The Nighthawks – 9/22

Legendary blues and roots rock band THE NIGHTHAWKS is heading back to Syracuse September 22. The Nighthawks was an idea in Mark Wenner’s brain long before he was able to implement it. The musical product of pre-1958 radio in Washington, D.C., he did not know there were rules against mixing blues, R&B, honky-tonk country, doo-wop, gospel, and rockabilly into one delicious stew. The current lineup for The Nighthawks is: Mark Wenner: Vocals, Harmonica Mark Stutso: Drums, Vocals Sol Roots: Bass Dan Hovey: Guitar, Vocals In 1972, Mark, then 23, returned to his hometown after a New York City band apprenticeship eager to start a real, work-every-night band based on American roots music. He found a receptive local scene. Washington has long been a musical melting pot of the kind that made Memphis the source point for the evolution of American music in the second half of the 20th century. It just never had a Stax or Sun record label to tell the world. As the city exploded with an influx of people from all the surrounding states during the Great Depression and World War II, Washington became a hotbed of musical cross-fertilization. When Bill Haley first brought his wacky Pennsylvania mix of hillbilly music and rhythm and blues to D.C. in 1952, people got it. And white kids like Mark found the Howard Theater – now recently restored and part of the historic top tier of the Chitlin’ Circuit that included Baltimore’s Royal, Chicago’s Regal, and New York’s Apollo – just a 25-cent bus ride away from the suburbs. The Founding Quartet The original Nighthawks lineup solidified in mid-1974. Bringing together frontmen Mark Wenner and the young Jimmy Thackery with a veteran rhythm section, Jan Zukowski on bass and Pete Ragusa on drums, the quartet ruled the highways and honky-tonks until Jimmy’s departure in 1986 to pursue a solo career. The band opened many doors and forged many touring routes for their contemporaries, including the Fabulous Thunderbirds, Stevie Ray Vaughan, and Robert Cray, and played with as many Blues and Rockabilly legends as they could. They opened show after show for Muddy Waters, James Cotton, and Carl Perkins, and backed up and recorded with John Hammond and Pinetop Perkins. The first years after Jimmy’s departure were a bit under the radar. Mark, Jan, and Pete soldiered on, taking on such roles as Elvin Bishop’s East Coast band (from Halifax, Nova Scotia, to Key West) and becoming the backing band of choice for the Rosebud Agency’s showcase tours with John Lee Hooker, Elvin Bishop, John Hammond and Pinetop Perkins. After a series of guitarists of the month that included Warren Haynes and Steuart Smith, a collaboration with Wet Willie frontman Jimmy Hall led to several years with a solid quintet that also included guitarist Jimmy Nalls (Sea Level, D.C. Dog). That version of the band never released any recordings, although if you order Jimmy Nalls’ CD from his website he will include a free live show of the Nighthawks from New York’s Bottom Line during that era. The next iteration of the group saw a young Bob Margolin protégé from Chapel Hill, Danny Morris, step in as guitarist with the original three members, bringing the band back to a quartet. Morris stayed four years before leaving to pursue his love of surf guitar. He was followed in that role by Upstate New Yorker Pete Kanaras. Nine years later, Pete Kanaras left, and Jan Zukowski signed on with the Fabulous Hubcaps, a popular East Coast oldies show band. Pete Ragusa stayed until 2010, opting to work closer to home as a freelance player and producer. A Team of Veteran Players Mark Stutso spent nearly two decades with former Nighthawk Jimmy Thackery. Before that he played in a number of big and small-time rock bands, including Ruffryder – a spin-off of Black Oak Arkansas – and Virginia Beach-based Trix. Originally from deep in West Virginia and Southwest Virginia, Mark put in five years in the coal mines before escaping into his drum kit. He lives in Pittsburgh and has collaborated with the late Glenn Pavone and Norman Nardini. His vocals are a force to be reckoned with. Blues Music Award In 2009, Sirius XM’s Bill Wax, having heard that The Nighthawks were playing some acoustic shows, invited the band to record some live tracks for his “B.B. King’s Bluesville” channel. In less than two hours, the band cut almost a dozen tunes. A week later, Bill handed them a mixed version with permission to release. After Bill Wolf’s magic-touch in the mastering, Last Train to Bluesville was released on RipBang Records. With the able assistance of publicist Mark Pucci and radio promoter Todd Glazer, the CD won Acoustic Album of the Year at the Blues Foundation’s Blues Music Awards in Memphis in May 2011. After 40 years, The Nighthawks are still having a Damn Good Time. And so will you. Listen up! DOORS: 5:30PM SHOWTIME: 7:00PM TICKET INFO: The 443 is an intimate listening room with table service that seats 75 people. The green squares/circles on the floor plan are bar-height tables, and the orange squares are regular-height tables. Most of our seats are sold as “Tables for Two” – meaning the ticket admits TWO people. We have a limited number of single seats available, and single attendees may be sharing a table with other single attendees. Multiple tickets purchased under the same name will automatically be seated together (up to 6 people). Requesting a specific table is a perk reserved for our VIP Patron members. If you’re interested in supporting our mission, you can find membership information HERE. If anyone in your party needs special seating arrangements – walker, cane, service animal, wheelchair, low table requirement, or you want to be seated with another party – please email us after you place your order, and we’ll make it happen. All tickets are “WILL CALL” – no need to print anything out, just give your name at the door.