Doug Ratner & The Watchmen, or DRAW, are without a doubt the most exciting down & dirty rock n’ roll band to emerge on the New England music scene in a while. They have sold out 4 shows at the Iron Horse Music Hall, played the Warped Tour at the Nassau Coliseum, and most recently played for 3,000 fans at the Springfield Civic Center for the opening ceremonies of the JCC Maccabi Games. A gig USUALLY offered to major label signed acts, but DRAW is an independent force to be reckoned with.
The “essence” of the band is to play honest, hard-driven, intense rock n’ roll. “We have no reason to be cryptic with lyrics, obtuse with our fashion, or different in our methodology. Rock n’ roll is a powerful force that seems to be lying dormant somewhere in both mainstream and indie-type audiences. We know it’s needed, maybe even lusted after, which is clear through the reactions of our performances and live shows,” says Ratner. Their influences range from The Who to Green Day to Tom Petty, and their sound has been described as, “the El Rey and CBGB simultaneously smashed together onto an Andy Warhol canvas” (Joel Simches, The Noise). All genre discrepancies aside, Doug Ratner & The Watchmen are down & dirty rock n’ roll.
Doug, Jimmy, Austin, and Mark are all friends from the same home town, with bonds going beyond just music. They have a certain mission statement; “Being weird is cool. Don’t ever let someone tell you otherwise. If you’ve got something to say, and you want to express that through your clothes or the music you choose to listen to, then do it and don’t look back.”
At a recent show for 500 high school kids, Doug took a couple minutes to share these words, and he recalls; “One kid looked at me in the eyes after I made my “weird is cool” comment, and he threw his hands up and screamed in agreement. This kid got it. And if he gets it, then my job is done.”
Having released their first album, “Eye to Eye” to rave reviews, they plan on releasing their new EP, “Lessons Well Learned” for early March, 2012. “It’s a concept EP, focusing on societal issues like bullying, teen suicide, depression, and gender roles.” Says Ratner. “These issues are close to our hearts, and it’s important to bring them to light, so the not cool kids in the world can have some sort of hope in the dark corners of their minds.”
That’s rock n’ roll. Take chances, no holds barred, and say what needs to be said.