TUNES Steamboat’s longest-running band? Consisting of John Lupori on lead guitar and vocals, Mark “Hermo” Hermanciski on rhythm guitar, Brad “Warpig” Williams on harmonica, Brian Smith on bass, Neil Marchman on lead guitar and on drums Gabe Hedstrom—who replaced Kevin Kolvereid, who passed away in 2018—the Brian Smith Band has been entertaining Steamboat for years with their soul blues and high energy rock n’ roll. We caught up with ringleader Lupori, a now-retired oral and facial surgeon who started his practice here in 1999, for his take on what makes the band tick.
Courtesy of Brian Smith Band
In His Own Words: John Lupori of the Brian Smith Band
I’m from Chicago and have a huge blues background. I had bands when I was younger; our high school band was called White Stone. When I was 16 we’d take the train downtown and sneak into blues bars like Legend and Kingston The Brian Smith Band: And they can even stitch you up if you get too rowdy in the mosh pit. Mines and see bands like Lenny Brooks, Buddy Guy and Koko Taylor. rhythm and then the lyrics. Then I always do the chorus first and try to make that One guy in our band went onto become a big recording artist in Austin. the main part of the song and support it with verses. Most of our songs are threechord songs, but we’ve been known to write a couple four-chord songs. In 2004 I was in a car accident and in a wheelchair for five months so I started playing guitar a lot more. Then Hermo starting playing with me and then Warpig. We also started playing a lot of different venues around then as well as special Our first song was Long Black Veil by Johnny Cash. After five months or so events, like every New Year’s at VFW. We opened for Tab Benoit at OTP and play we picked up a bass player and a drummer and started practicing in Hermo’s a lot of his covers. We also opened for Samantha Fish, Eddie 9-volt, Smash Mouth basement, which was where the coroner used to do his autopsies. There was a big and Eric Tessmer. manhole on the ceiling where they’d throw down the bodies. We’re kind of known as the ‘Doctor Band’ because we have me and Hermo. Kevin, We were called Warpig and the Bongwater Blues Band. Our first gig was at Old who died in 2018, always considered himself a doctor but he was a PA. So, we have Town Pub. Kevin Kolvereid was there at asked to join. Our drummer had hurt his a big following from the hospital…nurses, techs, radiologists and other docs. It’s foot and couldn’t play, so we brought him on. He was good. Then our bass player kind of an escape for Hermo and I, when I was practicing. Once all our patients moved in 2006 and someone said, ‘I know a bass player named Brian Smith.’ So were taken care of, we could play on weekends as a sort of escape. We try to practice I looked him up and there were, like, 15 Brian Smiths in Steamboat. So, I started every Thursday, but that started to fall apart when everyone started having kids. calling every single one until I found him. He’s great and from Chicago also, with My son, Jack, is part of the band now also. He’s awesome and can play any a background in guitar. instrument. He’s also formed his own band called Ruckus Squad. They opened for We played again at OTP and the owner said he needed our name to place an ad. us once and blew us away. It sucked. So I just said, ‘the Brian Smith Band,” and that’s been our name ever since. When We’re in it for the fun, not the money. We started getting paid in 2008 and right he’s not playing, he’s the Dean of Students at the Steamboat Mountain School. now our bank account is still negative $3,000. Our dream is to play the mountain We’re more of a band and a show, the sum of all our parts. People come to see all the town circuit; the only thing in our way is everyone’s wife. Our absolute fantasy is characters involved. Our music is kind of loud and raw. A lot of our influence is from to play Red Rocks. They feature a local’s band once a week, but our chances for what I call Stratocaster blues. It’s kind of a distinct sub-category of blues. Jeff Beck, that are absolute zero. Stevie Ray and Clapton all played it, a sort of combo of Texas, Chicago and Delta We were one of the first bands to play during the pandemic with social distancing as opposed to jazz blues like B.B. King. But we’re also influenced by ‘80s-‘90s punk at The Press. But no one could dance. I don’t like playing unless people can dance. and Ska also, with bands like The Specials, English Beat and The Clash. I started writing originals in 2008. Now we probably have 15 or so, with four or five on Spotify. One’s called “O’Reilly’s Bar” about a Chicago bar that was torn down, and another is called “Cliffs of Mohr,” which has a strong Ska beat. I always write the riff first, get a real unique riff, and then add the backing track and 44 SWILLIN’ & CHILLIN’ | WWW.SWILLINANDCHILLIN.COM
There are certainly musicians and bands that are way better than us. But I will say that in Steamboat, which is a great music town, we could be the oldest, maybe behind Worried Men. But we’re definitely in the hunt. Still, for a blues band, we’re adolescents.
