KOZMICBLUES.NET
FEATURE

I. A Tough Crowd

New York City, that cultural mecca, is no haven for cover bands. Playing other folks' material (without putting your own postmodern spin on it, anyway) just isn't cool here.

So our cover bands labor in obscurity in mostly small bars, mostly in the outer boroughs, and we mostly don't talk about them. It's almost as if the fact that people like to hear live bands playing recognizable versions of current and bygone hits is some sort of dirty little secret.

And then there's the unfortunate tribute band situation. The few well-known NYC clubs that used to book high-quality touring tribute bands (Wetlands, Rock & Roll Cafe) have closed. If you'd like to indulge your pleasure (guilty or otherwise) in reliving the glory days of rock by hearing a band pay loving tribute to one of the great acts of rock's formative years, you're pretty much sh*t out of luck within the confines of Manhattan Isle.

II. The Kozmic Blues Janis Joplin Tribute Band

Examine the edges, though, and it's surprising what you can find. Case in point: take the famous ferry to Staten Island, the very outermost of the outer boroughs, and you just might run into Lauren Bernal and her Kozmic Blues Janis Joplin tribute band. I caught up with Lauren at a recent gig at the Van Duzer Inn, a friendly venue which was celebrating its re-opening with a night of blues. Though Lauren and her band were first up, it felt like a late-night hang already.

Hearing the pounding four-on-the-floor of "Move Over," I knew right away that the band (Lauren Bernal, vocals; Jon Specter, guitar; John Neilson, bass; Glenn Lawrence, drums) had good taste and a real love for Janis's music. By the end of the song it was clear they could also rock. Next they surprised me with "Tell Mama," a great soul number that Janis took from Etta James. Since Janis never recorded it in the studio, it actually evoked, better than the big hits did, what the Janis concert experience must have been like.

Another highlight was "I Need a Man To Love," one of Janis and Big Brother's greats and a song Big Brother still plays the heck out of today. The band ably covered the big hits. The only one that should have been better was "Piece of My Heart," which seemed a bit perfunctory, and in which neither the melody nor the famous guitar riff came off quite right. (To be fair, as my companion Halley DeVestern noted - and Halley ought to know - no guitarist besides Sam Andrew himself can seem to get that darn guitar part right. Also to be fair, Big Brother themselves have been known to toss off "Piece of My Heart" rather speedily these days.)

Bernal played the audience expertly throughout the set, wailing and growling like the real thing without making the mistake of trying too hard and becoming a caricature. The occasional missed notes and melodies didn't matter much. The spirit of Janis was alive in the room.

I wanted to know something more about this woman who has dedicated her musical life to recreating the Janis Joplin experience. So I asked her.

III. The Singer

The second-youngest of seven siblings, raised in Florida and on Staten Island, Lauren Bernal has been listening to Janis since there was a Janis to listen to. Like many of her age she was immersed as a little girl in Joplin's music courtesy of an older sister. But unlike most, Bernal had a voice to be reckoned with, and as a young teenager she began to sing Janis's songs. Growing up, she says, "Everyone would call me Janis because I had hair like her, I was loud, outgoing, and boisterous like her. We had the same interests... music, motorcycles... and loved to be around people. Always felt like I had to do something but didn't quite know just what it was."

Like Alanis Morrissette in the late '90s, Janis in the late '60s through her music, style and persona spoke deeply to a whole generation of girls and young women. But while Janis fandom may have faded into sweet nostalgia for some, Bernal never stopped feeling that resonance, and as the new millenium approached she decided the time was right to put a band together and bring back something of Janis's spirit. She formed the band in 1999, and after a struggle to find the right musicians, the Kozmic Blues band hit the clubs and has been rocking ever since.

Bernal is an unabashed impersonator. She believes that the soul of the music is what matters. "When people come to see us we give it our all. I give everything with all my heart. There's nothing phony about it." Those who scoff at tribute bands would do well to heed Bernal's words. And, oh yeah, check out her band.

IV. Not Just a Nostalgia Act

But though she works hard to recreate Janis's performances, Bernal and her band attract a young crowd along with the old hippies. "You would be surprised how many young people [come to our shows]," says the singer, "mostly girls [who] love Janis Joplin. A LOT. [And] my kids love it. My little girl [age 7] knows all the words to 'Mercedes Benz' and 'Call on Me' and other songs. They even come in to the [rehearsal] studio with me; I try to make them a part of my music, hoping they will follow in my steps."

The presence of her supportive family reminds Bernal of the tragedy of her inspiration's life. "Janis wanted that white picket fence and kids," she observes, "[but] never had the chance to really experience life: real love, the joy of kids and a man to love her unconditionally. That's the sad part. I can't imagine not having my family. 27 is way too young; life should have just begun for her, not ended. So I feel she lives on through me. As crazy as that sounds. I guess what I'm saying is, This is what I was meant to do. Keep Janis alive through me." From some people, such a statement might seem idealistic, unrealistic, even a little arrogant or foolish. But Bernal's integrity is obvious in conversation as well as on stage. Her act isn't about irony, hipness, or even old-fashioned ego. It's about Janis Joplin and her music. That's all. And that's plenty.

Bernal and her band don't play out of town, and if you're familiar with New York City, the very fact of their being based here should be enough to convince you that they're not in it for the money. "I'm not looking to get rich; I want to be rich in music, for what I love to do, and what I put into my show. And what my band puts into it," adds Bernal, always quick to credit her her musicians.

The Kozmic Blues Janis Joplin Tribute Band may be a labor of love. But the labor's behind the scenes, while the love - lots of it - is right up front.

You can find The Kozmic Blues Janis Joplin Tribute Band's performance schedule here.