Rock ‘n roll ain’t noise pollution to this Beachwood man By Douglas J. Guth R ichard “Ricardo” Long has always been into music. He spent years making CDs as gifts, many of them filled with the classic rock tunes he grew up with. As an instrumentalist, Ricardo started off as a drummer, switching to guitar after high school, while rocking out with a number of hastily formed bands. Adulthood found him beginning a career in the U.S. Air Force, then joining the working world and raising a family of four children. Recent life changes have brought Ricardo back to the axe, so to speak. He is the lead singer and acoustic guitarist for Primitive Culture, a rock band not coincidentally hailing from the Rock Hall city of Cleveland. Formed in 2013, Primitive Culture can be heard at suburban bars, playing rollicking covers of Lynyrd Skynyrd, Led Zeppelin, The Allman Brothers, Black Crowes, The Rolling Stones, Eric Clapton, Tom Petty and many more. “That’s the rock ‘n roll I listened to, so that’s pretty much what I play,” says Ricardo, who puts his stage name away by day as an account executive for Johnson Controls Inc. Primitive Culture is a classic fivepiece act. Performing with Ricardo are Nigel Pinnell on lead guitar, Pat Lally on bass guitar, Rodney Reisman on drums, and John Lucas on keyboard and harmonica. On the mic, Ricardo has a strong, bluesy delivery when belting out songs, like “Smooth” by Santana and “One Way Out” by The Allman Brothers. Although he knew he had the pipes for it, Ricardo had never sung in public before his band’s debut last year. Stage fright had not been an issue, however, as he has prior experience standing in front of captive audiences for business presentations. “I’m used to being out there,” he says. “Even as a presenter, you’re acting as an entertainer.” Primitive Culture, a name derived from the field of study of a Pictured above, from left: Tony Artino, who has played with Toto, Heart, Eddie Money, White Snake, Defcon and more, on lead guitar; Pat Lally on bass guitar; Eric (Johnson) Matthews on drums; and Ricardo Long, lead vocalist, on acoustic guitar. Pictured right: Artino, Lally and Long. Photos by Vince Vartorella. character from Animal House, takes its influences from the rock gods it routinely covers. Ricardo also takes a leaf from the song book of blues guitarist Buddy Guy, as well as from the southern rockers he jammed to as a cadet while stationed at Elgin Air Force Base in Florida. Though they may be a cover act, Primitive Culture tries to bring its own style to timeless hits, notes Long. That could mean changing the tempo on the Jimi Hendrix version of “All Along the Watchtower,” just to mix things up. “We turn the songs into our own,” Long says. “We’ve had people say they like our versions better than the originals.” Still, there is a certain amount of imitation that goes into performing a song, like “Miss You,” by the Stones. Ricardo not only channels Mick Jagger; he also does a mean Elvis, and others. “When we’re doing Tom Petty, I try to sing like Petty,” he says. “I try to emulate these guys.” Ricardo’s band has been busy performing in venues throughout the area. The 20-year Beachwood resident from Cleveland Heights also takes his acoustic guitar to area watering holes for late-night gigs. While flop sweat has never been a problem, there has been a learning curve in performing in front of people. The singer/guitarist rehearses with bandmates as much as possible, honing his singing chops at area karaoke bars to testrun potential new songs. Assembling a set list for a show has its own challenges, says Ricardo. Primitive Culture began life with 30 songs at its disposal; today it has almost 200. The order in which these tunes are played can be as important as the songs themselves. “It’s enjoyable for me to extract from so many songs, and select 30 that we have down perfect,” Ricardo says. Audiences haven’t had a reason to complain about Primitive Culture’s sets, adds the musician. The band has had numerous return gigs, along with dates at private parties. Ricardo and bassist Pat Lally are also starting a new, as yet unnamed, band that will play August 3rd at Shooters on the Water. The act’s other members are guitarist Tony Artino and drummer Eric (Johnson) Matthews. Ricardo also books solo and duo gigs in venues with limited space. The singer plans to continue his rock-infused “nighttime hobby” well into the future, with hopes of expanding the band’s reach into downtown Cleveland, the West Side and Akron. He’ll keep at it while it’s still fun, though like the venerable medium itself, Ricardo expects his love for performing rock ‘n roll will never die. Ricardo and bassist Pat Lally are also starting a new, as yet unnamed, band that will play August 3rd at Shooters on the Water. 12 Beachwood Buzz n July 2014