You may remember them as Honky Thumbelina and the Skinnyman. Maybe the name, The New Cosmology, rings a bell. Perhaps, you know this band as People of the Forest. No matter what the moniker, what matters now is that the trio of guitarist Brook Batteau, bassist Frank Rozelle and drummer Kate Hennessey is back.
After a five-year absence, the popular Shelburne Falls band has reunited and its members are ready to rock the stage at The Root Cellar in Greenfield on Saturday at 8 p.m.
I recently connected with drummer Kate Hennessey and she shared a brief history of the band. About 10 years ago, musicians Batteau and Hennessey moved to Shelburne Falls to raise their daughter Alouette (who is now a rocker in her own right as drummer for the band Kalliope Jones). On a whim, Hennessey entered one of Batteau’s songs in a songwriting contest sponsored by radio station WRSI of Northampton.
She was surprised when the song made it to the finals and Batteau and his band were asked to perform it at a showcase the station was sponsoring. As pleased as they were by this prospect, it presented a bit of a problem — there was no band.
“We found Frank at Mocha Maya’s, quickly taught him six songs, and the band was born,” wrote Hennessey in an email exchange about the trio’s humble beginnings.
From that point on, Honky Thumbelina and Skinnyman played shows all over New England and developed a strong following on the local music scene. Their music, which they called “love rock,” is a soulful brand of rock punctuated by Batteau’s distinct vocals and inspiring songwriting, and is anchored by Rozelle’s creative work on the bass and Hennessey’s solid made-for-dancing beats.
They ultimately changed their name to The New Cosmology and now are known as People of the Forest, a name taken from their version of a hit single featuring lines like, “Somebody tell me where we can find some people who like quality time, not somebody who’ll just fall in line and leave their loves behind. We can’t wish these chains away we’ll be fighting til the end of our days. Our legs were made to shake up their minds. We’ll save the world with our behinds!”
The song, which Hennessey said they hoped would be a call to action, perfectly captures the spirit of this band.
But all things come to an end, and after a good five-year run the band called it a day.
Rozelle moved to Guatemala, where he embarked on a solo career, while Batteau continued to perform as a solo artist and also fronted his own band, Brook Batteau Band.
Hennessey worked with Robin Lane’s organization Songbird Sings and played the occasional gig with Lane. However, she said she mostly “hunkered down, coasting in the comfort of the Obama years.”
Last year, Rozelle returned home and for old times sake the group got together and played a set at the annual School Street Block Party in Shelburne Falls. The show turned out to be a whole lot of fun for both the band and the crowd that was literally dancing in the streets.
People of the Forest decided to do another show in early December at the Ashfield Lake House, which is owned by their friends and early supporters Chris and Dre Rawlings. But this show was different, because the world is now different, having experienced a seismic shift after the November election.
“The political climate had shifted far from where we wanted it to be; We found ourselves playing the old songs with a new purpose,” said Hennessey.
Next up for the band is the show at the Root Cellar, where special guests Jane Karras and James Smith will join it for a few tunes. For now, this is the only show People of the Forest has on the horizon.
“We’ve been joking that it’s our reunion tour — three shows, all within a 20-minute drive from home. We’ve got nothing else booked, but we’re all feeling kind of like we need to do something to resist the new regime. Music is really the only thing we’re good at, so I guess that’s what we’ll do.”
Music begins at The Root Cellar, 10 Fiske Ave. in Greenfield, at 8 p.m. $5. DJ CGI Swayzee will follow at 10 p.m.
Colorway kicks off winter series
During the winter months, the music scene has a tendency to slow down, but fortunately we live in such a musically rich area, there are still plenty of options out there.
One of these in the winter music series, presented by Wooden Fender, an offshoot of the Warwick Arts Council, is held at the Warwick Town Hall. The kick-off will be with Colorway performing Saturday, Jan 7, at 6 p.m., with a souper supper dinner and concert.
Wooden Fender began to meet in late summer 2005 in an effort to benefit the Jeff Wallace Library Music Fund.
That fall, it adopted the name Wooden Fender and in January 2006 hosted its first musical performance, Dr. G’s Good Medicine Band.
They have presented shows featuring all types of music, including R&B, blues, jazz, rock and even classical. Artists like Trailer Park, Charles Neville and the Skeletons Big Band are a few of the acts that have been part of this winter music series.
Colorway, a pop-rock group from Northampton, is looking forward to kicking off the series’ 2017 season by bringing their melodic, guitar-heavy tunes to Warwick.
The past year was a good one for the band, which wrapped up the year by playing two shows at the Parlor Room in Northampton as part of Northampton’s First Night celebration.
The packed standing-room-only shows saw people bopping in their seats and loudly clapping every time guitarist Alex Johnson delivered one of his trademark guitar solos.
The group led by Johnson, who is also the band’s vocalist and songwriter, spent the early part of 2016 settling in with its new lineup of Riley Godleski on drums and Matt Clegg on bass (replacing original members J.J. O’Connell, the drummer, and bassist Dave Hayes.) But as the year progressed so did the band, and they went on to open sold- out shows for Foreigner, The Yardbirds, Ian Hunter and Richard Lloyd, who called the band, “amazing and inspiring,” in addition to playing their own headlining shows throughout the Northeast.
As far as 2017 goes, the band is gearing up for more shows and plans to record a follow-up to their 2015 album, “The Black Sky Sequined.”
“I have been working on new songs and looking to the future,” said Johnson. “In fact, we have two brand new tunes in the rotation that will most definitely be on the next album we make (and are in the live show). I’m thinking that we’ll book some studio time somewhere this year and put out either a single or an EP. The winter is a great time to slow down and create, and I’m hoping for at least a few more tunes to add to the rotation by the spring.”
Remember to arrive early to Warwick Town Hall, Warwick Common on Route 78,, because all of these shows offer a supper before the show. For this event, The Warwick Arts Council will serve homemade soups, chili, breads and desserts, which will begin at 6 p.m.
The cost of the meal is $5 for adults and $3 for children. Then, head upstairs at 7 p.m. for a night of dancing to the tunes of Colorway.
There is a suggested donation of $5 for the music portion of the evening — that will help pay for the band and support Wooden Fender’s ongoing goal of presenting live music in Warwick.
The series will also feature:
Feb. 11— blues singer Janet Ryan
March (date TBA) — the funky Afrobeat sounds of Shokazoba
April 15 — jazz pianist Khalif Neville
You can also catch Colorway on Sunday, Jan. 22, at the Iron Horse Music Hall in Northampton. They will be opening for British guitarist Davy Knowles.
Sheryl Hunter is a music writer who lives in Easthampton. Her work has appeared in various regional and national magazines. You can contact her at soundslocal@yahoo.com