The long run

Violin Road's Jack Picard wins a 30-year battle

by Bob Gulla

A funny thing happened at the Biltmore last week. In a hi-ceilinged room normally reserved for expensive weddings and banquets, there was a record release party. Yup. Not your average record release party, of course. This one was for a local pop band called Violin Road, which, as it happens, isn't your average band with your average story.

Violin Road came together at least in name about two years ago. Songwriter and inveterate local hero Jack Picard decide -- at the suggestion of his wife -- to veer from his unorthodox -- and unsuccessful -- songwriting style into more conventional pop music territory. For most of his career, Picard, now 43, had been in an irreverent, sometimes nasty band called the Young Bucks. For years he and his bandmates plugged away at the local and regional scenes, trying somehow to break into the music business full-time, to find a label, to make his nut through music, his first love. As it happened, nothing even remotely positive happened on the journey, so Jack, the father of two girls, Sacha and Leah, never managed to quit his dayjob at the shipyard.

When his wife suggested he write something more balladic, more conventional, Jack considered it. "My wife was disappointed that I had never written serious music," says Picard. "Where did [my humorous style] get me? Nowhere. So she encouraged me to record a couple of ballads. She said, `I know you hate putting your heart on your sleeve, but try it and send the stuff out, unsolicited. One more time.' "

So he took Sacha and Leah, both around 20 -- graced with pretty voices and musical genes -- into the studio one day. The trio, assisted by engineer Steve LaValley, cut two tracks. The result was incredible. "Steve LaValley and I looked at each other and we knew we were onto something almost immediately," recalls Picard. "It was two chicks singing with that genetic code thing happening. All of my life the one thing that's been missing in my music was these great voices, and they were my daughters! It truly was an epiphany for me."

Now more confident, Picard submitted the demo to Musician magazine's Best Unsigned Band Contest. As luck would have it, Violin Road was chosen from over 1600 entries as one of 12 winners. Building on that astonishing victory, Picard shotgunned the demo to several major labels, including Mercury, Capitol, and Geffen. He heard back from all of them. "I couldn't believe it!" says a stunned Picard. "I'd been trying all my life to get them to return a phone call or even listen, and there it was happening without even trying! It was as if I had finally felt some degree of validation after receiving none for so long."

Sixteen years of ramming his musical head against a brick wall with the Young Bucks never got him even close to the success two songs recorded with his daughters earned him almost instantly. Violin Road was born. "After all these years I had finally had good voices and refreshing timbres to work with," says the loquacious Picard, still marveling at the turn of events. "There was no end to what I could write!" Inspired by the new sound, he wrote another 19 songs, 12 of which ended up on Violin Road.

Rather than exploring the rickety major label route with his new music, Picard struck up a relationship with the good folks at Rykodisc. The negotiations were personal, the prospects down-to-earth. Picard and company took the plunge, choosing to release the album on Ryko's new Deluxo imprint.

Violin Road truly is a local music revelation and the story of the year so far. Combining a pop sensibility, a casual, folky freshness, serious chops and articulate, edgy lyrics, the recording sounds nothing like the music coming out of Providence or anywhere else for that matter. Combine the Indigo Girls, the Partridge Family, and the Dave Matthews Band and you'd be getting close to the vibe. "I wanted to keep it loose, take advantage of the voices and just let the chemistry happen," says Picard. "Of course, the girls had to sing my longwinded lyrics, but I had to save something for myself!"

Even before the record came out, Violin Road began seeing results. With the help of the licensing department at Rykodisc, the band placed songs on three television shows: Party of Five, Dawson's Creek, and the short-lived series Grapevine. Not bad for a band who hadn't even played a gig yet.

Fast forward to the present. The local scene finally knows now who Violin Road actually is; they no longer qualify as a best-kept secret. What kind of band they become -- whether it's a touring machine, a boutique, special occasion thing, or strictly a recording act -- remains to be seen. What is certain is that Violin Road is off to the fastest start of any local act in recent memory.

Frankly, the scene at the Biltmore's a little surreal. Folks from the ages of seven to 70 stroll the room; there's obviously a healthy representation of family members, classmates and friends. The band's first area gig, the set featured a pretty strong musicianly presence, highlighted by Berklee grad Barbara Herald on five-string fretless bass, Peter Joubert on keys, Brian Lucier on drums and Ian Katz on sax. Of course, Sacha and Leah are the stars of the show, with their effervescent vocal dueting and naive hippie charm. Their father Jack stands beside them on guitar, happy that his songs have finally reached the kind of audience he's always strived for, after three decades.

"I've been struggling for 30 years," says Picard. "I've been dreaming about this for that long, too. It's finally to a point where I can actually look forward to something in music, which is strange. We're committed to making this work and it actually seems to be happening."

WANDERING EYE. Bill Staines takes the last ever slot at Stone Soup's current location this weekend. Gloria Dei Lutheran Church served as the host venue for Stone Soup each of the last six years and availed the friendly folk folks a pleasant and memorable location. We shall miss the tea and cookies, to be sure, as well as the fine bookings there. The start of next season will see the coffee house moving to an as yet undisclosed location; Gloria Dei is most certainly a victim of an impossible parking situation and lack of sunlight filtering through the gargantuan mall next door. One can only hope that the next location offers the same warm amenities and earthy charm of its predecessor. Anyway, the fine traditional storyteller Staines plays the Soup's last official date this Saturday. A hoot, or an open mike, kicks things off at 8 p.m. The price to get in is also $8.

There is one more night left at Stone Soup, a kind of last hurrah. This one's called a "Fundraiser for a Friend" and it happens next Thursday, June 1, same place. The event will benefit a friend of the coffeehouse who is taking expensive medication for cancer treatment. Three local winners on the folk tip will be showing up to play, the Fourth Street String Band, Atwater-Donnelly, and Mad Clover. Call 392-1909 or 949-2533 for more information.

Glass Attic will be featured this Saturday, May 27 at the Century Lounge. The night is officially the Big Noise Song Slam "Modern Rock Showcase" which, depending on how you look at it, could be fun or, well, not so fun. Try your luck, or check out the lineup for a peace of mind at www.bignoisenow.com/.

Bob Gulla can be reached at b_gulla@yahoo.com.