Singers, comedians and speakers normally take sips of water during breaks in their performances to soothe a scratchy throat or strained vocal chords. But members of local hard rock band Therapist prefer gulps of beer in between songs, and it seems the drunker they get, the better they play.
The four rockers, all of them University seniors, performed at the Black Forest on Saturday, and alcohol played a central role in the band’s performance, not to mention in the band’s history. When asked how the group got together six months ago, lead singer and guitarist Jake Holman replied: “Hamms tall boys.” It came as no surprise that a stand-out tune that night was titled “Swimming in Alcohol.”
“This one is for all of you,” Holman announced to the tipsy crowd as a precursor to the song.
Therapist (an intended combination of the words “the” and “rapist”) is a newly hatched band consisting of Holman, bassist Eric Henson, drummer Andrew Eguchi, and lead guitarist Ben Dinsdale, all of whom joined the group just three days prior to Saturday’s show. While some hard rock bands dominate their music with monstrous screams and head-busting noise, Therapist’s sound was pleasant and accessible, yet full of rage.
They finally took the stage at midnight, after performances by two grunge bands: Under the Stairs, which haunted the audience by putting one member in a vampire mask; and Domesticide, which overemphasized the “hard” in hard rock. Therapist was a breath of fresh air compared to their openers. Their look exuded youthful appeal, a casual attitude and a dash of glitz. All four men were backed up by good looks, a display of confidence and informal dress. Holman threw in some glamour with a giant dollar sign necklace, and Henson did the same in a silky black shirt.

Their music contained all the elements of any hard rock band: loud grunting into the microphone, pounding guitar and drums, and the essence of anger. But they balanced their hard sounds with soothing ones. Holman’s vocals were appealing; he screamed at times, but mostly displayed a talented, sexy and slightly British voice. Lyrics were wordy and poetic, and melodies were distinguishable and articulate — a blessing after the random bursts of noise and shouts from the other bands that performed.
“Swimming in Alcohol” showed their artistic expression. Guitar work was pretty, and the tune was slow and soulful. An audience member even held up a flaming lighter and swayed back and forth, as if to declare the tune an anthem.
Lane Community College student Susan Fuller, who said she is dating Henson, said Therapist has gained quite a bit of popularity lately.
“They will be practicing, and I’ll go outside and a group of girls will come sit on their lawn,” she said. “I ask them, ‘What are you doing?’ and they say, ‘We want to be groupies, too!’”
This was only the third show for Therapist (a follow-up to two gigs at Samurai Duck), but the band proved its talent. They showed the audience that they could make good music, drink and be merry.
“All we do is play music every day,” Henson said. “We play until someone makes us stop.”