The band members of the Kings and Queens of Rock and Roll live to rock, whether playing their hearts out at their Tuesday afternoon practice sessions or making their first CD, “My Heart,” a recently released compilation of five original songs that band members wrote.
The band members’ energy and enthusiasm for making music and enjoying life are infectious.
As do many other bands, the Kings and Queens of Rock and Roll have members with tattoos, and some musicians occasionally rotate in and out. Unlike other bands, however, the Kings and Queens of Rock and Roll perform for free and remain hyper-local. The band is composed of two staff members and several clients of Resources for Human Development Rhode Island (RHD-RI), a nonprofit, arts-based studio program serving adults with a range of disabilities.
The new CD, said Patrick Baron, a RHD-RI direct support professional and the band leader, is getting some buzz, though he hopes it garners even more local attention. Although they held a fundraiser to make the CD, the band is giving it away for free and people can listen to it on YouTube. Themes for the songs range from the powerful to mundane. “My Heart” is a patriotic and inspirational song that members wrote after the Boston Marathon bombings, while “French Fries” was written because two band members, Kyle Page and John Grande, eat fries daily, said Baron.
With an irrepressible smile and hearty laugh, Baron explained why band members have so much fun together, whether playing for themselves or an audience.
“It’s an avenue of expression; that’s the best part of music,” he said. “Music is a good place to put your feelings.”
The band, which performs at Slater Park in Pawtucket two or three times during the summer, at RDH-RI events, and very occasionally in Providence, also plays some covers of songs by KISS and Joan Jett, said Baron. Band member and vocalist Jess Lopes always wonders when the band will be able to perform in New York City, said Baron, who also plays guitar and sings with the band.
Drugs and drama are endemic in the rock music world, but not at RHD-RI, where band members’ congeniality and mutual fondness for one another is apparent even to a casual visitor. Virtually all the band members direct their good-natured teasing at Baron, a cheerfully willing target. They make it clear that he’s not a full-fledged member of the band, but only their leader and “roadie.”
So which ones are the real King and Queen of Rock and Roll?
Doug McLellan, who plays keyboard and sings, called out, “We’re all kings; Jess is the queen, and Lauren (Perry, a direct support professional at RHD-RI, who plays bass guitar) is the fool; she juggles.” Diehard KISS fan McLellan, who has Down syndrome, sported a KISS T-shirt and tattoo.
Drummer Danny Desrosiers, drummer and percussionist Michael Scales, snare drummer Page and vocalist Grande are other band members. Declining to take credit for the Kings and Queens of Rock and Roll’s musical chops, Baron said that everyone puts time and effort into the band. Lopes had sung earlier with another band and sometimes he and McLellan practice together, apart from the band’s weekly rehearsal time.
Perry, who joined the group about three months ago, had played guitar before but picked up the bass guitar to fill the band’s need. Getting to play rock and roll is always fun, said Perry, who called her favorite song by the band a tossup between “Cool Soul Brotha” and “Who’s The King of Rock & Roll?”
As if Baron isn’t busy enough, he also sings and plays guitar with Swan Point, his rock and roll band, which recently released its second CD, a compilation of 10 songs. Baron lived in the hot musical venues of Los Angeles, Detroit and Austin, Texas, before coming back home. The band, which launched about five years ago, includes John Reddington, on drums and percussion; Paul “Zeus” Sousa, on bass; Dino Palantonio, on lead guitar; and Baron as singer and guitarist.
Perry plays occasionally with Swan Point, and some Swan Point members play with the Kings and Queens of Rock and Roll, Baron said. Members of the Kings and Queens remind Baron of the true spirit of rock and roll, said Baron, and give a voice to people who sometimes feel that they don’t have one.
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