PLATTSBURGH — Fifteen century old or older boathouses, historic landmarks on the Schuylkill River’s east bank in Philadelphia, is the namesake of a “Yacht Rock” band performing 7 p.m. Saturday, at the Strand Theatre, 25 Brinkerhoff St., Plattsburgh.
Boathouse Row members heard the genre’s buoyant melodies in uteri most likely and their comedic stage names are Caniche Derstine (guitars, vocals), Riley Hamlin (drums, vocals), Mick Hillside (bass, vocals), Pete Mane (tenor/alto saxophones, clarinet, flute, vocals), Kenny Trout (vocals, piano),and Cougar Wessex (guitars, keyboards).
“The story of the band technically goes back about 23 years,” Trout said.
“Most of our members were originally together as a band called Fooling April. We toured pretty extensively through the years around the country a little bit and the UK. About seven years ago, as we got older and settled down and had families and stuff, we always loved this particular genre of music, yacht rock. We decided to create a band that was a tribute to that style of music.”
Yacht rock was born before the band and its progenitors include Doobie Brothers, Steely Dan and Toto. Vocalist and pianist Michael McDonald’s signature voice defined the genre’s sonics of the ‘70s and the ‘80s. His hits include “I Keep Forgettin’ (Every Time You’re Near), “What A Fool Believes” and with the Doobie Brothers “Takin’ It to the Streets” and “Keep This Train A-Rollin’.”
“Most of us was born when the genre was current,” Trout said.
“So, we were young. We were exposed to it through our childhood and onward. The music is very much rooted in a very polished sound from a musician’s standpoint. It’s very appealing. It’s rooted in a lot of R&B and jazz. It quite a bit more complex than what we typically hear on the radio in terms of Top 40, pop music. We like pop music to, but it’s just some deeper levels to this. More complex musically and vocal harmonies are more present. It plays to our strengths and speaks to our tastes.”
Boathouse Row’s core demographic are folks in their 40s and 50s, but with the resurgence of yacht rock over the last seven years a new generation is vibing to the genre’s standards – “Summer Breeze” by Seals & Crofts, “Ride Like The Wind” by Christopher Cross, “Crazy Love” by Poco, and “Just The Two of Us” by Bill Withers.
In real life, the band has run into John Oates of Hall & Oates, who cranked out such hits as “She’s Gone,” “Sara Smile,” and “Rich Girl.”
Not only does Boathouse Row capture the back-in-the-day sound, but also the fashion by wearing ‘70s era threads found by popping tags in thrift shops and on eBay. Some of crew’s costumes are custom made and topped off with requisite aviator sunglasses for added mystique.
The tribute band averages 75 shows a year, so they hold flexible jobs such as music educators and consultants.
“The biggest misconception is that the people hear just the words yacht rock they assume any song they hear that references a boat or sailing, things like that, fall into the genre,” Trout said.
“We get that lot. I’m not the guy who decides what is yacht rock or what isn’t, but the guys that did create the genre they state that it’s typically rooted a certain kind of groove, a certain kind of feel pioneered by the Doobie Brothers originally. They call that the ‘Doobie bounce,’ a certain kind of rhythm section feel. You hear a lot of that. Mostly, it’s smooth sound rooted in R & B and jazz.”
Boathouse Row doesn’t go where McDonald’s vocals go.
“He has that very iconic voice,” Trout said.
“That’s the hardest part as a tribute to this material. We can make the guitars sound the way it did. We can make the piano sounds and the drums, but some of these voices are just not replicable, you know. So you’re not going to hear Michael McDonald sing a song, but still pretty true to the song and very nostalgic for the audience.”
Boathouse Row tickets are $25/$35/$45 at strandcenter.org.