Heritage Explodes with Passion and Love for Music
by Christopher Manson
February 4, 2010 Issue

With seven band members from different backgrounds and musical influences, Heritage has given our music scene the shot of diversity it always needs. If the energy in their live performances and the 2009 CD Natural High don’t make you feel something, you should have yourself declared legally dead.

I hadn’t heard the guys live, but Natural High has been in heavy rotation for the past week. Everyone has raved about the band and the huge crowds they attract—among them, Bluz Grill & Bar’s Kelly Marshall, who has the band booked for Feb. 13’s Mardi Gras show.

The guys invited me to a rehearsal at TSC Productions in Fort Walton Beach, a pretty inconspicuous place until you walk in and find yourself blown away by all of owner Brendon Grimes’ high-tech sound and lighting equipment. “(Grimes) has been a huge backer, believing in us and helping us out with different stuff,” says percussionist David Posey.

Heritage’s origins can be traced back to Common Thread, a trio made up of Posey, guitarist Hunter Dawson and bassist Matt Moore. Lead singer Tony Verrecchia, ukulele player Damien Kealoha and backup vocalist Eric J Yra met and started jamming, and soon RJ “Animal” Hernandez—an old military acquaintance—joined in on drums. Dawson and his pals helped Verrecchia with a recording project in 2008, and soon the two groups merged.

“It used to be a real problem getting everybody in one spot at one time,” says Moore. But now “someone will start jamming, playing a couple of chords. I’ll play a bass line, and we’ll write a new song. Jam session magic!”

Heritage played its first gig last summer and soon found themselves playing regularly at HarborWalk Village (“A family vibe,” says Dawson). Gigs at Seaside, Club Overboard, Bluz and Pensacola’s Hopjacks followed. In November 2009, the band attracted one of the largest crowds for the Fudstock music festival, an event co-sponsored by the Beachcomber.

“The diversity of each one of us brings out the fan base,” says Posey. Verrecchia, who writes most of the lyrics, adds that Heritage plays “enough songs so that someone will like something.”

“I’m from an alternative rock background,” says Dawson. “Damien’s out of Hawaii, Matt’s a 311 guy, RJ’s from the other side of the border…it’s just weird. We look at each other and ask, ‘How did this mish-mash hodgepodge get together?’”

The band livelies up every room they play, whether it’s for a group of 30 bikers at Ms. Newby’s or 800-plus fans at The Swamp. “We have a blast every time,” says Dawson. “The friends and family always turn out.” And for an audience of three—me, Grimes, and another TSC Productions employee—the band gives their all for rousing takes on Bob Marley’s “War” and the originals “Natural High” and “Styrerr.”

Yra explains the band’s wide appeal. “I think we connect with a lot of people because we promote positive energy, even on the slow songs.”

“Our songs talk about stuff everyone goes through,” says Verrecchia. “Someone is going to feel that song.”

“The energy and the fun we have on stage, it’s like everyone coming to one of our barbecues to watch us practice and party with us,” says Hernandez. “If we opened that garage door, we’d have a bunch of people come up!”

The “meat” of the Natural High album was recorded in two or three days, says Dawson, “followed by four months of overdubs. It was a big learning curve for us.” Since the CD’s release—and I implore everyone to pick up a copy or download it—the band has undergone a change in management. There is no current management. Heritage is genuinely independent at this stage of their career, but they continue writing songs, even if they have put recording on hold for a bit. With each gig, the band gets tighter and tighter.

“We went in with this diversity of guys to put something together,” says Posey. “We knew from the beginning we were going to be playing together for a long time.”

The live gigs include lots of covers done the Heritage way—Citizen Cope, Sublime, Bob Marley, and even Men at Work’s “Down Under” with a killer hip-hop break.

“I got referred to as American reggae the other day,” says Verrecchia.

“We’re so not a reggae band,” says Dawson. “Someone said you sounded like Rob Thomas.”

“Who’s Rob Thomas?” Verrecchia asks.

Heritage’s upcoming gigs include the Mardi Gras show at Bluz Feb. 13 followed by Club Overboard Feb. 20. They will return to Bluz for St. Patrick’s Day, and hopefully turn up at plenty of other venues in the interim—at the very least, maybe they’ll open up that garage door for passersby.

The band is especially proud of its charitable efforts. “It’s not about making it big and being famous,” says Dawson. “We really do want to change the world and help people.”

“I was in the Air Force, and you kind of get ‘forced’ to do community service,” says Verrecchia. “Now I know why—they’re trying to make you a better person. Everyone in the band has given up money for charities. It’s good to see that. We’re always trying to give back.”

Dawson adds, “With these guys and these friendships, we know we’re going to do well if we stay focused on doing the right thing.”

YouTube Alert: Watch video of Heritage performing Bob Marley’s “War” and their brand new original “Styrerr” at www.youtube.com/beachcomberdestin.

MUSICIANS FOR HAITI
Dr. Breeze writes: Hey Everyone!! CD Baby (www.cdbaby.com) is an online record company that deals with independent artists like me. It is my main music distribution outlet, and every once and a while, I get a nice check for record sales. They have an amazing accounting system that allows me to track sales, and it’s interesting to see how many sales I have abroad. Of course, most of the sales are from the U.S., but even folks from Australia, Europe and the Middle East buy my music.

The most popular way the music is sold now is through downloads where it may be purchased one song at a time or the entire album at a great discount because you get the music only, not the physical CD.

Yesterday, I got an email from CD Baby telling me that they are contributing $1 from each album download sale beginning Jan. 25, and continuing for two weeks to the American Red Cross and Mercy Corps to go toward the Haitian earthquake relief. When Katrina hit my hometown of New Orleans a few years ago, I contributed all of the proceeds from the sale of my music. I have decided to contribute all the proceeds from record sales beginning Jan. 25 and continuing for one month to the American Red Cross for the benefit of the Haitian earthquake relief effort. If you don’t own any Dr. Breeze music yet, now is a great time to share the love, enjoy some really good music written and produced by yours truly and help out in this worthwhile humanitarian effort.

SHAMELESS SELF-PROMOTION
The Beat teams up with 30A Television for The Beachcomber Beat with performances by local musicians, interviews, information on upcoming events and much more. Check out Michelle Allen’s interviews with Soup Sandwich and Beachcomber Music Award nominees Roshambo and the Forrest Williams Band at www.30atelevision.com.

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