by Steve “Tuna” Tornovish
“We’re putting the band back together.” Those immortal words were put forth by Joliet Jake (John Belushi) and Elwood Blues (Dan Aykroyd) in the classic 1980 movie The Blues Brothers. Who doesn’t love a classic buddy movie filled with laughs and great music? Yeah, I’m all in! I recently found myself in the middle of a Nantucket version of this plot. And it was so great!
Rick Kalman and Scott Herzog, a couple of Nantucket kids, decided that it was time to put the band back together after 60 years. They had played together in a bunch of different bands during the late 1960s. Was that the golden age of rock n’ roll? I truly believe it was. And now these two old bandmates were reuniting for a night of music and memories. Was it a mission from God? I suspect that there was some divine inspiration going on, indeed.
Music started as an outlet for Rick and Scott. It developed into a life-long passion. Rick laughed as he told me, “Our band name for this show is ‘Some Wicked Rusty’. Yeah, that pretty much says it all!”
I spent some time with Rick, Scott, and drummer David Ernst (“My best friend!” – Scott) recently at their rehearsal. Ok, maybe there was a little bit of rust on the gears. But that engine still purrs, hinting at a roar. Scott’s guitar playing simply fits the material: light and fun at times, sharp and punchy when needed. Rick’s vocals smile perfectly at the joy of the 60s era hits that they grew up to and still love. And David provided a solid drive. These guys still have it going on.
“Listening to the radio when every day there was a new great hit song out. Seeing the Beatles on the Ed Sullivan Show.” Scott Herzog told me that these things were the catalysts for his musical adventures. “Growing up on the island, there were three things to do: sports (which we didn’t), wandering the island, or ordering instruments from the Sears and Blue Book catalogues and learning to play.”
Rick Kalman agreed. “I couldn’t play sports. I wasn’t Kevin, Kim, or Mike (Rick’s three brothers who were tremendous Nantucket athletes) in sports, but the band filled that hole. It was an identity thing.”
Scott had the itch first. He rounded up his buddies Frank Lindley and Tommy Devine and the three started jamming.
“Scott started his band when he was 13. I came in a year later.” Rick clearly loved to reminisce about his musical beginnings. “Tommy Devine was our bass player and singer. He had a presence. I was the nervous guy playing rhythm guitar. I remember Frank Lindley had this beautiful green Gretch guitar. The problem was that he couldn’t play as well as Scott and the others. So Frank just disappeared for three or four months. When he came back, he was a keyboard player. He played piano and the Hammond organ. Frank showed up and played the opening keyboard riff for Light My Fire by the Doors, my favorite song. Right then, we moved up a notch!”
Scott laughed as he reminisced: “Our first band was called ‘Thee End.’ We were 13 years old. Rick came in later on. I remember that Tommy Devine loved Mark Lindsay, the singer for Paul Revere and the Raiders. Tommy painted on a little mustache with mascara to look like him. Thirteen years old!”
“We changed our name to “The Rhythm Method” after that. Of course, we didn’t get the connotation. The adults laughed. Finally, we became Saint George, named after Neil Garrabrandt’s grandfather. Neil also played with us for a while.”
Rick told me that the kids performed anywhere they could. “We played at Bennett Hall, the Navy Base, the ‘Sconset Casino, the American Legion, the Cyrus Pierce School, Nantucket High School, the basement of St. Paul’s Church and a bunch of private parties. We practiced in my dad’s shop on Orange Street. Set our gear up on the planks that my dad had cut for the next day’s job.”
Getting the band back together was easier said than done. A wide range of local kids drifted in and out of the various incarnations of Saint George. Rick said, “When Tommy went off to school, we had Neil Stanley come in to play bass. He was a great guy. Tommy Terry became our drummer. He showed up at a rehearsal and played the drum opening to the beach rock song Wipeout. What a great drummer! We tried to get him up here for this show but he had some health issues. I sure hope that we can get him back and do this again.”
Scott echoed that desire, adding that Frank Lindley is living in California. Scott hoped that Frank could be coaxed back to Nantucket for a future reunion. Tommy Devine had passed away some years ago. It was clear that both Rick and Scott loved their friend and former bandmate dearly.
Scott and Rick needed to bring in some help to get Some Wicked Rusty on the racetrack. They added Joel Finn to play bass. Joel is a fantastic player with the best temperament ever—very good choice! Rick’s wife, LeeAnn Papale- Kalman, added her amazing vocals. LeeAnn and Joel have played together for years in a variety of bands, most notably Ecliff and the Swing Dogs. And finally, Ethan Devine, Tommy Devine’s son, jumped in to sing and play on a couple of Sam Cooke songs. I could see how much that meant to Rick and Scott. More than once, I heard Rick saying, “Wow, he reminds me so much of Tommy.”
I think that these two Nantucket kids truly were on a mission from God. The Fairgrounds was packed with enthusiastic music lovers and friends. The rust was gone. Rick, Scott, LeeAnn, Joel, and Dave took us all on a wonderful trip back in time. The highlight of the night was hearing Scott and Rick talk about Tommy Devine, along with Ethan joining in to stand in his dad’s shoes. A close second was Rick’s story about how he and his bandmates were pulled off of the stage at a middle school dance when they were 14 for drinking from a couple of bottles of champagne that they had stumbled upon. “Squeaky Gibbs, the cop, marched us right out of Bennett Hall and down to the police station. We were never so popular!”
Yes, they got the band back together. And it was wonderful. Here’s hoping they do it again real soon.
Steve “Tuna” Tornovish is a Nantucket native who has spent his life fishing from the beaches of his beloved island. He loves to introduce clients to the joy of fishing with his Nantucket Island Fishing Adventures: stevetuna.com
