They pack a house like it's nobody's business and are sure to be on most Newporters' "to-do" lists at least once a weekend, especially during the summer. You know them, you've seen them and yes, you probably love them. Those Guys are right at home here in Newport. Who? What guys? You know, Those Guys.

From The Garden to The Pelham, the Boat Dockside and Christies, Those Guys have been tearing up stages across Newport and the state for the past nine years and they aren't making any moves to quit anytime soon.

"They're basically the most popular band in Newport," says Brian Torello, owner of The Garden on Thames Street. "They're playing her for Halloween, as they do every year, and its always packed. The Garden has been here for nearly ten years, and the band started just about the same year, so they've been playing here since then."

"Our first gig was Thanksgiving, 1996, so we're coming up on nine years," says lead singer John Halloran. "That seems amazing to me. It seems like we just started."

It was nine years ago that John first answered an ad in The Providence Phoenix, then known as New Paper at the time. He misread the ad, which called for a lead guitarist with vocals. While John wasn't a guitarist, he sure as hell could sing. And the rest, as they say, is history.

"It all started in a basement in Somerset, Mass.," John recalls.

Of the original members, only two — John and guitarist Bob Siipola — are still members of the band.

What guys?

John actually chose the name for the band, originally because "it wasn't too serious of a name, and this wasn't too serious of a project that we were doing. I thought, 'We'll just call it Those Guys and it'll be silly for as long as it lasts.' Nine years later, we're still doing it."

In that time, John says, the band has changed tremendously.

"Back when we first started, nobody was married and nobody had kids. Now, between the five of us we have nine kids and many of us are married. We have responsibilities."

But that doesn't stop them from having a good time and putting on a killer show.

"We take it seriously, but we have this underlying goofiness that makes people feel comfortable enough to kind of go crazy," he says. "Newport is the perfect place, it's where everybody is and where everybody comes to. There's the kind of spring break type of attitude in Newport, like they come here to let loose. We're a band that shows people we can kind of do that."

So who are they? With each of the five members of the band having an extensive career in music, it's no wonder they have such a following. John is the lead singer and has an uncanny ability to morph his voice to match whichever song he's singing. If you've ever heard him belt out the Jackson Five, you know what we mean.

Steve Sherman, the drummer, was also the drummer for a band called The Probers, a big original band in the '80's. Steve Burgess, the bassist, played for Paradox throughout the 80's as well, and even traveled with the band out to California. Bob Siipola, the guitarist, played for Live Wire, and Bob Costa, the keyboardist, played for Generation Z. Together, they combine their years of talent and experience to cover popular songs that span genres and decades.

"Right now, we're the most stable we've ever been," John says of the band. "These guys are responsible, they're grounded. Everyone here, given our home lives, is pretty much aware of what's important in life, and that's what we each have at home."

"I think we value the band even more so now, because it's not just about going out and partying as much as we can," he continues. "It's about putting on the best possible show, though we still party. But it's about playing as best we can."

Sounds good

Though they have all played original songs at some point in their careers, the band has only played one original song together. Written this past summer by Steve Burgess, with the lyrics by John, the band realized that with their "day jobs" and families, they just didn't have the time to put into working on their own stuff. But the crowds hardly seem to care.

The variety of songs on the Those Guys playlist is what really seems to appeal to the crowds, regardless of where the band is playing. From classic like Mrs. Robinson to You Shook Me by AC/DC and, of course, the ever-popular "funk medley" — including favorites like Brick House and of course, I Want You Back by the Jackson Five. But one question does remain — How on earth does he get his voice so high?

"It'll have to be my secret," John says, laughing. "I can say this, though, when I'm done singing it, because it's done in a falsetto, I feel like I've sat in the dentist's chair for hours, just because of the way I have to hold my jaw to sing it. And when we start singing it, I just look at the faces in the crowd. People, as soon as they hear it, just stop and turn around and you can tell they're just asking, 'Is he really singing that?'"

Oh, yeah he is. And the crowd loves it.

"I can't really say that I dislike playing any songs, really, because if I hated it that much, we probably wouldn't be playing it," John explains. "I think that being the singer, I really have to be the one to sell the song."

Keeping perspective

While they're all for partying and just basically having a good time, the guys don't tolerate any BS when they're playing.

"I hate seeing fights. It's always a concern, and we can see everything from where we're standing, so if there's anything we can do to jump in the middle and prevent it from happening, we'll do it," John says.

The attention to safety doesn't stop there. The Station nightclub fire back in March of 2003 really hit home for these guys, with two of them — John and Steve Burgess— bring firefighters. Plus, Steve Burgess was actually inside The Station when the fire broke out, managed to get out and worked to rescue as many people as possible from the flames.

"It was an emotional couple of weeks for us, and it continues to be, especially for Steve. We lost a handful of people that we knew personally from the band," John says. "Safety is huge. Yes, we want people to have a good time, but that is secondary to the safety of everyone there."

As a result of The Station fire, Those Guys have been uploading floor plans of the places they play onto their website so that audience members are familiar with the plans and where the exits are.

"We got a ton of e-mails right after we did that. People were just really thankful that we did that," he says.

Groupies? Call them what you want

"Groupies? I was always pretty uncomfortable with that word. I never really knew what it meant. I think I had the wrong idea," John says, laughing. "But I know we've had a lot of them, because they actually introduce themselves to us as groupies! I only call them groupies if they call themselves groupies."

In nine years, it's no surprise that the band has built up a pretty solid fan base, comprised of both men and women. Show after show, the faces start to become more familiar and a groupie is born.

"There are a lot of people that we befriended just from playing. They know what they get with us, so they come often. Before you know it, a friendship is made," John explains. "I have a lot of good friends I met through playing in the band. I just feel bad sometimes hat I can't remember everyone's names. I feel like I have this obligation to remember names, but sometimes I just can't. I do remember faces, though."

No room for egos

Given their popularity and backgrounds you'd think there would be more divas in the band than there actually are. Not so, says John.

"We get along great, I mean that sincerely," he says. "We didn't always and we don't always. Of course, there are always little things here and there, but as with any relationship, you learn to pick your battles, I guess. The little things you let slide sometimes until they get to be big things, but these are the most stable guys we've had since we started."

In fact, the band as a whole has been through three drummers, four keyboardists and four bass players. This group has been together in its entirety since 2001.

"We're more solid now than ever before," John says. "I can see all of us being together in ten years or however long we go. It's a pretty special thing that we're able to do together, the bond you have on-stage is unique. You don't share that with many people in your lives, so you really get to cherish it."

More than anything else, John says that being a part of Those Guys is humbling.

"People who come up to us are just so generous with their words. The sincerity seems to always be there, and not just from the women!" he says. "I was talking to Steve (Sherman) about it the other day, about what a great summer it was. It just seems like it's getting better and better and I think, 'How much better can it get? I feel guilty, like, can it really be this good?'"

Check them out. For complete details, photos, floor plans and gig schedules, visit http://www.thoseguysnpt.com/.

By Beth Bottis

bbottis@newportthisweek.net