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Music Scene: Horns have 'A Thousand Souls,' even more fans
January, 2006
One of the hottest bands on Japan’s popular music scene will be performing at The RegattaBar in Harvard Square on Jan. 12.
But the Boston Horns won’t have any trouble finding the place, and the night will celebrate the release of their latest album, ‘‘A Thousand Souls.’’
The sextet has just inked a new record deal with a Japanese label, which will be releasing the new disc in Japan in March. The Horns, led by trumpeter
Garret Savluk and saxophonist Henley Douglas Jr., have been big on that side of the Pacific for more than a decade, since their previous band The Heavy
Metal Horns had a couple of hit songs and had one of its instrumentals used as a theme song for a game show on Japanese television in 1994.
On this side of the world, and particularly in New England, the Boston Horns are known best for their scintillating blend of funk, jazz, rock and soul. It’s a
heady mix, and always one that keeps the dance floors full. The current lineup of the band features some bright young songwriting talent, and the new
disc’s 66 minutes are brimming with infectious melodies and inescapable grooves.
The current lineup includes Ben Zecker on keyboards, Jeff Buckridge on guitar, Eric Sayre on bass, and Peter MacLean on drums. Zecker and Sayre join
Savluk and Douglas in penning the new material, and seem to have broadened the scope of the band’s music.
‘‘Ben Zecker has been with us two years, making him the newest member,’’ said Douglas from his Beverly home. ‘‘Whoever comes into this band brings
his own music, and with an incredibly talented musician like Ben, and also Eric Sayre, we are very lucky to have a lot of good writers in the band. Ben has
written songs specifically for this lineup; a great example of old school ensemble writing. Of course, whatever anyone writes ends up getting ‘The Boston
Horns treatment,’ but we are all open to those kinds of subtle rearrangements. The best part is that we are all very open to suggestions, and it is a fun
process.’’
Douglas freely admits the dance floor is a prime consideration in any Boston Horns writing venture. It even permeates the rare covers the band tackles.
‘‘Ever since Garret and I started playing in bands together 18 years ago, our main focus has been playing the funk to get the dance floor going,’’ said
Douglas. ‘‘Whatever we bring to the stage seems to have an effect on the dance floor. I think a drawback to a lot of new bands is that they don’t get
people moving. We just played a New Year’s Eve party at the Rusty Nail in Stowe, Vt., and our second instrumental had the dance floor filled. That’s the
name of the game for us.’’
The cover on the new CD is ‘‘Funk #49’’ from the 1970s rockers The James Gang. ‘‘I liked that song and wanted to work it up, and Ben Zecker found a
chord progression that works for us, and got the groove going,’’ Douglas said. ‘‘On the album we have guest vocals from Peter Prince of Moon Boot
Lover, and Doug Gimbel, who sang in the Heavy Metal Horns, and it’s a terrific, fun track.’’
Vocals are not a Boston Horns focus, but their new material does feature about half the tunes with vocals by either Savluk, Douglas or both.
‘‘The essence of the band is that we like to do a little bit of everything,’’ said Douglas, ‘‘and that includes vocals. Garret and I have been very heavily
influenced by New Orleans funk, and we have always loved those type of tunes that use vocal chants. We love to find a good vocal hook together, and
then we’ll usually have everyone get in on it. We may not be great singers, but if you deliver it like you mean it, people will respond. I do think Garret has
become a very good singer lately, and this CD has his best vocals ever.’’
The title cut is a richly melodic Savluk instrumental that soars along with a subtly entrancing groove. It is tied in to the arresting cover art, an otherworldly
view of a church and cliffside graveyard.
‘‘That was Garret’s idea, especially the way the world has been going since September 11,’’ Douglas explained. ‘‘We’re trying to identify with the idea that
we all have a soul, and we’re all just trying to make it through this life. He’s written a beautiful piece, and it means something different to everyone who
hears it. I guess the overall message, if I can offer my view, is that your soul is important, and that you should embrace its goodness, and look for it in
others.’’
The new album also boasts a superb sound mix. It was overseen by Boston music figure Anthony Resta, and mixed by Karyadi Sutedja at Bopnique
Studios in Chelmsford.
(Continued)
‘‘Anthony Resta had helped us before, getting us on Shawn Mullins’ last record as a horn section,’’ Douglas said. ‘‘He’s used to working with pop bands
where you must build every song track by track. We came in with most of our material all arranged and did it all in about 12 hours flat. But Anthony brought
a real pro’s attitude to this session, and the CD is head and shoulders above anything we ever recorded before for sound quality. Karyadi was also an
amazing engineer to work with, an absolute master on the digital board. The only cut we didn’t have all done going in, was ‘Bring On the Funk,’ which we
basically improvised off a groove in the studio.’’
While they’ve settled down and try to sidestep lengthy national tours these days - Douglas is an engineering designer by day, while Savluk is a fulltime
music teacher - the Horns still love to get out and play and get a whole club full of fans all sweaty.
‘‘I think one reason we are still able to do well is because Garret and I have a serious history by now, and a reputation for bringing good crowds in,’’
Douglas said. ‘‘People in the business know by now they can work with us, and we do it professionally and with integrity. Whether the crowd is five
people or 5,000, we will make sure to give them a show that everyone enjoys.
‘‘We are lucky now in that we can be more selective about what gigs we take, and we still do love playing the music.’’
The Boston Horns are selling the CD through their web site, bostonhorns.com. The RegattaBar show begins at 7:30 p.m., and all tickets are $15.
Jay Miller can be reached at kingmuskrat@yahoo.com.
January, 2006
One of the hottest bands on Japan’s popular music scene will be performing at The RegattaBar in Harvard Square on Jan. 12.
But the Boston Horns won’t have any trouble finding the place, and the night will celebrate the release of their latest album, ‘‘A Thousand Souls.’’
The sextet has just inked a new record deal with a Japanese label, which will be releasing the new disc in Japan in March. The Horns, led by trumpeter
Garret Savluk and saxophonist Henley Douglas Jr., have been big on that side of the Pacific for more than a decade, since their previous band The Heavy
Metal Horns had a couple of hit songs and had one of its instrumentals used as a theme song for a game show on Japanese television in 1994.
On this side of the world, and particularly in New England, the Boston Horns are known best for their scintillating blend of funk, jazz, rock and soul. It’s a
heady mix, and always one that keeps the dance floors full. The current lineup of the band features some bright young songwriting talent, and the new
disc’s 66 minutes are brimming with infectious melodies and inescapable grooves.
The current lineup includes Ben Zecker on keyboards, Jeff Buckridge on guitar, Eric Sayre on bass, and Peter MacLean on drums. Zecker and Sayre join
Savluk and Douglas in penning the new material, and seem to have broadened the scope of the band’s music.
‘‘Ben Zecker has been with us two years, making him the newest member,’’ said Douglas from his Beverly home. ‘‘Whoever comes into this band brings
his own music, and with an incredibly talented musician like Ben, and also Eric Sayre, we are very lucky to have a lot of good writers in the band. Ben has
written songs specifically for this lineup; a great example of old school ensemble writing. Of course, whatever anyone writes ends up getting ‘The Boston
Horns treatment,’ but we are all open to those kinds of subtle rearrangements. The best part is that we are all very open to suggestions, and it is a fun
process.’’
Douglas freely admits the dance floor is a prime consideration in any Boston Horns writing venture. It even permeates the rare covers the band tackles.
‘‘Ever since Garret and I started playing in bands together 18 years ago, our main focus has been playing the funk to get the dance floor going,’’ said
Douglas. ‘‘Whatever we bring to the stage seems to have an effect on the dance floor. I think a drawback to a lot of new bands is that they don’t get
people moving. We just played a New Year’s Eve party at the Rusty Nail in Stowe, Vt., and our second instrumental had the dance floor filled. That’s the
name of the game for us.’’
The cover on the new CD is ‘‘Funk #49’’ from the 1970s rockers The James Gang. ‘‘I liked that song and wanted to work it up, and Ben Zecker found a
chord progression that works for us, and got the groove going,’’ Douglas said. ‘‘On the album we have guest vocals from Peter Prince of Moon Boot
Lover, and Doug Gimbel, who sang in the Heavy Metal Horns, and it’s a terrific, fun track.’’
Vocals are not a Boston Horns focus, but their new material does feature about half the tunes with vocals by either Savluk, Douglas or both.
‘‘The essence of the band is that we like to do a little bit of everything,’’ said Douglas, ‘‘and that includes vocals. Garret and I have been very heavily
influenced by New Orleans funk, and we have always loved those type of tunes that use vocal chants. We love to find a good vocal hook together, and
then we’ll usually have everyone get in on it. We may not be great singers, but if you deliver it like you mean it, people will respond. I do think Garret has
become a very good singer lately, and this CD has his best vocals ever.’’
The title cut is a richly melodic Savluk instrumental that soars along with a subtly entrancing groove. It is tied in to the arresting cover art, an otherworldly
view of a church and cliffside graveyard.
‘‘That was Garret’s idea, especially the way the world has been going since September 11,’’ Douglas explained. ‘‘We’re trying to identify with the idea that
we all have a soul, and we’re all just trying to make it through this life. He’s written a beautiful piece, and it means something different to everyone who
hears it. I guess the overall message, if I can offer my view, is that your soul is important, and that you should embrace its goodness, and look for it in
others.’’
The new album also boasts a superb sound mix. It was overseen by Boston music figure Anthony Resta, and mixed by Karyadi Sutedja at Bopnique
Studios in Chelmsford.
(Continued)
‘‘Anthony Resta had helped us before, getting us on Shawn Mullins’ last record as a horn section,’’ Douglas said. ‘‘He’s used to working with pop bands
where you must build every song track by track. We came in with most of our material all arranged and did it all in about 12 hours flat. But Anthony brought
a real pro’s attitude to this session, and the CD is head and shoulders above anything we ever recorded before for sound quality. Karyadi was also an
amazing engineer to work with, an absolute master on the digital board. The only cut we didn’t have all done going in, was ‘Bring On the Funk,’ which we
basically improvised off a groove in the studio.’’
While they’ve settled down and try to sidestep lengthy national tours these days - Douglas is an engineering designer by day, while Savluk is a fulltime
music teacher - the Horns still love to get out and play and get a whole club full of fans all sweaty.
‘‘I think one reason we are still able to do well is because Garret and I have a serious history by now, and a reputation for bringing good crowds in,’’
Douglas said. ‘‘People in the business know by now they can work with us, and we do it professionally and with integrity. Whether the crowd is five
people or 5,000, we will make sure to give them a show that everyone enjoys.
‘‘We are lucky now in that we can be more selective about what gigs we take, and we still do love playing the music.’’
The Boston Horns are selling the CD through their web site, bostonhorns.com. The RegattaBar show begins at 7:30 p.m., and all tickets are $15.
Jay Miller can be reached at kingmuskrat@yahoo.com.
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