THE CHUCK BOONE BAND Chuck Boone is a veteran guitarist and vocalist from southern New Jersey whose musical taste is deeply rooted in The Blues,Classic Rock,and Classic R&B.This is very much evident when listening to the repertoire of his band which, along with Chuck, consist of John (Cal) Calabrese on bass and vocals and Al Olivera on drums and vocals. At any time during the course of an evening's engagement this band of powerhouse rockers will do a song by Jimi Hendrix followed with a song by Wilson Pickett or Elvis Costello which may in turn be followed by a Beatles song followed with something by Bad Company or Otis Redding followed with something by Neil Young or the Moody Blues. Although The Chuck Boone Band covers a broad span of classic music from Led Zeppelin to Sam And Dave and U2 to Grand Funk or Solomon Burke the one aspect they really take pride in is that they play songs not played by other classic rock club bands. Many times,says Chuck,Someone will come up to us after we've played a set or at the end of the night and say,Man,I was blown away when you guys played Kashmir because NOBODY plays that song!!! The same thing happens when we play Won't Get Fooled Again by The Who or Day Of The Eagle by Robin Trower. As a matter of fact,continues Chuck,When I first met Cal I was sitting in with the house band on an Open Mike Night at an area club and I was playing "Day Of The Eagle".After it was over he came up to me and says, Good job,man.I haven't heard anyone play Robin Trower in a club for years.For Chuck,this is why the music is the prime motivating factor with this particular band. I believe that many musicians reach a point in their careers where they no longer want to compromise or settle for just anything and they come to a place where they know exactly what they want to do and just how they want to do it.But in a band situation one can't do that because everything is compromise or give and take.Everything from deciding on a name for the band,to the type of material you will or will not play,to the type of places where you will or will not perform. Speaking for myself,I had been playing in bands since I was fifteen years old.Sometimes things would go my way,but most times I had to bite my tongue and compromise.Finally in the late seventies I got sick and tired of it all and decided to put a band together where I called the shots and the band would be under my name.In 1978 I recorded a 45 of an original song entitled Going Down With You backed on the B side by another original song entitled "Bending Over Backwards". Going under the name, Charles Boone And The Third Coming , I and the guys who were backing me at the time did a few gigs to promote the record, not only in South Jersey but also in North Jersey and New York City. Yet it seems the timing wasn't right because things quickly came to a fizzling end. For a time I returned to playing in a band situation which was originally called The Wurx ,but was eventually changed to Outlander. With that band I did have a bit more control,I guess,because the guys were a few years younger than I was and probably respected the fact that I had more musical experience.However ,the guys weren't really ready for totalitarian leadership so there was still a certain amount of compromise involved.Just the same we stayed together for a number of years,getting tighter and aquiring a reputation in the So.Jersey bar scene,thanks to our manager and mentor at the time,Jack MacCallister.In 1990 we were even chosen as the South Jersey finalist in the East Coast Rocker Best Unsigned Band Contest which included a number of bands from up and down the east coast. Eventually Outlander split up and for a few years I stopped playing the clubs and got involved in some other ,nonmusical things such as accepting Jesus Christ as my personal savior, getting involved in the church and becoming an ordained minister.What an amazing journey that was.But that story,in itself,is another story for another day.Let it just suffice to say that I became pretty disillusioned by certain aspects of the ministry as well as coming to the realization that God didn't really call me to be a preacher,but to be only that which I've always been...a guitarist. So about three years ago,back in 2001,when I decided to get back into rockin again I noticed that most of the musicians weren't really interested in committing to one main band.Instead,they were networking themselves individually,playing in various bands or other musical projects simultaneously,thereby acquiring reputations for themselves.One drummer friend of mine even referred to himself as a Drum Whore who'll play anywhere at any time with whomever has the paying gig. Also,a new phenomenon had taken place in the area clubs called Open Mike Night which is nothing more than a night when numerous musicians come together to sit in and jam with each other, make contacts or just have fun and hang out.I also noticed that the prevailing music styles being played on these nights consisted predominately of the blues,classic rock,and classic r&b,the very music I grew up with and loved over the years.This was reflected in the many classic rock radio stations in the So.Jersey / Phila. area.At any rate,I felt that with this new scene going on around me that maybe it was time for me to do some networking of my own and use these Open Mike Nights as a vehicle by which I could get my name out there again, meet some new and fresh musicians, and, possibly,have a club whereas to launch my next project. At that point I began thinking of how I've been playing in bands practically all of my life and have a bit of a reputation, and now that I'm 53 I don't know exactly how much longer I'll be out here rocking and rolling in the clubs , or for that matter how much longer before I'm knock, knock, knocking on heaven's door.So I made the decision that from here on out, musically, I was going to do what I wanted to do, the way I wanted to do it.I choose the name, the material, the set lists, who I play with,etc.etc.Nomore compromising and nomore holding my tongue.This next project was going to be My Thing, and to quell any confusion in that regard I decided I wasn't going to rack my brain trying to come up with a name for it.Therefore,since I can't stand my name,which is Charles, and I hate it when people call me Charlie, I chose to call it The Chuck Boone Band. Now that doesn't mean that I don't accept advise or suggestions from the guys I play with.It's just that when it comes to the final decisions I'm The Man. Now, as I had mentioned before, I met Cal on an Open Mike Night at a local club.At first he tried to play hard to get and continue networking for a very brief time but he finally came to his senses and for the most part has been with me throughout.He is a very talented and skillful bassist as well as a fun guy to play with.I think what impresses me most about Cal is that he continuously strives to improve his abilities and applies whatever he picks up to the overall sound of the music.Having him play alongside of me has really been a Godsend since we both share a mutual love for the same styles of music.Since I, for the most part, am very Hendrix influenced and he is an avid fan of Jack Bruce and Jaco Pastorius, our playing styles are very complimentary to eachother. Right from the outset of this project drummers have come and gone due to one reason or another.For the most part they only came in temporarily to help us out with gigs which was cool with me as long as they were good and familiarized themselves with the material either by coming to rehearsals or listening to the tapes or CDs of the songs we'll be performing.At the same time, even in a situation like mine, it's good to have a drummer or any musician you can depend on, for the most part, because not only will they know the material, but they will also know how you play, your body language, and how you give cues for changes in certain songs.Either way, I haven't sweated over it. However, drummer, Al Olivera has recently come into the fold and this time it looks like he wants to hangout with us for the long term. Al is a very talented and strong drummer.Eventhough he has a tendency to down play his abilities, in my opinion, he has contributed an added dimension to our sound.For not only is he a skillful player, but his drums have that heavy and solid tone I'e been looking for,and he also can sing lead and backup harmonies. Now that all the pieces are together, the only thing needed now is a booking agent or manager; someone who will get us gigs and help promote us.It would even be cool to have someone to just hang out with us to take pictures, video tape our gigs or to just be an extra ear, or a shoulder to lean on sometimes.At present it�s just the three of us which is still cool, and I figure if we stay together long enough, then all the other stuff will come. I must admit that sometimes I am almost persuaded to return to a band situation and go under a band name.But then I think of how fickle most musicians are and how at any time and for whatever reason someone will leave the band.Eventhough you may find a replacement, the overall sound and dynamics of the band will change, sometimes drastically.However, regardless of who leaves or stays,the one consistant element remaining will be the signature sound of my guitar and vocals.Besides, I would eventually get frustrated with all the compromising and giving in to things that I won't agree. Therefore,with that being the case,the name, as well as the concept will continue to be...The Chuck Boone Band. CB November 2004