Barry Goudreau and Brian Maes on stage at Lynn Auditorium Saturday night.
Photo by Paula Muller
By Bill Brotherton
LYNN – The “Full Steam Ahead” record release party for Barry Goudreau’s Engine Room Saturday night at Lynn Auditorium was a celebratory affair. Not only was the music sensational, but the region’s rock and roll community — fans and musicians alike — came together to support the former Boston guitarist’s excellent new band.
But there was also a touch of melancholy in the house. The spirit of Sib Hashian, former drummer for the band Boston, who passed away last month, and the late Brad Delp, that band’s singer, was omnipresent. Their lives were celebrated as well by their friends on stage and in the audience. Engine Room bassist Tim Archibald wore a T-shirt emblazoned with the afro-sporting likeness of Lynn-born Hashian. Michael “Tunes” Antunes, sax man for openers John Cafferty and the Beaver Brown Band, dedicated a song to Hashian and, with tears rolling down his cheek, delivered a cathartic, heartfelt solo. Antunes later joined the Engine Room for main set closer “Time,” a gospel blues featuring one of Goudreau’s prettiest melodies; Archibald, Antunes, Goudreau and frontman Brian Maes, all of whom played with Hashian in Ernie and the Automatics, stood side-by-side on stage performing this “song for Sibby.”
This was no heavyhearted show, however. The music was full of life, vibrant and energetic. Throughout the 19-song, arena-ready close-to-two-hour set, Goudreau let his guitars do the talking, unleashing one jaw-dropping solo after another on his collection of Strats and Gibsons. He gladly ceded the spotlight to fellow Lynn native Maes, whose vocals had a bit of a growl perfectly suited to the late-’60s bluesy rock sound of the Engine Room’s tunes. His keyboard work was also superb.
Praise also to the rhythm section of Archibald and drummer “Old” Tony DiPietro, the band’s youngest member; this is an incredibly tight outfit. And kudos to the vocals provided by Joanie Cicatelli, MaryBeth Maes and Terri O’Soro, which enhanced every song. WZLX’s Carter Alan, who has championed local music since his days at ’BCN and even before at MIT’s radio station, was the host with the most. Even the sound mixer was a Lynn guy: Dan Williams.
The band expertly played songs from every stage of Goudreau’s career. Audience members enjoyed the new tunes but understandably went crazy for the Boston songs (“Smokin’,” which featured a fine vocal by MaryBeth Maes, Brian’s wife; “Hitch a Ride,” which Goudreau said was the first song he professionally played guitar on, in 1969, shortly after he graduated from Lynn English High; and the show-closing “Long Time”), but the solo stuff and selections from his partnerships with Delp, RTZ and Orion the Hunter also sounded great.
“The Rhythm Won’t Stop,” from the Goudreau-Delp album, got the crowd up and dancing; it had a bluesy hook that just wouldn’t let go and Cicatelli’s counter-vocals were sublime. “So You Ran,” from Orion the Hunter, was a standout; “secret weapon” MaryBeth Maes’ fiery Ann Wilson-like lead vocal showed why she’s one of New England’s busiest musicians, and the 4-part harmonies were a big plus. “Until Your Love Comes Back Around” from the RTZ stage of Goudreau’s career — Brian Maes, Archibald were in that band, too — was dedicated to Delp: “This is for Brad. It will always be for Brad,” said Maes.
The strongest songs from “Full Steam Ahead” included the Deep Purple-like “Don’t Stop Please,” which saw Maes channeling both his inner Ian Gillan and Jon Lord; “Layin’ It Down (in Beantown),” with Jimmy Willard, another Lynn guy, on harmonica; “Keep the Faith,” with nifty slide guitar by Goudreau; the British blues-influenced “Ball Keeps Rollin’,” with weirdly wonderful synthesized vocals by Goudreau; and “Reason to Rhyme,” a Guns N’ Roses-style ballad. The poignant “Time” was the best of all, with Antunes’ sax squawking up a storm and the three ladies serving as a heavenly gospel choir.
John Cafferty and the Beaver Brown Band wowed in the middle spot with a too-short set of its sax-drenched Springsteen-style rock ‘n’ roll. The hit, “On the Dark Side,” still sounds great and Cafferty and Antunes, who joined the crowd and stood on chairs while performing the Chuck Berry-like “Rockin’ My Life Away,” are a formidable twosome. “Some Like it Hot,” a ‘50s-style raver, was glorious.
Charlie Farren opened the night with a brief solo set. The local legend, who was lead singer for the Joe Perry Project and frontman for his own band Farrenheit, got audience members involved early with clever banter and strong songs.
This was truly a night of friends. The careers of nearly every musician on stage have intersected through the decades in amazing ways; Farren recorded a “lost” Delp song, “Tuesday,” and Rhode Island’s Cafferty and crew earned a devoted following tirelessly performing in Boston bars and clubs.
Barry Goudreau’s Engine Room showed Saturday night it has great potential. A few gigs are scheduled throughout New England in the coming weeks. Check them out.
Bill Brotherton is the Item’s Features editor. He can be reached at [email protected]
