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PHOTO COURTESY OF BAND

HEART AND SOUL. Straight On is building up a loyal following with their tribute to Heart.

Tribute band taps into ‘heart’ of local music legends

By John Larson

Given their Seattle-area roots and the fact that current and former members still live in this region, Heart has long been immensely popular around here. Bellevue-based tribute band Straight On has tapped into this strong local interest in Heart.

The band consists of Somar Macek on vocals, Joe Sarmer and J.C. Rox on guitars, Bill Cantlon on drums and Kevin Lynch on bass.

The band was formed two years ago when the original singer posted a notice on a website.

Cantlon grew up in Cleveland and began playing drums at age 10.

Sarmer began playing guitar at 8. He played in a jazz stage band in high school. He moved on to garage bands and then working bands.

Rox has been playing for 30 years. His last group, Roxband, had a local hit with the tune “Seahawk Rock.”

Lynch began playing bass at 15.

The first singer left and a subsequent Internet ad brought in Macek. Some of her friends saw the ad. They had heard her sing karaoke versions of Heart and encouraged her to audition. “The opportunity was there so I went for it,” she said.

Macek began singing at age 2. By 12 her mother decided she should take lessons, something she continued through college. Along the way she sang in school and church choirs. Macek has sung the national anthem at Seattle Mariners and Seattle Thunderbirds games.

Macek, the youngest member, was turned on to Heart by her parents.

Cantlon remembers hearing Heart’s debut album “Dreamboat Annie,” which was released in 1975. “I never would have imagined 30 years later I would be in Seattle playing in a Heart tribute band.”

They have jammed with several former members of Heart. Sarmer took lessons for a year from Roger Fisher, while Cantlon has taken lessons from Michael Derosier, Heart’s original drummer.

The girlfriend of Randy Hansen, a local guitarist well known for his Jimi Hendrix tribute, contacted Cantlon about playing a birthday party at a venue in Seattle. They accepted the offer and found former Heart members such as Derosier, Fisher and bass player Steve Fossen joining them on stage.

Fisher has caught several Straight On gigs since then.

The band plays material spanning the different lineups and eras of Heart. Some are 1970s classics such as “Crazy On You” and “Barracuda.” Heart shifted gears somewhat in the mid-80s in both music and image. The makeover was a smart move during the emergence of MTV and resulted in hits like “If Looks Could Kill” and “Alone,” other songs Straight On covers. They also play later material such as “All I Wanna Do Is Make Love To You,” from the 1990 album “Brigade.”

“We know we have to play ‘Barracuda,’” Lynch said of the hard-rocking fan favorite. “But there is a lot of other stuff to choose from.”

“We pick songs that we like,” Cantlon added.

When most people think of Heart they think of lead singer Ann Wilson and her sister Nancy Wilson on guitar and backing vocals. While Straight On certainly sounds like Heart, with only one female member they do not match the gender makeup of the band they emulate. They wish to add a sixth member, a woman who would play guitar and sing. Cantlon noted Heart had such a lineup in its early days, with two male guitarists in addition to Nancy Wilson. They have been auditioning women to fill this role and hope to have their “Nancy” soon.

The members of Straight On clearly enjoy playing the music of Heart.

“It is very gratifying when people tell me I sound like Ann Wilson,” Macek said. “Playing this music is challenging and fun. We all have day jobs. Playing in this band is a great release from work.” When playing a set at Bite of Seattle earlier this summer, she was impressed by how many people in the audience were singing along with the songs.

“This band keeps getting better and better,” Cantlon said. “Everyone keeps honing their craft.”

Straight On plays Station 56 in Tacoma at 9 p.m. Aug. 29.

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