JOHN SULLIVAN BRIGADE: jsb press clips

Even In Rock, Change Is Good
NEWSDAY / Music
THE LONG ISLAND SOUND / Glenn Gamboa
May 15, 2011

John Sullivan is ready for a change.

After nearly two decades of indie rock, culminating in the release of the rock opera "Live My Dream Rock True" with the John Sullivan Brigade earlier this year, the Garden City singer-songwriter says he's ready to try something else.

"In 2011, the word 'rock' is a generic music term everyone uses," he says. "It's such a shame that there's such a small market for the rock music genre right now. . . . It's time for me to try out my new country/Americana songs. I'm 47. Change is good right now."

Sullivan still holds out hope that his rock opera, which got airplay on 70 stations, will find an audience. He's been talking with some Broadway producers about turning it into a musical. "The potential is definitely there," he says. "It's loosely semiautobiographical -- about five guys in a band nobody knows who win a songwriting contest and become famous faster than they can imagine."

However, after two years of writing the rock opera's 24 songs, Sullivan says he's more interested in playing music for a wider audience. "I can only write the music," he says. "I can't force people to play it. I can't buy the radio station."

Sullivan plans to head to Nashville later this year to record a new album, more in the style of The Band and Bob Dylan, but in a way that reflects his interest in Dierks Bentley and Jason Aldean.

"Sometimes, it's hard to let go," he says. "I'm not afraid. I'm looking forward to something new."

(John Sullivan plays Mike Ferrari's Aural Fix Edition of The Rock Show on WCWP 88.1-FM at 7 p.m. Tuesday.)
##

GOOD TIMES Magazine
Issue 1014


THE JOHN SULLIVAN BRIGADE: Concept Album Fever

Who: The John Sullivan Brigade is an original New York classic rock veteran quintet from western Long Island, consisting of vocalist/pianist/guitarist John Sullivan, drummer Steve Glover, guitarist Russ Rogers, saxophonist Johnny Leone and bassist/vocalist George Gelish. Profiled in Newsday and reviewed by All Music Guide, they have performed at NYC and LI festivals and shows alongside top recording artists. The JSB will release a double CD ‘concept album’ in early 2010 with rock producer Robert ‘Void’ Caprio and has launched a 2009 online fundraising campaign for their third project.

The Artists and Their Sound: Formed in 2005 as a "fresh voice" for the 35-and-over crowd who still love hard rock music, the John Sullivan Brigade first began with Sully developing his niche on the unforgiving New York City metro club circuit in the mid-1990s. When Sullivan decided to organize his first solo-fronted band, the Pete Townshend-influenced songwriter knew he had to bring in musicians with unique classic rock chops. Sullivan accomplished that with the Brigade, as Gelish's mix of melodic backing vocals and rhythmic bass, Leone's swirling tenor, soprano and alto saxophone sounds, Glover's three-plus decades of power drumming and experiences and Rogers's acoustic and electric guitar stylings add to Sully’s raucous vocals and power-chord dominating guitar and piano attack.

Although the self-titled, 2005 ten-song release gave the JSB its footing for the NYC’s M.E.A.N.Y Festival and a gig with Squeeze’s Glenn Tilbrook out on Long Island’s East End, the lineup was not complete until 2008’s A Sound Opportunity For Your Last Music Purchase. The difference was noticeable at Sabella Studios and Hollow Body Studios, as their sessions introduced harmonies, sax, pedal steel guitar and mandolin. After appearing at the Great South Bay Music Festival, Sully completed home demos for a 23-song, double CD 'concept album' scheduled for early 2010. Tentatively titled ‘JSB3’, this project could put the JSB on the rock music map. The JSB is in pre-production and recording demos for Void, a two-decade engineer/producer on major artists' projects (Carly Simon, Peter Gabriel, Live, Megadeth), L.I.'s hot band Push Play and doing sound on the David Cook ('American Idol') / Ryan Star ('Rock Star: Supernova') Spring 2009 tour.

With the success that one indie musician had in raising $75,000 in just 2 months time via her 2008 donation site, the John Sullivan Brigade has set up their own 2009 donation blog site for their fans via online donation company ChipIn to help pay for their 2010 studio expenses. The JSB hopes their loyal fans, who will be offered unique items in return for their donation (from a pre-released CD to a fan actually playing on a track with the JSB!), will come through with pledges during 2009.

The Songs on the Recent Album: There are 12 songs on the JSB’s A Sound Opportunity For Your Last Music Purchase, notably the rock swinging groove on “In Control”, their power ballad “Green Light Your Love Life”, the hard rocking “Dead End”, the orchestrated sounds of “Beyond This Sun, and the honky tonk vibe of “This Is My Time” with all JSB songs available on Apple iTunes, CD Baby and MySpace.

To Learn More About the Band: The band will do a rare ‘all ages’ recording at Mirelle’s ($10; 170 Post Ave., Westbury, NY) on Thurs., July 9 at 8pm. Visit the web site at www.johnsullivanbrigade.com with a web link to their 2009 auction site to raise money for the 2010 third CD at http://johnsullivanbrigade2009musicproject.blogspot.com. Contact Sully at rockjf@aol.com to get the JSB for festivals, movie soundtracks, radio interviews, benefit events, etc.

GEARS OF ROCK

October 17, 2008
A Sound Opportunity For Your Last Music Purchase (2007) -- The John Sullivan Brigade

by Mike SOS

It’s no surprise that Long Island native John Sullivan takes quite a few cues from a certain famous Long Island piano man on the 12-track album A Sound Opportunity For Your Last Music Purchase. However, the five piece The John Sullivan Brigade rounds out the obvious influence with a slew of other classic rock luminaries such as George Thorogood and Jackson Browne on cuts like the wistful “In Control” and the saxophone and guitar driven barroom rock of “Dead End,” even going so far as laying down a ballad worthy for a Happy Days sock hop on “Praying For,” and taking snippets of “19th Nervous Breakdown” to comprise the cool faded-out “Reflection #203.” No frills rock ‘n roll played without pretense best describes this unit whose latest offering fits snugly in between your Springsteen and Rolling Stones collection. http://www.johnsullivanbrigade.com/

--Mike SOS

LONG ISLAND PULSE
by Steve Matteo
June 1, 2008

Rock Opportunity Knocking -- If it isn’t enough to lead one of the best bands on Long Island, and having just released the excellent second album of his group The John Sullivan Brigade (A Sound Opportunity For Your Last Music Purchase on South Tenth Records), John Sullivan of Garden City has also just published his second book, the rock novel Opportunity Rocking, a followup to his debut novel Rock and Roll Murder. This man for all seasons will not be resting on his laurels, though, as he has two more books in the works and plans for a theatrical musical. Oh, and of course he and his band will be playing out across Long Island and beyond.

THE DULUTH BUDGETEER By Matthew R. Perrine
April 24, 2008

Classic Rock From the Empire State

If rock ‘n’ roll is a young man’s game, just who do the guys in the John Sullivan Brigade think they are?

Led by 40-something studio everyman (and author, interestingly enough) Sullivan, this Garden City, N.Y., group has really hammered out quite a nice sound for itself.

In fact, its latest release, “A Sound Opportunity for Your Last Music Purchase,” is one of the most refreshing examples of straight-up classic rock since “Boys and Girls in America,” the Hold Steady’s 2006 opus.

While the Brigade is nowhere near as quirky as Craig Finn and pals (and, thus, decidedly less blogged about), it shares a certain winning affectation with that Brooklyn-by-way-of-Minneapolis supergroup: an overall sense that each and every member of the group has had at least one life-affirming “moment” with a Bruce Springsteen record in their lives.

That said, beyond all the Boss-worthy numbers on “A Sound Opportunity,” highlights abound on the record. Chief among them are “Green Light Your Love Life,” in all of its Gary Portnoy-evoking timelessness, and “Beyond This Sun,” a track so powerful that mere words don’t even start to do it justice: Coming in somewhere between a plaintive Randy Newman track (back when he was respectable) and the Who’s rare gem “When I Was a Boy,” this beautiful Sullivan-penned track redefines what music can do for one’s soul.

And, while it’s hard to top something that monumental, the rest of “A Sound Opportunity” manages not to disappoint.

THE CELEBRITY CAFE April 22, 2008
Reviewer: C.J. Trent
Reviewer's Rating: 8.5/10.0

The John Sullivan Brigade presents their second album, A Sound Opportunity for Your Last Music Purchase, which is, in fact, a sound opportunity for a last music purchase. With an excellent pianist, saxophone riffs and really great chord progressions, Sound Opportunity for Your Last Music Purchase stands out.

John Sullivan on vocals, guitar, piano and harmonica, with band members Steve Glover on drums and percussion, Russ Rogers on mandolin, guitar and pedal steel guitar, Johnny Leone on tenor, alto and soprano saxophone, and George Gelish on backing vocals and bass, form a talented batch of musicians who are able to smoothly meld their individual styles into one unique and appealing sound.

This album has a number of great tracks, but the ones that really stand out are “Star,” “Beyond the Sun” and “In Control.” “Star” displays some amazing keyboard techniques reminiscent of Ben Folds, and the chord progressions used make this track incredibly catchy. “Beyond the Sun” creates a poignant melody featuring violin that seems to evoke a choir-like, “Kumbaya” feel, but without the requisite cloying message. “In Control,” with its guitar and saxophone riffs, reflects back to Jerry Lee Lewis and Chuck Berry favorites, and is an unforgettable track.

The John Sullivan Brigade creates a distinct sound that seems to recall '50s rock ‘n roll with a modern twist, evidenced by the band’s influences: Stevie Ray Vaughan, Bruce Springsteen, Ben Folds Five, The Who, R.E.M., U2, the Rolling Stones and the Beatles.

Buying A Sound Opportunity for Your Last Music Purchase would be a “sound opportunity,” and this retro rock album would be a great addition to any music collection.

ALL MUSIC GUIDE April 16, 2008
By Greg Prato
3 1/2 stars (out of 5)

Musical trends may come and go, but one style you can always count on ‘til the end of time will be ‘bar band rock n' roll.'

Every town in the U.S. has a bar band — sounding quite a lot like John Cafferty and the Beaver Brown Band at their peak. And the 2008 release by the John Sullivan Brigade, ‘A Sound Opportunity for Your Last Music Purchase,' shows that the five man group is Long Island, New York's contribution to the aforementioned genre.

Just give a listen to such tough n' rockin' tracks as "Heart and Soul" and "Dead End," and you'll be able to easily picture yourself meeting up with friends for a Friday or Saturday night of fun at the local bar. And there's even a tender moment or two included, such as the piano and string tear jerker, "Beyond This Sun." But by and large, the John Sullivan Brigade (who take their name from the group's singer/guitarist), stick close to the earlier described musical direction.

ARTS & ENTERTAINMENT
Author lives out his own rock and roll fantasy
By Rafer Guzman, NEWSDAY
April 4, 2008

If you've ever had a friend who moonlights in a local band, he might resemble a guy named Mark Deluxe.

Deluxe is 39, happily married, gainfully employed, mostly settled in life, except for a nagging dream that refuses to fade away. It's the dream of being a rock star, and it causes Deluxe to do some silly things, such as play guitar in a band called Artificial Pickle and drop a bundle of dough on a rock music "fantasy camp" in the hopes of getting friendly with famous musicians.

As it happens, Deluxe is a fictional character in the book "Opportunity Rocking," but you can meet his creator, John Sullivan, when he reads from his self-published novel at 8 tonight at Book Revue in Huntington.

Sullivan, 44, of Garden City, works as marketing director for a Manhattan financial firm by day but sings and plays guitar in The John Sullivan Brigade at night. He, too, knows the slim rewards of playing in small clubs, and it so happens he once spent a few thousand dollars on a fantasy camp in Manhattan to meet Roger Daltrey of The Who.

Sullivan's new book isn't a memoir, though it may be more autobiographical than his first effort (also self-published), "Rock and Roll Murder." And if the fantasy camp detail seems a bit close to home, well, Sullivan says he had to find some way for a well-known and unknown musician to meet. "So, hey, fantasy camp - there you go."

The new novel, about a wannabe, a once-was and a woman caught in the middle, was a labor of love, written over two years during late nights while Sullivan's wife and two children slept or while commuting on the Long Island Rail Road. At the same time, the book gave Sullivan ideas for lyrics, which sometimes turned into songs for the Brigade.

"He's a Renaissance man," says bassist George Gelish, 52, of his band mate. "I think the future belongs to guys like us who can do it themselves and get themselves out there."

Sullivan doesn't necessarily want to be the next Nelson DeMille. His book is just one part of a broader plan to turn his classic-rock-inflected band - which includes Steve Glover on drums, Russ Rogers on guitar and Johnny Leone on saxophone - into a nationally-known act. To that end, Sullivan is making the Book Revue event a group effort: The five musicians will not only perform a song but act out a passage from the novel.

Sullivan has two more rock books in the works - a comedy and what he calls a "historical memoir" - plus plans for a Broadway-style musical."I don't sleep well at night because I'm always thinking of something," Sullivan says. "I go to bed at two o'clock in the morning and then I pass out on the train in the morning on the way to work. But you know, you only go around once."

FANFARE
It Was 40 Years Ago…
No one outranks Sgt. Pepper
By RAFER GUZMÁN
rafer.guzman@newsday.com

June 3, 2007

Every few years, rock critics like myself are asked to mark the anniversary of the greatest album of all time, The Beatles' "Sgt. Pepper's Lonely Hearts Club Band." This year, with that classic disc reaching the ripe old age of 40, I had an idea: What better way to celebrate than to hear it the way it was meant to be heard - on vinyl, spinning atop a turntable?

In June 1967, when the album was released, that would have been a simple task. In 2007, however, it proved tricky. I had to make a few calls to find anyone who possessed the album, as opposed to the CD. I also had to hunt around for a turntable.

But with a little help from my friends, I succeeded - and on a warm night in late May, a group of folks gathered with me at Sabella Recording Studios in Roslyn Heights to take a journey with Lucy, Mr. Kite, Lovely Rita and the gang.

Our group ranged in age from early teens to mid-50s, providing a gamut of perspectives. Jim Sabella, 56, is the owner of Sabella Studios. John Sullivan, 43, a Garden City rock musician and novelist, brought the album, which he borrowed from a friend. Danny Ross, 22, is a budding pianist-songwriter from Melville. The youngest listener was Sullivan's 15-year-old son, Dylan, who had never heard "Sgt. Pepper's" at all.

We began by bombarding Dylan with Beatles trivia and discussing the album's backstory: In 1965, The Beatles' "Rubber Soul" lit a competitive spark in The Beach Boys, who actually held prayer sessions to ask God for an album as good. The result was their heady 1966 disc "Pet Sounds." That gave The Beatles an even higher hurdle to clear, and they did so with "Sgt. Pepper's," which was released in the United States on June 1, 1967.

We wondered why every concept album that came afterward, from Pink Floyd's "The Wall" to Green Day's "American Idiot," never surpassed "Sgt. Pepper's." We decided that The Beatles were not only brilliant, they were first.

Later bands outdid them in terms of complexity and technology, but there's no way to recreate the stunning impact of an innovation.

With that, Sabella plopped the disc onto a Thorens TD 165 turntable connected to a pair of Altec Big Red speakers, and we sat back to listen.

As the title track established the album's theme - a "concert" of sorts - Ross noted that this concept album doesn't have much of a concept. "Any of these songs could be on any of the other albums," he said. "But because they said, 'We're Sgt. Pepper's Lonely Hearts Club Band,' and because they were The Beatles, they got away with it."

Next came Ringo Starr singing the wry, slightly risque "With a Little Help From My Friends," followed by the foggy, dreamy "Lucy in the Sky With Diamonds." Ross, who had only heard the album on CD, had an epiphany: "There are some effects in here I've never heard before," he said, noting George Harrison's distorted guitar and John Lennon's hazy vocals.

We tapped our toes to "Getting Better," then drifted into "Fixing a Hole." Next came "She's Leaving Home," a poignant short story set to music. "Being for the Benefit of Mr. Kite!" didn't elicit many comments: Perhaps the song's circus motif, so popular in the psychedelic '60s, seemed dated.

And then Sabella did something many of us hadn't done in years, and others of us had never done at all: He picked up the album and flipped it over.

Now we discussed side two's opening track, Harrison's raga drone "Within You, Without You." I judged it a weak spot, but Sullivan disagreed: "This is like the intermission during the show when I go out and get my popcorn," he said. "Then I come back, and I'm ready for a whole new thing."

The mood shifted with the jaunty "When I'm Sixty-Four," followed by "Lovely Rita," with its intentionally wobbly piano lines. Sabella held up a finger: "Right here," he said, indicating the moment when the song switches from upbeat pop tune to bizarre sexual freak-out.

That led to "Good Morning Good Morning." We got a kick out the daffy animal noises and especially the last stray chicken-cluck that morphs into a guitar-squeal, kicking off the fast-moving reprise of the title track.

Then we braced ourselves for the existential grandeur of "A Day in the Life." Of the opening drumrolls, Ross whispered, "I get the chills every time." We fell silent, concentrating on Lennon's mournful verses and McCartney's quick-paced interludes. The orchestra reached its unbearable crescendo, and at least one of us visibly shuddered at the whomping piano chord that ended the album. (Indeed, it seemed to end everything.) Lasting nearly one minute, it's perhaps the most famous final chord in pop history.

For some reason, we all turned to Dylan. "What did you think?" I asked him. I noticed he was curiously inspecting the album's colorful, gatefold sleeve, much the way kids his age probably did 40 years ago.

"It was better than a lot of the stuff I listen to," he admitted. "It was different."

If You Want To Make A Living You Have to Do It Yourself -- An Interview with John Sullivan
THE IMPROPER MAGAZINE

by Ray Casazza
June 2005

John Sullivan of The John Sullivan Brigade is still what you would call a new “old-comer” to the music business. At 41, the New York-based singer and guitarist has released his first self-titled solo CD with a supporting backup band. The 10-song CD, featuring Steve Glover on drums, Kelly Tyrrel on bass, Gary Sherman on backing vocals, Jim Graseck on violin and Russ Rogers on guitar, is a return to his roots -- classic hard rock. Sullivan discusses his new CD.
IMPROPER MAGAZINE: From your bio, you're 41 years old and you're coming out with your first solo CD backed by a supporting band after several years of little success with previous band efforts. Why are you still at it?

JOHN SULLIVAN: I guess I’m a glutton for punishment because I think I'm a step away from making it in the music biz. The deal is I've been working full-time jobs that have helped me support my family and my music. But my group of friends, the ones in the 35-to-54 demographic category, doesn’t have a whole lot of new rock artists they want to listen to. I'm hoping they can accept a new artist like us that plays hard rock that they can identify with.
IM: Many bands start out in their 20s and are finished by their 30s. So you think there's a chance you can get enough older people interested in this new CD.

JS: Hey, there are a lot of us out there that don't relate to new music. I'm banking on those who want something new from their own generation's tastes. I mean I won't deny hard rock is not the easiest genre or audience to sell to but I think if the quality is there and we can get a few radio stations and industry people to take a chance and listen to what we have to offer, I think we can be successful.
IM: What were some of your musical influences growing up?

JS: In junior high, I started listening to rock and the four biggies in rock – The Beatles, The Rolling Stones, The Who and Led Zeppelin. Then I formed my first rock band and stayed with it into college. My biggest influence? The Who. They seemed to have the right blend of songwriting, stage presence, volume and humor.
IM: So how did the idea for The John Sullivan Brigade come about?

JS: After several years and enough different lineups, I wanted to take a different approach. My old material was much heavier and we used volume to cover up some of our shortcomings. But the band ran its course -- just time to move on. I was thinking about what to do when I got to do this rock fantasy camp in NYC and jam and talk with my all-time fave rock singer, Roger Daltrey of The Who. I got to do a duet with him in the studio, jammed onstage with him, and got some major coverage in a newspaper about the whole experience. And the coverage turned me into a rock star for a few weeks. So I realized I needed to give my rock career another start.
IM: Was it strange to play next to a rock legend?

JS: For me, it was life altering. Anyway, when Daltrey started playing "Naked Eye" on the guitar and I started to sing it in rehearsal, he asked me to keep going 'cause I was the only one who knew the song. But it was weird doing a duet with Daltrey in front of strangers. But the whole thing revitalized me musically.
IM: What about the local music scene?

JS: It's hard. For a while I did all sorts of gigs and although it was fun in the beginning, it was hard getting folks down and sometimes some band mates were in no rush to play out. I mean there's not a lot of money to be made, the venues are closing more than they are opening, and just way too many bands.
IM: Where do you see rock music and the music industry heading right now?

JS: It's very much a corporate numbers game and there's less money spent on rock bands than ever. Video stations are still geared mostly to dance, not rock. Even the way people listen to music via their iPods and satellite radio is affecting how new music is heard. I think if you want to make a living as a rock musician, you have to take more of a "do it yourself" approach. Cutting your own deals, holding on to your master recordings, using the Internet to capture more money is the future. For every Green Day type band that made it, thousands crashed and burned. And the major labels are not supporting bands. Those days are over. ###

RITUALS -- That Old-Timers' Rock 'n' Roll

The New York Times -- November 7, 2003 - Corey Kilgannon

"...John Sullivan, 40, of Garden City, N.Y., and his wife have two children. As a managing director at Kudlow & Company, Mr. Sullivan works on Wall Street in a job he calls exciting, prestigious and lucrative. Still, he'd rather be rocking. "I'd love to make it as a rock star, or at least a one-hit wonder," he said. "But I realize it's difficult to make it at age 40."

He rehearses with his band, Ginger Moon, in his mother's basement early on weekend mornings and then hustles back home for family obligations. Getting gigs is not a challenge. The band plays regularly at small clubs on Long Island and downtown Manhattan places like CBGB, the Lions Den and Acme Underground. The trick for band members is to find baby sitters on the nights of performances and having friends do the same.

"Every year it gets harder to get friends our age out to the shows," said Mr. Sullivan, the band's guitarist and singer. "Most of my audience tends to be married with children, so when we have a gig, a massive baby-sitter network has to kick into effect. There are times I think we support the entire local baby-sitter industry."Mr. Sullivan says his wife, Mary Pat, and their children, Dylan, 12, and Colleen, 4, support his band. "They all love it," he said. "We put on my CD player, and we dance to it in the living room."

Mr. Sullivan attended the rock fantasy camp last summer, where he met his hero, Mr. Daltrey, the lead singer of the Who. He and Mr. Daltrey performed the song "Squeeze Box" at a camp event at the Bottom Line.

Mr. Sullivan has recorded four CD's of original songs, spending about $7,000 recently to make the fourth at a local recording studio. He gave a copy of it to Mr. Daltrey to shop around. "I'm a bit of an opportunist," he acknowledged."

ROCK MY FANTASY
Newsday (NY) -- July 6, 2003 -- Rafer Guzman

You probably haven't heard of John Sullivan, a 39-year-old Wall Street sales director who lives in Garden City and fronts a local band called Ginger Moon. But these days, friends call him "rock star."

Why? Sullivan recently performed at a Manhattan nightclub with a singer you probably have heard of: Roger Daltrey of The Who.

No, Sullivan won't be replacing John Entwhistle on the next Who tour. Yes, he paid $6,000 for the privilege of sharing Daltrey's spotlight. But for Sullivan and others who enrolled in the Rock and Roll Fantasy Camp, held earlier this month in Manhattan, it was a small price to pay.

"To think that at 39 I did what I set out to do: jam with a Who member," Sullivan says. "There it was, in all its glory."

This is the third installment of the Rock Camp, but it's surprising nobody thought of it sooner. Instead of playing pro athlete like at those baseball fantasy camps, you get to play rock star. The high price includes five nights at Manhattan's trendy Hudson Hotel, jamming with a crew of rock celebrities and, on the final evening, a chance to play with Daltrey before the paying public.

Credit the idea to founder David Fishof, a onetime sports agent who's become an impresario of rock nostalgia. He's the man behind surprisingly successful oldies tours by The Association, The Monkees and Ringo Starr and his All-Starr Band.

"When I'm on tour, people always ask me what's this or that musician like?" Fishof says. "I thought wouldn't it be a great fantasy for people to live my life for a bit?"

Sullivan, who saw an ad for the camp on VH1, says he talked about it so much that his wife finally enrolled him as a gift for his 40th birthday. "What she said was, 'I'd rather hear you gripe about how hard it was than hear you gripe about how you never got to go.'"

It's not exactly a vacation. On day one, Wednesday, "campers" check into the Hudson, haul their gear to a third-floor conference room, then audition in front of the camp "counselors." These are industry veterans with daunting resumes: There's Mark Farner of Grand Funk Railroad, Jack Blades of Night Ranger, Billy Joel's longtime drummer, Liberty DeVitto, and Derek St. Holmes, an original member of Ted Nugent's band.

But it's a loose, informal affair, with pros taking turns backing up the campers. Occasionally, songs erupt out of nowhere, prompting Blades to jump in with his bass, or St. Holmes to run up and grab a microphone. For Steve Kottmeier, a 44-year-old surgeon from Stony Brook, playing guitar with Farner on the Grand Funk tune "I'm Your Captain (Closer to Home)" was worth the price of admission. "I had a supergroup to myself for four minutes," Kottmeier says afterward. "I'm, like, ready to go home."

Mark Rivera, a sax player and singer who's toured with Peter Gabriel and John Lennon, is the camp's head counselor. He juggles a stack of Polaroids, trying to commit each camper to memory. He's also gauging their skills: After auditions, he must split the 80 campers into various bands based on their abilities. Discreetly, he jots a number from 11 to 33 next to each name on his list. "It's my own little cryptic numbering method," he says. "That way, if anyone sees, 'Oh, I got 25,' they won't know."

Sullivan brings his Rickenbacker 4001 bass and plays the Beatles' "I Saw Her Standing There," a tune that allows him to show off his hoarse, bluesy voice. Though he doesn't know it, Sullivan scores a rock-solid 22, making him the kind of musician who'll be an anchor when band lineups are decided.

The next morning, counselors hand out sheets listing band members and rehearsal locations. Sullivan takes his bass to CMS, a recording studio in the Chelsea district, to meet his band mates. (Bonus celebrity sighting: Conan O'Brien practicing guitar in one of the rooms.)

Like most of the bands, Sullivan's is a mixed bag: Ages range from 17 to 49, and skill levels vary just as widely. Among the nine players: Alex Lopez-Negrete, a 43-year-old advertising executive from Houston on lead guitar; Stephen Brown, an Oxford, Pa., masonry contractor with barely a year of practice on drums; and a father- daughter team from Miami, Craig and Michelle Nash (both sing and play guitar).

Various counselors drop in to coach the band. Sandy Gennaro, a drummer who's toured with Joan Jett and Johnny Winter, suggests the classic "All Right Now." "This song was originally done by a band called Free," he announces. (Craig Nash nods reverently; his 17- year-old daughter looks blank.)

The band runs through the song but stumbles on the mid-section. Lopez-Negrete must work through a complicated guitar solo, then Sullivan follows with a melodic bass line. What's more, the group has trouble playing in synch. Gennaro commandeers a drum kit and hollers instructions. "Don't ever come in till you hear this" - a quick crack on the snare and tom - "That's called the button. Never end the song before the button."

Eventually, Gennaro leaves the band to rehearse on its own. "The solo section is the spot to look at," he says outside the studio. "If there's going to be a train wreck in that song, that's going to be it."

Days three and four are spent rehearsing for hours at a stretch. After some wrangling, the band decides on its three-song repertoire: "All Right Now," The Doors' "Hello, I Love You" and The Who's "Squeeze Box."

There's also the matter of choosing a name. Michelle Nash's suggestion, Mustard Gas, is rejected as too punk-sounding. "I wanted Old No. 7 - you know, like Jack Daniels," Lopez-Negrete says. "But nobody got it. So I just said, 'How about Blank Slate?'" The name sticks.

During one rehearsal, Sullivan feels a hand on his shoulder. When he turns around, he finds that the hand belongs to none other than Daltrey. Sullivan tries to stay calm. He tells Daltrey they're rehearsing his song "Squeeze Box."

Says Daltrey, "Let me sing it with you."

"It was as close to an out-of-body experience as I've ever had," Sullivan says later. "I've been singing 'Squeeze Box' since, like, 1979. It was like I'd never heard it before." Subsequently, the band members begin speaking in British accents and using the word "bloody."

By Sunday, the day of the big concert, Blank Slate sounds like a solid rock band. Lopez-Negrete says he stayed up one night with his guitar and a bottle of wine, practicing the solo on "All Right Now" until 2:30 in the morning. "It was going to be one of two things," he says. "I'm either going to pass out or learn this lead."

The band rehearses one last time, and Lopez-Negrete's solo sounds nearly flawless. Sullivan's vocals on "Squeeze Box" are louder and more confident. Craig Nash even belts out a verse on "Hello, I Love You." Says his daughter: "He's a shy guy. He really wanted to sing, but we had to force him."

Before the band packs up to leave, Ricky Byrd, the former Joan Jett guitarist, drops by to wish everyone luck.

"Look," Byrd says, warning the band members about the vagaries of the music industry, "... if a manager ever tells you, 'Aay, we're like family,' you tell him, 'I've got a family.'"

Around 6 p.m., a line is already forming outside The Bottom Line in the West Village, thanks to a marquee boasting Daltrey's name. Inside, Fishof is ushering Daltrey through the venue, making sure he's highly visible to campers and camera crews.

Daltrey is here partly to raise money for a U.K.-based teen cancer program (throughout the night he auctions off signed guitars and microphones) and partly as a favor to the well-connected Fishof. "I don't know whether I'd do it again," Daltrey notes, but he says he enjoyed hanging out with the campers. "The Who have never had that barrier between them and their audience."

As the bands crash through their songs with varying degrees of skill, it's hard to fault the occasional bum note. The campers are beaming on stage, and even Daltrey seems to have fun singing such Who songs as "Can't Explain" and "Won't Get Fooled Again." Craig Langweiler, the harmonica player, tells Daltrey, "You make me nervous, Rog." Daltrey replies, "Not as nervous as you make me."

When Daltrey comes out to sing "Squeeze Box" with Blank Slate, Sullivan and his crew handle themselves like road-seasoned vets. Sullivan sings harmonies behind Daltrey's muscular voice on the chorus, "In and out, and in and out." Daltrey makes some slyly vulgar gestures to the band's amusement. The song ends solidly - nobody comes in before the button - and Daltrey gives Sullivan a high-five.

Out in the audience, it's Sullivan's wife, Mary Pat, who gets emotional. "I looked up on that stage and started crying," she says. "It was the most genuine happiness on his face."

Sullivan, however, has no immediate plans to be a rock star. Earlier in the week, he had a beer with Night Ranger's Blades, who told him a few stories - not all of them pretty - about music, women, the entertainment industry and the years he spent on the road. "It's a little sobering," says Sullivan, noting that he's ready to return to his steady job and two children. "I like my life the way it is."