Soul Concern

2-1-2008

Soul Concern Band

By Jackie Melini



My husband Joe and I went out to the Oar House and saw a good band. They are Soul Concern. They have been together for about 1 year. The founding members are Mike McDevitt the bass, guitar player, vocals and Chris Dougherty vocals and guitar.

Then they added member Paul Cutrona guitar, bass and vocals. They looked for a good drummer and finally found one in John Krasover now the drummer and vocals for Soul Concern.

John Krasover has been with the band about 9 months. They are considered Alternative Rock with a twist. They play some good tunes. They sounded good and kept the bar full the entire time we were there. They will play covers and throw in a few of their own original songs. I thought the songs were good. The songs fit right in with there Alternative Rock sound. We had a very good time and I had the chance to speak with the members of the band. Paula Krasover, John's wife does the marketing and promotions for the band. Paula is the Street Team Captain for their fans. She also makes all the posters and flyers for the band. She keeps the websites updated.

I asked the band some questions for the article. The first one to get back to me was Mike McDevitt one of the founding members of Soul Concern. I asked all of them why they chose their instruments. I had some great replies.

Mike McDevitt-

I always liked the low end and how it brought the whole mix together. Something about how it makes you feel in your gut!! A driving force so to speak... His style of playing came from Jeff Ament-Pearl Jam, Roger Waters-Pink Floyd, John Paul Jones-Led Zepplin and Nathen East-Eric Claptons

Bass Player. What style do you creat or carry over into your original music?

More 70's hard rock with a 90's grunge twist to it. That is where the Pearl Jam style comes from. Mike and Chris wrote all the originals and that started off everything. Then Paul and John came in to form what became the Full Band.

He hopes the future will take him as far as it will go in music. He just wants people to hear it and enjoy it just the way he does. If there happens to be a hit in there somewhere that's great. I'm just gonna ride it out as far as it will take me. Keep on thumping Mike it sounds great.

Paul Cutrona-

He remembered as a child a relative of his played guitar. At the time he was really young around 6 or so. The he got his first guitar when he was 15 years old and has been playing ever since. I asked him if there was one specific player he could attribute to his playing. He said not one specific player but his main influences ranged from Stevie Ray Vaughn to John Petrucci of Dream Theatre.

I asked him why did he join Soul Concern? He said, " I joined because of the vibe I recieved from Chris and Mike when they asked me to play with them. It was never about anything except having fun and SOUNDING GOOD"!!! Looking toward the future I would like to create and bring to the table a thicker fuller sound. Something that rattles you from the inside out. I asked him what he hoped to be doing in 5 years. He said, "I hope to be having as much fun performing and coming up with music as I am now. That should not be to hard!" As I agree with Paul.

John Krasover-

I asked John what made him choose the drums? He said, "I was 5 years old when I started taking lessons, so I'd have to say my parents". He took lessons for about 2 years and stopped at age 7. I guess I lost interest, but what did I know. I was just a kid. He started taking lessons again in the 5th grade. In the Township in which he grew up, that was when the public schools started their recruiting for the Junior High School bands. He played all thru Junior and Senior High School. By the time he was 13, he was working in the bars and clubs with band mates that were 18+ years old. He has been performing pretty much since. I asked John if there was a certain musician he fashioned himself after. He said, "Not really, I admire many of the early Big Band drummers such as Gene Grupa, Buddy Rich, Louie Belson. As well as Jon Bonham, Ginger Baker, Carmine Appice, Buddy Miles, Lars Ulrich, Stewart Copland, and Kenny Arnoff". I then asked him why he joined Soul Concern? They were introduced by a mutual friend. He thought their originals would fit in nicely with the 90's and up Grunge/Alternative covers they were doing. So he decided to enter the project. I asked John, "Do to the difference in ages, is there any advice you could give to the young musicians wanting to play music for a living"?

This was Johns reply, "Devise a plan and work it. Play your instrument as often as you can. It is part of you. Music is ageless, I have worked with musicians both younger and older than myself and had a great time"!! I asked John in 5 years what do you want to be doing? He wants to be back to playing music Full Time.

They were selected for Singer/Songwriter Cape May conference. They will be performing at Ca - Local Motion Band News