Pete Hantzis & Doctors of Flight

Taking Flight

Pete Hantzis of Doctors of Flight recently joined the Hear Now Live staff as a talent buyer and he keeps busy with performing with his band (Doctors of Flight) and booking excellent shows all over Boston. Being a big fan of Reggae especially when it’s integrated with and MC on the mic I wanted to find out more of how Pete juggles booking shows and performing with his band.

MK: Pete, your band seems to be very active these days and It looks like you guys have been doing one big show after another. Also, I heard you guys were recording some new tracks as well. What’s with the resurgence of the Doctors of Flight? It seems like you all are more dedicated to the band….

Pete Hantziz: Initially - we were just trying to find a way to break into the Boston music scene. We knew we could draw big numbers & we had a feeling our music would catch on quickly. Places like The Wave in Waltham & The Common Ground in Allston gave us our first opportunities. Still, the more well known venues still didn’t want to roll the dice with DOF. Now the opportunities are plentiful & its just about picking which ones make the most sense for us & our hopes of growing bigger.

MK: The DOF have a pretty tight roots reggae influence. Where did this come from? Did you all want to focus on a specific side of Reggae? What are the band’s influences?

PH: We learned a great deal about reggae & how it works from performing with DIS N DAT Band. Through them we met KING-I and later invited him to guest with us. He taught us a lot of terms & lingo that helped us to dig even deeper into the Roots reggae style.

Am I allowed to make a pitch for another artist here? If so - GO OUT AND SEE KING-I IF YOU NEVER HAVE- He is in my opinion the best performer in BOSTON at this time.

Its interesting- as a band we touch on so many different genres I never know how to classify us. I think that’s what ultimately makes DOF such a special group of people. Our Drummer & Guitarist are very Reggae, Ska oriented while our bassist & percussionist are more Funk / hard rock. Our fiddle player is folk & classic while our female vocalist & Trumpet player just tend to mesh with any style- I generally bring the hip-hop flavor.

Our influences come from a variety of different styles including- Pepper, The Roots, Chili Peppers, Rage against the machine, Atmosphere & many other artists.

MK: You’ve been known to step up on stage at random shows where the DOF aren’t even playing? It seems like your passion for music is undeniable like you were meant to just hit the stage at any given moment?

PH: I can’t lie Mark - I love the microphone. Any time anyone asks me to guest I can’t resist. I have so much fun interacting with the crowd. I think that is something that has been missing from the Boston music scene. I see so many front men being snide or yelling at the crowd.

You just don’t see as many local performers playing off the crowd anymore. The more you perform, the more you realize its not about how you deliver your verses or how you play your instrument but how you relate & incorporate the crowd into your performance. Anyone can get on stage & rap or sing, but not everyone can get on stage and perform.

MK: How did you get into booking shows? How do you form a line-up and what genres of music do you book?

PH: I got into booking shows by booking my own bands. After a while I had friends bands asking me if I could book them. Then I had friends of friends bands asking me to book them too. So basically booking shows found me & I’ve been rolling with it ever since.

I like forming line-ups that flow nicely through the night. I book all styles but my favorite shows to book are - reggae, Hip-Hop, & funk bands. I enjoy the energy those kind of acts bring & I think they make for a great environment inside the clubs.

MK: What was the best show DOF performed at this Summer so far? What’s the next couple of shows you are most looking forward to?

PH: We have actually not played a show since June 11^th & that was our Battle of the bands for the FREEDOM RALLY.

That said we are really looking forward to the next three weekends July 31^st @ the MIDDLE EAST (downstairs room). Then were off to New Hampshire to open for Roots of Creation at MILLY’S TAVERN. I really can’t wait for that MIDDLE EAST show though- MAKE SURE YOU ALL GET OUT FOR THIS ONE! DOF w/ KING-I that night.

MK: How many members are in the band? The vocal set-up is pretty far out…how does each vocalist stay in check so that everyone can have some time singing or rapping?

PH: We have 8 members in the band.

Dan Fassett - Fiddle/Hermonica/Vocals

Jess Markey - Trumpet

Andrew Simpson - Bass

John Aziz - Guitar/ Vocals

Paul Soucy - Drums

Lucas Batten - Percussion

Myself - Vocals

Vanessa Rand - Vocals

You know - I never really thought about how were able to share amongst so many vocalists. I think everyone who has an active roll doing any kind of singingin the band possesses some sort of quality that the other members don’t. So as for determining who will sing and when - it tends to be whoever sounds best doing that particular line.

MK: Tell us about Dr Fassett? How old is he and how did you all get him to join the band?

PH: You know I tell everyone Dr. Doom is 157 - but okay… This is groundbreaking now his real age has never been publicly revealed…. He is 60 years young. Dan or Dr .Doom as we call him, is a story of his own. You really need to sit down and have a beer with him and chat - he may just be the most interesting man alive.

In all seriousness though - Tragedy brought Dan and DOF together. His son Darby Fassett www.darbyfassett.org died of a drug overdose. He has taken a giant portion of his time to spread drug awareness to the best of his ability & invited DOF along to help. We performed at a benefit concert for DARBY out at UMASS AMHERST & since then he has been the heart & soul of DOF. I really couldn’t imagine playing music without him at this point - he is the person who gets me the most fired up before & during our performances.

MK: Tell me how you see the Reggae Scene in Boston evolving?

PH: I could tell you how I see the reggae scene evolving- but what I would rather do is tell you what I hope to see. I hope to see more fusion reggae acts. I don’t mean just Sublime or SO CAL style. I mean I want to see more reggae - hip hop & funk hybrid bands.

Anyone can sit back and learn some reggae- but your never going to be able to do it better than the originals & the real roots performers from Jamaica & the west indies (who are plentiful in Boston). So I really want to see those next level bands who dare to mix Reggae with Hip Hop or even rock. If that doesn’t start to pick up - I really don’t see the reggae scene evolving- I see it staying constant for the next several years.

Going to a reggae show in Boston is amazingly diverse though. From race to age- you’ll see people 21 to 75 in the club when it’s a reggae night. I think that’s the best part about it, that ability to bring everyone together regardless of their differences.

MK: What does the future of DOF Hold? And for Pete?

PH: DOF will keep rolling - with a big Fall show at Johnny D’s & a late night cabin slot scheduled at WORMTOWN FESTIVAL out in Greenfield, MASS we’re just going to keep on trucking and hope people continue to notice us.

For me, as we continue to spread our BOSTON shows farther apart - I’ll be itching to hit the stage. I see myself doing a lot more guest sets with other acts in the near future. So if your looking for someone to get the crowd a little more amped get me on face book - I’ll gladly come rock the stage with you!

 

Here you have it….Check out Doctors of Flight and any of Pete’s Reggae or Rock shows because they are on every Time.

Un-carefully, Unedited by Mark Kaye