'People are ready': Aldous Collins Band is ready to rock your summer

Their infectious, upbeat blend of reggae-tinged funk-rock has made the Aldous Collins Band one of the most popular drawing cards in New England, often capable of playing the proverbial eight days a week. But with a little time away from that constant performing schedule, due to the pandemic, Collins and his bandmates realized they were neglecting another aspect of their music – releasing recorded work that could re-create that irresistible summer vibe for many more fans.

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Collins and his band have been intent on releasing singles this spring, with the latest number, “Pura Vida,” out June 1.  Better yet, the band is headlining one of Boston’s most iconic music venues, The Paradise Rock Club, on Saturday, June 4. The Aldous Collins Band will be joined by three of their best musical friends: Dub Apocalypse from Boston; Providence Americana band The Silks; and Plymouth’s own rockers Third Left.  The four-act show begins at 7:30 p.m.

The Aldous Collins Band's weekly Wednesday residency at Roht Marine on the North River at Route 3A on the Scituate/Marshfield line is scheduled to kick off June 8. The series recently had its 10th anniversary and is probably the most fun "hump day" you’ll find anywhere. The band will also be headlining World’s End in Hingham on June 25.

“The music world seems to be coming back, and people are ready to come out,” Collins said from his Hanover home. “We are so grateful to have that residency at Roht. Having that gig as an anchor is such an advantage.”

'I love being a dad'

Collins is a Goffstown, New Hampshire, native who graduated from the University of New Hampshire with a degree in art design and then embarked on a 15-year career in various rock bands. Eventually he settled on the South Shore, and married Melanie Cheskin, a union that could inspire a TV sitcom: she had three young sons and Collins had three young daughters. The couple soon had their own daughter, Indie Ray, who is now 2 years old.

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Collins is not your typical rock star, sleeping until noon and lazing about the studio all day. In the middle of our interview, he has to suddenly break away when he thinks he’s running late for ferrying one daughter to field hockey, but it turns out dad had the wrong day.

“Between my wife and I, with seven kids from 2 to 17, we are super-busy,” Collins said with a soft laugh. “I don’t have too much down time, for sure, but it is a happy busy. I love being a dad.”

Collins said he's "really excited" for the gig at The Paradise.

“Steve Smith is flying in from London to play percussion, and Dave Mullen is coming to play sax, along with Sam Delchenne on trumpet. It’s been quite a while since we were able to play with a horn section and these guys are the best in the business. We’ve only played the Paradise once before, as part of a nine-piece disco band, Cisco Disco.”

The Aldous Collins Band also includes Collins on guitar and vocals, Luke Brech on drums, Kevin Hennessey on keyboards and vocals, and Michael Rahman on guitar and vocals, with Phil Grenier at the sound board.

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This has already been a good year for the group.  The reggae band The Elovators brought them out on a winter East Coast tour as their opening act. A few years ago, the Aldous Collins Band was playing 500-capacity venues such as Brighton Music Hall in Brighton. The Paradise is roughly twice as big, which points to the band's steady growth.

“I think that Brighton Music Hall show was five or six years ago,” Collins recalled. “We might’ve jumped on a show there by Roots Creation, but we also headlined there twice. I am thankful for The Paradise having us, and when The Elovators brought us out on tour, we opened for them there in January. Hopefully it will be a great night, and I know we’re going to have super talents onstage all night.”

Releasing new songs

The past two years of reduced opportunities to play led to Collins reassessing his band’s approach.

“The hibernation of COVID actually made me appreciate music more, as well as the crew I play with,” Collins said. “I realized that releasing our music is something we’ve never done. We’ve started emphasizing that this year. In the past two or three months we’ve released a single, 'Warmth,' on different platforms. Then, we’ve had a song we’ve been playing for a couple years, 'Dynamite,' that we’ve also finally got around to recording and put that out. Now we are going to release 'Pura Vida,' which means simply, ‘pure life,’ on June 1.

"We have another four singles on the way in the next couple months, just to have something out there. And maybe all of this will get us to finally buckle down and do a full album. We haven’t really done that before, aside from an EP of five songs we did several years back.”

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During the COVID-19 lockdowns, Collins did his Spiritual Gangster Tour, an online solo acoustic series of performances, where all proceeds went to the struggling restaurant and bar workers at area establishments. Not only did it raise more than $45,000 for those struggling workers, it inspired Framingham’s Springdale Beer Co. to mix a Spiritual Gangster ale, which became quite popular.

“That beer was only supposed to be going for a month, one batch,” Collins noted. “It was so well received, I think they’re now on their fifth-sixth-seventh batch."

A passion for art

Collins had put his art talents mostly aside until Cheskin surprised him on a birthday with a set of art supplies. Collins’ artwork – full-size paintings and lithographs – reflect the optimistic, inclusive tone of his music, and it was immediately popular. His "One Love" painting inspired a T-shirt, while his impressionistic paintings of music figures like Ray Charles and Jimi Hendrix gained plaudits near and far.

“Right now, I’m busy doing music, and that has got hold of me,” Collins said. “I need to spend some time when I’m doing my art, dig into another series perhaps. I need something that makes sense to me, whether it’s a purpose or a theme. Sometimes it is just for me, and it’s just something I need to get out of my system. To me, it is like writing songs; sometimes it is time to do that, and other times it is not. I just feel lucky that I am working hard to create stuff, uniquely my own thing, and I’m fortunate that people value it. Having that support is a gift, the same as having people like my music.”

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Collins added: “Any time people come out to hear you play your music, more than once especially, it is a nice reward.  Creativity can be challenging, so when people appreciate what you’re doing, it is the best, most gratifying feeling to have. I am grateful for that with both my music and my art.”

Collins has said his goal for folks attending his concerts is, “I want people to feel OK. If they can walk away happy or better than they were (before our show) then I feel like we’ve done our job.”

That kind of hopeful and engaging feel is reflected in all three of the opening acts at The Paradise. We might add that dancing shoes are almost a prerequisite.

“These are all our friends,” said Collins. “I can tell everyone these are very talented bands, with great musicians.”

See the Aldous Collins Band

When: 7:30 p.m. June 4

Where: The Paradise, 967 Commonwealth Ave., Boston

Tickets: $20 in advance and $25 on the day of the show

Info:  617-562-8800, crossroadspresents.com

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This article originally appeared on The Patriot Ledger: Aldous Collins Band to headline Paradise Rock Club in Boston