Covering the King
By Greg Duggan
Thursday, April 13, 2006
The band members show up around 7 p.m. on a Wednesday, parking their vehicles behind a strip mall at an undisclosed location on the North Shore and bring their instruments through a back door to a room in the basement. The room - "lovingly referred to as 'the swamp," says the bassist - is filled with posters of the Beatles, Elvis, the Three Stooges and other pop culture icons and bands. A couple of ashtrays filled with cigarette butts leave a weak stench of stale smoke. The band members chat as they set up, organizing a drum set and strumming on guitars as the lead singer changes out of his workday clothes. In the past, the room has been used as a jam site for well-known local bands such as The Fools and Beatlejuice, a Beatles cover band. Tonight it becomes the domain of Velvet Elvis as the band practices new songs for its set list.
Velvet Elvis is a group of North Shore guys - most of whom also play in other bands - who cover the tunes from Elvis' younger years, when they feel the King "was at his best" and full of "youthful exuberance." Oddly enough, none are diehard Elvis fans.
The inspiration for an Elvis cover band actually came from the Disney movie "Lilo and Stitch." Jeffrey Maté, a Melrose resident and the band's drummer, works for the band Beatlejuice and was looking to start his own musical project. About two and a half years ago, when his daughter was listening to the Elvis-heavy soundtrack from the Disney film, Maté thought an Elvis band "might not be a bad idea."
He called up Jimmy Rogers to play the part of Elvis - albeit without dressing like 'The King' - and was pleasantly surprised to receive an affirmative response. Rogers countered that his initial reaction was a dismayed, "Awwww, really?" but admitted that it was impossible to say no to Maté, a "do-everything guy." Rogers came up with the name, an ode to the velvet pictures of Elvis that populated gas stations in the '70s, and Maté began filling out the rest of the band.
After going through two guitarists, Maté eventually landed his original choice of Richie Bartlett of the Fools. With his glasses and long, dark locks creeping over his shoulders, Bartlett is, as Rogers calls him, "the dark, mysterious professor longhair."
Bassist Joe Holaday also came from the Fools and Beatlejuice. He joined Velvet Elvis when the original bassist couldn't make a show, and ended up sticking around as a full-time member. On the keyboard, Steve Baker, another Beatlejuice guy, rounds out the band.
Elvis ... and others
Baker is late showing up for practice at "the swamp," so the other four begin without him, suddenly launching into "Shake, Rattle and Roll" after a quick mic test. The song ends, and after conferring briefly to do another warm-up tune, the four break out with "Hound Dog." The familiar songs sound no different from Elvis himself, and Holaday said the covers are "an authentic sound and interpretation of the tunes." The band may not consist of Elvis fanatics, but it certainly recognizes the King's influence on music.
"Elvis is not our life, but he's a big part of what got us into rock and roll," Holaday said, adding "it's a pleasure to play his songs."
In addition to Elvis, the band has picked up other artists from the era, covering other legends such as Chuck Berry, Jerry Lee Lewis and Bill Haley and His Comets. The guys just want to have fun with the music, and their onstage ensemble carries that message. Besides "professor longhair," Rogers said, "we've got Joe who dresses like a true '50s guy with the leather jacket, and I get done up in a stupid looking zoot suit because it looks insane. It's a great band with a wacky flair to it."
By the time Baker arrives and sets up his keyboard, the band is ready to practice the new songs, tunes the members want to have in their repertoire for the sake of learning and in case they get requests. It doesn't take long to master the new sounds. As Baker prepares his instrument, the band listens to a recording of Elvis doing "Party" a few times, checking for rhythm. Once they begin playing, it takes just three runs through to nail it, and the band congratulates itself with head nods accompanied by "cool" or "excellent."
As professional musicians, Maté explains that he and his band mates don't need the amount of practice necessary for original songs, and have even played songs at concerts without prior rehearsals. "We're that good," Bartlett joked when Maté revealed that information.
With 10 new songs on the agenda, however, this practice was a chance to get together and work out kinks before an upcoming concert on Friday, April 14 in Beverly. Between their other commitments, the band averages about one show a month, but Maté said the group is interested in putting on more shows, whether they're weddings or fundraisers in Memorial Hall.
As the band dives into a take of Elvis' "I Was the One," with the members rocking and having a good time, Roger's assessment of the band rings true: "Outside of being a great roots rock band, the band's presence is pretty fun."

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