When people ask lead singer Sam Vlasich what kind of music Red Sky Mary plays, he always gives the same answer.
“I just like to say rock ’n’ roll. That’s really what it comes down to,” he said.
There could be no more accurate description of the band’s forthcoming album, “River Child,” which they’ll release with a show at Fury’s Publick House in Dover on Friday, May 15. At a time when many bands actively try to evade genre labels and tout their indefinable sounds, Red Sky Mary unapologetically delivers a raw, power-rock blast, echoing the classics of the late ’60s and ’70s.
“We live in our roots, really,” Vlasich said. “We love Aerosmith, Led Zeppelin, AC/DC.”
The influence of those bands is evident on “River Child,” featuring 10 original tracks gushing with rock bravado. Vlasich yowls and swaggers through each song, sounding like Bon Scott with the jagged edges sanded down to a smooth finish. His vocals take the spotlight, except when periodically eclipsed by a smoldering electric guitar solo by Tom Boisse. Tom’s dad, Gary Boisse, confidently mans the bass, while Barrett Goeman lays down a steady torrent on drums.
“River Child” is the band’s first release with Dallas-based label Carved Records. It was recorded in Chicago at Groovemaster Recording Studios with producers Matt Dougherty and Johnny K. The album’s polished sound cleanly captures the wild, raucous spirit of the songs. Although Red Sky Mary has three prior releases to its credit, this is their first with any national clout.
“We definitely look at it as a personal best out of anything we’ve released thus far,” Vlasich said. “The stage is home for us, so we’re still honing in on how to do what we do in the studio, but I definitely think this is a great representation of where the band’s at and what we’re trying to accomplish.”
The accomplishments are piling up for RSM. They’ve released two singles from “River Child,” first “Howl” and then “Gone,” and both have received considerable airplay on the radio. Last year, they opened for Buckcherry at the Hampton Beach Casino Ballroom, and they’ll join the L.A.-based rockers again on May 31 at the Rock the Block Music Festival in Lawrence, Mass. On June 27, they’ll open for Lynyrd Skynyrd and Blackberry Smoke at the Bank of New Hampshire Pavilion (formerly Meadowbrook). It will be their second time opening for Skynyrd at the venue, but at the first gig in 2013, they performed on the smaller Magic Hat Stage. This time around, they’ll be on the main stage.
“This year, it’s gonna be awesome to be on that giant stage,” Vlasich said.
Not bad for a band that formed at Exeter High School when its members were still teenagers. Vlasich and Tom Boisse have been best friends since they were 2 years old. (“We’re basically married at this point,” Vlasich said.) But, until his junior year in high school, Vlasich’s musical experience was confined to bedroom sessions singing Dropkick Murphys and Rancid into a hairbrush. Vlasich had been active in sports growing up, but his father, who coached many of his teams, died in 2002. Vlasich “needed a change of scenery,” he said.
When Boisse started a rock band, Vlasich signed on as lead singer. They called themselves the Sheer Decibels.
“It just seemed so cool to me, and it’s something that I thought would be really fun and awesome to do,” he said.
Goeman, who went to Somersworth High School, later joined the group, and they changed their name to Red Sky Mary. Their current lineup, with Gary Boisse on bass, has been in place for about five years.
“A lyrical theme is finding yourself, and finding what you want to do as opposed to being told what to do.” — singer Sam Vlasich
The band is gigging relentlessly this spring, and they’ve openly embraced the rock ’n’ roll lifestyle. For Vlasich, a typical evening begins with a honey-coated cup of tea to prep his vocal chords. But, by night’s end, he and his band mates have often switched to more potent beverages.
“It really depends how rowdy the crowd is. We really feed off what they’re doing, so if they’re drinking hard and dancing and doing it, we’re going to be right there with them. Always responsibly, of course,” he said.
“We’re endorsed by Jagermeister, too, so that definitely helps with the rowdiness,” he added.
Rocking is a full-time job for Red Sky Mary. The band members have other side gigs (Tom Boisse teaches guitar lessons at the Guitar Center in Portsmouth, for instance), but the band is their top priority. Their dedication to rock ’n’ roll liberation is reflected in the music on “River Child.”
In “Howl,” for instance, Vlasich sings: “It’s a prison cell, living in this hell. / I’m not staying, no, no, no. / Got to be free, and do what I please.” He literally howls during the refrain before shouting, “Howl at the moon in the dead of night.”
Goeman wrote the lyrics to “Howl,” but the other songs demonstrate a similarly defiant attitude.
“A lyrical theme is finding yourself, and finding what you want to do as opposed to being told what to do,” Vlasich said. “I think that’s one theme that’s touched upon in every song.”
What are Red Sky Mary’s goals going forward?
“Number one, to be the biggest rock ’n’ roll band of all time,” Vlasich said — and it was hard to tell if he was joking.
In the short-term, though, the band will focus on touring heavily and getting the new album into as many hands as possible. The release show at Fury’s should help with that. In the longer-term, Red Sky Mary hopes to get back in the studio and cut another album.
And they’re not the only band aiming to keep the rock coming. According to Vlasich, a number of young bands around the nation are cultivating a vintage rock sound and making it new again.
“We’re fortunate enough to be doing this at a time when it’s almost like a rock revival,” he said. “It’s really cool to be a part of that.”
Red Sky Mary’s CD release party takes place Friday, May 15, with opening band Watts, at Fury’s Publick House, 1 Washington St., Dover, 603-617-3633.
Top of page, left to right: drummer Barrett Goeman, singer Sam Vlasich, guitarist Tom Boisse, and bassist Gary Boisse of Red Sky Mary