John Morse for 11 29 07



John Morse’s rock career hits a speed bump

By Don Wilcock



“I can do Keith Richards. All I need is to do is get a skull ring and a bottle of whiskey.”

John Morse may reside in Cohoes, but best as he can he lives the classic British rock star role. At 42, he admits he’s slowed down a little. Now, he goes to bed at dawn. Twenty years ago he would stay up for three days straight, crash and then do it again. Now he’s trying to convince vocalist Tommy Love to do a Rolling Stones tribute band. After all, Love looks like an overgrown Mick Jagger. He sings most of the Stones repertoire, and when he’s on stage he’s channeling Mick. Together, they’re a red Silverado with a full load on a down hill run. You can see them in action Tuesdays at Savannah’s open jam in Albany. Better yet, catch them Saturday with 10 other bands at the John Morse benefit at the Tugboat Tavern, 159 Bridge Ave. in Cohoes.

“Started out it was just going to be me and another band,” says Morse about Saturday’s tribute show. He’s been doing a Thursday night jam at the Tugboat long enough to outlast two owners. “Whenever they sell the business, I come with the building.” The veteran rocker is almost as good at standup comedy as he is full throttle rock and roll. Bands are still calling to get in on Saturday’s marathon which starts at 3 p.m. and Morse figures will go on at least until 4 in the morning.

The bands are all regulars at the jam and want to help Morse in his hour of need. They also undoubtedly want to give the rocker a taste of his own medicine. You see, the benefit is to help defray medical costs for “a groin accident” that happened in the line of duty. Since this is a family newspaper, I’m going to show unusual restraint and leave all snide remarks to your imagination except to say that our local rock star is now able to introduce a speed bump into relations with his wife.

Saturday’s lineup includes acts for every taste. Classic rock will be represented by the John Morse Band, Johnny Rabb, Buck Malen’s new Big Combo band, Ohm’s Law and Second Nature. Rock Garden and Nobody’s Fools are acoustic duos. The Nate Mills Band was last year’s winner in the Northeast Blues Society’s Colossal Contenders contest. Artie Fredette of Positively Fourth Street is playing with his new band Big Hungry and The Pop Tarts. Juice Junkies will offer original rock from their upcoming CD, and Morse is showcasing Acoustic Trauma at 6 p.m. They’re a three-piece band Morse compares to King Crimson doing original music featuring the 12-string guitar and violin of Paul Mucelli. A $10 admission entitles ticket holders to partake in two kegs of beer Morse predicts will be gone in the first two hours.

Morse got out of the hospital on a Friday, and that Saturday afternoon he opened for classic rocker Rick Derringer whose biggest hit “Hang On Sloopy” topped the charts the year Morse was born, 1965. “Derringer is supposed to be born again, but by the end of the night I made sure he had a beer in his hand. Actually, he was pretty staggered by the time he left the place. So, I don’t think he’ll be doing any gigs with me anytime soon,” says Morse with an obvious sense of bravado and pride.

“(At the show,) Rick went to walk away, and my buddy The Hell’s Angel, grabbed him by the shoulders and said, ‘What are you doing walking away from him? You should be asking for his autograph.’ Rick Derringer is like, ‘Uh, uh, uh, I like John. He’s good!’ So, like I said, I don’t think he’s in any hurry to do shows with me for a while. Got grabbed by a Hell’s Angle and I got him drunk.”

Morse may never convince Tommy Love to fully disappear into his Mick Jagger persona, but I don’t know anyone locally who comes closer to the energy and swagger of the Stones than John Morse and his band. Considering the state of local music, the mere fact that he works five or six nights a week is impressive. A week from Friday he plays the Black Cat in Cohoes solo. The next night he’s at Joey’s Troy Bar followed by Positively Fourth Street on the 15th, The Tugbaot Christmas Party with Johnny Rabb on the 22nd, The Black Cat on the 28th and Cheers Roadhouse on the 29th

Looking back on year’s 10 favorite local shows
By Don Wilcock, The Record
Don Wilcock

The Record

Steve Sloan and I were in the casino on a Holland cruise ship off the coast of Mexico having a drink when he said to me, “Do you know how lucky you are living where you do?”

At first, I thought he’d had one too many, but when he explained to me that the number of quality of acts I get to cover for The Record was unprecedented, I had to step back. Sloan is the editor of BluesWax and FolkWax, two international webpage magazines that cover the best in the field. Sloan travels the world and attends the most exotic festivals and concerts on earth, and he’s praising our area. And, you know something, I get around just enough to know he’s right.

Here, then, are my personal favorite local shows of this year.



1] John Morse benefit, December, Tugboat Tavern, Cohoes : Morse won’t let you hang with him without altering your consciousness so I only lasted through seven of the 14 bands playing, but this outpouring by local bands was an incredible display of local rock energy, creativity and love by a community that has roots. Seeing veterans like Johnny Rabb and Buck Mallen and discovering Acoustic Trauma made this my number one event of the year and made me proud of my 33 years of reporting on this scene.

2]ELECRTIC CITY BLUES FEST-3]MITCH RYDER,PROCTORS-4]BOB WEIR AND RAT DOG PALACE THEATER,5]THE VISITORS,6]SLEEPY LABEEF REV HALL-7]HONEYBOY EDWARDS CAFE LENA-8]UNCLE SAM JAM RIVERFRONT PARK-9]DANNY KALB CAFE LENA-10]HARMONICA BLOWOUT REVOLUTION HALL

The Tugboat Tavern - what the locals know
By: Matt Mac Haffie, the Record09/24/2008
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If you want to know what the locals know, go with a local. My guide for the maiden voyage to the Tugboat Tavern was Cohoes resident and rock photographer, Lisa Rustin. We drove down from "the Hills" section of Cohoes crossed I-787 to easy parking on "the Island." Rustin was met by more locals outside the venue. We were greeted by a polite doorman on the way in.
Once we were inside the bar our first round needs were well taken care of by sweet blond bartender in a sleek black dress. The club boasts being a place "Where you can get a cold drink made by some fun (and did I mention good-looking) bartenders" on its friendly staff. The Tugboat Tavern say that's how they do it and that's how they do it they don't make false claims.
Oh and yes, my premonition of nautical theme proved true but all in good taste falling far short of a Central Avenue fern bar brand of tacky. Casual attire is the norm, where patrons range in age from mid-twenties to late forties. The place felt neither college hang out nor old man's bar - it's more just a comfortable watering hole.
The music on tap for the evening was the well established Albany band, The Erotics, who for some odd reason were opening for the veteran bar band rock of The John Morse Band, who are a staple at the Tugboat. This seemed an odd pairing like the buddy picture "48 Hours." Where the studio was unsure that Eddie Murphy could carry a picture so they paired him with Nick Nolte. I get the feeling the Tugboat is a bit uncertain about an all-original band like The Erotics' ilk but let's give them a hand for trying it.
Many first time patrons, with a decidedly more glam rock look, began to show up to see the Erotics. Yet despite being new to the Tavern, and eclectic looking, they were quickly made to feel at home. Rustin introduced me to her high school friend Pat McNulty, who plays Bass in the Morse band, followed by an introduction the drummer from Ohms Law, a band that also appears regularly at the Tugboat.
The nigh went very well, The Erotics made believers of the Cohoes crowd and John Morse enlisted their singer, Mike Trash, to sit in on much of his set.
In addition to the regular artists like Morse and Ohms Law some top notch shows are upcoming, like SubZero, whose singer Rae is not to be missed. The same case could be made for Mike and the Monsters' tavern debut. Local legend Johnny Rabb has even made a December benefit show appearance that is still talked about.
The Tugboat has a very nice house sound and lighting system. The reason you, as an audience member, should care is the consistent good sound and for the band it proves it's a venue that is committed to live music.
The Tugboat Tavern opened its doors on 2007 and has been open a little over a year. It is owned by Ian Caristi and Kathy Mayer and is located at 159 Bridge St. in a residential setting just off I-787. It's open seven days a week, John Morse host an open mic on Thursday and features live music on Saturday nights. ä