Kings Of Crisis
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8/30/2008 4:19:10 PM
Encore Arts Article
Published: Thursday, August 28, 2008
Kings of Crisis strike a chord, here and overseas
By RICK DUMONT Correspondent
DOVER – In some circles, they may be considered old, but the Kings of Crisis are certainly not out of touch.
As a matter of fact, the group's first single, "From Over Here," is making a big splash on Armed Forces Radio, and the Kings just played their first large-venue gig at the Hard Rock Cafe in Boston last weekend.
This weekend, the Kings are joining several other bands to play "The Nick" in Wolfeboro as part of an all-day festival of music to support the town's new playground.
At 51, band spokesman Ric Carter said the boys are more than capable of rocking audiences of any age. The youngest member of the band is 35.
"We can rock you well, we can make you sit and listen to a nice ballad, and it doesn't hurt a bit," Carter said.
Since making the leap from playing in cover bands to forming an original music trio about 13 years ago, Carter said the road to success has been a long haul. "There's not a lot of places that want bands that play their own music," he said.
Even with that mountain to conquer, the "core three" of Carter, Gary Pomeroy and Greg Pappas began to stir up the scene, writing new material and marketing themselves to every venue and party they could find. "It's been tough, but there's been a lot of good news," Carter said. Pomeory, the primary writer for the group, has a resume that includes working with Gregg Allman, The Ramones and Ella Fitzgerald.
Nothing could bring a smile to a rocker's face quicker than what has happened to the band over the last year.
The band has put together its first album. It is self-titled and due out in November. They've also played at the Hard Rock Cafe, where Kings is one of only eight underground original music bands to ever have gotten on stage.
"We love it there," Carter said.
Then there's the overwhelming support from all branches of the military of their ballad "From Over Here." The song tells a story of longing from the perspective of a soldier stationed in some faraway land, while his wife is at home in the U.S., raising the family and worrying about the war her husband is fighting.
Pomeroy penned the song, and it has undoubtedly brought tears to the eyes of many, to those fighting overseas and to their families back home. The solider offers apologies and assurances to his wife in a letter home, "I didn't mean to travel oh so far/But you are everything that I'm fighting for/And when it's over I'll be back to you/But for now, I'll dream of you from over here."
"We're thrilled," Carter said of the growing popularity of the song. "Day-to-day life, maintaining some semblance of a good relationship with your spouse, and raising decent human beings is tough enough. When one partner is absent, life becomes that much more difficult. We're honored that something that we've done is giving hope to some of these families."
There is no immediate financial gain being reaped by the band for the airplay in Iraq, but, Carter said, "The benefits are enormous in our estimation."
The band has recently added four new members to its core. Bassist Tim Matthews, drummer Bill Carr, lead guitarist Chuck Farrell and Leo Gelinas on keys give the Kings a renewed power and flavor. Carter likened the fuller sound to that of Stevie Ray Vaughan, or the harmonies that the Eagles and Grand Funk Railroad produced. He said he has been told the band has a classic rock flavor along the same vein as Chicago, and that its blend sizzles like Poison.
Gelinas and Carr are from Rochester, Matthews is from Acton, Maine, and Farrell is from Wolfeboro. Pomeroy lives in Somersworth, Pappas in Wakefield and Carter is in Dover.
Like so many musicians and writers before them, Kings find the state of the world is a giant pool from which to draw their inspiration.
"Pomeroy is very quiet but outspoken in his writing," Carter said.
His lyrics have sometimes focused on the political condition of the world, this country and its dealings with China. "He will tell you a story that you are forced to pay attention to," Carter said.
What's on tap for these rockers? If Carter has his way, the band will soon be an opening act for some of the major players in the industry.
"We'd love to start rubbing elbows" with them, he said. "But we'll see where things go from here."
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