Robin Soares Birthday Bash 2013 got off with a great start. Aside from the pleasantly cool weather on the Warwick beach, Soares picked the spacious Marley’s Beach Club in Warwick, Rhode Island for her event. She also lined up some of the coolest Rhode Island bands to play her annual party. The sound quality was perfect, and it filled up Marley’s with a fulsome vibe.
First up was the sophisticated Vinyl Grooves, fronted by Keturah Burgess and Frank Berg. This band grooved right into the event with their take of Carol King’s “Too Late.” Burgess’s flowing rasp made its presence felt with her ability to project it across the huge room. The guitarist kept a snappy presence behind her voice, and the keyboardist kept things colorful and flavorful. Frank Berg stepped up to blow harmonica and sing the blues. The band then made a subtle switch behind him, with the keyboards coloring things bluesy with a hint of barrelhouse. Their saxophone man blew a big gusty sound and you felt yourself in the presence of something big and powerful. Berg’s more bluesy numbers found the band slamming behind him, driving the music forward, the rhythm section rock solid, the keys imitating a smoky B3, the guitar pressing out a smoldering phrase. Lady Gaga’s “You And I” had a great piano groove behind Burgess as her smooth croon let her navigate her way through the lilting pop-rock hit. Her biggest song, “I’d Rather Go Blind” felt deep and soulful in the groove as she used her meaningful pipes for empowered expression.
Next up was the band Hit Play. These boys played tight, punchy covers of songs from the 1970s and 1980s. When they play pop-rock songs, their emphasis was on the rock. The Romantics “What I Like About You” and Modern English’s “I’ll Stop The World And Melt With You” came across with tight musicianship and plenty of punch in every note. Billy Joel’s “You May Be Right” got a big gust of guitar and vocal power, and it was a lot of fun watching these guys play it, especially the guitar line that kept playing peak-a-boo with the rest of the instrumentation. Hit Play also experimented with long, sprawling numbers. “Time” by Pink Floyd felt large in the hands of these players that specialize in power chords and heavy grooves. Soares joined this band to sing backing vocals during the Floyd number, fleshing it out even more around the sonorous guitar phrase. One of their guitarists played his axe through a voice box on Peter Frampton’s “Do You Feel Like We Do,” instrumental version. It was a funky, rocked up rendition that showed Hit Play are by no means limited to simple pop ditties.
Soare’s own now defunct 5 Flavor Discount played a reunion set, with both bass players Steve Cafaro and Bobby Healey on board for some extra funk, effective during those seductive grooves on “We’ve Got The Funk,” making it a double reinforced funk fest. Angela DeFazio can still play the drums better than most in New England and she helped “Funk” to smoothly segue into Led Zeppelin’s “Dazed And Confused,” and that reminded of the endless, flowing variety of this band. It was a rare treat to see Soare’s belting out her old show opener “Cult Of Personality” as her guitarist/husband Jon Hathaway unleashed his torrential, urgent guitar phrases. The music was so intense you could actually feel and picture people running from the secret police in a totalitarian society. Soares and backing singer Katy Kleyla nailed the neurotic energy on The Bangles’ rendition of “Hazy Shade Of Winter, both capturing that forlorn hopeless feeling of 80s anxiety. The players, too, made the song an adrenaline rush that made you feel like taking action. Heart’s “Magic Man” burned its way forward on the strength of Hathaway’s ever present and exciting guitar line while the singers had fun trading lead vocals for a more textured rendition.
There was also a brief appearance of Robin Soares And Friends doing Hot Chocolate’s “I Believe In Miracles.” The drummer kept it so funky and danceable and tight it wasn’t funny, and I would have liked to see more of snappy smacks. A bikini contest was held just outside Marley’s back doors, and it was won by a woman who was three months pregnant when she entered the contest at Soare’s birthday bash last year.
The next band to play was the indomitable Led Zep cover band, Custard Pie, featuring Hathaway on guitar. “Black Dog” opened their set with a great vocal line from singer Mark Moretti, aggressive and seasoned, swaggering over that immense start-stop rhythm. Moretti also sounded very Robert Plant-esque singing the verses “are you dizzy when you’re stoned” from the song “Houses Of The Holy.” Custard Pie’s take on “Misty Mountain Hop” served up the amicable hippie vibe driven by new drummer Peter Dayotas. “Since I’ve Been Loving You” was a bluesy master work. The bass shadowed the guitar beautifully. These players knew just were to take this huge lumbering song and they had the talent to take the journey. As the number played out, each member had moments to shine, individually and as a part of the ensemble portions, and they impressed at every turn. Likewise, “How Many More Times” from Led Zeppelin’s first album featured soaring vocals and over the top blues-rock guitar work. “Whole Lotta Love” gave the crowd plenty of speedy riffs and a pulse-pounding rhythm section. The crazed middle section of the song was technically cool and maniacal and wild, with slipper guitar effects percolating persistently before exploding colorful as fireworks. Half Star Hotel’s guitarist Ed Jamieson joined in to play “Ten Years Gone,” which he had played for Soares as her wedding procession song almost three years ago.
Speaking of Half Star Hotel, they too were on hand to play a set of their kick ass hard rock tunes. Half Star Hotel opened their set with a kicking cover of Aerosmith’s “Mama Kin” but impressed even more when their singer belted out “Have A Cigar” by Pink Floyd, the first time this reviewer has ever heard that one done live. They turned the Floyd classic into an exciting hard rock dandy, with a multi-layered groove that let the vocals and guitar prance over it. The groove was enormous and the guitar riffs over it were insane stabs of sound that forced everyone to take notice. Half Star Hotel’s guitars were particularly invigorating on “Statesboro Blues,” and “Hard To Handle” was played with careful attention to detail in its changes. As always, Half Star Hotel knocked The Cult‘s “She Sells Sanctuary” out of the ball park, making you feel like something huge was roaring past you fast enough for the suction to take you with it.
Through The Doors played their Jim Morrison penned songs with guitarist Jon Hathaway and drummer Peter Dayotas subbing for its regular members. Even so, singer Ernie Potter killed on “LA Woman,” opening his set with a handsome haunting vocal that channeled the essence of Jim Morrison very effectively. The appropriate Doors vibe came each time Potter shout-sang, his vocal timbre resting somewhere in that Morrison niche between low tenor and high baritone. Potter filled in the dark poetic depth with that voice. It helped to have Hathaway’s weepy, drawling guitar lines filling out the melodic space beside Potter while Through The Doors bass player Tommytoze kept a fulsome 60s groove behind him. “Roadhouse 
Blues” was a stomping classic rock barnstormer in the hands of these boys. Potter lead his band mates and guest players through it with plenty of front man cool. Banging on the bluesy piano melody was Through The Doors keyboardist Steve Pratt. Pratt also served up plenty of gravy over the meat and potatoes on “Back Door Man,” that swaggering Doors’ interpretation of the Willie Dixon blues classic. Pratt’s hefty organ chords coupled with Hathaway’s greasy guitar lines made you feel the magic from a bygone era in music. And yes, Through The Doors had the wherewithal to handle “Light My Fire,” with Pratt bringing to the shimmering surface that almost circus like, melodically charming keyboard melody. Hathaway’s take on the Robby Krieger guitar lines made the song bristle with tension in the backdrop. “Love Me Two Times” was a piece of pop-rock ear candy, springy, twangy guitar backed by rollicking electric piano. I think Jim just might come out of his African hideaway to check out this tribute.
The final band had the coolest name, The Club Kings. It would make sense that this band is king of their local blues bar scene. They had a swinging, jumping retro sound, and their saxophonist kept a lot of vibrant energy through their set. The perfect blues band for an upscale bar, the guitarist picked off tasty licks, the keyboardist tinkled out boogie woogie. “Every Day I Have The Blues” benefited from a smoky organ riff too. This band just had to be experienced. They’re sure to be making their way around the New England blues circuit soon, and probably anywhere else they’d like to go. Apologies to The Club King’s, but he had to head back to New Hampshire before it got too late.
Soars certainly knows how to put together a musical lineup for an all day event. Every band shined in their own way, and as always with Soares, she chose bands that had that little extra something, an individual creativity that made each more unique than other bands.
The New England music scene is waiting with enormous anticipation for Soares’ Royalty Of Rock concert on Friday, August 2nd at Stadium Theatre in Woonsocket, Rhode Island. She has put together a multi-package tribute to Pink Floyd, The Doors, Led Zeppelin, Jimi Hendrix, Janis Joplin, and Jefferson Airplane. For more info, call 401-762-4545 or visit: