Rock band set for Halloween show Friday

MARC BUCKHOUT ~ MANAGING EDITOR~ 10/26/2011

As an Arizona native Roger Clyne has an appreciation for the southwest.
The front man for Roger Clyne & The Peacemakers said he’s looking forward to the band’s first performance in Cave Creek, an 8:30 p.m. show Friday at Harold’s Corral.
“I kind of rediscovered Cave Creek,” he said. “My mother moved up there not too long ago and I was up there for lunch at Harold’s when my promoter suggested doing a show there. It’s close to the Valley, but it’s still somewhere you can go and see the stars and smell the creosote.”
Clyne, a Tempe resident, initially hit it big with The Refreshments in the mid 1990s, most notable for their tune “Banditos”, before retooling to establish Roger Clyne and the Peacemakers along with drummer Paul “P.H.” Naffah.
Over the last decade the Peacemakers have released six albums, all of which have debuted in the top 10 on Billboard’s Internet sales chart.
In addition to playing tunes from their latest album, Unida Cantina, which came out earlier this year, the group’s lead vocalist said they’ll be in the Halloween spirit for Friday’s performance.
“We’ve done some different things on Halloween, from costume parties to small theater or club shows, but this is creative,” he said.
“Abnormal is a good word. The band is going to be dressed as our favorite zombies and we encourage the crowd coming out to do the same.”
Born in Tucson and having grown up in Tempe, Clyne said he’s grateful to still be performing after all these years.
“When we were The Refreshments in the early years I remember there being a buzz, but I never had a sense for exactly how big it was,” he said. “I was just happy to be playing rock and roll. That’s such an intrinsically rewarding thing.”
When the Refreshments run came to an end Clyne and Naffah decided they wanted to work on a new project.
“Growing up I spent my summers with my grandparents down in Sonoita and at the time I thought it was the worst thing in the world,” Clyne said. “I wanted to be surfing and skateboarding and instead I was working on their land. Later in life though, I found inspiration in the desert. In order to slough off our old skin we put on backpacks, filled canteens and went trekking across the desert for three weeks with a couple tape recorders, working on some new music. The journey of this band started there. I’ve always found the desert to be nurturing and I wanted to share it.”
The result was their debut album, Honky Tonk, which came out in 1999 with Clyne and Naffah joined by Jim Dalton and Nick Scropos.
Over the years the group’s sound has been described as everything from Americana, Pop, Alternative Country and Rock.
“We just go with what feels right,” Clyne said. “We’ve had people suggest we focus more on country, or change this or change that, but it has to be an honest expression first.
I think that’s a big part of our success, that we lead our art with our heart.”
So whether it’s coming up with the tune the Arizona Diamondbacks play after each home victory, taking the group’s annual trip to Mexico where they not only perform, but host a soccer tournament for charity, the 43-year-old Clyne, said he continues to enjoy what he’s doing. After being on tour for an extended run Clyne said he’s anxious to pick up his acoustic guitar and get back to writing new music.
“It’s really more of a surprise,” he said. “I’m really glad to still be rocking. We appreciate our fans. They are so different in terms of ideologies, religions, political views, but
everyone just seems to be real cool. It’s a bunch that have a respect for diversity of thought. When we put on a show it is people coming together to celebrate humanity.”
For information on the show, which is part of Cave Creek Wicked, go to ticketmaster.com. Tickets range in price from $45 for VIP seating with a cocktail server and access to the VIP patio section, to $35 for general admission down to $20 for standing tickets. Day of show tickets will be available at the gate. For information on the band go to azpeacemakers.com.