Michal Hudak's career with music has taken him literally all over the world, playing with groups like Gary Lewis and the Playboys, Herman's Hermits, Love Affair and now Michal Hudak and the Wallbangers. For some reason, the little town of Berea Ohio has been very successful at producing talented musicians and Michal is one of the foremost among them.
Michal was a classmate since seventh grade. He was a star athlete, a talented running back on the football team and a forward in basketball. Very likely he could have gotten a college scholarship in sports had he wanted to pursue that route, but he had other things on his mind.
I caught up with Michal at the Berea High School reunion the other day and got around to asking him some questions about his musical influences. He first mentioned being taken to a concert featuring iconic drummer Buddy Rich, which for him was an intensely riveting experience. "I had sweaty palms the entire night," he recalled with a laugh.
Michal and Elliot, with fellow Berea classmate Stan Wiechowski photobombing us.
The other huge influence came when his older brother came back home from college toting a new album from a group called Led Zeppelin. Led Zep was a mind blower. Nobody had quite captured the combination of blues and rock as brilliantly. Their style was a forerunner of hard rock, though there was no name for it at the time. The drummer was John Bonham, with Jimmy Page on guitar, Robert Plant as lead singer, and John Paul Jones playing bass and doubling on keyboards.
"I became the greatest Led Zeppelin fan of all time from that album forward," Michal recalled. I really wanted to play music like that."
Everyone who attended Roehm Junior High circa 1971 remembers musical talent arriving at the talent show. At least two groups made a tour de force. One group was a five person band with Kirk Golwitzer singing lead, Dave Kranes on drums, Denny Jones on bass, and Rick Klein (my friend since elementary school, and like Hudak a very good athlete. Rick was a catcher in baseball.) and Tom White on guitar. They were awesome. At the same show, Michal debuted on drums with his brother Paul as they sang The Sounds of Silence, by Simon and Garfunkle. Most of their classmates, including me, had no idea that any of these guys were musicians, so it was stunning, but it was also very good music. Neither musical group won first prize, however, perhaps because our school was a little too square to acknowledge rock music. and because Joan Marie Barris was equally outstanding as a modern dancer.
In about ninth grade, Michal and Paul teamed up with another ace musician John Lucic, and they started performing at the Hive at Baldwin Wallace University. Fellow classmate Kathy Sekerak became a big fan. "The one song that I really remember, sitting up front with Leah Kemp and Laura Falcon was the Rolling Stones' "Wild Horses." Best cover of that song I have ever heard! Their music, for their age, was incredible. If you would close your eyes, you would have thought it was actually the Stones were up there--unbelieveable musicians! Everyone was mesemerized, not a peep out of anyone....
"We were so disappointed when they broke up later on....but then Stairway formed ,and later became Love Affair. They really introduced me to my first rock-n-roll concerts. "
In about ninth grade, Michal and Paul teamed up with another ace musician John Lucic, and they started performing at the Hive at Baldwin Wallace University. Fellow classmate Kathy Sekerak became a big fan. "The one song that I really remember, sitting up front with Leah Kemp and Laura Falcon was the Rolling Stones' "Wild Horses." Best cover of that song I have ever heard! Their music, for their age, was incredible. If you would close your eyes, you would have thought it was actually the Stones were up there--unbelieveable musicians! Everyone was mesemerized, not a peep out of anyone....
"We were so disappointed when they broke up later on....but then Stairway formed ,and later became Love Affair. They really introduced me to my first rock-n-roll concerts. "
Love Affair was the result of Mike and Wes Coolbaugh teaming with Rich Spina, John Zdravecky, and Wayne Cukras. They became a very successful as a performing band in Northeast Ohio, and even achieved national airtime for some of their original songs.
Eventually the Love Affair band broke up, and Rich Spina caught on with Gary Lewis and the Playboys, who you may recall for "This Diamond Ring" and other songs, and Hudak followed him a few years later. Rich, incidentally is now on keyboards with Herman's Hermits, and is occasionally joined by Hudak on drums.
MIchal has a rather unique drumming style in that he likes to drum very hard. Not necessarily loud, but he hits each beat very precisely, and a bit like boxer throwing a jab. Even if it's a slow song he often hits it very fast, staccato style, so that you can hardly see his hands because they are flying so fast.
If you like bands and musicians who give it their all, you will love Michal, who definitely works like an athlete while playing the drums. "After a gig, I usually come home exhausted, not only from the physical aspects of performing, but the mental concentration. Being a drummer is kind of like playing quarterback. You have to be aware of how the rest of the team is performing, what they want to do and how you are going to feed them. For that matter, it's also about the audience, especially in a new venue where we're performing for the first time. I sometimes engage the audience. 'Hey what do you guys want to hear?' ****, we can play anything!"
MIchal has a rather unique drumming style in that he likes to drum very hard. Not necessarily loud, but he hits each beat very precisely, and a bit like boxer throwing a jab. Even if it's a slow song he often hits it very fast, staccato style, so that you can hardly see his hands because they are flying so fast.
If you like bands and musicians who give it their all, you will love Michal, who definitely works like an athlete while playing the drums. "After a gig, I usually come home exhausted, not only from the physical aspects of performing, but the mental concentration. Being a drummer is kind of like playing quarterback. You have to be aware of how the rest of the team is performing, what they want to do and how you are going to feed them. For that matter, it's also about the audience, especially in a new venue where we're performing for the first time. I sometimes engage the audience. 'Hey what do you guys want to hear?' ****, we can play anything!"
Nowadays, he is not touring regularly but makes a few special appearances, especially with Rich Spina and Billy Sullivan, and he is playing with his own group, the Wallbangers. The Wallbangers feature Michal's sister Nancy Doutt as the female lead vocalist, along with Hercemer Mortimer, and Tim Hamman. Michal's top fan, wife Sandy is usually in attendance when they perform. They often play at the Berea High School All-Class Reunion, which is usually held on the third Friday of July.
In addition to drumming, Michal seeks lead sometimes. He also plays guitar, but we've never seen him play on stage. "Man, I suck at guitar!" he claims, but he is probably lying. What do you say, Wallbangers? Surely one of you can play drums for a song or two. We want to see Michal on guitar!
In addition to drumming, Michal seeks lead sometimes. He also plays guitar, but we've never seen him play on stage. "Man, I suck at guitar!" he claims, but he is probably lying. What do you say, Wallbangers? Surely one of you can play drums for a song or two. We want to see Michal on guitar!
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