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At the age of 17, Roger Chouinard bought a drum set at a yard sale for $15, and his musical journey began.
Bands and tours followed. Three CDs were released. He transitioned to become a drum technician, and he’s met, worked with and learned from many.
Now 54, the Wareham native is a record store owner and back to playing drums, enjoying real success as a member of the power rock band All Sinners.
Their full-length album “We Own The Night” was released in October and they share a label — New Hampshire-based Rat Pak Records — with major artists such as George Lynch of Dokken, Dave Ellefson of Megadeth, members of Queensrÿche, King’s X, Tesla, Yngwie Malmsteen’s band, and Metal Church.
In addition to touring New England, New York and New Jersey the last couple years, Chouinard and the band have played five times at Hollywood’s famed Whisky a Go Go, including opening for rock stalwarts L.A. Guns on New Year’s Eve 2024.
He’s surrounded by music even when he’s not playing it. He’s owned Purchase Street Records, originally located in downtown New Bedford and now on Pope’s Island, since 2016.
Chouinard sat down with The Light to talk about a life devoted to music, what he’s learned about the music industry, and being in the company of some of his rock idols.
New Bedford Light: What was your introduction to drums? How did you get started?
Roger Chouinard: I was 17, I had just graduated from Wareham High School and I didn’t have a lot going on. My parents didn’t have the money for me to go to college. I never really liked school and I didn’t want to be book smart. I wanted to do common sense things. I saw a drum set at a yard sale, my friend Jerry’s. I think it was $15. It was an orange sparkle Japanese kit. I wish I still had it. And I started playing drums in my friend’s garage.
NBL: How did All Sinners get formed?
RC: It was 2023. We were a cover band for a little while under the name San Dimas, doing ’80s hair metal rock around the South Coast.
NBL: Why did you start writing your own songs?
RC: As soon as the COVID shutdown happened the cover band disbanded. I’ve always been a fan of Mike (Golarz, lead vocalist), and his ability as a rocker, so he, myself and Bruce (Morrison, bassist) were like, “Hey man, let’s write a good rock record. Let’s try writing something.” So Mike was the main writer at the time prior to bringing in Nick (Testone, lead guitarist) in. Our four-song demo was written mainly by Mike, and Nick came in soon afterwards.
We distributed 8,000 copies of the demo at shows. I really use the guerrilla approach to marketing — hanging up flyers, handouts, and postcards. Our label, Rat Pak Records, tells me to put my money somewhere else than print ads but I really feel that I want to distribute them at shows and at my store. After we play a show, I’m out front handing out postcards to everyone.
NBL: How important is promotion to the success of this band?
RC: A hundred percent. I feel that if you see an image all the time, your curiosity goes to that image and you want to know more about it. If you keep on seeing a band, or a store, or a video, or anything — if you go by a coffee shop and you keep seeing a certain type of coffee advertised, you’ll think, “I want to try that coffee, I’ve been seeing it a lot.” So we hope that people think, “Oh, I’ve been seeing that logo, I really feel that I should go check them out.”
NBL: Where did the name All Sinners come from? What does it represent?
RC: Mike came up with it, it’s a play on words. When Mike comes out on stage and says, “Hey everybody, we’re All Sinners,” it means more than just the band, it means the audience too. We have fun with it. Our saying is “Hail, All Sinners! Join the Cult.”
NBL: How did you get signed to Rat Pak Records? You’re in good company on that label.
RC: The corral he has of bands on that label are top-notch. With myself owning the record store, when I first opened I was able to get some of his products. I enjoy selling the ’80s artists and the artists of that era, so I always carried his titles and we became friends. We’ve been friends for eight years.
He doesn’t like getting any attention so he goes by the name Joe Rat Pak. Great guy, very honest with me. If I’m doing something that he doesn’t like, or there’s something that could be better, he brings it to my attention and I listen to him.
After we recorded demos of the songs for the album, we sent it to him. After he heard the second song he said, “I want to sign you guys.” It took six months to record it in our rehearsal studio, and it was produced by Shane Frisby, who also worked with Parkway Drive, Bury Your Dead, and Living Wreckage.
NBL: Why does this genre from the ’80s still have staying power? Why do people still enjoy it?
RC: Because that’s what they’re used to listening to. Our demographics on social media, meaning Spotify and Apple, we get nothing from 18 to 25 year olds. They don’t listen to us. It starts at 35 and goes to 65. So that older demographic of listening to Guns ‘N Roses and Dokken and that rock genre are the people who are listening to us.
NBL: You’re beginning to get a taste of success in the music industry.
RC: In my head, no, but to other people, yes. We work hard every day on making sure this band is a rock and roll machine. The biggest thing with us is we really try to be the best band, put out tunes that sound great and just be nice to everyone that we can.
I’ve been doing this since I was 18. It’s all about who you know. It doesn’t matter how good the band is. What it takes now in the music industry is money and who you know. You can be the hardest working band out there, touring and doing things, but somebody has to bring you into that circle.
NBL: How did the Whisky a Go Go gigs come about?
RC: Ace Von Johnson of L.A. Guns, we played a show with them in New Bedford. Ace took a little video of us and showed it to his friends and said, “Look at my friends’ band, you should book them.” When we got off stage, Ace said, “Hey man, look at your phone.” I looked at my phone and it said, “Hey, this is Jake from the Whisky. Do you guys want to play New Year’s Eve with L.A. Guns?”
I showed it to Mike and he said, “Oh, my God!” He went and talked to the other guys, and came back and said, “We’re in.”
NBL: What was that first gig at the Whisky like?
RC: It was cool. Walking in there, sitting on that stage, and looking to the left where Eddie Van Halen played. Looking to the right where Nikki Sixx played. Looking dead center where Jim Morrison played.
Coming down the stairs, going into the bathroom, being upstairs, loading in. To be honest, it was the real deal. And I have to say that club treats everybody like rock stars. There’s no downgrading, they treat you how you should be treated.
NBL: What’s it like to share a billing with bands you’ve idolized?
RC: I’ve done it so many times that I don’t think about it anymore. My entire house has all these posters of the bands we’ve performed with. So it’s fun. One of the coolest things that happened to me was when I was out in front of the Whisky, and Tracii Guns comes up to me and says, “Roger, what are you doing here?” I said, “I’m playing tonight with you guys.” He said, “I don’t pay attention to that stuff.” I said, “What do you mean?” and he just laughed.
It’s cool. It’s really more than cool, it’s satisfying. Since I’ve been 18 I’ve always pushed and spent my last dime, slept in my van, passed out flyers, missed people’s birthdays and graduations, everything. Just to play rock and roll. And I feel that with this band this is the closest I’ve been to being in a band that someone else looks at and says, “I need to follow those guys.”
NBL: So since you were 18, you’ve been able to build connections that are helping you now?
RC: A hundred percent. I worked with Twisted Sister for a while, I’ve worked with Overkill, I’ve worked with the Motörhead guys. In life, you should always take in the good things and think, “I need to have that in my life, that influence.” Your paths always cross so you want to be the best person you can to everybody. Even if they’re not good to you.
NBL: When you started playing drums, did you have rock and roll dreams?
RC: We all do.
NBL: What could the future hold for All Sinners?
RC: Who knows. If a song on the record lands on a soundtrack for a movie score or a video game. We just mainly want to keep our lives intact and see a bunch of cool places.
Sean McCarthy is a freelance writer and frequent contributor to The New Bedford Light.
This interview has been edited for length and clarity.
Always nice to see local music highlighted, well done.
Love this article. Great job, Sean McCarthy!