Brian Maes during a rehearsal for The Devil and Billy Shake Rock Opera, which will be performed Saturday at the Lynn Auditorium (Photo by Mark Lorenz)
By Bill Brotherton
LYNN — Brian Maes’ hectic schedule nearly prevented him from embarking on one of the most exciting chapters of his professional life: “The Devil and Billy Shake,” a rock opera that will be presented Oct. 29 at Lynn Auditorium.
George Simpson, a Saugus-based poet and amateur musician, had written lyrics for “The Devil and Billy Shake.” His guitar teacher, Kook Lawry, who lives in Lynnfield and is a member of Maes’ band, introduced the two during an open mic night at O’Brien’s Pub.
Maes, Lynn born and bred, was back home for a few days, taking a break from his gig as lead singer for Ernie and the Automatics, which was on the road opening for Deep Purple.
The two later met at Maes’ home studio. Simpson told Maes he wanted to work with him and asked him to look at his script. Maes said “George, I don’t know if I can donate the time to this.” This went on for quite a while. Simpson persisted, eventually telling Maes, “I left a copy of the script in your studio. Take it with you on the road. Throw it in your bunk. If you find yourself in the middle of no place with nothing to do, give it a read.”
“He was like Columbo, he would not give up” said Maes, referring to the TV detective. “George was steady and polite. But every time we talked, he’d asked if I’d read the script.”
One night the boredom of the road set in. Maes grabbed the script and started reading. Billy Shake, the biggest rock star on the planet, had been summoned by the devil to play a show in hell. The confrontation between good and evil captured his imagination.
Maes asked Tim Archibald, the band’s bassist, to look at it. “He came back the next night, tossed the script at me, and said ‘This guy is either insane or a genius.’”
Maes had no sooner returned from the Deep Purple tour when Simpson phoned. “Did you read it?” Maes said it had potential and he was in. “If you let me score it, produce it and pick the musicians, we’ll split everything 50-50.”
The deal with “The Devil” had been made.
For the next two years, between gigs, Maes sat at his piano and composed a score. He tinkered with Simpson’s lyrics to make them more singable. Lawry heard the work-in-progress and said “Wow. This is really good,” likening it to The Who’s “Quadrophenia” meets “The Rocky Horror Picture Show.”
Maes, 60, has led an enviable life as a professional musician. Little did he realize that when he picked up the trumpet in grade 3 at the Callahan School, that he’d spend most of the next 50-plus years getting paid for doing what he loves.
He graduated from Berklee College of Music in 1979 and, in addition to a successful solo career, has played with local bands Shire and American Teen, Lynnfield’s Robert Ellis Orrall (the band also included Lawry, Don Waldon and David Stefanelli; they opened six shows for U2, just as Bono and the boys were breaking big with “Sunday Bloody Sunday,” and three shows for the Kinks at the Worcester Centrum).
After leaving the band Boston, Barry Goudreau of Swampscott formed Orion the Hunter and Maes got the touring keyboardist gig. They opened for Aerosmith the summer of 1984. About 1989, Brad Delp, on hiatus from Boston, and Goudreau formed RTZ; Maes, Archibald and Stefanelli rounded out the lineup. When Nirvana and Pearl Jam exploded in ‘93, the corporate rock of RTZ was out of fashion.
Maes had a lucrative solo career, playing North Shore residencies seven nights a week in various clubs. Then Peter Wolf came calling and hired Maes to play keyboards and sing backing vocals for his Houseparty 5. Maes then played with and produced an album for Ernie and the Automatics, with Goudreau, Archibald and ex-Boston drummer Sib Hashian joining guitarist/car dealer Ernie Boch.
These days Maes and his four-piece band host an open mic every Tuesday night, 7:30-10:30, at the Breakaway club in Danvers.
But it’s “Billy Shake” that’s occupying most of his time these days. It’s changed a bit from the 2014 debut at Lynn Arts’ Black Box Theatre and performances last year at Danvers High School and Lynn Auditorium.
Maes will play Billy Shake. Nick David is the Devil/Dr. Spark. MaryBeth Maes is Princess Shrill. Teri O’Soro and Rachele DiFava play the sexy Demonettes. Lawry and Archibald are in the pit band with Tony DiPietro and Erik D’Orlando and Danny McCarthy of Salem band 43 Church Street.
Lighting director is Phred Moore, who was affiliated with Shire. Art design is the work of Emmanuelle Le Gal. Hair and makeup is by Kim Patrizzi of Kim’s Barbershop.
“The Devil and Billy Shake,” a rock opera, at Lynn Auditorium, Saturday, Oct. 29; doors open at 6:30 p.m., show at 8. Tickets: $20; www.lynnauditorium.com