Michelle Kaplan

The Rock Doctors - A Cure for What Ails You

Those in desperate need of a cure for the ordinary weekend have a remedy. Ailing spirits who could use a good dose of fun can be healed with a prescription written by the Rock Doctors.

Although they don’t make house calls, an appointment isn’t necessary. They can be found at their office - Charlie’s Bar and Grill in Stuart, where the dance floor was crowded with people injected with an infectious enthusiasm for their music on a stormy Saturday night.

It may have been thundering outside, but the nasty weather was obscured by rhythmic drums, heavy bass and raucous guitars inside, as the audience was treated to the Doctor’s own homegrown rock-n-roll style. The spirited group covered everything from AC/DC to ZZ Top.

The four-man band is comprised of a group of regular working guys who have learned how to balance out their lives by performing. This has given them a much-needed creative outlet.

“I’m an IT guy all day long, and at night I’m studying real estate. I’ve got to be somebody else for awhile, that’s the real me,” said lead guitarist Clark Rodriguez about performing.

The band itself has the stage presence of good friends who have known each other for years. This is especially true of Rodriguez and Bassist Kyle Reese, who have been playing together since their early twenties. Rock Doctors was formed only a year and a half ago by their first drummer, who subsequently ran off to Vegas, leaving behind two of the original members, Rodriguez and rhythm guitarist/ vocalist Whitley Davis. The group set out to find a replacement, but soon found that this wasn’t going to be easy.

After a succession of five or six drummers, the original bassist quit out of frustration with no steady percussionist to jive with. They soon found a keeper in drummer Jeff Perckus. Rodriguez then called his old friend Reese to play bass rounding out the band. Each member came to music at a young age, for Reese it was in his blood, a family legacy passed down from his father, who was also a musician.

“I was forced-fed the instrument,” Reese said. “Daddy said, ‘If you play this thing, you’ll never be outta work’.”

For Rodriguez it was a calling.

“I only do it because I love it,” Rodriguez said. “I’ve been playing guitar all my life. It’s the one thing that’s been with me all my life - except my mother,” he laughed. “It’s a real extension of myself.”

Rhythm guitarist, Davis said that he started out on drums when he was six, but soon grew tired of sitting in the background. Playing guitar as well as singing brought him up front. Once a month the Rock Doctors do their rounds at Charlie’s, which provides the kind of casual atmosphere that seems to fit the band. At Charlie’s, don’t look for the usual twenty something crowd trying to out hip each other. Instead, the local haunt is actually very friendly, like Cheer’s - just south, very south…and while everyone might not know your name, you can still feel at home and relax, the Doctor is in.