By Nick A. Zaino III
Globe Correspondent / January 11, 2008
Twenty-five years ago, Bruce Springsteen released "Nebraska," a spare and haunting acoustic album that marked an about-face from his
arena-rocking E Street Band work and the arrival of an earnest singer-songwriter.
In December, Robby Roadsteamer released "LRP," a spare acoustic album that marked a departure from the mock 'n' roll of his band,
Roadsteamer, and the arrival of a hilariously brutal singer-songwriter.
For good measure, Roadsteamer kicks off "LRP" with "Allston City," recasting Springsteen's "Atlantic City" as a Boston suburb filled with
desperate rock bands playing for unruly frat boys. The narrator sings with a broken hope that perfectly mimics the spirit of Springsteen's
ode to the disenfranchised: "We're playing at O'Brien's in front of 10 people/ Honey, comp your friends and make sure they show."
The soul-crushing aspects of the Boston music scene are a major theme of "LRP" and something Roadsteamer knows too well. "I'm a comedian,"
says Roadsteamer. "I have nothing to lose from it, so I thought I'd be brutally honest with a lot of the stuff I experienced."
Roadsteamer has straddled the line between comedy and music for the past seven years, performing at comedy clubs with keyboard player Nick
D'Amico and in rock clubs with his band. He's seen the worst of both worlds - good bands and good comedians struggling to be heard over the
din of wannabes - and he's hoping they can laugh at themselves.
"I know a lot of musicians bought this album," says Roadsteamer. "If they can hear somebody actually joking around about it and making it open,
I think it makes it a lot easier."
Fans will have plenty of chances to catch the act over the next month. The full band will play the Middle East Downstairs tomorrow, and Roadsteamer
kicks off his first acoustic residency Monday at the All Asia in Cambridge, which will run through Feb. 11. But he'd be just as happy making albums
- he recorded "LRP" earlier this week for an April release - and forsaking more lucrative club dates.
"With me, it's more about being creative and the output," he says. "I don't need the reaction. I don't need 20 people or 40 people laughing at me
constantly."
Roadsteamer, the alter ego of Louis "Robby" Potylo (hence "LRP"), started out as a heavy-metal caricature with a Hulk Hogan grumble and a
Don Rickles-like knack for harassing an audience. But that image began to morph at the CD-release party for last year's "I'll Be at Your Funeral,"
which sold out the Paradise Rock Club. The thick mustache and heavy-metal wardrobe were gone, replaced more often with Potylo's normal speaking voice
and street clothes. Now, depending on where you catch him, at a live show or cohosting Wednesday or Friday nights on WBCN, you'll get a different
Roadsteamer.
"It's not like I'm alienating the character, because on 'BCN I'm still playing it the way I always have," says Roadsteamer.
"During the acoustic shows I play it as myself. During full band shows, I still play the character. I give whatever I feel would
be the best representation in any given situation."
