‘Suits That Rock’ Rock Northern Kentucky

Theirs is a 9-to-5 life of deals, decisions, and deadlines.

They breathe business and speak spreadsheet.

During their white-collar work days they are usually found in board rooms and court rooms. Some are executives in corporate real estate; others in health care, manufacturing, marketing, retail and academia. About of half-dozen of them have done time in the Ivory Towers of a certain global corporation.

They’re a group of 34 mostly middle-aged people who, by day, help life move along in Northern Kentucky.

But at night? At night these folks more likely to be called “Dad” than “dude” let their hair down, pick their instruments up, and become Suits That Rock.

“It’s our avocation, not our vocation,” says accountant John Domaschko, a local business and civic leader who has played in several bands off and on for many years. He, with Kevin Canafax of Fidelity Investments, came up with the idea of this project.

For the past two years Suits That Rock have put on wildly popular shows as fundraisers. Last year’s had a Woodstock theme and sold out quickly. This year, they’ll commemorate the 25th anniversary of the Live Aid and Farm Aid concerts with “SuitsAid,” and to benefit Carnegie Visual and Performing Arts Center in Covington. All music they perform will be either something played at Live Aid or Farm Aid, or something made famous by a headliner at those famous ’80s concerts.

The Carnegie, built in 1902, is on the National Register of Historic Places. For many years this grand, French Renaissance-style building was a public library, then home to a grassroots arts alliance. It has evolved into a 17,000-square-foot facility that hosts a variety of arts events and educational programs. It is an Associate Member of the Fine Arts Fund and receives funding from the Kentucky Humanities Council, local businesses, foundations and individuals.

Rocking the Carnegie as a way to help it out is a great reason for the “suits” to come together. Scheduling more than two dozen busy professionals for rehearsals is, Domaschko admits, a bit of a logistical challenge. He says he recently suggested 75 possible dates to 38 participants who needed to practice together and found only one worked for everybody. But there’s no squabbling. “Everybody leaves their credentials at the door and we’re all just musicians,” he says.

They all have varying levels of experience, too, from being just longtime hobbyists to being in working bar bands to having actual touring acts. The audience will never be able to tell one performer’s background from the other at SuitsAid, though, because of the dedication everyone brings.

“They’re all very Type A personalities, they all have a very low tolerance for failure,” Domaschko says. That doesn’t mean they treat Suits That Rock as just another task, though. Domaschko points out that these musicians are having a lot of fun.

“These are people who are very serious in their day jobs who are not taking themselves too seriously to do this, and that’s endearing,” he says.

The experience also “increases the bond among us all.”

The audience gets into the spirit of Suits shows. For last year’s Woodstock theme, there were plenty of flower power outfits, love beads and such on and off stage. “There was a free-flying spirit of a masquerade party … People were clearly having a good time,” Domaschko says, predicting some ’80s fads to appear this year.

Domaschko isn’t saying yet exactly which songs will be played at SuitsAid (expect about 37 of them, though), but says his recent look back at LiveAid and FarmAid was enlightening.

“A lot of people my age – 59 – think of the ’80s as a great wasteland of rock music. But as I was doing this I saw which musicians played these concerts and realized there was a ton of good music available.”

SuitsAid will be held 7:30-11 p.m. July 31 and August 7 at the Carnegie center, 1028 Scott Boulevard, Covington. Ticket details will be posted on the band’s web site and Facebook page.