By Ed Karvoski Jr., Contributing Writer
Westborough – Jesse Cohen happily hosts his fellow rock band members of Analog Heart for rehearsals at his home in Westborough. They’re now preparing to perform for the release party of their first full-length album, “Sun Here I Come.”
Cohen began playing piano at age 9 and guitar at 12. After studying music for a year at New York University, he transferred to the Berklee College of Music in Boston, where he graduated in 2004. He has been teaching private piano and guitar lessons since attending college. Now, he also teaches part-time at the Summit Montessori School in Framingham.
“It’s a band class for middle school age kids,” he explained. “I feel lucky that I’m able to use what I learned in school in my daily job, teaching kids to play music.”
In 2010, Cohen searched Craigslist for a band compatible with his musical style. He found a posting from Liz Bills of Haverhill. They performed together as the Liz Bills Band with Bills on keys and lead vocals, Cohen on guitar, and Guy Jerry of Haverhill on rhythm guitar and backup vocals. Later, drummer Austin Ferrante of Littleton joined them and they became known as Analog Heart.
“At that point, we chose a different name, and became more of a rock band and less like a pop act,” Cohen noted.
He immediately felt that his musical taste matched Hill’s. However, there was a potential obstacle on their road toward a musical partnership.
“Liz living in Haverhill was definitely a sticking point at first because I live about 50 miles away from there,” he said. “When we were first practicing, it was a real drag going to each other’s houses. Eventually, I convinced everyone to come to my house because I have the best space to practice – which is great for me.”
Cohen does occasionally travel to Hill’s home for songwriting sessions. They write most of the songs performed by the band.
“We did a lot of covers songs when we first started; now we do maybe one per show, if any,” Cohen said. “For example, we covered ‘The Chain’ by Fleetwood Mac because we have two strong singers, a male and female, and that’s a good song for them. Doing covers isn’t that rewarding because anybody can play somebody else’s song, but it’s really cool getting a good response to one that you wrote.”
According to Top40Charts.com, “When energy and raw talent collide, you find yourself listening to the memorable, ear-catching tunes of a band like Analog Heart. Liz Bills’ vocals soar over her bandmates’ powerhouse sound, a hearty blend of indie rock with a touch of pop, and together they create music that is distinctly all their own.”
Among the venues where Analog Heart has performed are Copperfield’s Bar and P.A. Lounge in Boston, and Jillian’s and Ralph’s Rock Diner in Worcester. The band released a self-titled EP in 2012. Cohen is looking forward to the release of their album, “Sun Here I Come.”
“It’s a throwback rock album in some ways,” he said. “It’s very powerful sounding, both the band and Liz’s voice. There haven’t been enough big-sounding albums lately. People forgot about how to just rock and put it out there. There’s a lot of variety in our sound, while still sounding recognizable instantly as our band. I’m really proud of what we’ve done and excited to get the album out and in people’s hands.”
Analog Heart’s album release party is scheduled for Friday, March 4, at the Whiskey Barrel, 27 Lafayette Square in Haverhill. For more information about the band, visit its Facebook page.