World Within Hansil’s 1

Some people in town might know Joe Lorenc from his “gigs” playing the drums in local church choirs, but other’s might know him from his ban World Within which has been playing regularly together for close to twenty years. Sounds like a long stretch, but time has not dimmed the passion of these musicians since they started jamming together back in 1990. The Oakland Journal caught their show Saturday night over at Hansil’s Bar & Grill.

It was the quintessential “Jersey” bar experience, except this bar held the aroma of caribbean food rather than the smell of stale cigarette smoke that years back would have been the norm. World Within plays Hansil’s every few months as they make the rounds throughout the Tri-State jamming to familiar tunes brought back to life with original rifts. They find the connecting thread between music from Bob Dylan, The Grateful Dead, The Band and others, and they weave together a rocking long show that keeps fans going into the morning hours. This Saturday evening there was a particularly hypnotic version of the seldom heard, “Tangled Up in Blue” by Bob Dylan. The band also showed off their vocal skills in a rousing harmonic rendition of “Take a Load off Fannie”. A lot of the music was just plain good jamming material that had people out of their seats and on the dance floor.

Hansil’s is a good venue for World Within. A big U-shaped bar allows plenty of space for patrons, and once the pool table is moved to the side a great dance floor opens up right in front of the band. Hansil’s, on Ramapo Valley Road, has been operated by Oakland residents Steve and Miriam Hansil for 15 years. The couple bring together a cultural rich menu that feeds off roots from India, Trinidad, Puerto Rico and mixes them up with some American innovation to offer customers a wide array of food that will satisfy almost every palate. They bottle their own hot sauce which is sold as a courtesy to regular customers, and their burgers are well known for the careful marinating process that gives them a full, juicy flavor.

The Oakland Historical Society has given Hansil’s special recognition as it has been home to business in Oakland for generations. Back in the day, one could gas up the car and buy some butter an eggs: one of the first convenience stores attached to a gas station. Steve and Miriam raised their four grown children here in Oakland, and Steve is a past president of the Rotary Club. He’s still active in the club and described the recent donation of $1,700 the club used to help a local family pay off a power bill.

Mix the history of Hansil’s with the history of the World Within, and you have yourself a good night out in Oakland. World Within plays your normal venues lately, but they used to rock with the big boys opening for such bands as Spin Doctors, Marshall Tucker and Jefferson Airplane. Besides Joe Lorenc, World Within includes:Leo Battenhausen, rhythm guitar/harmonica/vocals; Matt D’Esposito, bass guitar; Jeff Phillips, lead guitar/vocals; Bobby Cebalo, congas/flute/sax/harmonica; and, Ross Hirtzel as a fill-in drummer when Joe is occasionally sidetracked by the social calendar of his two young kids. The band maintains a website at http://www.worldwithin.net which lists their upcoming gigs throughout New Jersey this summer, and they will be back at Hansil’s in September.