The Cause

“This ain’t no reunion band.”

That’s how guitarist Tim Nolan describes The Cause these days. And with good reason.

After 30 years, the Syracuse rock trio is back.

The band’s original lineup—Nolan, drummer/vocalist Pete Szymanski, and vocalist/bassist Mike Lisi—is in place, and they’ve basically picked up where they left off when they went their separate ways in 1988.

The threesome has been rehearsing since last fall, testing and reworking old Cause set staples like “Rockette 8,” “My Father Says,” and “Got What I Need,” and breathing new life into long-forgotten originals like “It’s Happening Again” and “Breakout.”

A new song, “(I’m A) Bad, Bad Boy,” gets its debut when The Cause plays at The Low Beat in Albany on March 31—the band’s first Albany show since a 1987 gig at the old Bogie’s.

“It just seemed like it was time to do this,” said Lisi, who lives in the Capital Region and drives to Syracuse most weekends to practice with the band. “We’ve talked about regrouping for years, but either the time wasn’t right or one of us wasn’t available.

“But when we started playing again, it was like we never stopped,” he continued. “The same attitude, the same arguments, the same desire to play, it was all there. I have no idea where this is going to go, but I’m up for the ride.”

The Cause formed in 1984, when Syracuse native Jim Prell, who now runs his own online radio show, “The Music Authority,” introduced Lisi and Nolan. Szymanski, who was all of 16, was playing with Slick at the time. The three rehearsed in Szymanski’s parents’ basement.

Now they rehearse in his living room. It’s a good vibe.

The band got back together for a pair of holiday reunion gigs in 2016 and 2017, playing three-song mini-sets as part of The Barndogs’ annual holiday extravaganza at Shifty’s in Syracuse. Szymanski plays drums for The Barndogs, one of Syracuse’s most popular bands.

It was after the 2017 gig that The Cause decided the time was right to pull the band back together. What’s even cooler is that The Barndogs’ keyboard player, John Kapusniak, will play with The Cause for their Syracuse dates.

“We’re not half-assing it this time,” said Szymanski. “It’s fun, but we’re serious. And we sound good for a bunch of middle-aged geezers.”

Maybe it’s because they’ve kept themselves pretty busy over the years, musically speaking.

Szymanski played in a pair of noteworthy Syracuse bands, Rockin’ Bones and Bone China, in the 1990s and early 2000s. He’s also one of Syracuse’s go-to musicians for collaborative gigs like BeatleCuse—Syracuse’s annual celebration of all things Beatles.

Nolan played guitar in an early lineup of Hamell on Trial, fronted by former Capital Region guitarist Ed Hamell. More recently, he led a smoking blues trio, The Restless Souls.

And Lisi played with a pair of Albany-based power-pop acts, C. Jane Run and 3 Minute Pop. He also plays bass with Capital Region rock act Age of Reason.

But there’s a chemistry that’s undeniable when they team up as The Cause. That was evident when they played a holiday gig at the World Famous Moletrax Studios in Syracuse.

“Being back with The Cause is like being home,” said Lisi.

The band is talking about doing some recording and releasing their first-ever CD in 2018. The Cause cut a vinyl 1986 single “They’re Waiting For You” b/w “Hero,” and recorded “The Plummer Sessions,” an unreleased 1988 cassette of originals taped live at the old Syracuse New Times building on East Genesee Street in Syracuse.

“We’re just concentrating on playing live right now,” said Nolan. “Live is where The Cause is at its best, and that hasn’t changed.