Master Thieves, a five-person rock/blues jam band based in Syracuse, prides itself on not having a lead singer or any one person fronting the band.
“Everyone sings and everyone writes music,” said Chuck Dorgan, the only remaining original member of the group. “It’s not a lead singer, it’s just one band.”

The band performed Sunday on the WAER Main Stage at the Westcott Cultural Festival. The group’s dynamic was evident as they rocked to the beat simultaneously. The performance wasn’t high energy, but was infused with an obvious love of the stage and the music they were playing. During the festival, older couples would stop and dance for a bit, before continuing to walk around the fair.

Master Thieves has received two Syracuse Area Music Awards (SAMMYS) nominations, for each of their albums: “Robbing the Blind,” released in 2011, was nominated for best blues album and “Nature of Gravity,” released in 2012, was nominated for best rock album.

Dorgan is seen by other band members as the leader. He’s been playing guitar and singing in jam bands since the late 1980s.

Dorgan grew up in Rochester and has been playing piano and guitar since age 8. In his college years, he played for many other bands prior to Master Thieves, including an instrumental jam band whose drummer was actually Brian von Knoblauch, a Syracuse University Information and Computing Technology employee in the Maxwell School of Citizenship and Public Affairs.

In 2000, Dorgan moved to Syracuse to work for Carrier Corporation. Once he was settled in the Salt City, he played in multiple bands but created Master Thieves six years later.

“Chuck and I were in a band together for a short while back around 2006,” said von Knoblauch. “It was a fun time and a good learning experience for both of us.”

The group currently consists of Eric Tozer (drums), Paul Opel (bass, vocals), Dave Sollazo (keys), Mikey Dufrense (saxophone, guitar) and Dorgan. Master Thieves got their name from the Bob Dylan song “Positively 4th Street,” when the rock legend sings, “If I was a master thief perhaps I’d rob them.” The band’s main influences are Grateful Dead, Phish, The Allman Brothers, Galactic, Jimi Hendrix and The Band.

Master Thieves plays original music from its two studio albums as well as extended versions of covers from most genres. They stray away from playing their very early tracks because a lot of the original band members have moved on to other things. The group tends to improvise when playing longer songs.

When the group is not performing, each band member is working his day job. Because the band is so busy with their work, it tends to only perform two gigs a month.

Each of the musicians has very different jobs around the city from music educators to salesmen for elevator companies, and each member of Master Thieves brings a different talent to the group to allow the group to play a variety of genres.

“What I enjoy is whatever Chuck throws at me,” said former drummer John Goldsworthy, who plays for the band when needed. “Everyone’s musicianship comes together and we just get a feel for each other and it ends up being a good show.”

Published on September 22, 2015 at 9:00 pm

Contact: rcplaut@syr.edu