When the Black Eyed Susans take the stage the audience rises to the occasion, even if they don’t know exactly who is playing.
Take for example a recent, raucous outing at the Port Hunter.
“I don’t know who that drummer is, but he is legendary,” a member of the crowd shouted over the thunderous percussion. “Give him more solos, more songs— give him more everything!”
The drummer in question is Nicky Huff, who along with Michael “Icey” Baird (lead vocals and harmonica), Slim Bob Berosh (guitar), Lance Fullin (bass) and Greg Ruszala (keyboard, vocalist) make up the Black Eyed Susans.
“It’s a blues band at heart, but it’s a rockin’ blues band,” Mr. Baird said, describing their sound. At the Port Hunter, they brought a Southern bluesy sound to Edgartown’s Main street, singing about scorned lovers, whiskey, firearms and trips down to Memphis. The band covers a wide range of artists and said they often prepare a set list in advance but make on-the-fly decisions during each performance. Often it comes down to selecting from the written list, “whatever songs Icey doesn’t spill his beer on,” Mr. Berosh said.
The band rehearses at a basement in Vineyard Haven that feels like a subterranean monument to rock’s glory days of the sixties and seventies. Beatles posters, a Nixon mask and the Definitive Bob Dylan Songbook fill the walls.
The band members said that music offers them an escape from the grind of working life.
“If you don’t play music, what else is there? Then you’re working, and working sucks,” said Mr. Baird, a pool service technician by day. “Playing music isn’t work— it’s fun. We’ve never, ever left a gig, even a bad gig, and been like, that was a bad time.”
This appreciation for fun is central to the band’s energy. According to Mr. Huff, “This band takes their music seriously, but not themselves.”
“I’m the third-best harmonica player on the Vineyard,” Mr. Baird chimed in. “There’s two other guys.”
The group is close in friendship but far apart in ages, a unique characteristic that helps them connect to many different genres and eras. Mr. Huff is in his late 60s, Mr. Ruszla and Mr. Berosh are in their 50s, and Mr. Fullin and Mr. Baird are in their early 30s.
The band formed four years ago, in a different iteration. Only Mr. Baird and Mr. Fullin remain from the original members. According to Mr. Baird, each addition influenced the group’s sound, saying that Mr. Ruszala’s entrance in 2019 “pushed [them] to do a little more vocals and a little harder songs.”
Growing up on the Island, Mr. Baird said he longed to befriend the slightly older Mr. Fullin.
“He had another band, the Electric Highway Experience,” he said. “I used to go out to their shows, and I would be like, I want to become friends with those kids.”
Fast forward to the present, and Mr. Baird’s teenage wish has been fulfilled. He expressed gratitude for his friendship with Mr. Fullin and the rest of the band, saying that they possess “good camaraderie.”
The group said they also appreciate the camaraderie of the Island’s music community.
“Everyone’s looking out for each other,” Mr. Baird said.
Mr. Ruszala agreed. “[This environment] really allows you to work on your craft. If you were on the mainland, you’d never get the chance to play. Here, you can. And you could fail, but you can do it and then learn.”
“There’s still hippies here,” Mr. Baird added, for clarification.
The Black Eyed Susans plays this weekend on Friday at 10:30 p.m. at the Port Hunter in Edgartown, and headline Sundays in the Park on July 4 at 6:30 p.m., a weekly concert in Ocean Park.
Comments (2)
Comments
Comment policy »