'Pure joy': After 34 years, the homegrown Swinging Steaks are still swinging

It was ironic, but not totally surprising, that at the apex of their rock 'n' roll career in 1994, that the Swinging Steaks, on the occasion of their national TV debut on "Late Night with Conan O'Brien," performed "Suicide at the Wishing Well," a song that questions the way the obsession to create is often at odds with the path to material success.

But that was the thing that Swinging Steaks fans all over the South Shore already knew. The homegrown quintet could deliver a fiery, visceral rocker, uncork a classic tear-in-your-beer country ballad or boisterously soulful song like "This Kind of Love," but they could also write lyrics that made you think. That's why, even in their 34th year together, when their shows are more infrequent and no longer their sole occupations, their performances are so precious.

The Swinging Steaks are headlining The Spire Center in Plymouth on Friday night.

The Swinging Streaks were neither the first nor the last to write about the often thankless job of making original music. (Contemporary examples in their Americana style would be Jason Isbell's "To a Band I Loved" or American Aquarium's "Casualties.")  But "Suicide at the Wishing Well," from their 1992 debut album, put it in indelible lines, such as, "When you give your whole life to your heart's desire, you find yourself face down in the water of the wishing well ..."

Later lyrics put it evenly more starkly: "You start out with a little and end up with even less." But if those words sound downbeat, the song itself was anything but that, in fact a positively giddy and cathartic declaration that let you know this group would continue fighting the good fight to create worthwhile music. (In fact, those contemporary examples we cited also manage to convince listeners their musicians will persevere.)

To sum it up quickly, the Swinging Steaks succeeded in crafting plenty of original music of distinction, skillfully blending rock and roots elements. The adulation from critics nationwide included comparisons to Gram Parsons, The Band, The Black Crowes and The Georgia Satellites. There was a major label deal with Capricorn Records, that TV shot with Conan and a national tour opening for Los Lobos. But Capricorn soon ran into money troubles, the national promotional push never really happened, and the Steaks gradually adjusted to the reality of scaled-down ambitions.

Their seven albums are all worthy and captivating, even if some are more consistent than others. The most recent release was 2012's "Live in '93" on their own Thrust Records label. There's also a 2017 video of their concert and interview at The Fallout Shelter in Norwood that is a superb snapshot of the present-day incarnation of the band.  When we talked with Quincy native and now Brockton resident Jim Gambino last summer the keyboardist reported that the Steaks were working on a new record, with Boston rock legend David Minehan at his Wooly Mammoth Studios in Waltham.

But if any band is a "South Shore band," the Swinging Steaks surely are. From the time the more mainstream rock band The Drive − regulars at Quincy's old Beachcomber − broke up and guitarist Jamie Walker, of Needham, and bassist Paul Kochanski, of Sharon, joined up with guitarist Tim Giovanniello, of Holbrook, and Quincy's Gambino to form the country-and-rock band they'd envisioned, the Swinging Steaks were favorite sons of the region. During that early 1990s heyday, the drummer's chair was held down by Walpole's Joe Donnelly, well known from his stint with the later version of the Del Fuegos. Boston's Andy Plaistead replaced Donnelly by 2000, and multi-instrumentalist/sideman-extraordinaire Steve Sadler, of Boston, guested on so many shows he became a full-fledged Steak around the same time.

"Our first gig was 1989 at Necco Place, by the old Channel nightclub," Gambino said last week. "We can look at today's Americana genre and feel we were maybe ahead of our time. We are good friends with (Scituate's) Ward Hayden, and (Lexington's) Sarah Borges, who just did the Outlaw Country Cruise, and people like Steve Earle and (Jason and the Scorchers guitar ace) Warner Hodges are still out there playing, so there is still an audience. Our new record is further along, probably six songs finished now. We're taking our time and David is a real good partner in doing this."

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Since the Swinging Steaks have downshifted, with family obligations and so on, they've all stayed busy. Walker does a variety of shows in formats from duos to full bands. Kochanski plays bass with multiple units, most notably blues titan Ronnie Earl's Broadcasters. Giovanniello lives in North Carolina, where his wife is a radio station executive, and leads an Eagles tribute group down there. Gambino loves doing studio work, but went back to school and became an addiction counselor full time. The number of Steaks shows is limited by how often Giovanniello can get back to the area, as well as everyone else's work schedules.

"Tim has been able to come back regularly, and we are all fully invested in this new record," Gambino said. "A key part of our sound has always been our four-part vocal harmonies, and if there are some new sounds on this record, those harmonies are the common thread. We are still roots-rock, country-rock, but maybe now venturing into some Beach Boys-like territory. Another new song could remind people of Roger Waters. But we didn't wander too far off the path, and it still sounds cohesive. We're still debating whether we should release it as an album all at once, or drop a couple tunes here and there, like they do these days."

Friday's set list may include some of those new songs, but the band's songbook is so rich with fan favorites that it doesn't need to. "Southside of the Sky" is popular, a love song that could also be a paean to a dying lover. Giovanniello's cynical/hopeful world view makes "Bone Bag" a tart selection. The rocker "(Our Love Is a) Train Wreck" is delectable because it can be seen as comic hyperbole, or affectionate jibe. The surreal vignette of "Roadside" evokes the band's Western imagery, while "Mountain" is an anthem of getting back to simpler things. The pell-mell rocker "Own Worst Enemy" can be seen as a search for meaning, while the soothing philosophy of "The River Always Knows" is irresistible. And the slowly building crescendo of "We're All in This Together" could make it a national anthem for America, or at least the country we aspire to be.

"We don't play often enough to veer very far off what our fans love best," Gambino said, laughing. "After doing the big national thing for almost 20 years, we came to terms with the fact none of us want to go out there night after night, or ride in a van cross-country. But we're happy with where we're at. Andy Plaistead is the new guy, now with 25 years under his belt. And making music like this with four of my best friends, with no pressure, doing it how we want, and when we want? It's a pure joy, and something we will always love. Would we tour after this new record comes out? Possibly we could do some short runs of a week or two. That might be fun."

Upcoming gigs: Sierra Hull, Nervous Eaters, Lez Zeppelin and more

THURSDAY: Howie Day sings at City Winery. Munk Duane performs at Rivershed. Mandolin star Sierra Hull is at The Narrows Center (and at The Sinclair on Friday). The Dave Matthews Tribute Band opens two nights at Soundcheck Studios. Pepper rocks The Paradise. Pop songsmith Eric Bellinger at Brighton Music Hall.

FRIDAY: The Sheila Divine rocks The Paradise. Rockers from the past as The Nervous Eaters, with Mark Cutler opening, take over The Narrows Center. Jerry Harrison and Adrian Belew light up The House of Blues. Seattle metal band Sanctuary at Roadrunner. Yeat raps at MGM Music Hall. Matt Charette and Truer Sound at Atwood's Tavern, and get there early to hear Quincy's Lenny Lashley open.

SATURDAY: Lez Zeppelin at Soundcheck Studios. Trinity, a CSNY tribute, at The Spire Center. Sol y Canto brings Latin music to The Narrows Center. Richard Lloyd of the band Television is at City Winery's Haymarket Lounge, while Gilbert O'Sullivan sings in the main room. Michigan pop band Every Avenue at Brighton Music Hall. Daniel Miller and the High Life at Atwood's Tavern. Emotional Oranges, a Los Angeles R&B band, at Royale.

SUNDAY: Catch that Sunday afternoon (3 p.m.) soiree at The Spire Center with Shady Rooster. Irish faves Enter the Haggis at City Winery on Sunday night, popster Gracie Abrams arrives at The House of Blues, Larkin Poe takes over Royale, and the country duo Seaforth harmonizes at Brighton Music Hall.

TUESDAY: City Winery welcomes Eric Krasno (Lettuce, Soulive) and Stanton Moore (Galactic) for what should be epic jamming, while the prog-rock band Riverside, from Warsaw, Poland, kicks off at Brighton Music Hall.

WEDNESDAY: Aussie songbird Betty Who sings at The House of Blues on Wednesday, while across town Boston smooth soulman Chris Walton warbles at Brighton Music Hall.

See the Swinging Steaks

When: 8 p.m. March 10

Where: Spire Center, 25½ Court St., Plymouth

Tickets: $23.40 to $26

Info: 508-746-4488 or spirecenter.org 

This article originally appeared on The Patriot Ledger: South Shore favorites Swinging Steaks to rock Plymouth's Spire Center