The Schemers was a
Providence, Rhode Island,
hard rock
Hard rock or heavy rock is a loosely defined subgenre of rock music typified by aggressive vocals and distorted electric guitars. Hard rock began in the mid-1960s with the garage, psychedelic and blues rock movements. Some of the earliest hard ...
band that existed between 1979 and 1987. The band was signed to Big Bubble Records.
History
The band's first live show was a support slot for
Sam & Dave
Sam & Dave were an American soul and R&B duo who performed together from 1961 until 1981. The tenor (higher) voice was Sam Moore (born 1935) and the baritone/tenor (lower) voice was Dave Prater (1937–1988).
Nicknamed "Double Dynamite", "The ...
, and they also supported
Jerry Lee Lewis,
Ramones
The Ramones were an American punk rock band that formed in the New York City neighborhood of Forest Hills, Queens, in 1974. They are often cited as the first true punk rock group. Despite achieving a limited commercial appeal in the United ...
,
Tom Verlaine, and
Dead Kennedys.
The Schemers were the winners of the 1982 WBRU Radio Rock Hunt in Providence and the 1984
Rock 'n' Roll Rumble
The Rock 'n' Roll Rumble (sometimes stylized "Rock & Roll Rumble"; formerly the " WBCN Rock 'n' Roll Rumble"), begun in 1979, is a Greater Boston " battle of the bands" competition sponsored by Boston Emissions, an online local music program f ...
in
Boston.
[Morse, Steve (1984)]
Schemers Triumph in Rock 'n' Roll Rumble
, '' Boston Globe'', June 30, 1984, p. 1 (Arts/Films). Retrieved 25 December 2012 Their single, "Remember," was the number-one song on WBRU for over 10 weeks in early-1982.
Band members from the original lineup included Jimmy Berger, Rene Blais, Emerson Torrey, and lead singer and songwriter
Mark Cutler
Mark Cutler is a recording artist and singer-songwriter from Providence, Rhode Island. Mark Cutler has been the lead singer and songwriter for The Schemers, The Raindogs The Raindogs were a band formed in Boston, United States around 1985 after s ...
.
[Boehm, Mike (1985)]
The Schemers' Cutler holds onto the dream
, '' Providence Journal'', December 15, 1985, p. I4. Retrieved December 25, 2012
Cutler announced his decision to leave the band in 1986, but continued to play with the band in 1987 for their remaining live commitments, the band finally splitting up in January 1987.
[Boehm, Mike (1986)]
Cutler and Schemers go separate ways
, '' Providence Journal'', November 6, 1986, p. B10. Retrieved December 25, 2012[Boehm, Mike (1987)]
Pop Music Schemers to check out at Heartbreak Hotel
, '' Providence Journal'', January 29, 1987, p. B9. Retrieved December 25, 2012
Mark Cutler later founded
the Raindogs The Raindogs were a band formed in Boston, United States around 1985 after several members had disbanded the rock band The Schemers. They combined Celtic and American music to form their own hybrid of rock and roll. Based in Boston, the band was m ...
with Darren Hill and Jim Reilly (of
Stiff Little Fingers) and Celtic fiddle king
Johnny Cunningham, formerly of
Silly Wizard. Emerson Torrey joined the band after original guitarist Ty Avolio left in 1987.
[Boehm, Mike (1987)]
Schemers' twosome bands together again
, '' Providence Journal'', September 1, 1987, p. D12. Retrieved December 25, 2012 Cutler also went on to play in Men of Great Courage, the Tiny String Band, Dino Club, and Forever Young.
[Murphy, Linda (2010)]
Local bands to be featured at Tastes of Rhode Island
, '' The Herald News'', September 29, 2010. Retrieved 25 December 2012
The Schemers only album was released in 2004;
''Remember'' compiled their earlier recordings as well as ten new recordings.
The band reformed several times for live performances, including shows in 2010 with Cutler, Berger, and Torrey joined by drummer Bob Guisti and keyboard player Richard Reed. Guisti was replaced by drummer Rick Couto in 2010. The Schemers continue to perform several times a year.
In 2015, The Schemers were inducted into the Rhode Island Music Hall of Fame.
[ ]
Discography
*"I Want Some Fun"/"That Shadow" 7-inch single, Big Bubble
*''Remember'' CD (2004)
*''The Last Beach'' CD (2015)
References
{{DEFAULTSORT:Schemers
Rock music groups from Rhode Island
American hard rock musical groups