BAND HISTORY
by Marc Roulier

BAND HISTORY
by Steve Dockery

Steve Dockery

Jeff Ganis

Marc Roulier

Paul Bergen

John Kuzel

The Pre- BNI years
Shortly after getting my first electric guitar at around age 13, I was asked by schoolmate and drummer Paul Bergen to join the band he was forming with his older brother Kevin on guitar. The band was called Intensity, named after one of the effects on Fender’s smallest and cheapest amp. In the first example of us being well ahead of our time, we began playing “classic rock” covers like Lucy in the Sky with Diamonds, Smoke on the Water and Taking care of Business in Paul’s basement. We were pretty sure this format would catch on in 25 years. It was not unusual to spend 5-6 hours playing the same 3-4 songs over and over again. Within one year we were playing at CYO parties and Junior High School dances. We would often play Smoke on the Water 3-4 times during a gig, since we felt it was our strongest song.

Like the White Stripes, we had no bass player nor did we feel a need for one.

Fast forward a few years -- I had moved to Connecticut in high school and Paul and I were in separate bands – his more successful than mine, but every once in a while I would sit in with his band, like when I played bass at Great Adventure (almost breaking Paul’s leg by slamming a car door on it before the gig).

At the University of Connecticut, I played in a popular cover band called Fallout, even opening for Clarence Clemons (Springsteen’s Sax player) at UCONN’s Spring concert in 1982. All the while, Paul and I never deviated from our master plan – get out of school, get jobs, and hook up with someone that could sing and write music so we could become rich and famous.

The BNI years
New Brunswick, circa 1985: I was rooming with Paul in a relatively upscale high rise apartment building that was infested with cockaroaches. For some reason, this didn’t really bother us and when our first year lease was up, we eagerly renewed.

We auditioned with as many local musicians as we could, seeking “the One” whose coattails we could ride to fame and fortune. We played with Kilgore Trout, and Punky, whose boyfriend kept a shoebox with evidence for his lawsuits against well-known country stars who had “stolen” his songs. Stevo and Marc of BNI were the first people we jammed with who did not have obvious mental problems, so we immediately agreed to join forces with them.

We played up and down the state in the original bar circuit, mostly playing during the week and rarely making any money. Our home base was the cool Court Tavern where we sometimes played and the very “un-cool” Corner Tavern, where we played most of our gigs. And I think that really characterized the band – there were much better and cooler bands in New Brunswick at that time, but we had a quirky pop sound and some catchy songs. I think what finally did us in was a lack of dedication and drive and just getting older. As Paul famously put it, “we almost made it to the bottom.”

Post –BNI
After BNI, I never played in an original band again. A few years after BNI broke up, Paul and I formed a cover band called The Nixons. For now I am content playing every Friday night at Doran’s pub with Prankster (www.pranksterrocks.com).