"All we need is music, sweet music"
As far as mid-life crises go, Fred Gale’s was quite tame. After a long hiatus from the music scene, during which he devoted himself to family and medical career, Fred decided, six years ago, to reassemble various elements of past rock-n-roll bands and throw himself a birthday party. Without much arm-twisting, Fred (guitar) enlisted high-school buddy Gary (vocals and sound engineer), college friend Allyn (vocals), medical-school chums Richie (bass) and Stu (keyboard), and medical colleague Bob G (drums). Allyn recruited her two daughters Shana and Niambi; Stu brought along his son Phil (percussion); Bob contacted his nephew David (sax); and Richie signed up his long-time friend Mark (guitar). With the addition of five more singers—Heather, Liz, Derek, Jason, and Bob K—“The Regressions” were born. Over the years, new members have come aboard, notably John and Doug on keyboards, Marty on percussion, Richie’s daughter Anna on vocals, and Wes on sound (and support).
Since 2000, “The Regressions” have played fund-raisers, college reunions, birthday and graduation parties and other events from Vermont to suburban Washington D.C., including stops at the Copley Plaza in Boston and the Hammerstein Ballroom and Columbia University in New York City. In May 2006, The Regressions were the featured Boston Common band for Project Bread’s “Walk for Hunger,” which in 2005 attracted 40,000 participants and raised more than two million dollars.
The Regressions are a multigenerational band of diverse backgrounds and wide interests. They are all bound together by a shared love of music and a shared respect for the time and energy needed to make that music sound right. The band boasts teachers, physicians, computer experts, college students, and even the general manager of a facility that makes dollhouses. The Regressions are a family band in every sense of the word—at one time or another, eight of the band members’ children have performed on stage with their parents and the rest of The Regressions.
