Hamptons still rockin’ after 24 years

You’ve got to be entertaining to stay in the music scene for 24 years. You’ve also got to have persistence and a love of performing.
The Hamptons apparently have all of these things.
Headed by bassist and lead vocalist Timm Reeves of Carmichaels, The Hamptons burst onto the local music scene way back in 1991. The band’s performance venues included Judy’s Lounge, located between Mt. Morris and Morgantown, the Purple Cow in Morgantown and Mahoney’s and the Mt. Vernon Inn in Uniontown.
“I wanted to model The Hamptons after groups like Bruce Springsteen and the E Street Band, Tom Petty and the Heartbreakers, ZZ Top and John Mellencamp,” Reeves said. “All of the musicians in the band grew up with rock and roll but we’re also influenced by R&B, soul and Motown. Our objective is to play songs the typical local band doesn’t do but are still familiar to our audience. This gives us a different edge.”
Besides playing a repertoire of rock songs form the ’60s, ’70s and ’80s, The Hamptons add to the mix a bit of swing in tunes like Al Jarreau’s “We’re in This Thing Together” and Motown hits like the Temptations’ “My Girl” and Smokey Robinson’s “Ooo Baby, Baby.”
“We can do a lot of different things and mix it up to keep people on their feet and having fun,” Reeves said.
Over the years, a of couple songs – Uriah Heep’s “Stealin'” and Head East’s “Never Been Any Reason” – have come the closest to what might be the band’s signature songs.
Area fans will be able to catch The Hamptons live when they take to the stage on Saturday, Aug. 23 as the headline band for the King Coal Festival in Carmichaels. The stage will be set up just outdoors adjacent to the fire hall and Ferris wheel, and the performance will start just after the parade around 7 p.m. and close at 10 p.m.
“We’ll play two long sets with a short 10-minute break in between,” Reeves said. “We plan to add some fresh music to the mix different from what we played at the festival back in 2011 and 2012. We had a blast back then and are looking forward to playing there again.”
Besides Reeves, the band includes drummer Tommy Reeves of Carmichaels, lead guitarist Mike (Doch) Dohanich of Carmichaels and guitarist and vocalist Greg Brumley of Waynesburg.
“Since we started back in 91, the musicians have come and gone,” Reeves said. “I’m the only one who’s been with The Hamptons since day one. My brother, Tommy, is an original member, but moved away for a while. Mike also weaved in and out of the band.”
Now that the musicians are older, Reeves says the current lineup is their last.
“We’re all in our late 40s, and all but Tommy have wives and kids,” he said.
Timm Reeves works swing shift at the Harvey Mine in West Finley. Tommy Reeves works as one of the wine makers at Thistlethwaite Vineyards in Jefferson. Mike Dohanich works in the safety department at the Cumberland Mine in Oak Forest, and Greg Brumley works as a manager at the Waynesburg Wal-Mart.
“We love to play and never have the chance to get together and hang out due to our work schedule and family responsibilities,” Reeves said. “So playing gives us a chance to stay together in each others’ lives. We’re just like a family. Ninety-nine percent of the time there’s smiles and laughter, but we also have our share of spats once in a while.”
The name for the band just seemed to happen out of the blue when someone mentioned the word Hamptons. When Reeves first heard it, he thought it jived with his concept for the band and the sound he was looking for, and the name has stuck ever since.
Reeves got into the music arena even before The Hamptons when he was part of a trio titled Triple Threat starting in 1983. He and his brother Tommy also recorded an album with a band of “hard rock guys” called Lid. The album, “In the Mushroom,” was recorded in both Chicago and Pittsburgh on the Peaceville label and released in 2008.
“The album did OK in Europe but didn’t take off locally,” Reeves said. “I’m happy with the work my brother and I did on it.”
As to their upcoming performance at the King Coal Festival, Reeves said that although the band likes to have fun, the focus is on “looking good, sounding great and being professional.” It is a combination that has kept them on stage for more than two decades.