BY LARRY RAMER
Staff Writer
Michael Patrick MARLBORO — Local country rock and folk singer Michael Patrick knows there are fans of country music in the Garden State.
“There’s definitely a demand for country music in New Jersey,” said Patrick, who has lived in Marlboro for about six years.
Patrick, 37, is trying to help satisfy New Jerseyans’ thirst for country music and spark more local interest in country by officially releasing his band’s new CD “Roots and Branches” during a Nov. 13 appearance at the Indigo Coffeehouse, Route 34, Aberdeen. Patrick is the lead singer and a guitarist for the Suburban Hillbillies.
The CD includes the band’s version of “Big River,” a song originally performed by Johnny Cash, and a traditional bluegrass song, “Deep Ellum Blues.” The Suburban Hillbil-lies also perform John Prine’s “Spanish Pipe Dream” on the CD.
“Don’t Take Your Love From Me,” a song on the CD that was released as a single, has already made some waves. The song is available on the Internet Web site download.com and has been downloaded more than 1,500 times, according to Patrick.
Asked to explain the appeal of the song, Patrick said, “It’s a simple song with a raw catchiness and style. In my mind, it’s kind of a way to make country cool for people who wouldn’t normally listen to it.”
The other members of the Suburban Hillbillies Lou Montella, bass; Dan Markovitch, lead guitar and vocals; and Mike Bisozio, drums.
Patrick said there are not many opportunities for fans of country music to hear it in the area. There are no radio stations devoted to playing country music in the New York metropolitan area and the few bars that featured country music had to switch to other types of musical formats on the weekends, Patrick explained.
However, Patrick said the success of the 2000 movie “O Brother, Where Art Thou?” helped to spark interest in country and bluegrass music. The film has an extensive soundtrack of Depression-era music that is described as country, folk and bluegrass.
In an effort to promote country music in the area, Patrick organized an appearance in early October by a California-based country singer, Moot Davis, at The Saint in Asbury Park. In addition, Patrick is a member of the New Jersey Country Music Association, which is trying to promote country music in the state.
Country music first captured Patrick’s attention when he was part of a classic rock band 15 years ago. He said he enjoyed the country sound of several Grateful Dead songs that the band played.
“I always liked the Grateful Dead songs best because of their country flavor, more than our 15-minute jam sessions,” the musician said.
In the future, Patrick said, he would like to perform with bigger country stars, book more local gigs and sing at local festivals.
When he is not strumming his guitar and singing country tunes, Patrick runs his own computer consulting firm.