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When you talk to The Secondhands, you're really talking to about 10 different acts. No, the members of the Lawrence-based ska/reggae band aren't schizophrenic, just busy. Collectively, they form a tiny musical nation, members of a network that includes The Band That Saved the World, Space Pocket, The Yards, Ry, Public Relation, Busy Signal, Easy Pieces and The Cats. The Secondhands also serve as a backing band for local reggae artist Brent Berry, whose shows are typically proceeded by an extended Secondhands set.

"We all play in a lot of the same bands together," explains Berry. "So we're always experimenting, and we've got musicians around us all the time that can do about anything. If they can't do it, we can find someone who can."

Brent Berry, center, and members of The Secondhands are responsible for a diverse subset of Lawrence club acts.

"It's a mixed blessing," says Tom Johnson, who handles trombone and bass for The Secondhands when not playing with one of the many other acts he's in. "There are a lot of amazing musicians in Lawrence, and the price for playing with them is that they're always gonna be playing with somebody else. So you have to get around scheduling. Between The Secondhands and Brent Berry, there's something like seven or eight bands represented from various parts of Lawrence. A lot of us play in two or three other bands. We don't make much money but it's all we do."

Jumping someone

else's train

Formed in 1996, The Secondhands debuted last year with "The Same Trains," one of the finest CDs to emerge from the ska genre in years local or otherwise. Recorded at Z'Gwon,Th studios, "Trains" was refreshing for its strident grooves, nuanced instrumentation and stick-to-your-ear melodies clearly the work of seasoned pros, confident enough to play short, sharp instrumentals with nary a hint of noodly jam-band excess.

"It's not too jammy," Johnson declares. "You get some great things out of jamming, but we can't really effectively be a jam band with 10 people all generating ideas all at once in a spontaneous setting. So there has to be a little more structure."

"It's hard to be a jam band and have songs that are three and four minutes long," says Secondhand keyboardist/organist Bradford Hoopes. "We only hit the five-minute mark every once in a while. There are a lot of composers in the band, and it's a perfect vehicle for us as composers. It's fun arranging music for a seven- or eight-piece band. On the record, we've got pedal steel, harmonica and other little colors, and it's just a joy to arrange."

Though "Trains" focused primarily on ska, The Secondhands' sound has continued to grow and evolve, incorporating other elements into the mix.

"We were really heavy into ska until a couple of years ago," Johnson says. "Now we play ska, reggae, rock steady and whatever else. It's kind of open book. The record is pretty much a ska record, but we're working on new stuff for at least one more record this year."

Inland excursion

Just about the time The Secondhands were wrapping up "Trains," Brent Berry came back to Lawrence and was looking for a band to back a batch of new songs he'd penned.

"I'm always moving around the country," Berry says. "Santa Fe, Tucson, Phoenix I kind of come and go from this town, but Lawrence has got this constant pool of bands and musicians that are breaking and forming. The Secondhands are such a powerful band. They do so many things: reggae, rock steady, calypso, jazz-oriented stuff, big band arrangements. I'd been searching for this band pretty much my whole life so it was really an organic happening. It was just a matter of getting together and realizing that we sound great together."

Last November, Berry and company entered Z'Gwon,Th to lay down tracks for Berry's debut CD "Inland." The finished work, which added a decidedly reggae vibe to The Secondhands' ska, was packed with crackling irie grooves and bristling with positive energy.

"People are just really dying to hear good reggae, positive vibration music, dancing and having a good time," Berry says. "I love that. There's so much negativity in so much music today. I really like good vibration music."

For The Secondhands, some of whom switch instruments when backing Berry, alternating between the two groups proved to be a fairly organic process.

"Brent's record has really been the first exercise with this group of players where we had vocals and had to craft tighter arrangements," Johnson explains. "But we're not gonna combine them that much. We're still kind of riding the edge of keeping The Secondhands a separate entity. But we're not trying to be bipolar. We are proud of what we do in both bands. Neither one is a side project."

Crowded houses

As great as Brent Berry and The Secondhands are in the studio, both bands also should be experienced in a live setting to comprehend their full musical impact. Fortunately, catching them in concert isn't too difficult; both are performing in the area regularly right now. ("We have to play every week or our morale gets low," Johnson says.) They're packing them in, too. More than 1,300 people were on hand to witness Brent Berry and The Secondhands play with Son Venezuela at Abe & Jake's Landing, and the bands' other shows have been equally well-attended.

On a recent snowy Thursday evening, the two groups brought a capacity crowd to Coco Loco's, offsetting Lawrence's blustery winter with a bit of sonic sunsplash. The audience was obviously enjoying the music, laughing, dancing, grooving and shaking into the wee hours of the night.

"The Secondhands go as crazy as we possibly can on-stage to get people hyped up, wear 'em out just a bit," Johnson explains. "Then when Brent comes on, it's the feel-good time. But we still make 'em sweat."

"We reach a broad audience: young, old, reggae," Berry says. "That time on-stage is 'the church' pretty much, and we try to bring everybody up. The scene's coming back around and it's nice to see the support for live music around the Lawrence area."

According to The Secondhands and Berry, some of the best live music in Lawrence is being played at house parties, where artists and audiences can let their hair down in a rules-free environment.

"You can walk in on a house party and see amazing musicians," Johnson declares. "It can be a 20-year-old kid playing the keyboards that you've never seen before. There's so many amazing musicians that aren't booked regularly in town, so they're kind of drawn to house parties."

"We just played a great show at (a house party)," Berry says. "We had a three-band reggae show for Bob Marley's birthday. There were about 350 people there on a Tuesday night. It was incredible."

"We don't see enough reggae around here, frankly," Johnson says. "Maybe that's why we're actually making a dent and drawing people. Lawrence can bring in a lot of mid-level bands, but when I see a reggae show I want to see something massive. I want to see Lucky Dube and Burning Spear."

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