by rick grant rickgrant01@comcast.net
Ragtime was wall-to-wall with sweating bodies when I arrived to cover BayStreet’s 20th anniversary bash. Most of the musicians who played with this group over those twenty years were spread out around the club, including Rick Doeschler, the guitarist playing near me in the crowd. Yes, it was an up-close-and-personal night at ye old micro-brewery and getting around was hell, but I squeezed through the throng to stake out a corner where I could take photos.
BayStreet founder, John Miller, somehow talked most of the long lineup of BayStreet alumni to show up and play. He even put the original jam band, BayStreet Blues Club, back together for one night, with David Trotti on drums, Mac Evens on rhythm guitar and vocals, John on bass and lead vocals, David Bowen on guitar, and Rick Doeschler, now a banker, also on guitar. Hell, the club was packed with BayStreet alumni. Everyone there knew me, even if I had forgotten them. (So many years–so many people.)
It’s unheard of for a band to be around for 20 years. Most bands breakup after a couple of months together, in some cases after a couple of gigs–especially the younger groups. However, John Miller’s mighty BayStreet has soldiered on for an incredible 20-year stretch. Back in 1987 four friends started jamming in a rehearsal hall and BayStreet played their first gig on Blue Monday at Pier 7 (now Ocean Club) with Mike Shackelford hosting. From there, the band booked gigs at the old Applejacks, Biminis (now Marker 32) and the then-new Landing.
Of course, the personnel have changed from the early incarnation of Miller’s BayStreet Blues Club, but BayStreet’s confederacy of stalwart musicians has been around the block and then some. Originally, John Miller put the group together as a jam band to play blues. In the 80s no one was playing blues. After a year of playing to friends and a few parties, the group started booking paying gigs.
In the early 90s, players such as Will Pearsall joined the band on lead guitar and John “Spike” Williams on drums. Later, John Waters came in on keyboards. Over time, other musicians came and went. Mac joined Slipped Mickey and Don Miniard came in on keyboards with Eric Bedenbaugh on drums, David Dobson on guitar, and Brenda David and Nancy Henderson as backup vocalists.
Around the mid-90s the band added its first saxophone when Bob Dallavia joined the group. At that same time the group began to change its sound from blues to soul and R&B with Calub Massee on lead guitar, Bob Moseley on keyboards, Steve Robertson on drums, and Phil Cusimano on guitar. In 92, Mike Hollingsworth left the Derek Trucks Band and joined BayStreet. Shortly afterward, Mark Majeski joined the band on drums and Kevin McCabe joined on Saxophone. This lineup was solid for a number of years
Today, BayStreet boasts a lineup of the area’s finest musicians, including John Miller, Mike Hollingsworth, Cliff Huber, Bayrt Philips, Mark Gibson and Bert Mingea. The band is still a popular club band that enjoys the live scene. This is reciprocated by the club audiences, such as the crowd at Ragtime for BayStreet’s anniversary party. Man, the joint was jumping with a serious party crowd.
I can say, unequivocally, that every time I’ve covered BayStreet they performed to packed clubs with enthusiastic audiences who danced and responded joyously to the band’s tight, professional presentation. This was a special party that celebrated the local club scene with one of the best damn bands around. BayStreet’s anniversary party was a hip happening of the highest order.
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