"As for a Raspberries reunion, the general consensus now is that it will never happen."
     –Eric Carmen: Marathon Man, page 324.

As stacks of Eric Carmen: Marathon Man was rolling off the presses, the dream that Eric Carmen, Wally Bryson, Dave Smalley and Jim Bonfanti would ever find themselves in a room together again, let alone reunite to perform was as likely as the Titanic rising from its ocean depths.
     Ladies and gentlemen, I present for you the Titanic arisen.
     "If not now, then when?" was the quote that brought the mighty liner to the surface after decades in an icy grave. Raspberries guitarist Wally Bryson was overheard making that statement as he agreed to the plan via phone with Raspberries lead singer Eric Carmen on an evening in July 2004. Drummer Jim Bonfanti was already on board, and bassist Dave Smalley embarked shortly thereafter. The rest as they say, is history.

The original bandmembers rehearsed in a rented space just outside of Cleveland, Ohio. They quickly re-learned all of their biggest hits and reacquainted themselves with their chops. For all four musicians, it was like time had stood still. They were back together again, only this time, for good.
     Raspberries first considered a reunion four years ago, but Eric says the offer from promoters would not have allowed the band to put on a show with the production values it felt its fans deserved. "My caveat has always been that there's a mythology about the band, and I don't want to burst that bubble. If we couldn't put on a good concert, I didn't want to do it." But after playing House of Blues clubs with Ringo Starr in 2001, Eric loved the venues' vibe. So when the House of Blues approached him about a reunion show in Cleveland, "I thought if ever we were going to do it, this is the time."
     "It's kind of fun to look around after all these years and see these people, who were my fellow musicians and my friends, working together again. And it sounds like us," says Dave. "Our fans have just not given up," adds Wally. "I've said it wouldn't happen, but they've been so persistent and loyal. I think we all kind of got the same feeling: 'Let's go and do this before we're freaking 95.'
     "The intention initially was just to play one show," Eric explains. "As we started rehearsing, a number of very interesting things happened—not the least of which was, we sold this first show out in four minutes. It totally knocked the House of Blues for a loop." So, now they're back, and the consensus is that they sound better than they did back in the '70s.

Critics Rave On!

In our humble opinion, "Go All the Way" is one of the best power pop songs ever, which makes it all the more exciting that the Raspberries are reuniting for their first show in 31 years.
     –Billboard, October 30, 2004

"Over thirty-plus years, a certain myth has grown up around the band. And the last thing I ever wanted to do was put us on a stage somewhere, in less than the best circumstances, and pop the bubble, have the fans come in and say, 'Gee, they weren't that good,'" admits Carmen. "It's your responsibility to give them something to be excited about. But it went absolutely beautifully," says Carmen of the group's experimental reunion gig at Cleveland's House of Blues the day after Thanksgiving. "We sold the date out in about four minutes, and everybody who was there had a phenomenal time."
     –RollingStone.com, October 30, 2004

The Raspberries are one of the more remarkable stories in the history of American pop music, a notion they reaffirmed in a brilliant two-hour show Saturday night at the House of Blues. Lead singer Eric Carmen is in fine shape, hitting all the dramatic notes throughout innocent ballads like 1973's "Ecstasy"—back when the word was amorous and not an amphetamine—and "Let's Pretend," a track influenced by "Pet Sounds"-era Beach Boys.
     –Chicago Sun Times, January 17, 2005

STARTING OVER
Cleveland's Raspberries together again
By John Soeder

Amid guitars, keyboards and an array of other music equipment, the drum kit says it all. Emblazoned with the logo of Cleveland's long-lost Raspberries, it's a sight to warm the heart of any fan. All the same, the band's rehearsal space is downright chilly on a recent afternoon.
     Wally Bryson is first on the scene. He tries to fire up the heat in the building.
     "Our fans wouldn't let us die," the guitarist says. "They wouldn't give up, even when we told them point-blank: We're never going to reunite. Forget it. We hate each other."
     The Raspberries headline a sold-out concert tonight at the House of Blues. It marks the first time these power-pop legends have performed in public since a 1973 appearance on The Mike Douglas Show.
     Drummer Jim Bonfanti and bassist Dave Smalley are next to arrive at the secret location in suburban Cleveland where the Raspberries have been practicing since mid-September.
     An unshaven Eric Carmen breezes in last, exuding bonhomie.
     "Hey, buddy, how's it going?" he asks Bryson.
     The reunion show sold out in a flash, with more than 1,000 tickets snatched up in less than 15 minutes.
     "Most of our friends couldn't get tickets," says Carmen, the quartet's singer-guitarist-keyboardist. He and Bonfanti started the band in 1970. They do most of the talking during the interview. House of Blues has booked another Raspberries concert for New Year's Eve. Tickets go on sale Saturday, Dec. 4; showtime and ticket prices had not been announced at press time.
     Raspberries devotees are coming from as far away as Japan, the Netherlands, Spain, England and Canada to catch tonight's gig, Carmen says. No pressure or anything.
     Carmen chuckles. "When we put this together, my goal was not to embarrass ourselves," he says. "I never dreamed it would sound as good as it does."
     "Really—it's better than it ever was," Bryson says. "The four of us are much more powerful together than we are separate."
     In practice sessions, they've dusted off about 30 songs, drawn from the group's four albums for Capitol Records: Raspberries (1972), Fresh (1972), Side 3 (1973) and Starting Over (1974).
     The other night at the end of rehearsal, the band jammed through the Who's "I Can't Explain."
     "On the record, Roger Daltrey does two little ad-libs—a low one and a high one—going into a guitar solo," Carmen says. "Instinctively, Wally sang the low one and I sang the high one…We know each other's moves."
     Or as Bryson puts it: "We're talking the same language."
     The seed for the reunion was planted in June when Bonfanti got a phone call from House of Blues talent buyer Anthony Nicolaidis, who wanted to book the Raspberries as part of the club's grand opening.
     "My initial thought," Bonfanti says, "was…" Carmen finishes the sentence: "Good luck!"
     In the background, a guitar blasts the opening riff of the group's Top 5 smash "Go All the Way."
     Specializing in ultracatchy pop-rock with a hard-hitting edge, the band also cracked the Top 40 in the early 1970s to the tune of "I Wanna Be With You," "Let's Pretend" and "Overnight Sensation (Hit Record)."
     A trio christened the Overdubs—Jennifer Lee, Paul Sidoti and Billy Sullivan—has been put together to provide backing vocals and additional accompaniment on guitars, keyboards and percussion for the reborn Raspberries.
     "After I hung up the phone, I thought I should be excited," Bonfanti says. "But I was bummed out. Because as much as I wanted it to happen, as much as I thought it should happen, I just didn't think it would."
     Artistic differences hastened the departure of Bonfanti and Smalley from the band in November 1973. By 1975, the Raspberries had called it quits, but not before Carmen and Bryson came to blows after a concert in Indiana.
     "The last time we all played together, we were 23-year-old hotheads," Carmen says.
     The others laugh.
     "Whatever happened at the time was an outgrowth of our frustration," Carmen says. "We weren't making any money. We were beating our brains out on the road. And we weren't getting any help. We've all had 30-plus years to sit and think about some of the good stuff, too, as opposed to just the bad stuff."
     After the Raspberries soured, Carmen embarked on a successful solo career, scoring major hits with "All by Myself," "Hungry Eyes" and "Make Me Lose Control."
     Bonfanti plays in the local band Boxer.
     Bryson has done stints with Tattoo and Fotomaker, among other groups. Last year, he and his son Jesse (a member of roots-rock band Rosavelt) collaborated on a CD, Dry, credited to the Bryson Group.
     Smalley recently put out a solo album, Internal Monologue.
     "Music is still a big part of my life, but I haven't been a performing musician for quite a while," Smalley says. He now makes his home in Tempe, Ariz., where he works as a respiratory therapist.
     The other Raspberries still live in the Cleveland area. Carmen remains a professional musician, Bonfanti is an automobile broker, and Bryson is an employment specialist with the Cuyahoga County Board of Mental Retardation and Developmental Disabilities.

'Old dear friends' playing together again
     Bonfanti first broached the House of Blues gig with Carmen, who was open to the possibility.
     "I told Jim—because he’s really the glue in this band—when he talked to Wally and to Dave to tell them, 'All we want is for everybody to get up there and to have fun,'" Carmen says.
     Bryson and Smalley turned out to be up for it, too.
     "I had a lot of trepidation, because there are lots of painful memories," Bryson says. "But now it feels good. Maybe at this age, we realize you don’t sweat the small stuff—and most of it is small stuff."
     The band members are 55, to a man.
     "As you get older, you start to realize you only have so much time," Bonfanti says. "We're all healthy…"
     On cue, Smalley coughs loudly.
     "…and we’re physically able to do this," Bonfanti says.
     "Besides, in five years, we'll all be 60," Carmen says.
     At least they'll always be younger than the Rolling Stones.
     "Right!" Carmen says. "Sixty is the new 40."
     Carmen, Bryson and Bonfanti performed a medley of Beatles oldies in 1999 at a birthday party for Jane Scott, The Plain Dealer’s longtime rock writer. Back then, a full-blown Raspberries reunion tour was in the works. It failed to come to fruition because promoters slashed their initial offers for the band, in light of lackluster ticket sales for other retro-rock acts on tour, Carmen says.
     He went on to release a solo CD, I Was Born to Love You, and hit the road with Ringo Starr’s All-Starr Band.
     Bryson and Smalley regrouped under the Raspberries name, issuing an EP titled Refreshed in 2000 with Scott McCarl, who had replaced Smalley in the original lineup. Carmen and Bonfanti did not take part in the project.
     "It wasn't a big sore spot for anybody," Carmen says.
     "We could talk about it, but we haven't," Smalley says. "We can talk about anything now. In the past, maybe we couldn't."
     If all goes well tonight and New Year's Eve, the Raspberries might do a tour of other House of Blues clubs next year.
     "For me, one of the best things is these four old dear friends who have this incredible history together finally get to play together again," Carmen says.
     "I came to see their band when I was 17," he says, nodding toward the others. "They were the best band I'd ever seen."
     Before joining the Raspberries, Bonfanti, Bryson and Smalley were in the Choir, the Cleveland group best known for "It's Cold Outside." Carmen was in another local band, Cyrus Erie.
     Tonight's show will be recorded, with an eye toward possibly releasing a live album. There also is talk of a televised concert special and a tour of Japan.
     While they're at it, how about a new Raspberries studio album?
     "We haven't thought that far ahead," Carmen says. "For now, we just want to play these two shows. Then we can relax and say, 'So there—we did it.'"

Cleveland Plain Dealer / November 26, 2004