A Band of Brothers

The Whiskey Treaty Roadshow Celebrates 10 Years

By Mark Greenlaw

This article initially appeared in the July issue of Berkshire Magazine.


When I first moved to the Berkshires and told new acquaintances that I loved listening to live music, I kept getting asked, “So you must have seen The Whiskey Treaty Roadshow?” The way the question was asked, I was embarrassed to admit that no, I hadn’t.

That was a few years ago, and I’ve since seen the band perform a half-dozen times, interviewed them twice for the online publication Music in the Berkshires, proudly wear the band’s T-shirt, and count them as one of my favorite bands—not just here, but anywhere.

If you’ve heard them play, you know what I mean. If you haven’t, well, you don’t know what you’re missing. Their music genre can be classified as “Americana,” with roots in early folk and country music. Throw in some rock-and-roll, and you’ve got yourself some Whiskey Treaty. The col­lective is comprised of singer-songwriters Tory Hanna, Billy Keane, Chris Merenda, Greg Daniel Smith, and David Tanklefsky. They often perform as a seven-piece band, with bass guitarist Josh Chaplin and drummer Conor Meehan frequently part of the collective. All five core members live or have lived in Berkshire or Franklin County except for Tanklefsky, whose home is near Boston. And all four of their full-length albums have been recorded in the Berkshires—their roots run deep in this westernmost region of Massachusetts.

This year is the 10th anniversary of The Whiskey Treat Roadshow—or “Treaty 10,” as the band refers to it. To mark this mile­stone, they are releasing ten new singles and will host a series of one-day festivals throughout the Northeast, including the third annual Mountain Day at Bousquet Mountain in Pittsfield on July 20.

Whiskey Treaty’s Tanklefsky described Mountain Day this way: “There are fami­ly-friendly activities, obviously great music, and then there are ways to put the spot­light back on some of the organizations, people, and bands that we really love. Bousquet is such an awesome spot, and it’s in Pittsfield, which is kind of our heartbeat city. It is such a beautiful venue, so we’re pretty grateful.” Whiskey Treaty has picked several other bands to play at this year’s show, including Berkshire-based Jackson Whalan and Vaguely Pagan, as well as Bella’s Bartok and Love Crumbs out of Amherst. There also will be a special performance by Kids 4 Harmony—a free, intensive classical music program for youth from some of the most under-resourced communities in Berkshire County.

The origin of The Whiskey Treaty Roadshow contributes to the band’s uniqueness. Before forming, each of the five members had their own band. Susie Hanna, Tory’s wife, loved their songwriting and musicianship and was inspired to get them in front of more people. In 2011, she created a festival that brought all five bands under one roof. “She thought of a pretty cool name for the festival,” recalls Hanna. “She noticed that all of us, as songwriters individually, often talk about whiskey, which is a drink of Western Mass and other places. The word “Treaty” came from us coming together and being part of something.” The Whiskey Treaty Festival was formed in 2011 and was held for two sold-out years at a now-closed venue in Greenfield called The Arts Block.

It was Keane’s idea to take the show on the road as a supergroup consisting of their band’s five leads. The Whiskey Treaty Roadshow was born with the intent of doing a single roadshow of four performances. That changed when Hanna invited his childhood friend, filmmaker Tim Bradley, to come on the tour. Bradley produced a 30-minute documentary, The Whiskey Treaty Roadshow of Brotherhood, Music & Fine Spirits, which earned recognition in over a dozen film festivals. Several of those festivals wanted the band to perform as part of the film screening. Tanklefsky recalls, “We thought, ‘Well, I guess there’s a band now because people want us to play at their film festivals.’” That was ten years ago.

They have spent much of their journey recording and playing in the Berkshires, with more than 30 shows under their belt in the county. They recorded two albums at The Stationery Factory in Dalton, one in a parking lot in Pittsfield, and the most recent one at The Egremont Barn. “You can’t help being influenced by the landscape and the people in the places that you are interacting with when you’re writing or performing,” says Tanklefsky. “Whenever we play in the Berkshires, it feels like we are playing home games—they feel like our hometown shows.”

You might think egos clash in a band with five singer-songwriters, each with their own band. Not so with Whiskey Treaty, where each member will step into a leadership role for a project, then step back and allow collaboration to happen. Hanna shared that their third album, Recovered, recordings of iconic covers, was “not only Billy’s idea, but Billy produced the record. I just think that album is so freakin’ unbelievable.”

Keane adds, “When I pitched the idea, I encouraged everybody to pick songs. I had some ideas: “Sound of Silence” with Chris, for instance, and “One” with Tory. I just had those images in mind. But part of the fun here was people picking tunes that connected with themselves.” Merenda’s vocals on “The Sound of Silence” are haunting and raw, and Hanna’s mandolin provides nuance. It’s a compelling, must-listen-to interpretation of the original iconic song.

Another example of how band members take the reins at various times is Whiskey Treaty’s most recent album, Late Night, Laid Back and Live, which was Merenda’s brainchild. “It was during Covid, but we had been talking about all getting together under one roof and workshopping, writing, and putting an album together,” says Merenda. He knew The Egremont Barn was going to be closed for the winter season and asked co-owner Jenny Rubin if she could open their doors for the band to get together and work on songs. The end result was a two-night performance of material they had written and worked on. “By the Friday show, we had 14 songs all arranged, all original works,” says Merenda.

Photo by Dylan Law

Smith reflects on the collaborative spirit of the band: “After leading my own band as frontman and songwriter for nearly ten years prior, this band provided a noticeably different atmosphere of brotherhood and shared responsibility that resulted in more productivity with less effort than my previous projects demanded. The band is a tremendous source of fun, passion, creativity, and camaraderie for me.”

Several characteristics make the band so appealing that you become a member of the “Treaty-verse.” They are a blast to watch live. Each of the five core members has a unique personality on stage. All sing lead vocals at different times and have distinctive voices. They play various instruments—from electric and acoustic guitars to trumpet, banjo, mandolin, piano, and harmonica. They have fun, and the audience willingly joins along. The band comes across as—and truly are—friendly, down-to-earth guys who are great friends. You want to hang out with them.

Every member brings unique contributions to the band. For Hanna, it’s his infectious high-octane energy. Tanklefsky likens him to a point guard in basketball who has incredible individual talent but also makes his teammates perform better. Hanna’s trumpet and mandolin contribute to the band’s distinctive sound, and he’s often bounding around on stage, drawing in the crowd, and encouraging folks to clap and dance along.

Keane exudes a quiet charisma on stage, his demeanor suggesting a depth of insight and wisdom beyond his years. In addition to playing piano and guitar, he pulls you in with his distinctive soulful vocals and poignant songwriting. His contributions not only elevate the band, but also play a pivotal role in the success of his other band, Billy Keane and The Waking Dream.

Merenda contributes to the band’s distinctive sound in two ways: his skillful banjo playing and an incredibly intense voice that shines through on songs like “Sound of Silence,” in which one can see the influence of Robert Plant and Led Zeppelin. One of Merenda’s other projects is a Zeppelin tribute band called Four Sticks. He also provides comic relief at their shows, making jokes when something unusual happens or dropping lines from the rock mockumentary This is Spinal Tap.

Smith is the consummate rocker, intensely focused on his electric guitar craft. He performs mesmerizing riffs, often bending down to fine-tune the settings on his effects pedal to get just the right sound out of his instrument—like the haunting guitar riff on their masterful cover of David Bowie’s “Heroes,” originally played by the legendary guitarists Robert Fripp.

Tanklefsky, who plays rhythm guitar, was heavily influenced by The Grateful Dead. He brings that influence to the band, according to Hanna, along with a reservoir of intelligence and wit that benefits their songwriting process with interesting storylines and crafty lyrics. He’s also the band’s historian and has kept a copy of the set list from every show they’ve performed. In addition to playing guitar with Whiskey Treaty, he plays with Billy Keane and The Waking Dream.

But what makes the band special is how these five and the instruments they play meld together to create something unique. On many songs, particularly on Recovered, they take turns as the lead vocalist. With the diverse array of instruments, the band creates a wide range of sounds, ensuring that no two songs sound alike. This variety keeps your interest whether you are listening to their catalog or attending a live show.

Their songwriting also warrants mention. For one, they share in writing music and lyrics, often tackling issues of hardship, poverty, and human rights. Keane shows his Dylan influence in his song “Close to the Edge,” written after the murder of Freddie Gray in Baltimore: “So you folks who are listening / to this song that I am singing / are you strong enough to answer the call? / It’s not a Black or white thing / well it’s a wrong and a right thing / it’s about equal freedom for us all.” Keane’s song “Hey Lady” is an anthem for the women’s rights movement: “Hey Lady / Take what you need / Don’t give up the fight / I’m on your side.” And “Don’t Cross My Land,” written by Hanna, is about the Standing Rock Sioux Tribe’s protest of the Dakota Access Pipeline.

Of course, there are love songs, too, like Keane’s “Gave Away,” with its memorable line, “I know I’ll get to heaven ’cause I see it in your eyes.” Keane shares that he was “trying to evoke a certain emotional experience, that sense of vastness and spaciousness that sometimes arises in us when we’re with someone we love and gaze into their eyes to try and see the world with the excitement, enthusiasm, and gratitude with which they see it.”

As the ten-year milestone sinks in, the band has become reflective and nostalgic about their journey together, which they shared during a recent interview at The Egremont Barn. The band recalls recording their debut album, Band Together, produced by Berkshire producer and musician Johnny Irion. Irion was responsible for enlisting the talents of Steve Gorman (Black Crowes), Pat Sansone (Wilco), and Arlo Guthrie to contribute to the album. Tracks were recorded on Irion’s Studer analog tape machine, formerly owned by Jackson Browne, which was transported from Browne’s Santa Barbara studio to a makeshift studio built at The Stationery Factory in Dalton. Tanklefsky recalls listening to Gorman and Sansone trade stories about opening for The Rolling Stones. “We were all trying to keep it cool and pretend these weren’t the coolest stories we’d ever heard.” And it was equally mind-blowing to have Guthrie play harmonica on the album.

Hanna recalls a West Coast tour where they headlined one night at the Kate Wolf Festival. “We were playing Billy’s song, “Governor’s Wife,” and the crowd was dancing. There was a cloud of dust coming from thousands of people dancing to our song. It looked like pure mayhem. And it was kind of a peace and love, folk-oriented festival, and here we were, this rock band just ripping it up. I’ll never forget that.” At the other end of the spectrum, there are many stories from the challenges of being on the road, like one night early in their time together playing a way-too-small club in Cambridge. It was so crowded that the bouncer wouldn’t let their drummer in for a half hour. Tanklefsky recalls asking, “Can he please come in? He’s the drummer,” and the bouncer responded, “I don’t care!”

The band has grown and evolved over the decade. “When we started, we were mostly single guys, and I don’t think any of us had kids,” Tanklefsky reflects. “Now, there’s a bunch of kids. It’s been really cool to watch the band evolve on its own time. It’s rare to have a group of songwriters stay together for that long. Ten years—we beat The Beatles!” Everyone laughs. He continues, “This year is an acknowledgment to our fans and community and also to each other.”


Our list of must-listen-to songs by The Whiskey Treaty Roadshow:

1. “Gave Away,” on Late Night, Laid Back and Live, written by Billy Keane. Fan-favorite love song with chorus that you can’t help but sing along to.

2. “Sound of Silence,” on Recovered, written by Paul Simon. Haunting vocals by Chris Merenda provide a new interpretation on Simon’s iconic song.

3. “Hey Lady,” on Band Together, written by Billy Keane. Soaring anthem supporting the women’s rights movement.

4. “Pass the Peace,” on Band Together, written by Billy Keane. A tale of everyday struggles highlighting Keane’s songwriting and soulful voice.

5. “Don’t Cross My Land,” on Band Together, written by John Goodwin and Tory Hanna. Protest song about Standing Rock, highlighting Hanna’s songwriting and singing talent.

6. “Close to the Edge,” on The Whiskey Treaty Roadshow, written by Billy Keane. Written after the murder of Freddie Grey, highlighting Keane’s singing and songwriting.

7. “Late Night, Laid Back,” on Late Night, Laid Back and Live, written by Billy Keane, Chris Merenda, Greg Daniel Smith. A groovin’ jam song, highlighting Smith’s vocals, with guitar solos by Smith and Tanklefsky.

8. “Poisonous Me,” on The Whiskey Treaty Roadshow, written by Greg Daniel Smith. An anthem about a father telling his unborn children they can be better than him, which brought Hanna to tears at a performance after Smith announced he was having a daughter.

9. “Heroes,” on Recovered, written by Brian Eno and David Bowie. All five band members share lead vocals, highlighting their unique voices; enjoy Smith’s take on Robert Fripp’s iconic guitar riff.

10. “Fall into Place,” on The Whiskey Treaty Roadshow, written by Chris Merenda. A favorite of two band members, highlighting Merenda’s singing and songwriting.

11. “A Million Tears,” on The Whiskey Treaty Roadshow, written by David Tanklefsky. It shows Tanklefsky’s influence from The Grateful Dead and highlights his singing and songwriting.

Spotify users can listen to this playlist here.

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