UNIQUE EVOLUTION: Full Circle with Echoes of Heroes
- Anna Maria Sophia Cancelli
- Jul 29
- 5 min read
Updated: Jul 31
Echoes of Heroes, a rock band based in Wilmington, has finally come full circle. Rooted in decades-long friendships, shared history, and music written early in their separate careers, the band as we know them now has had a unique evolution to reach where they are now.
The band includes composer and guitarist Roger Blake, singer and co-writer John Panichello, Mike Ewing on bass, and Jeff Thomas on drums. Together, they perform original rock with progressive tendencies and a nostalgic resonance that echoes the sounds of their musical heroes, such as Rush, Queen, Van Halen, King’s X, and Alice in Chains.
Roger Blake and Mike Ewing met when Mike moved to the Wilmington area in the late 1980s. Despite worries about fitting in, Mike was quickly welcomed.
“I was a new kid with long hair, abducted by a group of metal heads at my school, Roger being chief among them,” Mike explains. “We started a band called Inside Out, which was our first foray into doing our own musical thing.”
In 1994, another iteration of the band was formed when Roger joined John Panichello’s band called Freemason. Back then, a local venue called Mad Monk was a perfect spot for artists to develop, featuring big names as well as offering local bands the opportunity to take the stage as opening acts.
Upcoming local bands could play weeknights, and once a following was amassed, the band could then audition for weekend slots, eventually performing as professionals.
In Freemason, Roger and John collaborated on song writing, produced an album, and toured regionally. What came out of their Freemason years (1994-1998) was an arsenal of songs with evocative narrative lyrics, big harmonies, and complex drum parts, many of which are now part of the Echoes Of Heroes repertoire.
In 2000, John moved to Florida to work in the entertainment industry. He toured with Kenny Wayne Shepherd as merchandise manager, moved to Los Angeles, and ultimately landed in New York City. There, he worked at the legendary comedy club Caroline’s on Broadway, as well as on numerous theatrical productions.
While John was chasing his dream of being a professional actor, Roger and Mike began playing together in a band called Hellbroth (2000-2011). Even though they weren’t all in the same city, though, they couldn’t shake the idea of producing music all together.
“We were trying to figure out what we were going to do with our lives. We went in different directions, but whenever we got back together, we immediately started writing songs,” Roger says.
When John permanently returned to Wilmington in 2017, they finally had the opportunity to collaborate more frequently. John and Roger dug up some old Freemason songs they had written together but never recorded. For kicks, they started playing them in Roger’s home studio and ended up recording five of the old Freemason songs. Energized, they wrote five additional new tracks together. They thought what they’d created was “just a studio thing,” something for fun–but it turned into so much more.
“The irony is that I left Wilmington to chase a career in entertainment then came back and found something amazing,” John says. “The separation was great though. I had to break free of the dependence on others to write songs. While away, I figured out my style and wrote my own songs.” The songs are mini memoirs that encapsulate moments in John’s life and inspired him to step out of his comfort zone and write his own music.
In 2019, they released their album Echoes of Heroes.
“We missed playing on stage, so we decided to become a band, and Echoes Of Heroes ended up being the name of the band because our music echoes the styles of all of our musical heroes, the musicians we grew up listening to,” says Roger. “You can hear things in our music that are reminiscent of artists like Rush, Van Halen, all the bands that had a profound influence on us.”
They needed a drummer who could play the complex drum pieces Roger had written. After a long search, they finally found their guy in Jeff Thomas.
Jeff says when he joined the band, it was like finding an instant family: “I’m lucky to find people who I like to hang out with and play music with. We’re getting ambitious with our shows, and I’m excited to be a part of it.”
In 2023, the last and current iteration of Echoes of Heroes took the stage to play their first show.
Back in the 1990s, Roger, Mike, and John were kids chasing fame, deluded by grandiose ideas of becoming rock stars. Fame didn’t happen, yet they never lost their affinity for performing, nor did they relinquish their musical occupations. Now they have careers and families, but more than ever, they also have an abundance of confidence in their musicianship. They enjoy the expanding landscape of the region’s music scene, which has become much more family friendly and full of opportunities to showcase their evolution as artists.
They know who they are as performers, so they totally lack apprehension and aren’t afraid to put on a show that is as much for themselves as it is for an audience. They know it takes a committed team to build a great show, and the support behind Echoes of Heroes is a family affair. John’s wife moved from her home state of New York and became part of the crew, booking shows and handling media. Mike’s wife once jumped in at a moment’s notice to provide a tent when the band got caught in a rainstorm at an outdoor show. Roger’s wife found the band a talented percussionist, and Jeff’s wife puts their teenage son, who just may be the band’s biggest fan, to work as a roadie.
The band is continually building a show that goes beyond just live music. They play epic original songs with poignant and intellectual lyrics in flexible sets that range from 45 minutes to 3 hours to accommodate any venue or event. They’ve added impressive lighting effects, and they now play tributes to their musical heroes. “We’re going to feature different covers from year to year, and right now it’s Ozzy,” Roger says. “We want to play stuff outside of our originals that an audience will know and get excited about.”The guys in Echoes Of Heroes are thankful for the fans who show up at places they play often, such as LBC in Hampstead and The Pour House in Shallotte. They are grateful to have had the opportunity to take the stage at Greenfield Lake Amphitheatre for Tunes & Blooms as part of Azalea Festival, and they value any opportunity to perform with other musical artists and play fantastic venues like Bowstring, Waterline, and Reggie’s. (They also really appreciate the Waffle House.) After each show, the guys make a pilgrimage to a local Waffle House where they grab a meal, unwind, and reflect. Part after-action meeting, part Tomfoolery, their Waffle House ritual is always the perfect ending to a performance.
Currently, they’re working on an EP titled Bonfires and Hurricanes: Volume 1 to be released by the end of this year, available alongside their eponymous Echoes Of Heroes, album on all streaming platforms.
Echoes Of Heroes 2026 upcoming show dates:
August 8 – Reggie’s, opening for Green Jellӱ
August 15 – LBC, Hampstead
August 22 – The Pour House, Shallotte
September 26 – The Pour House, Shallotte
October 17 – LBC, Hampstead
