it rocked. I rest my case.
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