“Slowly but surely, the Sea Monsters have become one of Boston’s best, most inspired bands. Founded by Celtic rocker Christian McNeill and blue-eyed soul singer extraordinaire Jesse Dee, the Sea Monsters always deliver a varied, high-energy evening. It’s hard to describe how good these guys have gotten. They’re full of Boston all-stars and they prove it every time they play.” – STEVE MORSE,
Monster’s Ball (Jeff Wallace)
A local collective moves on from an award-winning residency
Thursday, December 23, 2010
Photo: Michael Spencer
THERE’S NO OTHER BAND IN BOSTON THAT CAN DELIVER a live experience quite like Sea Monsters. The group, gathering, collective—whatever you want to call it—is the ultimate mix of local talent, multiple generations deep, and always evolving. As individuals these players are all accomplished and supremely confident. Put them in the same room and the pieces naturally fall into place. Humility, passion, and raw persona all come through, and songs are built and served with the utmost respect for the creators. Sometimes, the biggest fans of the band are the players themselves.
For the past three and a half years, Sea Monsters have been a constant in the Boston music community. With just shy of 200 shows on the books, the group’s Sunday-night residency at Precinct is a well-known hot spot for anyone who cares about local live music (winner of best live ongoing residency at the 2011 Boston Music Awards). After a few shows you’ll recognize some familiar faces. Union Square is a tidy sprawl with only a handful of bars, all of them worthy watering holes and most with music. And a lot of those familiar faces are musicians from other bands.
You can only turn so many pages until it’s time to move on to the next chapter. From a business standpoint, it’s tough to make moves when you’re tied down to a weekly gig. It can be the kiss of death when trying to book other shows around town. Plus with this group, each member has other duties, whether managing solo careers or splitting time between other bands. These guys are some of the most in-demand players in town.
Christian McNeill, a native of Derry, Northern Ireland, and a Boston resident for more than a decade, is the group’s firebrand, a rowdy wild card sporting an arsenal of dark rock numbers and heart-pumping slower cuts. McNeill has a knack for matching up syllables and forming memorable hooks. “I guess I’m just older now/I guess I’m just older now/I don’t give a damn about what, where, when/who, why, or how,” is a good one. Hear it once and you’ll know it forever.
Jesse Dee, who, along with McNeill co-founded the group, is the soul wunderkind, equipped with pipes that’ll woo you to the bone. All of the convenient comparisons come to mind—Al Green, Sam Cooke, Otis Redding. But that’s not what’s important. How many kids are out there singing soul music? Already a fixture at Euro-soul festivals, Dee is landing bigger shows stateside, including opening slots for Al Green and Etta James. He’s also playing two shows at the Regattabar in February. Anytime Dee belts out a chorus or a charmingly honest line, I’m always saying, “Yeah that’s right.” The beauty of soul music is that it’s highly emotional and easily relatable. Dee’s material is no exception.
A solid crew rounds out the band. Lyle Brewer, husband of the righteous roots singer Sarah Borges, plays lead guitar. Mike Miksis might be one of the best bassists in town next to Mike Rivard (Club d’Elf). Keyboardist Benjamin Zecker throws in classy surges. Brothers Scott and John Aruda could play horns with any band. They get around, a lot. And drummer Thomas Arey is also the backbone of Nate Wilson Group, a rock-jam group building steam of late. Then there are the guests, an all-star list that includes master song crafters like Tim Gearan, Dennis Brennan, Jimmy Ryan, Will Dailey, Sarah Borges, Miss Tess, Ward Hayden (Girls Guns & Glory), Rex Hussman, and Dwight and Nicole. The list is always growing.
Sea Monsters will continue. Studio time is in the works and a debut album is due out sometime in the fall of 2011 (update: the band’s debut single, “Zero” will drop on May 19 on Q Division Records). As always, there will be shows; this band was built to play live. Now there’s room for bigger affairs at different clubs across town. Precinct, a unique spot that used to be Somerville police headquarters, will still get the nod on long weekends. There’s no place like home.
I always hate to throw around the word “scene,” but this was one of the strongest communities I’ve been a part of—an honest group of talented people looking for a release, always ready to share an idea or contact. And it extended beyond the guys (and girls) playing the music. I can’t tell you how many good people I’ve met by just going to these shows. Lately I’ve been telling people, if you want to observe the Boston music community in action, head to Precinct on Sunday night.