When Edison dentist David Rosenfeld leaves the office he heads to a second job – crushing guitar solos on stage with his rock band, Out of Bounds. Watch video
"I tell some of my patients," Rosenfeld says with a smile. "I feel them out a little bit. ... Most people are a little shocked."
Watching Rosenfeld, 51, move from exam room to exam room in his work attire - a shirt and tie - you'd never guess that he sometimes leaves Resnick & Rosenfeld DDS to head to a second job: crushing guitar solos on stage with his rock band, Out of Bounds.
"The stuff we play is everywhere from Pat Benatar and Heart to Guns N' Roses, Velvet Revolver, Alice in Chains, some Godsmack, some Zeppelin. Plus, original tunes," Rosenfeld says. "I recently got into playing a seven-string guitar to make an even thicker sound."
If you're wondering what it's like to run into your dentist when he's jamming out on "Sweet Child of Mine," it's certainly happened for some of Rosenfeld's patients.
At the Stone Pony in March, a man in the audience approached Rosenfeld to try to figure out why he looked so familiar.
"Joe?" he asked.
"And I said no, no ... I'm your dentist," Rosenfeld remembers. "He was all 'Oh my god! I can't believe it.' And then he proceeded to ask me to do a quick exam of his girlfriend right then and there, which I didn't do, but he was totally blown away."
It works the other way, too: Rosenfeld's rocker friends can barely believe he's a dentist, and it's a fun fact his bandmates like to announce on the mic - "By the way, David's a friggin' dentist!"
The group has played gigs with some big names and at some big venues - including Starland Ballroom and three times at the Stone Pony, where they once opened for the Violent Femmes and another time headlined the show. They'll also play again this year at the second-annual N.J. Rock Carnival in Lakewood alongside rockers like Alice Cooper and Twisted Sister.
Rosenfeld has been playing guitar for 35 years and also plays drums and sings vocals. In 2013, he decided to join what he calls "an adult rock shop" at Musician's Workshop in Manalapan. Out of Bounds was formed out of that workshop, though its members have changed over the years, including when Rosenfeld's son, Daniel, who played drums, headed off to college this fall, and their 24-year-old neighbor Ryan Kroon took over.
Kroon knows Rosenfeld the rocker, but has never seen Rosenfeld the dentist.
"The juxtaposition is funny. I imagine he's got on like a lab coat with his dentist mask, looking very professional," Kroon says. "And then on stage, he's got his guitar, and his legs spread apart in a power stance, screaming into a mic. Dave is always smiling, but when he's playing a dirty riff on stage, he's just got this serious 'rock' face he puts on."
Kroon says dentistry does come up in conversation every now and then during band practice.
"We'll be talking music and another band member will be like, 'I've got pain in my my tooth' and then all the sudden dentist Dave comes out. He'll be all, 'Oh dude, I can totally help with that.'"
So far, Rosenfeld hasn't harassed any of the members about flossing, though, according to Kroon.
"I haven't heard him do too much dentist preaching," he says with a laugh.
Back in the office, Rosenfeld's staffers say his rock persona stays mostly tucked away - and he's never tried to change the music over the office speakers to something a bit heavier.
"I'm not sure we could do that," says dental hygienist Pattie Camden, before rethinking. "Maybe part of the day, depending on the age group coming in ... I think him playing in a band is great. It makes him more human. His patients are surprised when they find out, but lots of them are very interested in going to see him play."
Steve Pasqua, the band's bassist, is a founding member of the group who met Rosenfeld at Musician's Workshop. Pasqua and the rest of his family have become Rosenfeld's patients.
"We're friends with a lot of professional guitarists who've been playing 30, 40 years, and Dave just rips," Pasqua says. "He's just as good. He could be a pro if he wanted. And he says he's a better dentist than a guitar player, so I know he's a great dentist."
Sean McCoy, who plays guitar and does vocals, credits Rosenfeld with taking the band "so far in such a short time, it's incredible." Plus, he says, "our teeth look great!"
Whether he's filling cavities or firing up a crowd, Rosenfeld says there are a few parallels.
"It's funny trying to think of the crossover between the two," he says. "There's a lot of precision and using your hands. I still have a vibrant personality. I'm not your typical dentist; I have a flavor to me. And I'm a perfectionist in both."
And which is the real Rosenfeld?
His daughter Eve says it's Rosenfeld the rocker, before his son and wife Karen nod in agreement. Besides, there's a lot more pizazz when you say your dad's a rock star than a dentist, she says.
Rosenfeld says he's a combination of both, which fits the nickname a musician friend gave him - the Rock Doc.
"Playing feeds a lot of things that I miss in dentistry," Rosenfeld says. "I love dentistry and treating patients, but playing is just a relaxation, a freedom to just let yourself go."
You can catch Rosenfeld and Out of Bounds at their next gig on Oct. 1 on the Birch Hill Stage at the Rock Carnival at the Blue Claws Stadium in Lakewood, on Oct. 8 at the Brighton Bar opening for Don Jamieson from VH-1's That Metal Show, and regularly at Rocky's Bar and Grill in Rahway and Buddies Tavern in Parlin. Follow them on Facebook.
Jessica Remo may be reached at jremo@njadvancemedia.com. Follow her on Twitter @JessicaRemoNJ. Find NJ.com on Facebook.