ABOUT THE HAYMAKERS

Like a country fried punch in the face, The Haymakers combine some of music’s most undeniable elements and vintage vibes to capture the spark of America’s greatest artists and music.

Vintage, retro, classic rave – all words you could use to describe their style of music. But while they draw their inspiration from the sounds of the past, they combine it with a contemporary style to deliver something familiar yet fresh.

Vintage guitars drenched in reverb, thundering upright bass and tight drumming combined with shimmering vocal harmonies create The Haymakers sound.

Get ready to rock and roll!

Chris James

In late 1979, Chris was already a guitar-obsessed Jimi Hendrix fan when he decided to take up the instrument. A few months later, upon hearing the Clash’s London Calling LP, Chris was spellbound. The first song he ever learned to play was “Death or Glory”.

In the early 1980’s Chris was bitten by the Blues-bug, and proceeded to spend his teenage years mostly locked in his room with guitar and turntable, woodshedding and trying to steal every lick he could. He would occasionally go out with friends to practice being a proper vandal, but mostly stayed indoors with the guitar.

From 1988-1997 Chris fronted a blues trio called the Smokin’ Kings. After some life changing events, Chris dropped out of sight for a few years to recalibrate his life.

Chris re-surfaced in 2005 with a new band called The Hideaways. This band incorporated a mix of traditional blues with everything that influenced him over the years. This gumbo-like concoction produced a sound that mixed blues with punk rock energy and tight live performance execution of classic soul bands. The Hideaways remain active to this day.

With The Haymakers, Chris is proud to join Mark and Tom; bringing the same gumbo-like approach to their overall sound.

Tom Hopkins

With limited talent, the four strings of the upright bass seemed like a good fit for Tom. Always loving the bigger than life sound and energy of the slap bass style of the 40’s and 50’s, there was never any question which instrument was for him. Only problem was there was no one to teach him how to play such a style in 1982. So, he took organ lessons at the local mall instead where he ended up playing Journey songs at a concert in the food court. Quite a disparity in levels of coolness for sure, but he eventually got that upright and redeemed himself. His self-integrity was restored when he formed NY Rockabilly combo Rhythm Bound!

From 1996-present, Rhythm Bound has shared the stage with some of music' biggest stars, including; Dick Dale, Imelda May, Ray Condo, Robert Gordon, Rosie Flores, Big Sandy, Jittery Jack, Lee Rocker, among others. Their original music has been featured on the HBO series 'The Cathouse.'

In 1997, Tom recorded and toured with North Carolina's hard hitting rockabilly band; The Belmont Playboys. The Playboys had previously played with legends such as Carl Perkins, Little Richard, and even a private event with the man himself, Johnny Cash. However, Tom’s claim to fame with them was being bumped from the Conan O’ Brien show by Shania Twain (and that didn’t impress him much).

Tom has also played bass for Grammy winner Brian Setzer (who exclaimed - “Listen to this cat!”) and Rock and Roll Hall of Famer Wanda Jackson, who called Tom handsome and even let him hold Elvis’ ring that she still wears around her neck.

Tom is thrilled to share the stage with fellow Haymakers Chris and Mark to create even more memorable moments with hopes he doesn’t have to fall back to playing the Lowery Organ at the South Shore Mall.

Mark Pohl

Hailing from the tiny town of Sound Beach on Long Island, Mark spent a huge portion of his early musical years locked in his room listening to his Beatles records and trying his best to bang out their songs on the guitar. But by the time he turned 15, it became obvious that he didn't have the chops of a Harrison, Lennon or a McCartney and his attention quickly shifted to the incredible rhythmic patterns of Ringo.

Delivering the swinging rhythms for The Haymakers has been the culmination of over 30 years on the drum kit, playing for and with such musical luminaries as; The Pop-O-Matics, Frank Barajas & the Shakedowns, The Corsican Brothers, Gene Casey & the Lone Sharks, The Buzzards, The Bobby Volkman Trio, EverBlue, Big Daddy Deluxe, The Mary Lamont Band, among others. Mark's style is chiefly influenced by most of his drumming idols; Ringo Starr, Keith Moon, Jim Keltner, Neil Peart, Terry Bozzio, Stewart Copeland, Buddy Rich, Ginger Baker, Ian Paice, Dave Grohl, John Bonham, Mitch Mitchell, DJ Fontana, Charlie Watts, Vinnie Colaiuta, Jerry Allison and Ronnie Tutt, to name just a few.

ABOUT THE HAYMAKERS

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