CHAMPAGNE
'N PLUMB
Dave "Champagne" Alcott
had been playing in Boston since '75, when the Shane
Champagne Band moved up to Plumb Island from New York. Led by
Alcott and Gary "Shane" Levenson, with Billy Wells
(and eventually the late Ricky "Rocket" Rothchild) on
drums and Chip Carter on bass, Shane Champagne was a well-organized
outfit; they knew how to work a crowd, and Shane and Alcott's apparently
drug-free work ethic (weed doesn't count- though I never saw any of that
around either) set the band apart from almost everyone else I knew (myself
included). It seemed Gary Shane and especially David were on a constant
learning curve when it came to the music itself and the music business
as well, and while Gary found some success with his post-SCB Detours
("Johnny's Coal Train" was a local radio staple), David
carried that musicality and industry sensibility into his next group,Pink Cadillac. He hit his songwriting stride for the first
time here, I think, with well-crafted tunes and energetic, well-received
gigs. But what began as a cool band name was tainted by a hit song, and
rather than spend the next few years answering questions like "so,
d'ja name the band after that tune by the Boss?", Alcott scrapped
the name and the band, and used the interlude to refine his game plan;
it didn't take long. (ED. NOTE: Dave wasn't about to get burned the same
way twice in a row - I always thought he pre-empted a repeat catastrophe
by using a name for his next group that was ALREADY a song...albeit a
somewhat obscure one... very tricky that Dave guy...see what I
mean about the Big Picture thing?). Pink Cadillac had hit a solid double
into the outfield, but it would take one more effort to slide into home.
BIG PICTURE Alcott's
eye for the 'big picture' had grown even sharper by the time he disbanded
Pink Cadillac and moved on to seek his next project. To his great credit
he saw that there was a hole in the fabric of the local rock scene right
where the blues should be, and he had definite ideas about where he wanted
to take his next band. He took those ideas along with a stack of Chess
Record albums with him to Mark Sandman's
house one day, and the eventual result was Treat
Her Right, one of the most unique and popular bands in Boston
from their mid-80's inception through to their amicable break-up in the
early 90's. In between they were signed to RCA, drew more people onto
the dance floor than most self-professed dance bands, saw a powerful,
first-effort 8-track album project released three separate times (a local
release on Three Color's Soul Select label, a European distribution
deal on Elvis Costello's Demon Records label, and finally
an RCA re-re-release after their major label signing), and ignited a weekly-gig
"house band" revival scene at the Plough and Stars in
Cambridge much in the style of the Yardbirds and Rolling Stones' Richmond
Hotel stints of the 60's. It is my opinion that the influence of their
eponymous first LP was also a major force in establishing Fort Apache
as the studio of choice for the local bands, a position the studio would
hold onto for most of the following decade. They were, in short, a band
that made a difference. Which is one reason Dave Alcott is a major dude,
so to speak.
Alcott
started a very cool band after THR called the Jazz Popes. I think
Dave wrote some great material for that band. While the material was interesting
and unique, David's commitment to a new family kept the throttle set way
back from "full on", and after some superlative shows the Jazz
Popes ceased to be. Then, just as it seemed domesticity and a couple of
kids might spell permanent vacation from the stage, the answer appeard,
right under Mr. Alcott's nose as it were.
THE FAMILY THAT
PICKS TOGETHER, STICKS TOGETHER Dave and his wife Katie began playing around the house, and before
long they were doing the ocassional show together... whenever they could
get a good babysitter, that is. They called the name band the Heygoods.
Their performances at Billy Ruane's Valentine's Day '98 show at Green
St, Grill and at Skeggie's Spring '98 Plough and Stars gig (photo at left)
were thouroughly enjoyable, and shows at the Toad in summer '98, and in
September at Green Street Grille revealed an act that just kept getting
better. The early performances sounded like a hubby and the missus havin'
a bit of fun, and informality was the vibe of the day.
Since then, the Heygoods have found not only a dependable babysitter or
two, but a groove and a niche in the local scene as well. With all that
experience, and a shitload of talent, it was only a matter of time before
Alcott kicked things into a higher gear again. Perhaps things had to wait
until the dirty diaper period was thankfully past. But shift gears they
have, from infrequent, informal shows to a far more active schedule. Seems
not a week goes by that I don't open my email box to find a notice for
a Heygoods show, always featuring one of Dave's way-cool digital photos.
I told him he should consider a gallery show for his photographs, a number
of which use the Alcott's kids for models; they're often funny, always
compositionally interesting and visually compelling (for example, the
shot below of Katie strumming in her pink "backstage outfit"
in the Alcott's Lower Alston living room is culled from a recent poster;
so is the brilliant horse drawing, done I believe by son Gibson, a premier
American folk artist apparently in his 'Naive' period). Even if you never
plan to attend a show it's worth being on their list just to get the pix
(you can sign on for the Heygoods list at their site...use the link at
the end of this article to get there).
The
Heygoods utilize rotating members for their rhythm sections; this makes
the bass players really dizzy and their chords get wrapped around their
legs a lot. Just kidding. But they do shift members in the bass and drums
department, a well as doing shows sans drums, and with/without a lap steel
player. No matter, the shows are uniformly excellent. Like I said before-
the early performances sounded like a hubby and the missus (or a wife
and the ball and chain, if you will) havin' a bit of fun; the recent shows
sound like a soulful, country blues and western swing influenced band
with a pair of strong frontpersons, a knack for rocking as well as keeping
things sweet and mournful, and a seemingly never-ending cast of excellent
supporting players. Even better, they still look and sound like they are
having an absolute ball up on stage (I know what you're thinking...you
just stop right there, wise guy).
The
big surprise- for me anyway -is Katie. I had no idea when they jumped
the broom that she had a wellspring of talent tucked away. She plays a
mean Gibson steel string acoustic, a beaut too as you can see in the photo
adjacent. She also sings the Western Swing, country and blues numbers
with sass, verve and none of the premeditated, phony accent nonsense that
many local (and otherwise) vocalists seem to think makes them convincing
when approaching those particular musical styles. Katie's harmonies are
also natural and unstrained- all in all in keeping with the vibe of the
original Nashville and Appalachian singers whose work defined the genres.
Recalling the background vocals on the first THR album, which were done
by arts potentate Connie White (Brattle Theater, now Mrs.
Greg "Skeggie" Kendall) and
artist Toni Elka (Mark's extremely significant other at the time),
I wonder what it would've been like had Katie been around then. I have
a feeling they would have added female b/u vocals on a lot more than just
"Bringin It All Back Home". One thing is for sure: just like the couple
themselves, Katie and Dave's voices were made for one another. I always
thought the brother thing produced the most touching and beautiful harmonies
on the planet: the Louvins, the Everleys, the BeeGees, the Davies, and
yes, even the Jacksons on the right number. Now I think I have to add
the non-blood relationship teams as well. Richard and Linda Thompson,
those guys in Southern Culture on the Skids (I think), Exene and John
Doe...and Katie and David.
THR lyrics by Dave Alcott: "I got a gun, I know how to use it..."
Heygoods Dance
Party. Anybody check these guys' ID's?
CHAMPAGNE
'N PLUMB
Alcott's
eye for the 'big picture' had grown even sharper by the time he disbanded
Pink Cadillac and moved on to seek his next project. To his great credit
he saw that there was a hole in the fabric of the local rock scene right
where the blues should be, and he had definite ideas about where he wanted
to take his next band. He took those ideas along with a stack of Chess
Record albums with him to 
Alcott
started a very cool band after THR called the Jazz Popes. I think
Dave wrote some great material for that band. While the material was interesting
and unique, David's commitment to a new family kept the throttle set way
back from "full on", and after some superlative shows the Jazz
Popes ceased to be. Then, just as it seemed domesticity and a couple of
kids might spell permanent vacation from the stage, the answer appeard,
right under Mr. Alcott's nose as it were.
Since then, the Heygoods have found not only a dependable babysitter or
two, but a groove and a niche in the local scene as well. With all that
experience, and a shitload of talent, it was only a matter of time before
Alcott kicked things into a higher gear again. Perhaps things had to wait
until the dirty diaper period was thankfully past. But shift gears they
have, from infrequent, informal shows to a far more active schedule. Seems
not a week goes by that I don't open my email box to find a notice for
a Heygoods show, always featuring one of Dave's way-cool digital photos.
I told him he should consider a gallery show for his photographs, a number
of which use the Alcott's kids for models; they're often funny, always
compositionally interesting and visually compelling (for example, the
shot below of Katie strumming in her pink "backstage outfit"
in the Alcott's Lower Alston living room is culled from a recent poster;
so is the brilliant horse drawing, done I believe by son Gibson, a premier
American folk artist apparently in his 'Naive' period). Even if you never
plan to attend a show it's worth being on their list just to get the pix
(you can sign on for the Heygoods list at their site...use the link at
the end of this article to get there).
The
Heygoods utilize rotating members for their rhythm sections; this makes
the bass players really dizzy and their chords get wrapped around their
legs a lot. Just kidding. But they do shift members in the bass and drums
department, a well as doing shows sans drums, and with/without a lap steel
player. No matter, the shows are uniformly excellent. Like I said before-
the early performances sounded like a hubby and the missus (or a wife
and the ball and chain, if you will) havin' a bit of fun; the recent shows
sound like a soulful, country blues and western swing influenced band
with a pair of strong frontpersons, a knack for rocking as well as keeping
things sweet and mournful, and a seemingly never-ending cast of excellent
supporting players. Even better, they still look and sound like they are
having an absolute ball up on stage (I know what you're thinking...you
just stop right there, wise guy). 
The
big surprise- for me anyway -is Katie. I had no idea when they jumped
the broom that she had a wellspring of talent tucked away. She plays a
mean Gibson steel string acoustic, a beaut too as you can see in the photo
adjacent. She also sings the Western Swing, country and blues numbers
with sass, verve and none of the premeditated, phony accent nonsense that
many local (and otherwise) vocalists seem to think makes them convincing
when approaching those particular musical styles. Katie's harmonies are
also natural and unstrained- all in all in keeping with the vibe of the
original Nashville and Appalachian singers whose work defined the genres.
Recalling the background vocals on the first THR album, which were done
by arts potentate Connie White (Brattle Theater, now Mrs.
