Rockstar returns home

Aug. 18—ELKHART — A few shows in Minnesota, the Central Wisconsin State Fair and a stop at Castle Knoll Farms in Paoli, Indiana, and by next weekend, rockstar Drew Hart will be on his way home.

Hairball is performing at 8 p.m. Aug. 26 at The Lerner Theatre, 410 S. Main St., Elkhart, and it's the first time since graduation that Hart will see most of his fellow classmates.

One of three primary vocalists for the hair metal tribute band Hairball, Drew Hart, grew up in Edwardsburg, Michigan, and Elkhart. A graduate of the Class of 1987 at Elkhart Memorial High School, Hart hasn't been back to the region to show off his rock abilities since he joined his biggest band yet. Hart joined the band in March.

"My class, they've done nothing but see on Facebook, 'Drew, began a rockstar," he said. "And I've always been gone every class reunion that we had — I was always in Europe or touring or someplace else where I couldn't take the time off and go home."

This time, however, with Hart finally coming to town, the Class of 1987 is planning to attend the show at the Lerner Theatre as part of its reunion.

After 23 years of hair metal, Hairball has amassed a massive following and even become more prominent in the industry than some top names. In fact, at the Iowa State Fair last week, they played with Quiet Riot and Slaughter.

"There's nothing else in the country, in the world, that's like what Hairball does," Hart said. "I'm super excited because not a lot of people in Elkhart have seen the band, but once you see it, you'll absolutely be coming back to the next show."

Last week after a show, Hart spoke to someone who was just leaving their 210th show.

"The age group that this sort of music touches, it's like nothing else," Hart said. "It's like no other time period that I can think of. When you see like three generations of people — grandparents and their kids, and then they have kids and they're all there. It's really something to experience."

It's described as a "Bombastic Celebration" featuring vocalists Kris Vox, Dave Moody and Drew Hart, and lead guitarist Happy, bassist Brian HBK, and Billy on Drums, paying homage to the biggest arena acts in history including Van Halen, KISS, Motley Crue, Queen, Journey, and Aerosmith with historically accurate costuming, licks, chops, and stage theatrics — although Hart asserts that their show has even bigger pyrotechnics, lighting, and sound, than the original bands did in their heydays.

"If I'm singing in the shower and I'm singing well, I'm as happy as if I'm singing in front of 10,000 people," Hart said. "I love performing. I'm one of those performers that I can't get close enough to the crowd when I'm singing. I'm the guy that's always, sometimes to my own detriment because I'll fall off the stage and hurt myself, I'm walking across the subs, or I'll just get off the stage and get right down there against the barricade and give everybody high fives. If I had my way I would probably crowd surf a lot. ... I love that kinetic connection with the crowd."

Growing up on Eagle Lake, riding BMX bikes, skiing on Swiss Valley, and visiting the arcade at University Park Mall, Hart's family made their way to Elkhart during sophomore year, where he did diving, swimming, wrestling, and soccer.

"I loved Elkhart because it was just such a melting pot," he recalled.

At home, he'd play cornet, guitar, and drums. But what he really loved, what he latched onto, was singing.

"I really enjoyed manipulating my voice to sound like different singers, and I would record myself and listen back and the practicing of singing was super fun to me, and so I sang, a lot," Hart said.

After playing in hair metal bands in high school, Hart eventually applied to several music programs but chose to attend Indiana University South Bend to save costs as an in-state school.

"My best friend at the time, he had an exchange student from Denmark, and he knew of a band that needed a singer in Denmark," he recalled. Through the '90s, Hart performed with Timeless Hall, and eventually back in the States with Vanderhoof and Kamelot.

"It was really tough to make a solid living back then making records," Hart recalled. "I just sort of shucked it all for a little while."

In his 30s, Hart went back to school for psychology and worked for Elkhart High graduate and entrepreneur David Gundlach as his assets and estate manager until his death.

"When you're in the mode of going to school, that's what you're doing, and it's hard to really see anything else," he recalled. "It was just lather, rinse, repeat, every day."

A band in Las Vegas called him and invited him to sing with them. He agreed to do it for a year but ended up never looking back.

Hart joins the rest of Hairball in a rare indoor concert event of epic proportions at The Lerner Theatre Saturday, Aug. 26. Tickets, ranging from $25 to $49.50 are still available.

Visit https://thelerner.com/event/hairball for more information or to purchase.

Dani Messick is the education and entertainment reporter for The Goshen News. She can be reached at dani.messick@goshennews.com or at 574-538-2065.