On
a Monday afternoon in 1999, Kevin Chisholm got a very unexpected phone
call, one that would intimately change his life. The singer of his new
blues band, The HEALERS!, had just quit, one day before the band’s first
recording session. Unfortunately, plans had been made and a series of gigs
had been scheduled.
One
hour later, out of desperation, Kevin inserted a quarter in a nearby
payphone and called NYC`s culture and arts newspaper The Village Voice...
"Classifieds
department, please." The following day this advert: “Wanted: Male
Blues singer for New York City Blues Act.” Two days later, Kevin’s
voice mail: “HEY, this is Thomas Buck-Nasty…just got into town...gimme
a call...I’m your man!”
1000
shows and three continents later, Thomas Buck-Nasty was right.
In
the formative days, The HEALERS! performed at various clubs throughout the
NY Metropolitan area. But, it was mainly their residencies at NYC’s
musical landmarks The Bitter End and 55-Bar where singer Thomas
Buck-Nasty, guitarist Kevin Chisholm and bassist Dean Zucchero built their
loyal following and earned their reputation as the City’s "hardest
hitting blues band." From these countless gigs, The HEALERS!
perfected their show.
The
HEALERS! explosive sound manifests what Thomas, Kevin and Dean have lived
all their lives. All three are indeed disciples of American Blues
music...but, there’s a twist. Thomas delivers the gospel and soul
heritages of his childhood, while Kevin and Dean infuse the music with
their rock ancestries. This trinity melds a sound that audiences have come
to describe as a "Comprehensive Healin’ Session.”
Singer:
Upon delivering his first vocal performance to the local church
congregation at age six, Thomas was quickly adopted by the choir. There,
his love for Gospel evolved through the sounds of Rev. James Cleveland and
Edwin and Walter Hawkins. With the art of Gospel soon in hand, Thomas
began to hand-pick the virtues of other modern icons. From James Brown and
Wilson Pickett, he harnessed Soul and R&B, and from John Lee Hooker,
B.B. King, and Buddy Guy, it was the Blues.
By
the 70s, Thomas took to the road where his excellence quickly forged him
opening slots form artists like Earth, Wind & Fire, Stevie Wonder, The
Temptations and Donny Hathaway. RCA Records caught wind of this new talent
and promptly offered him a
recording
contract. Thomas’ debut album, entitled Blast-O-Funk, was written and
produced by the singer himself. He later went on to collaborate on
productions of albums for pop artists like Evelyn "Champagne“ King.
Anyone
who‘s experienced Thomas live will attest that he has a spectacular
stage presence. His in-your-face style enables him to tear down the house
on a nightly basis. Literally. "He simply won’t let you not like
him," one New Yorker aptly put it. Thomas remains one of the few
existing True American Bluessingers/performers.
Guitarist:
Founding member Kevin Chisholm is not your run-of-the-mill blues/rock
guitarist, or should we say, he hasn’t the conventional preoccupations
of his kin. It’s not uncommon for an audience member to approach Kevin
and say: “I saw you guys play just last night and...didn’t you then
have a completely different neck on your guitar??” Kevin will usually
shrug and offer something like: “yeah, I was bored this morning.”
Having
grown up on a healthy diet of 70’s Guitar Heroes, Kevin of course
approaches the Blues with a bold recipe. And then after a heartfelt boil
and simmering, he fortifies it with an unsparing share of Tabasco Sauce.
From The Caribbean Islands to communist China, Kevin has spent the last 20
years traveling with his guitar on his back…accompanied by an extra neck
or two.
Bassist:
Dean Zucchero is the foundation of The HEALERS! Rhythm section. Also a
native New Yorker, his experience stems from the half-light of pervasive
dive-bar gigging and extensive international touring. He’s a veteran of
the 60’s school of bass playing, inspired largely by the works of John
Paul Jones, Paul McCartney and Motown’s James Jamerson. Dean’s trusty
1961 Fender Jazz Bass renders his tone unmistakable.
And his FOUR-string convictions make him the embodiment of a Real
American Bassist. His sound couldn’t be more palatable, his groove more
seamless, the qualities of which every great power trio demands in its
bassist.
In
2006, The HEALERS! were invited to perform at Europe’s oldest jazz club,
The Casa Bar in Zurich, Switzerland.
During their one-month residency the band revisited the "Old
School" approach to Blues performance: 5 sets a night, 7 nights a
week, smoke
drenched
room.
No
problem.
By
the second weekend, The HEALERS!’ concert warrior mentality had provoked
locals into filing in as early as 8:30 PM in order to secure a seat for
the night. And by 10:00, the club’s occupancy was maxed-out with all
latecomers now having to satisfy their cravings with hallway door and
street window peeks.
Word
soon got across the northwest boarder of Switzerland and The HEALERS!
received invite to France’s premier blues club in Paris, Quai du Blues. The band set up shop for eight days and the shows seemed to
go over well. As, toward the end of the
first
concert, during the band’s rave-up groove, the French club owner (a
reserved, I’ve-seen-it-all-kind-of-guy) was spotted manically doing an
80’s style, punk rock (sort of pogo-stick?) dance across the back of the
room. After the show, the band was informed by staff members that this
indulgence was indeed a first for the Boss. The HEALERS! were asked to be
Quai du Blues’
season-opening
act for the upcoming September.
Thereon,
there was no formal unpacking for the band, as Germany, Austria and The
Netherlands had also taken interest. The band was surmounting an
eight-month stretch with an odometer reading of 2000+ miles. It had become
clear that northern Europe was also finding spiritual remedy with The
HEALERS!’ elixir of Blues, Rock and Soul.
What
began to become the “We Don’t Wanna Go Home Tour" of 2006/07 was
ideally augmented by a three-week tour
of
Australia. The band arrived in Melbourne on February 24th and immediately
delivered several barnstorming performances in the Victorian town. Shoes
dusted, they loaded up their wagon and began heading north up the eastern
coastline. Town-by-town,
the
NY Bluesmen found inspiration from repeatedly packed rooms, awestruck
audiences and ice cold Australian beer. Surprisingly (or not, perhaps),
during this stretch, the band gained the reinforcement of emergent
groupies back from the Melbourne heist who
were
admittedly in need of another Healin’ Session. Most flattering.
In
Sydney, the band performed at various strategic points throughout, and
finished up enjoying a few stunning shows at Bondi Beach (yes, some formal
music was played there as well). It was evident that The HEALERS! were
amassing recognition from all dimensions of Australian society.
They
packed up (one more time) and headed south, but this time a bit inland and
off the beaten path. Obscure town gigs proved even more eventful and
complimentary to the band, as one back-slapping fan demonstrated to Dean
after a rowdy night in
Warrnambool:
"how the FACK did THIS BAND ever end up here?? We’ve not seen anything like it, mate, cheers!"
The uncommonly large man then proceeded to bear hug the bassist off
the floor and punctuate his enthusiasm with a frothy kiss.
(It was later confirmed that the the kiss was, in fact, on the
cheek.)
Ultimately,
the band ended up in Melbourne again where the tour concluded on a special
note with a privileged double-billing:
The
HEALERS! and Australian Rock Legend Lobby Loyde.
In
September of 2007, the band recorded a new album in Brooklyn, NY.
Self-titled, The HEALERS! featuring: Thomas Buck-Nasty, the record is
comprised of nine original compositions and one blues standard. The record
captures the essence of NY life, both musically and lyrically (grit,
grime, lust, hope, redemption, mortality, it’s all there). It also logs
the unique musical lineages of Tommy, Kevin and Dean. The record will be
released in Australia in February 2008 on Townsend Records and will be
followed by a five-week tour of Australia starting March 1st.
You
can find out more about the band, and get the details of their upcoming
tour via the website: http://www.thehealersnyc.com
See
you down under.
The HEALERS!
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