Rich Engler gets back behind the drums in new band MEM3
Rich Engler is well known in these parts as the concert promoter who co-founded DiCesare-Engler Productions in the early ’70s and brought thousands of great shows to Pittsburgh.
Before that, though, he was a drummer in the ’60s rock band the Grains of Sand. He gave that up one night in 1972. “My last time I ever played,” he says, “was my band opened for and was the promoter for Yes in Erie. They were my favorite band at the time. The next morning, their agent called and said, ‘The [manager for Yes] had to be delirious. He tried to tell me you were in the opening act!’ I said, ‘That’s because I was!’ She said, ‘You can’t do that. You have to decide which side of the stage you want to be on.’ I said, ‘OK, I already decided.’ ”
Mr. Engler went on to bigger and better things, but over the years, he has turned up behind the kit on occasion, most recently at the Pittsburgh Rock N Roll Legends shows, including his own induction at the Hard Rock Cafe three years ago.
Now, after 45 years, he has assembled a new band, MEM3.
“As time passed,” he says, “I always wanted to put a band together. So, I’ve actually been checking out certain musicians. One day I was at a club and one of the guys was playing keys and he was so phenomenal and his vocals were so great, I called him the next day.”
That was Pete Moran. Then he saw a guitar player, Chuck Moses, who was doing a solo version of ELP’s “In the Beginning” and thought, “Boy, that would sound good with me playing drums and we would have ‘Keith Emerson’ on the other side.”
He invited them over and said, “Pete, meet Chuck. Chuck, meet Pete,” and they started jamming together. On Thursday at Jergel’s they’ll play their first gig as MEM3, doing songs by ELP, the Beatles, Wings, Kinks, T-Rex, The Clash, Jeff Beck and Argent, as well as some originals.
What’s it like for him to go back to the other side?
“It’s actually fun,” he says. “I really look forward to playing. These guys are great. I call myself the hitchhiker in this band, because I’m able to jump into a pretty good vehicle.”
In return, those guys get a drummer with the best stories in town and a few contacts in the industry.
It begins at 8 p.m. at Jergel’s in Marshall; admission is free; http://jergels.com.