HEY KIDS! ARCHIVED VIDEO!
Compliments of the Walsh Family!
The Poorhouse Rockers @ Oh! Brians, Abingdon, MD 1996
Poorhouse Rockers @ Oh! Brians, Abingdon, MD early 1996
Poorhouse Rockers @ ArtScape, Baltimore, MD 1996
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The Poorhouse Rockers were a balls-to-the-wall bar band in Baltimore, MD, from 1994-1997.
The group started as a duo by long-time friends Pete Baker and John Fahres. The two Bel Air, MD natives followed in the footsteps of rootsy, stripped-down acts like House of Freaks, Violent Femmes, and The Bodeans, blending roots-pop and acoustic and electirc sounds into a rough but entertaining act. John mainly stuck to acoustic guitar, and Pete the Fender Telecaster. They played shows in Baltimore and Philadelphia, gaining a slow but steady following through most of 1994.
When it came time to expand to a full band, the duo was lucky enough to meet up with a trio of sorts, 3/5 of the defunct Baltimore rock band Paisley Soul. Brian Comotto brought keyboard skills and vocals to the mix, Chris Moser added blues-based bass guitar, and Dave Walsh rounded out the rhythm section with rock-solid drums.
In a very short time, the 5 piece was out and about playing in Baltimore and the surrounding area. Dancing, sweating, and general rock and roll mayhem were the norm at the bar gigs of the group. During this time, the group cut a 5-song demo at Toyz Recording Studio in Baltimore, recording four cover songs and an original cut penend by friend and contemporary Dennis Schocket (now in the power-pop act Starbelly), the tune "Your Mama Loves You True".
In early 1995, Brian left the group to pursue more mainstream musical endeavors (and eventually won an Emmy for musical scoring he compsed for the ABC soap "All My Children"). The slimmed-down four-piece reoriented a bit and honed the sound of the band. John started playing tenor sax more in the group, while Pete and Chris began to do more lead vocal work.
The band also started to make a move towards writing their own songs. Pete brought in his rootsy-Americana style, Chris his bluesy influences; John mixed in folk and rootsy-pop rock, and Dave injected his feel for straight-ahead rock. In late 1995 the band was back at Toyz recording the EP Evicted. The 4-song collection featured three songs from Fahres ("The Show Goes On And On", " A Silent Plea", and "Lonely, Crazy Summer") and one from Baker ("Pictures of Happiness")
By the end of 1995 the band was performing in Baltimore, Annapolis, southern and eastern Pennsylvania, Delaware, and the Maryland seashore.
1996 could be called the 'high water mark' for the band. Almost every weekend featured a band gig somewhere in the Mid-Atlantic area. Rock radio was starting to take notice of the group, even stations that perhaps weren't considered all that 'rootsy', like 99.1 WHFS in Washington DC, and 106.9, The X, in Ocean City, MD. The Poorhouse Rockers were making friends, gaining fans, and having a blast in the process.
In December of 1996, the band went again to Toyz to record their first full-length album, the aptly named Dirt Poor. The album continued to show the growth of the band, featuring original tunes from Moser, and a fairly even split between Fahres and Baker in terms of contributed original material.
Celebrating the New Year in Ocean City, MD, the band was on a rock and roll high, heading into 1997 with a new record ready to be released and tons of live shows lined up, plus the ever-growing fan base.
Alas, it was 1997 that would see the end of the group. As the winter headed into spring, it became obvious that the group no longer saw the future of the band in the same way. By April of 1997, Fahres announced he was exiting the group. The group played their final show at a private party in Annapolis in August of that year, which featured an on-stage cameo by former bandmate Brian Comotto, and another by The Remnants bassist Tristan Lentz.
WHERE ARE THEY NOW:
After Fahres's departure, Pete, Dave, and Chris stayed together and formed The Agitators, a three-piece rootsy-rock act. Chris left in 1998, and was replaced by bassist Mike Walsh, who also happened to be Dave's brother. The band released one album.
Dave Walsh: lives in Baltimore, is married (to John's sister Karen) and has two daughters, Sara and Katie. He plays with his brother Mike Walsh in the popular Baltimore-based rock band Whisky Train. Their debut release Automatic Sin is out now, and they are sponsored by Natty Boh Gear.
Pete Baker: is making a living as a musician in the Mid-Atlantic, averaging 4-6 shows a week, and rocking out on the bar scene. He also sits in with various Baltimore-based acts from time to time, including occassional bassist duties with the group ellen cherry. His most recent CD is East Coast Cat.
Chris Moser: (this is from a page Chris set up, so it's more accurate than anything else we had!): "I moved to Arizona in the summer of 2001 to complete my flight training. My wife Danelle and I were both school teachers back in Maryland before making the move to Phoenix. I've been a flight instructor at Westwind School of Aeronautics and a freight pilot for Ameriflight. I've also been a professional educator for over 10 years and a partime professional bass player for over 20 years. Currently I'm teaching high school US History and AP Economics, plus directing the new NDP Jazz band."
Brian Comotto: is also married and expecting his first child. He continues to perform and compose music.
John Fahres: toured full-time for 5 years immediately after leaving the Poorhouse Rockers. He is now married and living in Towson, MD. He continues to tour part-time, and has released two albums: 1999's True Stories, Total Fabrications, and 2007's Simple But Effective.
