Rhino Bucket set to rock Havre

Tim Leeds Havre Daily News [email protected]

The Havre Jaycees are bringing what might seem to be an unlikely mix to Havre a hard-rockin' band to benefit its good works in the area. “We're doing this for the community,” said June Hesser, who is heading the committee bringing Rhino Bucket to play in Havre next Friday night. Hesser, who has been organizing concerts for several years, proposed to the Jaycees last winter using a rock concert as a fundraiser. The final result is Rhino Bucket, a Hollywood, Calif.-based band formed in the late 1980s coming to play at The Bigger Better Barn at the Great Northern Fairgrounds. Georg Dolivo, one of the founders and a vocalist and guitarist for the band, said the band has been busy since it reformed in 2000 after a break in the 1990s. “We show up, and we play and play hard,” he said in an interview by telephone Thursday, adding that, after the shows, “We want to meet the people, shake their hands.” He said the fans seem to enjoy the shows Rhino Bucket puts on. “The people who show up are really, really appreciative of it, and we have a good time,” Dolivo said. Hesser said the support from local businesses and organizations has been good. Sponsors include Budweiser, TownHouse Inns, Ezzies Wholesale, Bresnan Communications, NorthWestern Energy, R-New Trading Post, Wild Horse Seeds, Flynn Realty and taverns in Havre and up and down the Hi-Line. People have been buying tickets since Rhino Bucket listed the concert on their Web site as early as March, with sales from around the state as well as the Havre area, she said. Touring the nation and Europe Rhino Bucket has played several shows in Montana recently, including at the three-day music festival Rockin' The Rivers near Three Forks Aug. 7. Hesser, who attended the festival, said Rhino Bucket's performance there Was excellent. “They put on a really good show,” she said. The opening band for the Havre show, Voodoo Cadillac of Great Falls with a lineup including Havreite Joe England also played at Rockin' The Rivers. Their typical set list includes songs from bands ranging from The Eagles to AC/DC, from 3 Doors Down and Kid Rock to Nazareth and Judas Priest. Dolivo said playing at the festival was a good time for the members of Rhino Bucket, including playing with bands like Tesla and the Smithereens, longtime friends of Rhino Bucket. The band is finishing up its 2009 tour before heading off to Europe for a tour in 2010. Dolivo said that although Rhino Bucket has played shows in England and Australia, it has never played continental Europe. “It's going to be an adventure to us,” he said, adding that the response from European fans to the shows booked has been good so far there have been a lot of responses on the Rhino Bucket Web sites and through e-mails, he said. More than 20 years of rock 'n' roll Dolivo and bassplayer Reeve Downes are part of the original lineup of the band formed in 1988. Their first album, a self-titled release no longer in print, was released by Warner Brothers in 1990. That was followed by “Get Used to It” in 1992, which included the song “Ride with Yourself,” which was used in the soundtrack for the movie “Wayne's World.” Dolivo said that was a busy time for Rhino Bucket, writing and recording, touring and making regular appearances on MTV's “Headbanger Ball.” “It was great,” he said, adding that the band's attitude seemed to be confusing to the major record labels Rhino Bucket wanted to tour and play all the time. “Our motto was we will tour 'til we die. I think it was kind of foreign to them,” he said. After recording “Pain” in 1993, with former AC/DC and Ronnie James Dio drummer Simon Wright, the band took a break for a few years. Dolivo said touring seemed to kind of go out of style in the late 1990s. “We decided to take a break, see what life was with the white picket fence and it kind of sucked, for us,” he said. “Some people, it's their cup of tea, but not for us.” The band played a reunion show in 2000 after Dolivo was asked by Riki Rachtman to bring the band back to life to play at Rachtman's Cathouse nightclub in Hollywood. “After the gig, we realized we really enjoyed playing the music and playing in the band, so we said, Let's see what we can do with it,'” he said. They reinvented the band, Dolivo said, including bringing back original drummer Liam Jason and guitarist Brian “Damage” Forsythe, who played with the band Kix from the late 1970s through 1993. The band has once again been going nonstop. Dolivo said early in this decade a lot of the work they did was in soundtracks, including for television shows and songs in the motion pictures “Rolling Kansas,” “Stateside,” “The Outdoorsmen” and television's “The Handler,” and, most recently, “The Wrestler” starring Mickey Rourke. That work kind of inspired the band members to start writing and recording again, Dolivo said. They released “And Then it Got Ugly” in 2006, followed by a digital remastering of “Pain” in 2007 and “No Song Left Behind” that same year, a collection of live and demo tracks. Continuing to rock Dolivo said the band has had many lineup changes aside from the core of himself and bassplayer Reeves drummer Antony “Tiny” Biuso is with them on this tour while Simon Wright tours with Dio but always has been lucky in who came aboard. “The core is me and Reeves,” he said. “We established how the band is and how we want to present it. We've been really lucky to run into people who understand that.” Dolivo said the band plays straight-up rock 'n' roll, something he added is becoming harder and harder to find. Rhino Bucket just comes to play, with little for special lighting or special effects, he said. “We tell them just make sure there is a light on so they can see us we don't need the gimmicks.” He said people who like oldstyle rock should support it whenever they can, whether it is a concert or a local band playing local clubs. Buying T-shirts or posters doesn't matter just come out, he said. “Basically if you're into rock 'n' roll, just like straight-ahead rock, then for God's-sake support music,” he said. “We're really pouring our souls out just to play for you guys.” He said that people who like rock should like Friday's show. “And the fact that we're the last and greatest rock band left on the Earth, that helps,” he added. Tickets for the concert, with the doors opening at 7 p.m. and the show starting at 8 p.m., are available for $22 in advance at Creative Leisure, Griggs Printing or from Jaycees members, or $25 at the door.