All aboard

Entrain come to town

by Chris Kanaracus

They might be lumped into the ever-burgeoning jam band set. Yet the seasoned musicians of Martha's Vineyard-based Entrain say that view is a little short-sighted. "We're in that category, but what we really are is a pop band with a cool, world rhythm vibe," says Entrain's founder and drummer, Tom Major. "We play songs with hooks. Some of those other bands get on stage, and after playing for a while they say, `What song was this?'"

Whatever you call Entrain's sound, it's certainly garnered attention in recent years. Formed in 1993 by Major, Ned Nugent (bass), Brian Alex (guitar), Sam Holmstock (keys and trombone), Klem Klimek (saxophone), and Hilary Noble (percussion), Entrain soon found a following for their punchy, melodic, and infinitely danceable noise -- a noise that pulls from influences as diverse as West African drum circles, acoustic balladry, and zydeco. This Saturday at the Palladium, Entrain are sure to pack the place when they open for Northeast groove-rock giants Max Creek.

Their Palladium set, Major says, will be stripped down from the typical two-plus-hour Entrain show; instead, they'll center on an extended, world percussion jam. But favorites like the Dave Matthews-esque "House on the Hill," from 1999's Can U Get It, and the as-yet-unreleased zydeco workout "Sad Joe" certainly will make the cut.

Or not, as Major reveals: "We've easily got a working vocabulary of over 50 songs [to] draw from. We like to have sets change from night to night."

Entrain's diversity, after all, is centered on one goal. "These days there's less of a performer-audience tradition out there. The number one thing we want to do, what we've always wanted to do, is get people up and dancing. Performers are responsible for that," he says.

You might argue it's the law -- the law of "entrainment," or the synchronization of two or more rhythms. "That's something I learned when I went to Africa to study drums," Major explains. "It was amazing. You'd have any number of musicians playing completely different patterns at the same time, but it made sense. No matter how complex a rhythm, if done right, people can still respond."

If they don't, he notes, "they must not have a butt."

Entrain, though, haven't had many problems getting their ever-growing audience to dance. Indeed, the buzz around this sought-after group gets louder every day.

Things kicked off in 1994, when, at the behest of Major's close friend and Vineyard neighbor, singer Carly Simon (Major had played drums in Simon's band for years), Entrain served as back-up for no less than President Bill Clinton at his inaugural party. The gig brought Entrain spots on national TV, as well as extensive press coverage. And ever since, the group have been riding the money train.

According to Major, Entrain are an "in-house operation," from their CDs to their bookings. They're booked year-round, performing three or four weekly shows in such varied venues as cruise ships, outdoor festivals, nightclubs, even the occasional mall. Last summer, the group blew the neon globes off the Worcester Common Outlets food court, when they performed at College Fest '99. "That was a weird one," Major says with a chuckle.

At least for now, he adds, in-house is the way the group will keep things. "All of us have worked as session musicians, in any number of bands, for a long time. We took it all in as we were doing that; and we learned from the best." Aside from Simon, the luminaries who Entrain members have performed with include Bo Diddley, Chuck Berry, Southside Johnny and the Asbury Jukes, seminal '80s pop act Missing Persons, and urban poet-cum-free-jazz icon Gil Scott-Heron.

Major says performing the music of others paid off, both financially and artistically. But it's obvious that, with Entrain (who will soon release a fourth CD, All One), he and his bandmates are fulfilling a greater calling. "This is the payoff," he adds, "It's our time."

Entrain perform at 8 p.m. on March 25 at the Palladium. Tickets are $13. Call 797-9696.