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The HEALERS! Story
On a Monday afternoon in 1999, Kevin Chisholm got a very unexpected phone call, one that was to mark the beginning of a dramatic change in his musical career. The singer of his new blues band, The HEALERS!, had just quit, less than 24 hours before the band’s first recording session. All plans were made. A series of gigs had been scheduled.
One hour later, out of desperation, Kevin inserted a quarter in a nearby payphone and called NYC..s culture and arts newspaper The Village Voice...
"Classifieds department, please..." The following day this advert: "Wanted: Male Blues singer for New York City Blues Act." Two days later, Kevin’s voice mail: "HEY, this is Thomas Buck-Nasty…just got into town...gimme a call...I’m your MAN!"
1000 shows and three continents later, Thomas Buck-Nasty was right.
In the formative days, The HEALERS! performed at various clubs throughout the NY Metropolitan area. But, it was mainly their residencies at NYC’s musical landmarks The Bitter End and 55-Bar where singer Thomas Buck-Nasty, guitarist Kevin Chisholm, and bassist Dean Zucchero built their loyal following and earned their reputation as the City’s "hardest hitting blues band." From these countless gigs The HEALERS! perfected their show.
The HEALERS! explosive sound manifests what Thomas, Kevin and Dean have lived all their lives. All three are indeed disciples of American Blues music...but, there’s a twist. Thomas delivers the gospel and soul heritages of his childhood, while Kevin and Dean infuse the music with their rock ancestries. This trinity melds a sound that audiences have come to describe as a "Comprehensive Healin’ Session."
Singer:
Upon delivering his first vocal performance to the local church congregation at age six, Thomas was quickly adopted by the choir. Here, his love for Gospel evolved, particularly through the music of Rev. James Cleveland and Edwin and Walter Hawkins. With the art of Gospel soon in hand, Thomas began to hand-pick the virtues of other modern icons. From James Brown and Wilson Pickett, he harnessed Soul and R&B, and from John Lee Hooker, B.B. King, and Buddy Guy, it was the Blues.
By the 70s, Thomas took to the road where his excellence quickly forged him opening slots for prominent artists like Earth, Wind & Fire, Stevie Wonder, The Temptations and Donny Hathaway. RCA Records caught wind of this new talent and promptly offered him a recording contract. Thomas’ debut album, entitled Best-O-Funk, was written and produced by the singer himself. He later went on to collaborate on productions of albums for pop artists like Evelyn "Champagne" King, and others.
Anyone who’s experienced Thomas live will attest that he has a spectacular stage presence. His in-your-face style enables him to tear down the house on a nightly basis. Literally. "He won’t let you not like him," one New Yorker aptly put it. Thomas remains one of the few existing True American Blues singers/performers.
Guitarist:
Founding member Kevin Chisholm is not your run-of-the-mill blues/rock guitarist, or should we say he hasn’t the conventional preoccupations of his kin. It’s not uncommon for an audience member to approach Kevin and say: "I saw you guys play just last night and...didn’t you have a completely different neck on your guitar??" Kevin will usually shrug and offer something like: "yeah, I was bored this morning."
Having grown up on a healthy diet of 70’s Guitar Heroes, Kevin of course approaches the Blues with a bold recipe. And then after a heartfelt boil and simmering, he fortifies it with an unsparing share of Tabasco Sauce. From The Caribbean Islands to communist China, Kevin has spent the last 20 years traveling with his guitar on his back…accompanied by an extra neck or two.
Bassist:
Dean Zucchero is the foundation of The HEALERS! rhythm section. Also a native New Yorker, his experience stems from the half-light of pervasive dive bar gigging and extensive international touring. He’s a veteran of the 60’s school of bass playing, inspired largely by the works of John Paul Jones, Paul McCartney and Motown’s James Jamerson. Dean’s trusty ..61 Fender Jazz Bass renders his tone unmistakable. And his FOUR-string convictions make him the embodiment of a Real American Bassist. His sound couldn’t be more palatable, his groove more seamless, the qualities of which every great power trio demands in its bassist.
In January of 2006, The HEALERS! were invited to perform at Europe’s oldest jazz club, The Casa Bar in Zurich, Switzerland. During their one-month residency the band revisited the "Old School" approach to Blues performance: 5 sets a night, 7 nights a week, smoke-drenched room.
No problem.
By the second weekend, The HEALERS!’ concert warrior mentality had provoked locals into filing-in as early as 8:30 PM in order to secure a seat for the night. And by 10:00 the club’s occupancy was maxed-out with all latecomers now having to satisfy their cravings through hallway door and street window peeks.
Word soon got across the northwest boarder of Switzerland and The HEALERS! received invite to France’s premier blues club in Paris, Quai du Blues. The band set up shop for eight days and the shows seemed to go over well. As, toward the end of the first concert, during the band’s rave-up groove, the French club owner (a reserved, I’ve-seen-it-all-kind-of-guy) was spotted manically doing an 80’s style, punk rock (sort of pogo-stick?) dance across the back of the room. After the show, the band was informed by staff members that this indulgence was indeed a first for the Boss. The HEALERS! were asked to be Quai du Blues’ season-opening act for the upcoming September.
Thereon, there was no formal unpacking for the band, as Germany, Austria and The Netherlands had also taken interest. The band was surmounting an eight-month stretch with an odometer reading of 20,000+ miles. It had become clear that northern Europe was also finding spiritual remedy with The HEALERS!’ elixir of Blues, Rock and Soul.
What began to become the "We Don’t Wanna Go Home Tour" of 2006/07 was ideally augmented by an invitation for a three-week tour of Australia. The band arrived in Melbourne on February 24th and immediately delivered several barnstorming performances in the Victorian town. Shoes dusted, they loaded up their wagon and began heading north up the eastern coastline. Town-by-town, the NY Bluesmen continuously found inspiration from repeatedly packed rooms, awestruck audiences and ice cold Australian beer.
Surprisingly (or perhaps not), during this stretch, the band gained the reinforcement of emergent groupies back from the Melbourne heist who were admittedly in need of another Healin’ Session. Most flattering.
In Sydney, the band performed at various strategic points throughout and finished up enjoying a few stunning shows at Bondi Beach (yes, some formal music was played there as well). It was evident that The HEALERS! were amassing recognition from all dimensions of
Australian society.
They packed up one more time and headed south, but this time a bit inland and off the beaten path. Remote concerts proved even more eventful and complimentary to the band, as one back-slapping fan demonstrated to Dean after a rowdy night in Warrnambool: "how the FACK did THIS BAND ever end up here?? We’ve not seen anything like it, mate, CHEERS!" The uncommonly large man then proceeded to bear hug the bassist off the floor and punctuate his enthusiasm with a frothy kiss. (It was later confirmed by the tour manager that the kiss was, in fact, on the cheek.)
Ultimately, the band ended up back in Melbourne where the tour concluded on a special note with a privileged double-billing:
The HEALERS! and Australian Rock Legend Lobby Loyde.
In September of 2007, the band recorded a new album in Brooklyn, NY. Self-titled, The HEALERS! featuring: Thomas Buck-Nasty, the record is comprised of nine original compositions and one blues standard. The record captures the essence of NY life, both musically and lyrically (grit, grime, lust, hope, redemption, mortality, it’s all there). It also logs the unique musical lineages of Tommy, Kevin and Dean. The record will be released in Australia in February 2008 on Townsend Records and will be followed by a five-week tour of Australia starting March 25th.
You can find out more about the band, and get the details of their upcoming tour via the website: http://www.thehealersnyc.com.
See you down under.
The HEALERS!
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