Patch Picks: The Soul Searchers

John Skirtich loves classic rock. He’s a fan of The Beatles and The Rolling Stones, but he also enjoys U2 and Foo Fighters. He plays rhythm guitar in a rock band.

He is also a Catholic priest.

“I grew up like any other person in Pittsburgh, loving sports and music,” said 48-year-old Skirtich, who has served as pastor of St. Maurice Parish since 2000. “When I joined the priesthood, that didn’t change. I’ve always enjoyed life. I grew up with DVE.”

Skirtich is only one member of The Soul Searchers, a six-man rock band based in Forest Hills. Skirtich speaks lovingly of his band mates and considers himself the least skilled musician of the bunch, even though he has played with The Soul Searchers since the beginning and is usually cited as the band’s founder.

Skirtich attended Duquesne University with the intent of becoming a journalist. But as a devout Catholic, Skirtich was also drawn to the clergy, and instead of becoming a news anchor, he enrolled in seminary. This was a happy surprise to his friends and family.

“Even my fraternity brothers were excited for me,” Skirtich said with a laugh.

Skirtich learned guitar as an adult, and it wasn’t until he performed for a community talent show that anyone learned of his musical abilities. One attendant was John Alton, who invited Skirtich to play with him and percussionist Scott Berry.

“We started to jam,” Skirtich recalled. “And after several months, we thought we’d start a band.”

Eight years later, The Soul Searchers have attracted an enthusiastic following. Alton has moved on, and there have been frequent “personnel changes,” but Skirtich is extremely pleased with his cohort. The Soul Searchers specialize in benefits and community events, and nearly all of their songs are covers.

But Skirtich is clear: These guys play rock music, pure and simple. While everyone involved is a churchgoer, the music does not have an overt religious message.

“A couple of the guys in the band are in my parish,” Skirtich said. “Of the six guys in the group, four are Catholic; one plays keyboard at a Presbyterian Church. We’re Christians by faith, but we’re not a praise-and-worship band by genre. We’re not gospel.”

Still, Skirtich will often start a concert with a group prayer, and he will sometimes be asked to bless a fan. Their practices, even, take place beneath the rectory at St. Maurice. Such low-key expressions of faith have appealed to many. Skirtich says that every once in a while a concertgoer ends up coming to his church.

“I do see it as an essential part of my priesthood that we reach out in different ways,” he added.

Although The Soul Searchers are not a decidedly Christian band, Skirtich is intrigued by the idea.

“The Christian Rock thing I respect quite a bit,” Skirtich said of the exploding genre. “Sometimes I think I should play more like that, but that’s not where our band is right now.”

The Soul Searchers are not what you’d call spring chickens. The youngest member is Eric Demeri, 34. Lead singer Joe Navarro has five children. Because of their real-life obligations, the band will never tour the country or play enormous amphitheaters. But Skirtich still has ambitions.

“I can’t speak for the others, but I would like to see us write more original songs,” he said.

So far, The Soul Searchers have scribed two songs—a Steelers fight song and “Shamrockin’ Pittsburgh,” which they performed at StageAE.

“I think the long term goal is to get better and tighter as a band,” Skirtich said. “If we ever become more than that, we’ll have to cross that bridge when we get to it.”

The Soul Searchers perform at 8 p.m. this Saturday, June 18, at the Wilkins Elks Club, 718 Beulah Road, Turtle Creek.