Dover bass player livin' the dream with Stone Church gig

Tim McCoy playing bass in his band Watts at the Stone Church in Newmarket on Friday night. (CC Bissett photos)

NEWMARKET - For a very long time, Tim McCoy of Dover has wanted to play a gig at the Stone Church, a unique hilltop event venue that has featured storied bands like Phish, Bonnie Raitt, Richie Havens, and Taj Mahal.

On Friday night the Dover bass player got his wish as his Boston-based band Watts celebrated its fifth album release with a concert there.

From left, John Blout, Dan Kopko and Tim McCoy. Behind his drummer John Lynch.

After a 16-month hiatus from preforming live, Watts delivered several crowd favorites along with brand new music from their newest album "Shady Rock & Rollers," which in large part was written during the pandemic.

They all expressed joy at the chance to get out on the stage in front of a live crowd.

"I am more than excited to have new music to play and be able to play out," said John Blout, who does vocals and plays guitar."

Guitarist and lead singer Dan Kopko added that the band is beginning to hit its stride on some of the more technical aspects of song writing.

"After more than 15 years our song writing has improved, and we are perfecting the length of a song too," he said.

Influenced by such bands as AC/DC and The Who, Watts' music is not easy to classify.

Kopko calls it "classic rock with pop influence, hooky, chorus strong, sing along music that is great to dance to."

Stone Church owner Mike Hoffman said Friday night's show was its first with a multi band lineup.

Warmup bands Wizzardess and Muck and the Meyers played warmup.

For more info on Watts go to

https://www.facebook.com/wattsrock

For more info on the Stone Church go to

https://stonechurchrocks.com/

CC Bissett is a longtime local music scene aficionado. She lives in Lebanon, Maine. You can contact here at ccbissett603@gmail.com