The Renovators

By 1999 the Berger brothers—Al Hemberger on bass and vocals together with Ted Hemberger on drums—had already earned notice for their recordings and live shows across the Northeast. They own and run Loft Recording Studios in Bronxville, NY, where they have welcomed artists that include Christina Aguilera, Don Philip, Mandy Moore, Britney Spears, NSYNC, Richard Shindell, Southside Johnny, Martika, Milo Z, Procol Harum, Robin Trower, Dave Koz, and the Skatalites. On keyboards with the Renovators sits Bob Mayo, a player whose résumé includes tours and sessions alongside Peter Frampton, Aerosmith, Foreigner, Robert Plant, Dan Fogelberg, and Hall and Oates. True to the band’s name, Mayo spends his off hours restoring structures when he is not reshaping tracks inside his own studio. He can occasionally be spotted on the Portland, ME coastline in pursuit of “The Big One,” the same title that appears on the Renovators’ 1999 album Rhythm & Blueprints. Their lineup is completed by longtime friend and guitarist Bob Rasero. The group anchors its sound in memorable guitar lines that serve as the hook, then threads those lines with lyrics tinted by humor that act as the lure. They navigate an ocean of genres stretching from calypso-reggae coastlines to surf-blues shores and farther still; just when listeners believe they have identified the precise style, a suspicious scent appears. Perhaps it is finally “The Big One.” Anyone whose rod begins to bend should hold tight—the Renovators may well be tugging from the opposite end and savoring the struggle.