Seminal Lansing
Band Keeps the Blues Alive in Lansing
Story by LCC Radio Staff Reporter Karen Hopper
“We are a great blues band, if you’ll excuse me saying that,” says
Root Doctor organist, keyboard player, and back-up vocalist Mike
Skory. He describes the seminal Lansing band as “The Allman Brothers
meets the
Temptations”
and says, “We really believe in having people dance, so a lot of our
original material, you can shake a leg to it, and that’s what we
want. We all did grow up in Michigan and Motown music has just been
infused into us. It’s like blood. We can’t escape it even when we
try.”
Root Doctor got its start in 1989 through the Lansing open mic
scene. Original members were Skory (Hammond organ and keyboards),
lead vocalist and front man Freddie Cunningham, bass guitarist James
Williams, Dick Rosemont on drums and Scott Allman on guitar. Skory
left the band for many years due to work commitments but returned
four years ago, bringing Bill Malone with him. The current lineup
consists of original members Freddie Cunningham, James Williams, and
Mike Skory. Bill Malone on guitar and Bobby Gardner on drums round
out the lineup.
20 Years of Changes
Skory calls the music business “a lot more
entrepreneurial” than it used to be. “When you play a job, it’s very
rare that you rely on someone else to get the crowd for you. Each
band and musician has to market themselves. You’re in a constant
wave of marketing.”
Skory says that Root Doctor benefits from some of the new tools
available to musicians--and he’s not talking about Facebook or
Auto-tune. Instead, he’s speaking as a businessman. In addition to
touring and playing local gigs, Root Doctor relies on iTunes and CD
Baby for additional revenue.
Also, “keyboards are lighter than they used to be,” Skory jokes.
Strong Vocals
All of the band members in Root Doctor are
also vocalists. “The other guys in the band, they’ve been
lead
singers in their own right, so our harmonies come together and are
strong,” says Skory.
But “Fred’s voice is the Root Doctor. He’s got a one in a million
voice. No one sings like that anymore. Honest to god--I don’t know
anyone,” says Skory, whose own voice brims with admiration when
discussing Cunningham.
“Fred’s a great blues shouter,” says Skory, “but also a great ballad
singer.”
A Crowd-pleasing Set List and Active Fan Base
Skory describes Root Doctor as a no-drama band,
but their show is not without a sense of theatrics and
tension-building. While their set list varies according to the
particular gig, typically, they start a set with a shuffle, sans
Cunningham. They move into
The Blues Will Take Care of You, a track off of their first
album, and then Cunningham is introduced. From there, says Skory,
“we keep it upbeat.”
And the crowd in Lansing? They like to dance. Skory wouldn’t call
them rowdy, “but they do like to shake it. They’ll be out dancing
pretty quick. Doesn’t take much!”
“Toward the end of the set, we get into the crowd pleasers.” These
songs include Dark Eyes, a “big sounding tune” off of their
most recent CD, Joy.
“Detroit City goes over real
good. It was written by a local musician called Jeff Baldori,” says
Skory. They also play an Allman Brothers cover,
Soul Shine,” that is popular with fans.
Except they don’t call them fans. They call them friends. Root
Doctor has been active for more than twenty years, and their friends
are loyal. Skory says local fans help the band promote their events
and albums.
Root Doctor may be their own biggest fans. “Ya gotta be, don’t ya?”
laughs Skory. But when Skory sings Cunningham’s praises or raves
about the local songwriters who appear on Root Doctor recordings,
what comes across is far from ego and bravado. It’s all about joy,
enthusiasm, and a love for the music.
Tapping Local Resources for the Next Album
“Lansing seems to be a very creative place
right now; people writing and playing their own songs,” says Skory.
And Root Doctor takes advantage of all of that creative energy and
the wealth of talent they find in the community.
Detroit City is by Baldori. Dave Matchette contributed
harmonica to Dark Eyes. Horns were by Those Delta Rhythm
Kings. They’ve tapped Holt-based lyricist Lisa Bonotto to pen many
of the songs on their upcoming album, due out near the beginning of
the summer season. Jason Strotheide from the Hoopties is
contributing a song to the upcoming album. And Glenn Brown of GBP
Studios in East Lansing will record their next album, as he has
recorded all of their previous albums.
When Root Doctor finds themselves in need of a new band member, they
don’t need auditions. It’s simply a matter of picking a friend.
“People just kind of appear! There’s not a science to it,” says
Skory. “We know all the musicians in town, so they’ve kind of
already auditioned.”