CHS grads parlay musical talents into regular gig

If the musicians in the band at Carter’s Sports Grill on Neponset Street look familiar, it’s not surprising. Four of the members of the Juke City Band are graduates of Canton High School. Jeff Klayman, Jim Friel, and Friel’s wife, Monica Gibson Friel, are members of the Class of 1981. Friel’s cousin Joe Piro graduated in 1984.

Clockwise from lower left: Joe Piro, Jim Friel, Mike McCaffrey, Jeff Klayman and Casper Joseph

Piro, who works in business management and plays the harmonica and sings, joined Juke City following a joking conversation he had with his wife, Kim, also a 1984 CHS graduate, about a midlife crisis.

“I said, ‘I’m either getting a motorcycle or a sports car or going in a band,’” Piro recalled. “And she said, ‘You’re in a band.’”

Juke City came together in 2010. Friel, a truck driver who plays keyboards and is the lead singer, is considered the leader of the band. Klayman, a lawyer, plays the drums and handles marketing for Juke City. Gibson Friel, who works as an executive assistant, is a guest singer. Casper Joseph and Mike McCaffrey, both informational technology professionals, play bass and guitar, respectively.

The band began by playing in Klayman’s basement. Piro described their music as up-tempo dance blues or toe-tapping music.

“It got a little bit better,” Piro said of the group’s jam sessions. “Someone said, ‘We might be able to take this show on the road.’”

When they felt they were ready, they invited as many friends and family as they could to see them perform in Klayman’s basement. Following the positive response to the music, their career on the road was born.

Over the next few years, Klayman made phone calls and Juke City played in bars in Norwood, Mansfield, Easton and Canton.

“We would seek out music venues and send a quick recording or video,” Piro said. “They put you in their rotation.”

Juke City’s latest success is their gig at Carter’s, located at 601 Neponset Street. They have been hired to play one Saturday a month until further notice.

At Carter’s, the band members take over an area near the bar where they push the tables back and create a small dance floor. Their playlist consists of a number of songs from the 1970s, which Piro calls a J. Geils style of music. Songs include Hey Bartender, Your Mama Don’t Dance, Roadhouse Blues, Mustang Sally, Rockin’ Pneumonia, and Johnny B. Goode.

In addition to having fun, being in a band has been a growth experience for the Juke City musicians.

“I had never performed anything in my life,” Piro said. “In high school, I hung out with the jock crowd. The thought of getting [on stage] would be the furthest from my mind. I was completely horrified.”

That has changed for him. “I learned to be relaxed and sing in front of people,” Piro said. “My confidence has evolved. I have a lot of fun. The other guys would probably say the same thing.”

Piro went on to say that the band has changed, too. “It’s starting to come together,” he added. “We all get along. We’re friends. We know the tendencies of how the other guy might end the song. The more you play, the more you gel. It’s starting to sound pretty good.”

The Juke City Band will next perform at Carter’s Sports Grill at 8 p.m. on Saturday, March 8. For more information on the band, go to www.reverbnation.com/jukecity.

Short URL: https://www.thecantoncitizen.com/?p=24172

Posted by Mary Ann Price on Feb 13 2014. Filed under Features. Both comments and pings are currently closed.