Heavy Bandages

Bret Hart's cathartic new CD

by Joe Longone

Bret Hart's No More Bandages (self-released), his first CD, is a triumph over adversity. He remains an undeniable presence who has refused to let go of what is beautiful and good, despite being battered and bruised. As one of the more recognizable musicians who calls Worcester home, Hart, who performs solo -- guitar strapped around his shoulder -- and as part of an ensemble, performs often, more than most. If he's not in the park, at a coffeehouse, or on one of the city's many stages, he's probably jamming in someone's living room. He hungers for all sorts of musical forms, and his song lyrics place him in separate realm of rock, making him one of the more interesting artists in town.

"I moved eight times before the age of 10," he says of his upbringing. "I was always the new kid in school. It wasn't an easy way to grow up."

With a natural ear for music, he picked up the trombone and sousaphone. As a high-school student studying in Syracuse, New York, he gained an affinity for the written word. He studied literature in school, got his first job as a translator in the Navy, and traveled to places like Korea and Japan. While abroad, Hart started recording freeform music -- his heroes were (and remain) artists like Fred Frith and Captain Beefheart. While distributing his tapes, he discovered magazines like OP, Option, and Sound Choices. He eventually became a respected music critic with Sound Choices, one of the first publications that focused on the do-it-yourself movement.

"In the '80s, I must have put out a hundred cassettes," laughs Hart. He left the Navy in the late '80s, received a masters degree in literature, but found that he was over qualified for about every job for which he applied. He moved to Fitchburg, where he began to perform at area clubs, including the Worcester Artists Group, and taught art and special education to Fitchburg school students.

It was on the job that Hart had a life-threatening experience that became the backdrop of No More Bandages. Hart, who at the time was working with special-needs clients at a group home, almost lost his life after getting kicked in the head by a client in restraints. He was hospitalized and has had seizures ever since.

In the year and a half since, he has settled in Worcester, now works at Tatnuck Bookseller (less danger on the job), and dedicates his free time promoting local music, including music nights at the Java Hut and Eco Village. Recently, he has written for the Worcester 'zine Oink!

No More Bandages, which is funded in part by the Worcester Cultural Commission, is about Hart's recovery. "The exterior bandages may be gone, but I still have some inner healing to do," he says. Starting with the opening number, "Head Kick," and then following with the track "So, What Now?," the 14-song disc reveals Hart's fears and pain. His vocals are warm and courageous. Almost every song is amazingly complex and adventurous.

"This recording is my way to thank all my friends who have helped me through this experience," he says. Many of his friends are featured on the disc. The recording's supporting cast includes Pete Zolli (drums), Steve Blake (bass), and Greg Sullivan (guitar). Local folk madman Bob Jordan appears on two tracks. From Hart's former and most noteworthy band, Hipbone, there is drummer Rev. Keith Prescott. And members of Hart's jazz side project, Runs with Scissors, there are Bart Mallio and Jonathan Thomas.

You can catch Hart in Worcester at the Space on Saturday, August 23.

Al's night

Local blues guitarist/piano player Al Arsenault has brought his warm performance style to many of the city's better restaurants and bars for years. He'll have the opportunity of a lifetime when he shares the stage with the one and only Etta James this Friday, August 15, at Foxwoods. Opening for one of music's living legends is a rare treat. It couldn't have happened to a nicer guy.