EXCELLING IN THEIR FIELD

Rita: It’s a sure sign of global warming when it’s almost sixty degrees on Christmas day! Lolita: That must be a typo. In your case it’s more like global worming. Your body is shaped like a big planet, your face looks like an atlas, and you are slimy and reptilian. Rita: I had a rough year. Lolita: Some people had great years and that’s what our Question of the Month addresses. Looking back on 2015, what band or individual artist (outside of your own act) excelled the most in their field? Or if you like, who was the MVP? And why? Let’s start off by asking the King of Calypso Cadences SHANTY DAN VITALE (Bim Skala Bim): Well, Dave Minehan continues to amaze me. Fitting into The Mats and touring, gelling so seamlessly with that band. Touring also with The Neighborhoods and helping so many bands make great records in his wonderful studio Wooly Mammoth. The Mats are what we Replacement fans call them; also Placemats. Now he just needs to get The Mats into his studio to record a new record. Long overdue. *** HARVEY WHARFIELD aka BILL HATHAWAY (x-WZLX/ WCGY): I would give a thumbs up to the former Johanna Wild front man Jon Butcher and his tribute LP to Jimi. My hat is off to Jon for rocking all these years! *** TOM HALTER (Either Orchestra/ Mariachi Internacionale): Mariachi Nuevo Tecalitlan because they played such a great concert in Albuquerque at The Mariachi Spectacular in July. *** SAX GORDON BEADLE (Bluesman Extraordinaire): To me Toni Lynn Washington is MVP everywhere! *** ALAN HENDRY (Crooked Mirror/ Bubba Loaf/ Charley Don’t Surf): I really like Trick Wallace and Trusty Sidekick. I love the lyrics. Lead vocals are gritty and powerful. I love the mix of instrumentation, with acoustic and electric guitars, bass, drums, and steel guitar. The band members of Natalie Flanagan’s band are in Trusty Sidekick as well. This adds a touch of Americana to Trusty Sidekick’s fun loving gritty rock! Just a fun band to listen to! *** LELAND STEIN (The Regent Theatre): The Dennis Brennan Band – Boston’s answer to Graham Parker/ Elvis Costello and Bruce Springsteen with some Leonard Cohen and Dylan mixed in. Dennis Brennan is no doubt the Godfather of Boston roots rock. His Wednesday night residency at the 88-capacity Lizard Lounge in Cambridge is legendary and a must for Boston music insiders and outsiders. Backed by the phenomenal double electric guitar tandem of Duke Levine and Kevin Barry (The J. Geils Band), Richard Gates on bass, and Billy Beard (Face To Face) on drums, one can hear hard rock, blues, r&b, jazz, folk, reggae, and more – all in two energizing sets of electrifying music in an extraordinarily intimate club setting. Look for the Dennis Brennan Band’s much-anticipated release early in 2016.

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NEWS FOR THE NEW YEAR

MUCK AND THE MIRES had great gigs in 2015 in Italy, Spain and Japan. The tour bus refuels for their 2016 European tour. Dates include The Muster Raving Loony Fest in Barcelona at the end of April. *** JAY SCHEFFLER (10 Foot Polecats) also sings in THE ELECTRIC SINNERS and the band has finished an album and will be releasing it on vinyl in the Spring. The working title is Cryptic Ambiance and the music is crazy psychedelic doom rock. Think Pink Floyd meets Black Sabbath. *** JAMIE SHALER (Jamie Shaler On Vacation/ Angry Young Bees) released his Christmas Chills CD in 2008. Since then CHRIS YOUNKEN, also a monster guitarist, has made videos of seven of the songs on the release. Check out the latest, “O Holy Night,” relating to the Apollo 8 flight that circled the moon in 1968. Included are cool NASA photos and that’s the Angry Young Bee himself giving you his best Huntley Brinkley impersonation too. *** Check out UKULELE NOIR with TIM MANN. Tim also plays in the The Cars’ Greg Hawkes Ukulele Trio and he has a new album out called Chasing Dreams. *** GREG HAWKES (The Cars/ The Greg Hawkes Ukulele Trio) sat in with The Motels at Johnny D’s. *** This year is the 25th Anniversary for PARKER WHEELER’s Blues Party up at The Grog in Newburyport. *** BIM SKALA BIM is putting out another record this year. The band recorded it with engineer Dave Minehan (The Neighborhoods) at Wooly Mammoth Studios. *** ROGER MILLER‘s (Mission of Burma) 1988 solo LP, Roger Miller, is being re-released by Feeding Tube Records. In ’88, French band Forced Exposure invited Roger to create an LP. Their only instructions were that it had to be recorded on a four track cassette deck and had to consist principally of guitars, with no keyboards or percussion.  The New York Times review said Miller’s release was “the experiment avante-garde LP of the week.” *** Happy birthday to HATTIE BARRETT who is SHOR’TY BILLUPS‘ partner in crime. Shor’ty may be the oldest blues artist still performing on the scene regularly. *** WGBH’s A Christmas Celtic Sojourn with BRIAN O’DONOVAN returned for it’s 13th season with performances in Boston, Worcester, New Bedford and Rockport. Brian was born in Ireland but has been local for 30 years. Many other New England based artists were involved too. *** Last month’s celebration of the most famous Jew with JEWMONGOUS at Club Passim on Christmas Eve was the usual night of  non-kosher comedy songs featuring ex-Rockapella and TV’s Carmen Sandiego star SEAN ALTMAN. Sean tells us he owns a puck once scored by Bruin Phil Esposito, and his dad is a 40-year UMASS/Lowell physics professor. The Boston Globe once said his show “combines the tunefulness of The Beatles and the spot on wit of Tom Lehrer. We’ll say it in English. He reminds us a bit of Allen Sherman (“Hello Muddah Hello Faddah”). *** CHARLIE ABEL once owned Harper’s Ferry, which is now The Brighton Music Hall. Currently, he’s in charge of Somerville’s new music venue Thunder Road. Charlie tells us he will be booking national and local blues and other acts in 2016. *** Guitarist extraordinaire TOM GUERRA in the studio working on the followup to his 2014 release All of the Above. This cat can play! *** Plan ahead this spring for the New England Music Awards at the Blue Ocean Music Hall on Salisbury Beach, MA. Great club right on the ocean. Lolita: We were on the nominating committee until they found out you were fudging the ballots. Rita: And the only band’s on your list were the ones that didn’t have a restraining order out on you. Lolita: This sounds like a good time to go back to our Question of the Month about artists excelling in their field before you get us into even more trouble.

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MORE MVP ACTS

JODY MOORE (The Jody Moore Band/ Freddie & the Romantics): Crap I wanted to answer this question so bad but living on the Cape may as well be living on Venus. I don’t know the local scene anymore but I do know that Natalie Flanagan, Emily Grogan, Liz Borden, and Mary Lou Lord are still cranking out great music. *** CARL BIANCUCCI (Classic Ruins): Locals Mercury On Mars were non-stop this year in the studio and onstage (including a stellar performance at the Rumble). Looking forward to their antics in 2016. *** CHANCE LANGTON (Comedian, musician, social activist): There is nobody compared to me.  That’s the answer I would have give when I was an ego maniacal 24-year-old who became friends with Roy Buchanan. He said I was a prophet and that I was the next Leonard Cohen. But, all I can think of now, is the reality, as Paul McCarney put it –”Will you still need me? Will you still feed me? When I’m 64?” I have mellowed and have been humbled, but I will not be denied. For me, the MVP of Boston comedians is Bob Seibel. He died of brain cancer this past summer. Bob was 70-years-old. But as the years went by, he morphed from a journeyman comedian to one of the best comedians in the USA. One night, Bob and I did a fundraiser near Dartmouth, MA. He convulsed the audience the moment he got on stage, and he did an hour of material without even breathing and the crowd was devastated in laughter. Bob could have done another hour. He reminds me of the great jazz saxophone player Cannonball Adderley and his work on Miles Davis’s Kind of Blue. Bob went with the flow and he was unpredictable. Like Cannonball, he had a marvelous dimension of joy on stage. Bob channeled comedy the way not many ever could. He deserves to be in the all time Comedy Hall of Fame. Another great achievement is the documentary Call Me Lucky directed by Bobcat Goldwaithe about the heroic journey of Boston’s great cynical political genius Barry Crimmins. He performed at Johnny D’s in Somerville last month with another Boston great Mike Donovan. *** SHIKABOO BOSTON (r&b vocalist extraordinaire): The artist that has improved the most is Russell Watts. I witnessed his growth first hand!  I met Russell at a jam in Acton, MA. At the time he stated that he sung at karaoke bars.  I asked him to learn three blues songs and come to a live blues jam.  He did come out and once he opened his mouth the crowd was captivated. At the end of the set many people asked him to join their bands. At the time he did not have much of a repertoire.  Today he has over 100 songs  that are not limited to blues.  He also sings jazz, rhythm and blues, and soul.  When you hear his voice you instantly think of Motown or Gospel.  He does have a church background and you can hear it in every note he sings.  Russell has also learned how to direct bands and his stage presence has improved dramatically.  Today he sings live at many venues and has been featured with a lot of bands. I predict some awards in the near future and look forward to his continued success. *** JOEY AMMO (Billy Benner and Alan Ferix): The artist that stands out to me is Jack White. I love his blues influence and distinct writing. *** ERIN HARPE (Erin Harpe & The Delta Swingers/ Lovewhip): I’d have to say the artist I’ve noticed excelling in their field the most this year (besides us!) is Gracie Curran. She’s been touring all over the country like crazy since she’s moved to Memphis, she’s gotten nominated for a Boston Music Award, and she did a great job when she recently shared the stage with Buddy Guy in Chicago, even getting him a shot of whiskey during the performance! It was really cool seeing another band coming out of the Boston blues scene getting out there on the national scene in a big way. Even though she’s not living in Boston any more she’s still a Boston girl and we’re all rooting for her. Rita: I’m rooting we get back to what’s happening on the local music scene. Lolita: Put down the pom-poms and let’s get back to business.

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NEW OLD STUFF

JOANNE CODI‘s Codi Entertainment presents on TV Bands of Brothers. This ground breaking web-based pilot series will be produced in early spring, on location, in Boston. Casting will begin in late January. Joanne also brings us the Rock and Roll Fantasy Camps loaded with rock ’n’ roll gods. *** R.I.P. CHET ROONEY owner of legendary local punk club Chet’s Last Call. Chet was 61 and died suddenly in the second week of last month. His support of local music was mythical. Tontileo is considering renting out the old location for a Chetstock three day festival. He was a great guy. The location of the mythical disco ball that hung at Chet’s is currently being investigated. *** Guitar phenom BROOKS YOUNG in the studio doing a country song his grandpa once recorded, Merle Haggard’s “Silver Wings.” His mom is battling cancer and he thought it would be a great way to honor her and to raise $ for Dana Farber. It is his first attempt to record something other than rock or the blues. The song will be released the first friday in January. Brooks is hot off a recent gig at The Flying Monkey in Plymouth, NH, with Clapton and Dave Matthews Band pedal steel vet Robert Randolph. *** RYSE just finished recording their second single “We Will Burn That Bridge When We Get To It” that will be released early in the year. Drummer SHANE LAMM is the son of Axminster pounder Mike Lamm and the apple certainly didn’t fall too far from the tree. This metal band is also working on a music video and plan on starting work on a new five-song EP in the beginning of March. *** BOB MARGOLIN (The Muddy Waters Band) has a new release on Vizztone Records called My Road. It contains a bunch of great songs he wrote and is not the usual Chicago blues one would expect from this local legend. Did you know that Brookline vet Margolin can be seen in Scorcese’s The Last Waltz playing with Muddy? Vizztone Records is owned by ROSY ROSENBLATT (Erin Harpe & The Delta Swingers/ D.K’s Full House). *** ’80s rip roaring garage rockers THE VELCRO PEASANTS are now known as THE PEASANTS and have a new CD out called Big Sunny Day. Current members are PETE CASSANI (Bill Close/ The Freeze/ The Outlets), STEVE HART (Give/ The Outlets/ Claymore), and PAUL KOCHANSKI (Swinging Steaks). *** ROBIN LANE (…& the Chartbusters) has a charity called Songbird Sings – Healing Trauma One Song at A Time. Fun Chartbusters fact: Their song “When Things Go Wrong” was the 11th video shown on MTV when the station first went on the air. *** There’s a new five-piece reggae/rock band on the rise in the Worcester area. THE WICKED MEN is MASON VINCENT’s (The Happy Campers) latest venture. *** THE BRIGANDS are scheduled to ply the pirates at the 4th Annual Salty Ball in Manchester, CT, on January 6th. The Brigands have a left handed acoustic guitarist, a guy playing a white fiddle, a bassist, and a drummer playing only a tom. Dressed in kerchiefs, pirate hats and clothes, their catalog is full of pirate songs. *** The Regent Theatre in Somerville is deep into the planning stages of their 100th Anniversary (2016) and a slew of special events on stage and on screen including Johnny Winter’s birthday February 24th – The Johnny Winter All-Star Band live together with the Boston Premiere of the brand-new JW feature documentary: Johnny Winter: Down and Dirty! His band includes a bunch of local artists including JAY STOLLMAN and PAUL NELSON from Connecticut and JAMES MONTGOMERY from Rhode Island. The actual 100th anniversary date is Sunday, April 24th where the theatre will attempt to recreate the Regent’s opening night from 1916 when they present the same Mary Pickford silent film (with live piano accompaniment) that played on opening night a century ago – “Rags” – a newly restored, digitized print created especially for them by the Mary Pickford Foundation. The employees will all be dressed in late-Victorian period garb, so it’s sure to be crazy fun and a memorable night. *** BRUCE MARSHALL (The Bruce Marshall Group) has a new acoustic trio on the North Shore and N.H. called Marshall-Farrell-Gerard. Bruce fronted The Clue and played with Marshall Tucker’s Toy Caldwell. Chuck Farrell is also with N.H.’s The Nor’easters, and Dave Gerard fronted Truffle for over 30 years and is a legend in the Seacoast, NH area. *** Connecticut’s badass guitarist PAUL NELSON and his band are releasing Badass Generation on February 5th. Rock ’n’ roll the way it was meant to be played. *** TOKYO TRAMPS are currently working on its seventh album. Mixing is almost done. Bassist/vocalist YUKIKO FUJII tells us it will sound like Jimi Hendrix meets the Meters, Fats Domino meets Elmore James. It’s going to be a funky, bluesy, rootsy, and rockin’ album! The release date is in early 2016. *** MARY LOU LORD‘s 16 year old daughter ANNABELLE LORD-PATEY is nearing completion of her debut folk/pop album. Lolita: Remember last Feb. when Mary Lou released “My Buddy Valentine” about Buddy Holly, on Valentine’s Day? Rita: I really liked her Backstreet Angel album from last year too. If you weren’t such a satanic person who never leaves her bedroom, that song could have been written about YOU. Nevermind. Back to the gossip. PLATE O’ SHRIMP is getting together again after 25 years and will be opening for BIM SKALA BIM at one of the last gigs at Johnny D’s. Donny Jones is still on keys and Angelo still sings. He worked as Prince’s cameraman for many years too. *** THE DUPONT BROTHERS, folk band from Vermont, are reuniting at Passim’s the first week of Janary after many years of being geographically separated. Blood harmonies, great songwriting, and red hot finger-picking guitar work are what to expect. *** KENNE HIGHLAND tells us that 2016 will include reunions of The Gizmos, The Korps, and Johnny And The Jumper Cables that will happen with all living original members. Rita: I think it would be even more interesting if all the dead members had cameos too. Lolita: As long as Kenne wears a kilt and no underwear I’ll be all set. Let’s get back to the final answers to the Question of the Month before you start decomposing.

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FINAL EXCELLING ANSWERS

ILANA KATZ KATZ (Blues and Appalachian fiddler/ singer/ songwriter/ novelist/ visual artist):  One of the most gifted artists and kind human beings I have ever met is the great Diane Blue. She puts her heart and soul into everything she does. In 2015, her star blossomed further with three noteworthy events: She put out a new record Blues in my Soul and it is truly one of the best this year. That, in and of itself, is a lot of work, but she also started a record label, Regina Royale Records. The other record on that label, at this point, is Toni Lynn Washington’s wonderful new release. Both of those titles are rising on the Living Blues Charts, which doesn’t surprise me. Also, Diane recently became an official member of Ronnie Earl and the Broadcasters. She has been singing with them for many years, and is in the process of recording on her fourth record with the band. It is always a great joy to experience her performances alongside Ronnie and the band. In addition to all of this, Diane continues to lead her own band, and be incredibly supportive of many musicians and non-musicians alike. In full disclosure I must say how very excited I am to be releasing my next record on the Regina Royale label. I know there is so much more to come for Diane who puts every bit of heart and soul into every note she sings or plays on her harmonica, as if it is her last. That, to me, is the mark of a true artist. *** TONTILEO LIPSHITZ (famous scenester): Having had some difficulty getting around lately I don’t makes shows as often as I would like. The band I most hated to miss in 2015 has to be The Beachcombovers. I have their disc, that is true, but ya’ll know nothing beats live music or the excitement of a show. Surf gods willing, I’ll be able to make it out to a Beachcombovers show when they get their boards out of storage in a few months. *** YUKIKO FUJII (Tokyo Tramps): I would like to mention Shor’ty Billups as the most hard-working blues legend. He is 83 years young, he has been playing blues for nearly 70 years, with artists Wilson Pickett and many others! He appears in blues festivals, bars and events throughout the New England. Lately, our local live music scene is getting tougher. He now co-owns Chili Head BBQ in West Bridgewater, MA, to keep the blues alive! *** ART TIPALDI (Blues Music Magazine): As for a local band I’d have to give the nod to Sugar Ray & the Bluetones. This is a band that continues to play some of the finest traditional blues in the world. each talented member has garnered accolades throughout the blues world. and we are so very lucky to have them continually showing up at various venues in this area.  Rita: That’s it. Now I can go back to bed and get ready for next month and Groundhog’s Day.Lolita: You do remind me of a pig and I’m hoping this year Cupid won’t miss your heart with his arrow on Valentine’s day. Keep the faith people, see you next issue!

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RIP

Adam Roth (Del Fuegoes/ Dennis Leary)

BOB MARGOLIN  

Vizztone Records

My Road

12 tracks

Bob Margolin from Brookline, MA, is one of the best blues guitarists alive today. He has spent seven years in Muddy Waters’ band and appeared in Scorsese’s The Last Waltz, leading to his current status as an icon His latest release, due out January 8, is very different from what one would expect, knowing his past inclinations. Not only does Margolin write most of the songs but his playing moves beyond the basic Chicago blues he is known for. Filling out the trio are Chuck Cotton (drums/ vocals) and Tad Walters (harp/ guitar). Listen for the harp/guitar interplay in the opener “My Whole Life,” Bob’s great guitar tone and licks all over “More And More,” and the stinging six-string intro on “I Shall Prevail.” Margolin sounds like he’s giving guitar lessons on Country blues songs “Goodnight,” “Bye Bye Baby,” and “Ask Me No Questions.”  I really dig his slide guitar playing on “Understanding Heart” and “Devil’s Daughter” where he also plays bass. “Heaven Mississippi” is the final audio icing on the cake.  My Road is a great bunch of songs that show another side of the very talented Bob Margolin. This cat can play!   (A.J. Wachtel)

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BIG BEN HILLMAN

Big Ben Artworks, Inc.

The Friday Night Consortium

12 tracks

Big Ben Hillman is quite the smooth retro funkster. Think of Kool & the Gang (“Ladies Night”), The Chi-Lites (“Have You Seen Her”) or Eddie Holman (“Hey There Lonely Girl”). Big Ben uses melodic falsetto vocals over funky bass rhythms that swim more than sock you. Love is the major topic of the tracks, fitting the sexy feel of the music. The production is excellent on all levels, keeping the listener in a comfortable, easy-flowing harmonic place. The two singles chosen for the disc are “Friday Night,” which uses a steady electric Wurlitzer piano reminiscent of the afore mentioned “Ladies Night” to set the pace, and on “Beautiful Stranger” Ben slips and slides in a sexy duet with Lidia Herrell. “Sometime After Midnight (Interlude)” feels like a production study morphing thunder into synth washes that give way to a pure trumpet line over simple bass and percussion, finally transforming into a sexy upbeat sax solo. Ben never falters – his compositions and production show signs of a master at work enjoying his craft. I’m just going to think of Big Ben Hillman as the new Barry White on the opposite end of the vocal spectrum.  (T Max)

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SCOTT  DAMGAARD

Leaving Hyannis… 

13 tracks

This is a more than  competent grab bag of mixed styles (blues, Irish Jig, plain old rock) ably assisted by a plethora of stellar guest musicians. To say the whole lives up to the parts, however, would be a far stretch. The mellow ballad “Alden” is emotional and sentimental; instrumental “Darwin’s Uncle” is lovely and evincing; “Frankie Got My Lighter” is a pleasant foray into ska; “Bikini Island” is a not so pleasant vacation fantasia replete with steel pan drums. The album as a whole, for all its varied facets, strikes me as regrettably self-indulgent. (Francis DiMenno)

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MARTIN GROSSWENDT and SUSANNE SALEM-SCHATZ

Old Songs, New Hats

7 tracks

This folk release has great vocal harmonies and a unique mix of genres. You can hear pre-war acoustic blues, old time and jug band influences, a bit of jazz and a smidgen of honky-tonk too. Martin is a well-known country blues artist and with the incredible harmonies of Susanne they create an atmosphere that sounds like they’ve been singing together forever. On every song this genuine feeling in the performance takes the music down a very comfortable and familiar path. Listen to the finger-picking “Mama Lou,” “It Hurts Me,” a beautiful folk ballad, or the more uptempo melodies “You’re the Reason” and “Papa’s on the House Top,” and you’ll hear exactly what I’m talking about. Sort of like Woody Guthrie meets Simon and Garfunkel meets Doc Watson meets Taj Mahal.  When Susanne takes over the lead vocals in “After You’re Gone” and “Mistreated Mama,” she goes from sweet voiced in the former to whisky timbred in the latter. Martin adds banjo and Susanne supplements the sound with mandolin. It’s all about the strong soulful vocals and their solid string strumming. Gotta love it.   (A.J. Wachtel)

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IDIOT GENES

Lousey

8 tracks

Boston’s Idiot Genes bio says that they recorded this album at their practice spot. Where do they practice, Madison Square Garden? This record pretty much jumps out of the speakers at you. Hey, I’m having my lunch, get back in those speakers and get out of my cereal. Wait, is this song about smoking blunts? Maybe you can stay in my cereal awhile. Anyhoo, this is some good stuff right here. Most of the punk inspired songs seem to be about partying. Sample chorus – “smoke weed everyday, I don’t care what you say.” Bravo Idiot Genes, you have lit up my day. (Eric Baylies)

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PEAK FIFTEEN

Spaz Productions

Another World

12 tracks

“One Too Many Times” has an epic feel, but seems more clamorous than coherent, though its woozy middle eight is spectacularly lovely. “Beginning” is another epic production with drums beating like Godzilla on the march, and emotion-drenched vocals by Kate O’Connor. “Forever” has hit potential, what with its swoony guitar hook, and, again,that epic, monumental feel. The mysterioso mood established by “Like Yesterday” is a welcome break from all these stridently epic proceedings, though the grand climax it has been building toward consists of somewhat mundane rocking out. The daring cover of “What’s Going On” is insufficiently emotive – as though covered by Seals & Croft – and falls somewhat flat. “Unusual” is a gentle liquescent ballad. Things get monumentally poppy with the Springsteen-like “Emotion.” “Celebration” has a lovely melody and a reverential feel; the excellent album-closer “Another World” is a gentle, uplifting love song. Dave Szczepaniak is bassist for Little Big Wheel and Lyres and his pedigree is creditable; his album, alas, betrays, along with the gems, a good deal of mostly unsubtle songcraft. (Francis DiMenno)

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LOW LILY

Low Lily

6 tracks

I confess that when I read the cover and liner of this CD, I thought, ”folk music. yawn.” but upon hearing the first notes ring out, I knew that this was something special. Low Lily is a trio consisting of Liz Simmons on vocals and guitar, Lissa Schneckenburger on vocals and an impressively worked fiddle, and Flynn Cohen on vocals, guitar, and a nice, soulful mandolin. All remarkably well done, each compliments the other perfectly, like well polished gems.

Liz has a beautiful voice, sweet and angelic, perfect for the blue grass, celtic tinged folk on this disc. The instrumental work is awesome, completely in sync, and played so as to create a seemingly effortless musical symbiosis. Just when I felt I didn’t want to hear another folk song, Low Lily made me listen… and what’s more, it was my pleasure!  (R.J. Ouellette)

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LAY LOW MOON/
SEAN McKENNA

One Summer/ One Winter

5 tracks/ 5 tracks (two CDs)

This is a very good and very clever release. Actually, it’s TWO releases that are different sides of the same coin. This folk/rock music sounds like Gordon Lightfoot meets Tom Paxton meets Arlo Guthrie. One Summer is played with a full group, where the Sean McKenna CD is the acoustic guitarist/vocalist performing solo. Sean’s backing group provides a solid easy listening sound. Dylan Sullivan is on bass/vocals, Peter Danilchuk plays the keys, and Curtis Hartshorn hits the drums (the latter two are from The Bridgebuilders). The music on the two releases is from the same salad with a little different dressing. Standout cuts from One Summer (with the band) include “Saltwater Taffy” with nice vocals and good finger picking guitar work, “My Word” with the spacey intro and cool harmonies, and the two mellow rockers “Move On” and “Your Heritage.”  My favorites from One Winter (the solo release) are the Dylan-ish “In the Air,” the uptempo “Miles & Miles” with its curse-word lyrics, the poignant “Katrina” with the nice finger picking/ strumming, and the ballads “All Affirming” and “Another Day.”  Nice music from the Northshore and an interesting way to show the sum of the parts is greater than the whole in the music world.   (A.J. Wachtel)

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MIDRIFFS

Wiener Records

Subtle Luxuries

10 tracks

Boston’s Midriffs are psyche punk band with a lot of surf and a little bit of skate influence. This is a great sounding record. I’m not sure if “the nest” is a big studio or a practice spot, but the results are terrific. I feel like a spy movie is about to break out at a Mudhoney concert, and then Galaxie 500 bumrush the stage. These luxuries are not so subtle, but in your face, sucker! (Eric Baylies)

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THREE DAY THRESHOLD & FRIENDS

The Santa Versus Godzilla Project: 12 Songs of Christmas

19 tracks

My name may appear on track six but I won’t let that get in the way of an honest review for a project designed to raise money for the Greater Boston Food Bank.

If Johnny Cash and Ray Davies (The Kinks) had ever been locked up in Santa’s workshop I’m sure they would have ended up with something similar to this collection of Christmas songs. Mandy Byrnes opens the proceedings with her friendly, star-quality voice cuddling up next to hubby Kier Byrnes (the juggernaut of Three Day Threshold) on the classic duet “Baby, It’s Cold Outside.” It’s a great way to set the bar for 3DT’s many “Friends”–more commonly known as Boston music notables.  You’ve got Max Heinegg going Frank Sinatra on “Have Yourself a Merry Christmas,” Lyle Brewer chicken pickin’ on “To Mrs. Clause From Santa,” Evan Garvy visiting Mardi Gras on “Santa’s at the Second Line,” and Anita Suhanin and Kevin Rose rocking the nobility in “We Three Kings.” The title track has an arrangement that sounds like it could have been included in The Kink’s Preservation rock opera. “New Elf in the Family” drives like a Bruce Springsteen rocker and is a personal message from Kier and Mandy who now have two young fun kids. You get this and more on the first 12 tracks. The next seven tracks are pure bonus with guest appearances by members of Comanchero, The Whiskey Boys, Joe Pleiman of Summer Villians, and Devin Byrnes wrapping this present up with an artistic reading of “The Night Before Christmas” with a hypnotic bass and drum repetitive backing with spacy sound effects and clips from It’s a Wonderful Life.

I saved my favorite for last – track 8 “Dominic the Donkey” features Jay DiBiasso and has a playful sick polka feel with a big crowd of wild voices having a wonderful time with “hee-haws” and a catchy chorus of many “la la las.” It leaves me with a big smile after every listen. What more can you ask for? Go on Three Day Threshold’s Bandcamp site to make a deposit in the Greater Boston Food Bank and be rewarded with a collection of songs that will trim your Christmases for many years to come.  (T Max)

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OUTLAW IN PERU

Debut

10 tracks

75orless Records

Outlaw In Peru claim to hail from Providence, but they could just as well come from outer space. There are a few biker rock kind of songs that cruise along in a cool way. What I’m really digging here are trippy Steppenwolf or Hawkwind sounding gems, the really long songs that let the psyche guitar rip. Outlaw In Peru worked with one of my favorite lyricists Mike Mountain on much of this record and its cool to hear his words in a different soundscape and a different voice. Let your brain be the venue and check this album out with headphones and whatever it is you take to relax. Enjoy the trip! (Eric Baylies)

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BOB WOLFMAN

The Howl

12 tracks

Don’t you just love the irony and humor in Wolfman the artist naming his release The Howl?  I do. And I also love the music. His growling guitar consists of superb tone, a lot of notes, and screaming leads. Bob has an expressive voice on these soulful blues and r&b numbers. His impressive band includes keyboardist Bruce Bears and drummer Mark Texeira (both of Duke Robillard and Bruce Bears Trio), Toni Lynn Washington and Sandy Martin on backing vocals, bassist Malcolm Stuckey, drummer Joey Scrima, and sax player Amadee Casterell. Two instrumentals that really showcase Wolfman’s blistering chops are the title cut “The Howl” and the killer cover of Stevie Wonder’s “Isn’t She Lovely,” where the group turns this soulful classic into a bar-room blues blast. Wolfman should open and close his live sets with these two great performances. “Folks on the Hill” shows off a nice funky blues guitar intro that is more Memphis than Chicago influenced. And on the opener “Whispers Louder Than Rain,”  Toni Lynn and Sandy’s beautiful backing vocals really stand out. Three of the instrumental tracks, “Blues For Jasper,” “Sunrise,” and “All Mixed Up,” are recorded live at Club 39 in Sudbury and  showcase the band’s passionate playing. Great stuff. Check it out. (A.J. Wachtel)

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HARRIS HAWK

Mutes

9 tracks

Boston’s Harris Hawk is a female fronted heavy rock band that take us about 20 years in the way-back machine. They would have made billions of dollars during the grunge bailout of 1994, but they may have to settle for millions now. Recorded at the amazing Machines With Magnets studio in Pawtucket, this album also has traces of Black Sabbath’s Technical Ecstasy or At The Drive In echoing faintly beneath and behind the songs.  This is a good album to blast while you rage against the dying of the light. (Eric Baylies)

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MEMORY POOL

Low Budget Records

Music for Installations

13 tracks

I found this CD’s track titles fascinating! For instance, “Amoral Aroma,” “Todd Erases a Red Dot,” “Red Rum, Sir, is Murder.” What exciting experiences did these experimental avant garde “artistes,” Mr. Curt and J.R. Ringdahl have up their proverbial sleeves?! Two beers, and 13 tracks later, I am still trying to “grok,” exactly WHAT, the answer to that question is!

I consider myself open minded, but grasping the self described “noise manipulations” on this CD would likely take an altered state. Imagine, if you will, that you have two very bright children with a LOT of time on their hands, complete access to some high tech synthesized sound equipment, infinite amounts of sugar, and you leave them in the house alone for a few days. I’m guessing that this CD may very well be what you might come home to.

Their goal was to create a “musical stew – an aural canvas, painted with sound.” I can only say that my aural senses  feel as if they’ve been assaulted in the worst possible way, and my nervous system is sadly in complete agreement! May I please have my 56 minutes back? And the peaceful state of mind I was in BEFORE listening? I want to be sedated!       (R.J. Ouellette)

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CONFUSATRON

Control Alt Destroy

11 tracks

Portland Maine’s Confusatron cover a lot of ground on this release. They are super fancy musicians with odd time signatures galore. There are touches of metal in the style of Dillinger Escape Plan and Neurosis, but with more avant garde leanings like Fantomas. There are traces of Russian folk songs, new age music, and John Cage sound collages. There are lots of twists and turns on this release, with something new every time you listen. (Eric Baylies)

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ARTHUR JAMES

Me, Myself & I  

12 tracks

It’s taken this great New Hampshire guitarist 25 years to do a solo acoustic release without his band, and it’s well worth the wait. Arthur wrote all the songs except for one and his m.o. is to play a ripping guitar intro to set the mood and the groove of the song and it really works well. Check out “Long Black Road” the traditional blues ballad, “Drownin’ On Dryland,” “Forgotten Youth,” the killer slide guitar, “Waiter There’s A Fly In My Soup,” and the closer “Life.” A great guitar riff sets the groove and then James’ incredible guitar playing takes over. I really dig the rock ’n’ roll chug chug feel of “Blues, Blues, Blues” and “Things Ain’t No Better.” Both are powerful.  Arthur’s good voice is best heard on “Got Me A Woman,” a traditional blues ballad. His acoustic country guitar finger picking is really cool on the opener “292 Nashua Street,” an uptempo instrumental where James has a lot of fun showing off. An interesting cover of the ’60s public domain folk song “Kumbaya” is present where he changes it from a folk ballad to a country blues gem. You can hear the older influences of Son House, Robert Johnson and John Lee Hooker along with modern influences of Keb Mo and Eric Bibb. Aurthur James music has been called “Nouveau Retro” and I can’t argue with that. Give it a listen.   (A.J. Wachtel)

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MAGIC SHOPPE

Triangular Australe

4 tracks

Boston’s Magic Shoppe take a look back to the summer of love and a peak to the future cosmos. This short psyche nugget rocks quiet and carries a big mushroom. Put this album on repeat and trip the light fantastic. The tambourine is almost the lead instrument, taking you on a sojourn in your mind, but there is much depth to these beautiful and timeless songs.  (Eric Baylies)

Click the photo above for more information.
If you’d like to start writing live reviews of New England acts of your choice,
contact tmax@thenoise-boston.com – please put LIVE REVIEW in the subject.

Show listed with a “+” after the artist’s name indicate more acts on the bill.

Sat Jan 16  T MAX + BIRD MANCINI Beatles’ Help Benefit @ Saint Susanna Parish, Dedham, MA

Sun Jan 17  (4pm) TRUSTY SIDEKICK + @ The Midway, Jamaica Plain, MA

Fri Jan 22  AMY FAIRCHILD + @ The Burren, Somerville, MA

Sat Jan 23  LOVEWHIP + @ The Midway, Jamaica Plain, MA

Sat Jan 23  RYSE @ Sammy’s, Revere, MA

Sun Jan 24  (4pm) LYLE BREWER + @ Atwoods. Cambridge, MA

Fri Jan 29  EMILY GROGAN + @ The Cantab, Cambridge, MA

Sat Jan 30  LYRES @ The Middle East, Cambridge, MA

Fri Feb 5  THE DIRTY TRUCKERS + @ The Midway, Jamaica Plain, MA

Fri Feb 5  OLD KING’S HIGHWAY opening for MONICA RIZZIO @ Me & Thee Coffeehouse, Marblehead, MA

Fri Feb 5  SHINY BEASTS + @ Jeanie Johnston Pub, Jamaica Plain, MA

Fri Feb 5  HUMMINGBIRD SYNDICATE + @ Amazing Things Art Center, Framingham, MA

Sat Feb 6  HALO & THE HARLOTS + @ The Cantab, Cambridge, MA

Sat Feb 6  THE CATBIRDS @ The Full Sail, Plymouth, MA

Sat Feb 6  DRAW THE LINE + @ Rochester Opera House, Rochester, NH

Sat Feb 6  HIRSH GARDNER @ Quan’s Kitchen, Hanover, MA

Fri Feb 12  MELISSA FERRICK + @ Me & Thee Coffeehouse, Marblehead, MA

Fri Feb 12  BIM SKLA BIM + Chetstock @ Once, Somerville, MA

Sun Feb 14 (4pm) JIMMY RYAN & HAYRIDE @ Atwoods, Cambridge, MA

Fri Feb 19  CHELSEA BERRY @ Shalin Liu, Rockport, MA

Sat Feb 20  STOP CALLING ME FRANK + @ The Midway, Jamaica Plain, MA

Sat Feb 20  VAPORS OF MORPHINE @ Atwoods, Cambridge, MA

Thur Feb 25  AURUAL GARAGE + @ The Cantab, Cambridge, MA

Thur Feb 25  WILL DAILEY @ Stewart Gardner Museum, Boston, MA

Fri Feb 26  DEBRA COWAN + @ Me & Thee Coffeehouse, Marblehead, MA

Sat Feb 27  SETH GLIER @ Circle of Friends Coffeehouse, Franklin, MA

Sun Feb 28 (day show) CHANDLER TRAVIS PHILHARMONIC @ The Midway, Jamaica Plain, MA

Sat Mar 5  PESKY J. NIXON @ Off the Common Coffeehouse, Bridgewater, MA

Fri Mar 4  DON WHITE with CHRISTINE LAVIN @ Me & Thee Coffeehouse, Marblehead, MA

Sat Mar 19  DROPKICK MURPHYS @ Agganic Arena, Boston, MA

Sat Mar 19  CHRISTINE OHLMAN & REBEL MONTEZ + @ The French King, Erving, MA

Tue Mar 22  WHITE DYNOMITE + @ The Middle East, Cambridge, MA

Fri Apr 1  ALICE HIGHLAND Kenne Highland’s Birthday Bash + @ The Cantab, Cambridge, MA

Sat Apr 30  41PROSPECT @ Luthier’s Co-op, Easthampton, MA

Wed Aug 3  JAMES TAYLOR @ Fenway Park, Boston, MA

“+” after a act implies there are more acts on the bill

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You can improve your local music scene by taking the time to write about a show in your area. Write a live review of a New England act or acts of your choice at any venue you prefer. Email it to tmax@thenoise-boston.com with LIVE REVIEW in the subject. It will be posted on our website so all our readers can learn more about what you have experienced. Write to T Max at the same address for the live review guidelines.
…

SPEEDY ORTIZ/

DOWNTOWN BOYS/

URSULA

The Middle East Downstairs, Cambridge, MA

12/9/15

Speedy Ortiz cranked out a short winter tour with its Middle East date benefiting Girls Rock Campaign Boston. The GRCB is a program, which, though music education and performance, provides a supportive community to girls in order to foster self-expression, confidence, and collaboration.

Sadly I had to miss the early performances by graduates of the program in favor of my son’s high school holiday chorus production. I arrived just in time to catch the last few songs of Ursula’s set. The duo – guitarist and drummer –were a dark, gothic pair of ladies. There was much noisy grinding of guitar and banging of drums, accompanied by copious screaming and moaning. If you have ever seen any movie from the’80s depicting a goth or punk band, then you’ve seen something akin to Ursula. If you have ever heard the sound of cats mating while Black Sabbath plays in the background, then you’ve heard something akin to Ursula.

Next up, Providence, Rhode Island’s, Downtown Boys rip out an energetic set of political punk. Their sound combines the X-Ray Specs with the Plasmatics, and some Voodoo Glowskulls (sans the ska). It’s a killer combination that suits their far-left political passions.

Speaking frankly, I could do without the nonsensical political ranks that blossom between each song. Most sound like random non-sequiturs – combining fascism, abortion rights, religious tolerance, and revolution – than any cohesive statement of position.

Nonetheless, the music is stirring. Played hard and fast, bouncing from English to Spanish, they barrel through their half hour set like a multi-ethnic tornado. The most impressive aspect of Downtown Boys is their sax player. She looks and dresses like Cindy Williams – Shirley from the classis sit-com, Laverne & Shirley – and plays her sax like a lead guitar. She pulls out solos for every song and bounds around the stage unleashing Pete Townsend-esque leg kicks and mighty squawk from her instrument.

There is so much to say about Speedy Ortiz. It’s hard to know where to start. They came out of nowhere (well, out of North Hampton, Mass.) in 2012 and have taken Boston and the national indie underground by storm with their noisy ’90s alternative rock style. Speedy Ortiz sound a little like every one of your favorite bands from that era without ever sounding like a knock-off. You’ll find some Breeders, some Belly, some Letters to Cleo. There’s some Liz Phair, some Throwing Muses, and some Juliana Hatfield. How can you possibly go wrong?

As amazing as the players are, this is clearly Sadie Dupuis’ show. As she takes center stage in her baby blue and silver party dress, under blue and white lights, the band fades to the background. Her silver and blue hair, pale makeup and blue lipstick make her look like a like a cross between iZombie’s Liv Moore (Rose McIver) and Else from Disney’s Frozen. The effect is pale and icy while, at the same time, she pops like a sparkling, animated Cinderella. She is stunning and commands the audience’s attention without ever really having to try at it.

The music is pure ’90s alternative guitar noise buoyed by Sadie’s effervescent vocals. When I say noisy, think Pavement or the Pixies at their most abrasive; but mixed with a little Sonic Youth at their most tuneful – now you have the picture. The masterful mix of melody and noise is something that I have missed immensely over the past 15 years. Speedy Ortiz performs a master-class on this technique. I’m instantly transformed into my 25-year old self, circa 1995. I pine for they heyday of WFNX and the alternative rock boom of that decade.

Don’t get me wrong though. Speedy Ortiz is not a throwback act. This group resonates with both aging hipsters and the up and coming generation of indie rock fans. It is a pleasure to have been around long enough to experience up and coming bands take inspiration from the underground of my youth. And to be able to see someone do it as well as Speedy Ortiz is a true treat.

When I sit back and recall the fact that this entire show is being put on for the purpose of supporting female empowerment through music and performance, it’s hard to think of another band that would represent as well as Speedy Ortiz.    (George Dow)

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THE MIGHTY MIGHTY BOSSTONES/

GANG OF ONE/

THE NEIGHBORHOODS/

THE UPPER CRUST

Hometown Throwdown “At The Rat”

House of Blues, Boston, MA

12/26/15

I’ve been following The Mighty Mighty Bosstones and going to their shows for over 20 years now, but I was especially excited for this Hometown Throwdown when I found out that The Neighborhoods were one of the openers.  They are one of the many great Boston bands whose shows I missed in the early days, but have always wanted to see!

First, the noblemen from The Upper Crust stride snobbishly onto the stage, adorned in their gilded 18th-century attire. These guys may not reveal their souls onstage but Lord Bendover, Count Bassie, The Duc D’istortion, and Jackie Kickassis, sure do bring on a kickass performance.  They play a timeless hard rock enjoyed by all!

The Neighborhoods, definitely a part of Boston’s rock royalty, come on next.  They exert incredible energy, covering the stage from end to end, running and jumping while playing nonstop.  Their excitement is contagious and I feel the music running through me – the whole reason I love to see bands play live!  They play so many great songs, fantastic covers, a bunch of hits and all my favorites… save for one.  I get it, I get it, perhaps I would feel like taking a bunch of kindergarteners hostage too if everyone demanded that I play “Prettiest Girl” at every show for over 30 years.  They make up for it though playing a great cover of The Clash’s “Safe European Home.”  Before the song lead singer/guitarist Dave Minehan reminisces about seeing this great band perform in Harvard Square and how that day changed his life. “I started a band because of them, just like everyone else.”  As the song winds down, he sings loudly “And I’ve got so much gratitude.” Make sure you check out the Big Shot in this issue to see the man filled with gratitude.

The evening continues now with a different vibe, a few songs from Lenny Lashley’s Gang of One.  Just one guy off to the side of a dark and empty stage. Alone with his guitar, he stands resolutely with a spotlight shining down on him.  His acoustic tunes don’t call out angrily, but tell stories with words that everyone can feel.

Now, as the curtains are ripped down, The Bosstones pour out and we see a stage set to honor the old Rathskellar, “the granddaddy of Boston rock venues.”  The back of the stage is decked-out to look just like the brick front of the club, including the signs “Food – Drinks – Music” and above that “Rathskellar” in the old-style German font.  My introduction to the Boston music scene began in the seventh grade.  I wasn’t as immersed in this scene growing up as I would have liked, but I went to a few memorable all-ages shows at some of the Boston clubs.  For some reason though, I never made it down to that club, also affectionately known as The Rat.  It’s great to see this historical part of the Boston music scene, just as I imagine it once looked, and to see the bands that played it then playing it now!

The Bosstones get the crowd excited just as soon as they enter and they keep the energy going. This is nothing new: every Bosstones show I have been to is like this.  The crowd is filled with hundreds of the faithful who plan for this show all year and book their flights well in advance.  They come in all ages, know all the songs, and sing along to every one.  There are also plenty of new fans: for some this is their first concert, for others it is just their first time seeing The Bosstones.  You can usually tell the groups of people apart by their expressions: the virgins are just as excited, but also pretty wide-eyed.

The Bosstones are resplendent, all decked out in matching red plaid suits.  It is not unusual to see a few in the audience with the same eye-catching suits.  It is a Plaid Plaid World after all!  These guys put on a tight show.  It all looks so natural, just playing around, but then they break into synchronized dance moves, horns included.  And Dicky Barrett, the lead singer, smoothly tries on the many hats that are passed to him from the audience as he sings, “That’s a Helluva Hat You’re Wearing.”

The reminiscing continues as we are introduced to surprise guest, Jimmy Harold, former owner of The Rat.  Dicky exclaims sardonically “He hasn’t aged a day, but then again he looked old back then.”  The laughter continues through the night, as do the songs.  Many hits are played as well as cover songs, including the appropriate one titled, “At the Rat” (by Willie “Loco” Alexander & the Boom Boom Band).

After almost 30 songs, the night comes to an end, at least for the performance.  Dicky comes down from the stage to shake hands, sign autographs, and chat with the many new and familiar faces.   (Maia Kennedy)

…

TRIGGER/

DYR FASER 

Out of the Blue Gallery, Cambridge, MA

12/16/15

I must begin this review by applauding the bizarre and cozy “gallery” this show was held in. More accurately, it’s one of the best venues I’ve ever been in, because it’s so unique and so comfortable and casual. Part odd-gift-shop, part indie-rock art-studio cubicles, and a sprawling schizophrenic “gallery”. You can even see that some cheesy clothing store used to occupy this space, by the mirrors on the ceiling! Across the street from the Middle East Cafe, this space should hold concerts every night!

This show was put together by the lovely folks at the Boston Hassle, so I went blind, having heard none of the bands. And it couldn’t have been more perfect. Dyr Faser are a duo (possibly containing indie rock legend Thalia Zadek) doing lush, simple, vulnerable music, with twin reverb guitars over casio drum machine beats and a bit of cheap organ, while the video projections on the musicians made it look and feel like we’re seeing early Pink Floyd / Velvet Underground… except those bands didn’t play in a weird gift shop! I’d call it paradise– but then you’d think of a more-normal rock club! The audience even has a choice between love seats and recliners, or sitting on the carpeted floor, befitting the post-psychedelia of this first act.

The poor lads in Trigger.  They would’ve made my Top Ten of 2015 had they only come up with a better band name and had some visual style, because they are thrilling and masterful: post-King Crimson (circa Red) indie-rock power-trio math rock, but not as derivative as most bands influenced by KC usually are. They have some monster riffs, but never fail to keep surprising me in new areas. Their sense of humor is also better than KC’s. And they are more fun than KC, too. Honestly, they are a lot better than I’m making them sound. I probably should’ve taken notes. Please, musicians – it’s not that hard to come up with a good band name. There are so many great words out there. Or invent your own. A name should advertise your music. If your name is boring, that means your music must be. See how that works? Make exciting or innovative music? Then come up with a band name that is innovative. See how that works? We’re all in this together!    (Shauna Erlbaum)

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LENNY SOLOMON/

MARINA EVANS

Cat in the Cradle, Byfield, MA

12/12/15

Back at the entertainment hub of Byfield, Massachusettes we’ve got Marina Evans opening for Lenny Solomon and his band. Every table is full in this big, square, high-ceiling room with the four-foot high stage. Host and booker Heidi Fram greets the audience and warmly introduces dues Marina who’s currently living between Rockport, MA, and Italy.  Marina presents herself well – with God-given pretty features and a well trained voice she’s got a lot going for her. She starts with “Blue Yonder” and from from her banter you get the feeling that having a husband living in Italy and family and friends in Rockport is pulling on those heart strings. “Middle of the Ocean” also reflects on her current situation. Her sets peaks with a lovely song that she sets up perfectly. During last year’s brutal winter she spotted a solo mitten in a large melting pile of snow. “One of Two” takes the lone mitten and turns it into a wonderful metaphor of one hoping to be reunited with another. I guess this song also falls nicely into place with her pair of homes.

Lenny Solomon is up on the big stage next with the accompaniment of Andy Hollinger (lead guitar/ mandolin) and Don Barry (double bass). Lenny wears the classic country performer look well. He’s dressed in blue with long white hair and matching chin beard, topped off with a cowboy hat and a turquoise belt buckle.  The trio does songs about Robert Frost, fracking, a rockabilly singer, drinking the blues, a cat… and my favorite of the night, ” The Ballad of Little Squirrel,” that is set up perfectly with a story. On August 27, 2013, Lenny was walking his dog when saw a baby squirrel on the ground looking pretty dead. He scooped him up and set him on a picnic table, left him there and decided he go back to check on him the next day after breakfast. When he returned he saw that the little guy made it though the night, so Lenny took him in as a pet and gave him a small bird cage to live in while he recovered. The squirrel grew in strength, graduated to an aquarium home, and became a good friend. When the squirrel was healthy enough, Lenny set him free. And to this day the fuzzy-tailed rodent comes back to visit almost every other day. The song is as wonderful as the story. It made my night. (T Max)

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HUMMINGBIRD SYNDICATE

Hibernian Hall, Watertown, MA

11/21/15

Sometimes there’s a great notion to create a multi-purpose band that features sympathetic talents. As long as there are people that like to sing and send words into other ears, there will be a band that is required to have lived with the past to reaffirm their influences and still stay focused on creating modern music. Let’s say hello to Hummingbird Syndicate, featuring local luminaries Jon Macey (Fox Pass), Lynn Shipley (Adam & Eve), Chris Maclachlan (Human Sexual Response), Lenny Shea (The Stompers), and two Californian folks I don’t know, Mary Jaye Simms and Dan Coughlin (Children of Paradise) who are not here tonight, being replaced by Tom Hostage (Macey’s Parade) and Rich Lamphear and Linda Viens (Kingdom of Love) and additional singer Jennifer Lewis Bennett.

The Syndicate is built around an equal partnership of men and women with their merger of voices and three guitars. It’s a lot of wonderful songs with a guitar solo here and there, and a vibe that’s both sprightly and distinctly beautiful. For me, it feels like this group is bringing back the ’60s (in sound and spirit). Right out of the gate, we have pop for pop’s sake with upbeat melodies and lots of harmony. It is unusual to hear such a high concentration of covers (Monkees, Velvets, The Band, Dylan, Johnny Rivers, Grass Roots, Lefty Frizzell, Gene Clark, Flying Burritos, Ernest Tubb, lots of country/folk) amidst a handful of originals, but I guess that will change in time. The focus tonight is the release of their single, “Waterfall Away” b/w “I Want You to stay,” two lightweight retro-sunshine-pop tunes (which they play in both sets). They promise the imminent full album will include more pop, as well as moody tunes and non-pop stuff. Since this is only their first gig, we can only wish for more of their best. Good luck!   (Harry C. Tuniese)

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RONNIE EARL & THE BROADCASTERS with DIANE BLUE

The Regent Theatre, Arlington, MA

11/21/15

Everyone in this packed old theater is expecting a red hot and blue night. For the first time in almost two decades the band has a female vocalist fronting them. Well known for his passionate instrumentals, Mr. Earl was named the 2014 Best Blues Guitarist of the Year at the Blues Music Awards, in Memphis, by the Blues Foundation. The addition of Diane Blue and her stunning vocals should bring the group’s performance to another level. The band starts and I am immediately struck by the look and sound of Ronnie and his playing.  He plays his crisp and very imaginative and technically impressive licks on his old Stratocasters (one white and another sunburst) and he’s dressed all in black with a white shirt. He’s also wearing a black beret that he tells me is a sign of support for the people massacred in France.  Eyes closed, lips tightly pressed together, clenched jaw, slightly hunched over and shaking his head no, Earl’s tone and chops are magnificent. You can hear a pin drop as the audience listens to every note he plays and every nuance he emotes. The supportive blues groove band consists of David Limina on keys, Lorne Entress pounding, and Jim Mouradian on bass. Throughout the long 20 song, almost three hour set, I really enjoy seeing Earl walk around the stage mid-song and support his band mates.  I love when he plays a beautiful chord and lets it ring for a couple of measures right in the middle of a lead solo. It’s just beautiful. Some of the best interplay of the night is when Ronnie and David duel it out. The sound in this “Fillmore West of Cambridge” Regent Theatre, built in 1916 almost a hundred years ago, is clean and clear. The set goes from jump and traditional blues instrumentals to country blues where Diane Blue is front and center. My favorite songs are Etta James’ “I’d Rather Go Blind” (from Ronnie’s album Just For Today), “Higher Love” and “I’ll Take Care Of You” from last year’s Father’s Day, “Double Trouble” an Otis Rush cover, “As the Years Go Passing By” an Albert King chestnut, and Magic Sam’s “What Have I Done Wrong?” Diane has an incredible voice and her stage presence is impeccable. You should hear her sing country blues classics “Malted Milk” by Robert Johnson and Tom Rush’s “Take A Little Walk With Me.” We got a lot of great music tonight!   (A.J. Wachtel)

…

MATT BEDNARSKY

Dedham Square Coffeehouse, Dedham MA

12/11/15

Originally from Connecticut, Matt Bednarsky has called Nashville home for some time. Tonight, he makes his return to the East Coast at one of my favorite little venues. His solo performance is a range of original tunes and covers, and even includes a mashup of well-known songs that delights the crowd. There’s little conversation among the two dozen people in attendance, some clearly there to enjoy the music, others walk-ins to get dinner or a beer.

Matt tells all kinds of tales that night, including one of the time his guitar was damaged in a wind storm in a small town. The local repairman said it couldn’t be fixed, so he went to another to get a second opinion – this person happened to be that town’s mayor.

Bednarsky’s voice is subtle and intense at the same time, with such a passion for his calling in his words, but spoken at a light volume. He debuts a few new songs, even one that “had only been spoken aloud a few times.”    (Max Bowen)

T MAX

TOP TEN ARTISTS I GIGGED WITH IN 2015

1. Bird Mancini

2. Julie Dougherty

3. Doug McDonald Band

4. Willie Alexander

5. Andy Pratt

6. Kier Byrnes (Three Day Threshold)

7. Ed Moose Savage

8. Charlie Farren

9. Jim Trick (MASU All Stars)

10. Randy Black & the Heathcroppers

More than Honorable: Eric Martin/Steve Morrel, Mr. Curt, Allen Estes, Kenny Chambers, Jay DiBiasso, Mosey Greams, Kyle Morgan, Scrambled Eggs, Christine Baze, Kristen Miller, Tree House Charlitans, Cosy Sheridan, Lynne Taylor, Glenn French, Deb Hardy, Ric St. Germaine, Bradley Royds, Jake Pardee, Molly Pinto Madigan, Sam Bayer, Janice Fullman, Will Hunt, and Amy Lohman

…

FRANCIS DiMENNO

TEN BEST RELEASES OF 2015 (and ten strong contenders)

1. Chandler Travis and David Greenberger: Bocce and Bourbon: The Comfortable Songs of Chandler Travis and David Greenberger

2. The Red Telephone: Places You Return

3. Will-R: All in My Head

4. Butterscott: Presents the Slick Overproduced Commercial Pop Thing™  5. Telamor: 3 

6. Los Goutos: Rained Out at the Ruth Gordon Ampitheatre: Los Goutos Live

7. Honky Gabacho: We’re Alive  

8. Reverened Freakchild: Hillbilly Zen-Punk Blues

9. Melvern Taylor & His Fabulous Meltones: The Old New Stuff

10. Derek Astles: Chili-House Pay Phone

Honorable mention:

1. Arthur Nasson: The Emperor’s New Sound

2. Squeezebox Stompers: Roots and Branches

3. Love Love: Love Love

4. Kyle Morgan: Starcrossed Losers

5. Carissa Johnson: For Now  

6. New Pilot: The Great American Tooth

7. Telamor: Straight Shots 

8. Kier Byrnes & Friends: The Best Days of the Summer

9. Uranium Daughters: When Pigs Fly

10. The Almighty Buck: So Long

…

KIER BYRNES

TOP TEN (PLUS THREE) 3DT DRUMMERS

In the spirit of our long time drummer “retiring” from Three Day Threshold after his show on New Years Eve with us at Soundbites in Ball Sq, Somerville, MA, Here is my list of top thirteen musicians who are no longer in Three Day Threshold (in no particular order).

1. Johnny Ransom

2. Chad Mellen

3. Sam Reid

4. Gina Rebelo

5. Jack Morris

6. Jason Warne

7. Zac Taylor

8. Emily Holman

9. Colt Thompson

10. Johnny Stump

11. DA King

12 Eric Austin

13. Mike Baldino

…

A.J. WACHTEL

TOP TEN (PLUS FOUR) PERFORMANCES I SAW IN 2015

Listed in chronological order

1. Barrence Whitfield (with Bruce Bears, Mark Texeira of Duke Robillard Band, and Jesse Williams) at The Menotomy, Arlington, MA  on 1/29

2. Booker T. Jones at The Larcom Theatre, Beverly, MA on 2/21

3. The Smithereens-Johnny D’s-Somerville-3/20

4. D.K’s Full House (D,K’s Birthday Party) at The Red Parrot, Hull, MA on 3/17

5. James Cotton at Sculler’s, Cambridge, MA on 6/5

6. Sleepy LaBeef’s 80th Birthday gig with Andrea Gillis/Marc Pinsky, Roy Sludge Trio at Johnny D’s, Somerville, MA on 6/20

7. Greedy Geezer’s Granite Rail Cookout with Tsunami of Sound, Tokyo Tramps, The Cyclones (10 Foot Polecats’s Jay Scheffler’s hootin and hollarin band), Yucca Flatts (Scruffy The Cat’s Dan McLennon’s group), Oklahoma’s Brian Cagle, Bayou Boy Orchestra, and Geezer Deluxe. (note: five different washboard players at this show) at Geezer’s Backyard-Stoughton on 7/22

8. The J. Geils Band and Ian Hunter (WZLX 30th Anniversary gig) at Blue Hills Bank Pavilion in Boston, MA on 7/27

9) The Happy Together Tour with The Cowsills, Flo & Eddie, The Association, and Mark Lindsey (Paul Revere and the Raiders) at Lynn Memorial Auditorium, Lynn, MA on 7/31

10. Arlo Guthrie at Berklee Performance Center, Boston, MA on 9/9

11. Bobby Whitlock and CoCo Carmel (from Derek & The Dominos with a Johnny A cameo) at Johnny D’s, Somerville, MA on 9/23

12. Joe Ely at Passim’s, Cambridge, MA on 11/17

13. Ronnie Earl & the Broadcasters with Diane Blue at The Regent Theatre, Arlington, MA on 11/21

14. Danny Bedrosian’s Secret Army (from PFunk) at Opus, Salem, MA on 12/20

…

HARRY C. TUNIESE

TOP TEN ALBUMS OF 2015 and some honorable mentions

1. Courtney Swain:  Monstre

2. Birdsong At Morning:  A Slight Departure

3. Brian Carpenter & The Confessions:  The Far End of the World

4. Goli:  This is Not a Love Song

5. The Grownup Noise:  Stewing

6. T Max:  The Portal’s Rhyme

7. David Greenberger & Chandler Travis:  Bocce & Bourbon

8. Bonnie Gordon:  This Modern World

9. Michael Chorney & Hollar General:  Shameless Light

10. Terry Kitchen:  The Post-American Century

Honorable mentions:

Kingsley Flood:  To the Fire/ To the Wolves/ The Good Fight  (3-EP releases)

Willie Alexander:  All Things Go

Jud Caswell:  Watch the Fall

Steve Baker:  The Last of the True Romantics

Men & Volts:  Honeymoon Luggage Box Set

…

ERIC BAYLIES

TOP TEN BANDS IN NEW ENGLAND (in no order)

1. 6 Star General – Consistently good for over a decade, punk psyche influenced by college rock circa 1986.

2. Extinction Machine – In a world where punk meets metal, Extinction Machine will bring you the brutal truth to power.

3. I Am Become Death – When Tom G. Warrior rides into Valhala, this is the band that will be blasting on the headphones beneath his viking helmet.

4. Gaskill – Reunited and it feels so good. Hardcore with a singer who can croon or scream.

5. Hector 3 – Krautrock in English.

6. [the] Viennagram – Life is a punk rock cabaret, old chum!

7: Jealous Fuck – Mostly instrumental post rock with metal and jazz solos.

8. David Carradine – If a punk is lucky, they will see this band. Do you feel lucky, punk?

9. John Surette – Boy’s Life veteran still making the magic happen.

10. Holy Hands – Dischord style punk.

…

R.J. OUELETTE

TOP TEN BACK IN THE DAY FAVORITE PLACES TO PARTY

I have been waxing nostalgic about the good old days a lot lately. Why not? They were some of the best times ever. It’s said,”The more things change, the more they stay the same.” I disagree. They just don’t make them like these any more. Happily, a few are still with us. Not the first time that these places have been mentioned, but anything this good bears repeating.

1. The Rat, Kenmore Square, Boston, MA (Sighs… one of a kind)

2. Bunratty’s, Allston, MA (Many great times!)

3. The Paradise, Boston, MA (Many incarnations, another venue for great times)

4. The Channel, Necco St., Boston, MA  (Wow.. the bands!)

5. The Middle East, Cambridge, MA (Awesome place, and still kicking!)

6. Jonathan Swift’s, Cambridge, MA (So BIG for such a tiny place!)

7. Plough and Stars, Cambridge, MA (Another tiny venue for big time fun!)

8. Ken’s Pub,  Brighton, MA  (Just plain fun)

9. The Black Rose, Boston, MA  (Fun a la Irish style, and still with us.)

10. Casino Ballroom, Hampton Beach, NH (Still with us – it has been a long time for me!)

…

SHAUNA ERLBAUM

TOP TEN LIVE BANDS IN NEW ENGLAND for 2015

(I can’t vouch for any recordings by them)

1. Jerusalem Witch – the founders of stoner prog!

2. The Schizophrenic Hum – the sister flagship of stoner prog!

3. Princess Multivitamin – bodypainted opera-singing busker!

4. Armored Cars – as fun as metal-covers of CARS songs sounds!

5. Grusome & Gruesome – irresistable “bubblegum noise” power-duo!

6. Fisted Sister – idiotic a capella doosh-rock!

7. Chocolate Sunday – instrumental uke virtuosos decompose Sabbath songs! (THINK about their name)

8. Supercancer! – electronic storms from Moog trio-meets-performance art?

9. Burger King Crimson – “a Mac Sabbath parody,” I kid you not!

10. Marvin’s Gay – three bassists and a drum machine? WOW!

RUNNER UP: The Sugarettes – bikini surf-pop girl trio with sweet smut lyrics.

And my fave new venue is Out of the Blue Gallery in Cambridge!

…

DR. SWIG McJIGGER

TOP TEN NON-ADVANCERS FROM THE PAST TWO ROCK ‘N’ ROLL RUMBLES

2014

5. Vary Lumar

4. Z*L

3. The Life Electric

2. Guillermo Sexo

1. Summoner

2015

5. Dan Webb & the Spiders

4. Psychic Dog

3. The Rare Occasions

2. Raw Blow

1. Mercury on Mars

…

LINDA WERBNER

TOP TEN SHOWS IN 2015 (minus three)

* Caravan of Thieves with Bird Mancini 9/11/15. These bands kicked off

the Me & Thee season and there was just something intoxicating about

this performance. Maybe it was the sad-mad-delirious energy on the

anniversary of this tragedy but that little old UU church in

Marblehead felt like Paris in 1913 when the Rites of Spring was

performed only the audience wasn’t hissing and booing and storming the

stage, they drank the wacky Kool-Aid and followed these fantastic

musicians down the cosmic rabbit hole.

* Peter Mulvey and his crack band at Passim on 10/30/15 performing Tom

Waits’ Rain Dogs in its entirety. An orgy of brilliant and offbeat

broken down demented circus music with Mulvey’s very own spin.

Unforgettable.

* Tigerman WOAH on 11/20 at the Lynnway Sportscenter in Lynn for a

Bernie Sanders Rally. These proud and bearded sons of Lynn make

demented hillbilly punk heavy metal. Somewhere in punk heaven, Lux

Interior is smiling down upon these brothers.

* The earthy, ethereal-voiced, deliriously talented Anais Mitchell at

the Me & Thee on November 6. She performed tunes from her

Broadway-bound Hadestown among others. Always a transporting

experience.

* Salem’s Black Dog Brother (aka Dan McGinn and his insane posse of

Gypsy rock jazz punk communards at the Gulu Gulu Cafe in Salem on New

Year’s Eve 2014 which stretched into 2015.

* The soulful Mary Gauthier whose songs are so good that even Dylan

covered one of ’em  at Me & Thee on October 16.

* Austin’s Robert Earl Keen brought his laid-back and wry Texas sound

to the Wilbur Theater in Boston on November 11 to a smallish but

wildly passionate bevy of fans. The road goes on forever, the party

never ends….

Can you recognize this month’s Big Shot photographed beautifully by Maia Kennedy? Click on the cropped photo to reveal the full frame and name of Boston’s Big Shot.

INFUSION EVOLUTION

by A.J. Wachtel

One of the best things about the New England music scene is it’s depth and diversity. On one end of the spectrum is the Boston Symphony Orchestra and at the other end are the countless number of street performers located everywhere you turn. Planted somewhere in the middle is Infusion Evolution; a five-piece band from Rhode Island with a sound influenced by many styles and cultures.

Noise: You are a groove band influenced by salsa/ flamenco/ cumbia/ and jazz. Have I included them all? And briefly, what are the differences between each of these genres?

Infusion Evolution: To us, good music is the kind of music that moves you and connects people – it reaches out and celebrates our shared humanity. In this light, it is difficult to put a label on our music. We like to say that we play: Infusion Evolution music – since it is difficult to explain all the influences that shape our music. Our music expresses both our musical training and more importantly our living experiences. We are a mixed group of musicians and people – and our music is an extension of that diversity.

Noise: In your bio, it says, “we are the voice of our people.” That sounds like a political activist’s slogan. What is the relationship between your music and the current realities of your culture?

IE: We value the human experience with all of its richness. Therefore, our music seeks to create a bridge between different people, genres, cultures and backgrounds. Our personal experiences bring our music our collective experiences as parents, siblings, workers, thinkers, teachers, musicians, and citizens of the world. In the current cultural climate, we want to celebrate the humanity of all peoples and be inclusive in order to share the greatness that we possess as a whole.

Noise: You don’t do many covers, why not? Are there any current artists that you feel a musical kinship to?

IE: In our live performances we do a few specific covers. We are very selective about our choices because we don’t want to “sound just like” someone else. The few covers we perform are done in the “Infusion Evolution” style – we add our own flavors without disrespecting the original pieces. Lastly, we most certainly have connections with a variety of musicians: Buena Vista Social Club, Jaco Pastorius, Celia Cruz, Miles Davis, Ruben Blades, Eddie Van Halen, Bill Withers – just to name a few. These great musicians transcend specific cultures and genres.

Noise: It’s been written that your sound is similar to Buena Vista Social Club and Gypsy Kings. What are the differences in your band’s music and focus and these two bands?

IE: To be compared to Buena Vista Social Club and the Gypsy Kings is an honor given the fact that these two groups of musicians are incredibly talented. However, we do not want to sound like any other musician. We have incorporated elements of many different types of musical styles and some people will hear those elements, but when they listen long enough they will sense that we are not limiting our selves to a single influence.

Noise: The members of your band are Todd Andreozzi (guitars), Michael Cahill (drums), Jorge Ochoa: Latin Percussion (congas), Kurt RowlinsonB (bass), and David Upegui (trumpet/ vocals).  How did you guys meet? Is there a Latino social scene in Rhode Island attached to your genre of music?

IE: Infusion Evolution started as the result of a coincidental meeting while Todd and David were still in college. At first they did not connect given their diverse musical training (Todd focused on rock and David focused on baroque), however, they agreed on trying something unique by combining some Miles Davis with their musical backgrounds. After several months of playing around with ideas, they were joined by a Latin percussionist and subsequently by Kurt, in preparation for their first paid gig at a Jamaican restaurant in Providence. A few years later Jorge took the job as the percussionist, bringing with him years of professional musicianship. Lastly, the band was complete as Mike joined and brought the drumming necessary to complement the sound.  Of course, this is the short version of what was a long journey that also included other great musicians that have enriched us over the years, including Jorge Najarro, Carlos Ramos, Ed Cardenas, and Candido Mendoza. Currently we are also collaborating with Yesenia Rubio. As far as the scene in Rhode Island our band enjoys the support of many different people.

Noise: Your songs are in English, Spanish, and Spanglish. What determines the language your compositions are written in? And which is more important in your music, the language and the lyrics or the beat?

IE: Our songs are born under a variety of circumstances. Often times Todd will bring a rough outline of a song’s chord progression and collectively we will work on developing it. At other times David will bring an idea of a melody, or Kurt will have a solid bass line that Jorge and Mike will back up with powerful percussion. Lastly, sometime we start with the percussion and build around that. In other words, our music is the result of a democratic process in which all of our voices are heard and valued.

Noise: Your music has been described as flamenco with an Afro/Cuban flair. What does this mean in English?

IE: This is one of the most challenging aspects of playing original music – how to describe it to others? The Afro/Cuban flair description is the best way to approximate what our music has to offer – an amalgam of styles and cultural wealth.

Noise: What are the positives and negatives of having a big mix of cultures and music influences in your group?

IE: In biology, we know that diversity is richness. When a population has genetic assortment, it has a greater chance to survive environmental stresses. In the same way, we see our mix of cultures as our biggest strength. We are a microcosm for the U.S. – our heritages can be valued and respected as we learn from each other. Moreover, our music enjoys the benefits of bringing together our personal histories and experiences.

Noise: In these tough economic times has the number of fans in your genre remained constant, is it growing, or do you have a struggle finding venues that will have you? Is your geographical range for club dates expanding?

IE: Art is sometimes difficult to sell, but for us the most important aspect has always been to express our ideas and emotions. Also, as we are able to reach other ears, we are looking to play in any place where original music is respected.

Noise: Do you have a message you want to send out to your fans in English AND Spanish?

IE: Anyone who can appreciate a swaying melody, a strong bass line, a shower of percussion – anyone who appreciates the human experience, those are our fans. We thank each and everyone of those people who have shown their support over the years. Gracias por darnos razon para crear nuestra musica.

 STONER PROG’s “IT” DIRECTOR: 

FRENTATTA TERRAPA 

by Shauna Erlbaum

Boston-Providence’s burgeoning stoner prog music scene is, for my money, the most exciting music scene in eons, and part of the buzz and identity comes courtesy of the music videos of Frentatta Terrapa, who is like the Roger Dean to this scene’s trippier/ sloppier prog rock bands. In a very short time, her distinctive music videos have given uniformity to a wide variety of experimental bands, with her, dare I say, iconic work. Amazingly, in this interview, Ms. Terrapa reveals it’s mostly all accidental.

Noise: Let’s start at the beginning, ha ha. Your name is very exotic, where are you from?

Frentatta: I was born in Iran, but grew up in France. When I was 14, my family moved to Virginia and when I went to school at MassArt, I accidentally befriended a lot of weirdo musicians in Boston and so I stayed up here. I’m 24 now and am just goofing around, much to my parents chagrin. I’m not sure what I want to do with my life. Same old cliche, I know.

Noise: Your music videos are instantly recognizable and really great, I think. Is this what you want to do for a living?

Frentatta: I can’t believe people enjoy my videos – I have no idea what I’m doing! I’m trained as a painter and know absolutely nothing about making music videos.

Noise: Well, that’s part of what makes them so singular, I’d argue.

Frentatta: Yeah, that’s what everyone says! [laughs] Like I’m an alien who has no idea what a ‘normal’ music video looks like. For me it’s just a lot of fun and experimentation.

Noise: Ricky Backer [bassist for several stoner prog bands] once told me you were the Hendrix of the Ken Burns effect.

Frentatta: Yeah, he’s said that to me too, but that’s also a complete accident: the unusual way I work, combined with the unusual bands I like to make videos for, forced me to use photos in music videos, which I gather is a taboo. I was just trying to make something I’d enjoy watching.

Noise: But you do take that effect further than anyone I’ve ever seen. 

Frentatta: Because I have to! Not because I want to! [laughs] I’d LOVE to make a living doing music videos, but one of the trademarks of the stoner prog scene is no one cares about money or having a career. They don’t want it to ever become a job, as it does for everyone from Nirvana to The Butthole Surfers. I’d rue the day a Coldplay offers me $30,000 and I accept… so I can make my parents proud. I don’t welcome that kind of pressure from big corporations.

Noise: You claim your style is entirely accidental, but that can’t be absolutely true; you clearly have an eye for great images and color and syncing with the music.

Frentatta: Well, yeah, you’re right… but wrong at the same time. Thanks for the compliment though. All of my so-called trademarks are the result of necessity and limitations. Like, I’m super-lazy and don’t even want to film a band and then go thru all that footage and edit it. I have no patience! My favorite method is to ask a band to shoot whatever footage they want, but keep it super-short and email me tiny clips. It’s really a lot of fun to be creative with so few options. I think modern society has too many choices. I don’t need 35 flavors of potato chips!

Noise: Can you tell me a little more about how you work? I think it’s fascinating how you make your videos. For instance, how did you develop your trademark of lots and lots of text in your videos? 

Frentatta:  I work like it’s a game, so I have to solve problems. So, if a band sends me three clips that are twenty seconds of them dancing around, I have to solve how to turn that into a 4 minute video that doesn’t bore me. It’s really quite fun, even though I don’t think I always succeed. Bomb Petty [“world’s WORST Tom Petty impersonator”] sent me almost nothing to work with! I think that shows in the video, but my friends say only I notice things like that. I think they’re just being polite!

Noise: I LOVE that video!

Frentatta: Yeah, people like it, but NOT for my video! They love that Bomb Petty is such a funny idiot.

As for my love of using text, that just came about because I quickly learned that I love the effect of stationary words while the images behind them are moving. It’s like being on drugs!

Noise: Where does the text come from?

Frentatta: My general M.O. is to ask each artist to not only send me a few short clips, but to send me some text, however random, to include. Some send me funny things while others, like The Schizophrenic Hum, send me more poetic or enigmatic text. I also found it funny – I don’t know why – to print the bands’ names repeatedly during the video. Plus, another “rule” of the stoner prog scene is to have great band names, so I almost can’t get enough of names like “October November Dismember” or “Kissinger Escape Plan” or “Fucking Heads” or “Soviet-Nam.” I love their names. It also seems kind of ironically showbizzy to keep plastering their names, like they’re superstars. It makes me laugh.

Noise: Who influenced your style?

Frentatta: No one did! That should be clear from watching them. I don’t even watch music videos! I have no ambition of making videos like Spike Jones. Too much work!  That’s why I love doing videos for experimental bands: I can’t make a mistake [laughs], and have total freedom.

Noise: The video for Ersatz Gruppen’s “U.S.S.A.!” looks like a lot of work.

Frentatta: Oh yeah, that one was hell. A zillion cuts to fit to the beat. I hope to never do that again!

Noise: Do you help with the masks and other visuals?

Frentatta: Rarely. That one was all their content and I just got to chop it up and put it to the music however I wanted. I did add some still photos, too. I’m mostly happy with it, but they’re not stoner prog, so I didn’t have as much freedom as I’d like. With psychedelic musics I can be mysterious and dreamy and make any fucked up video I want. Some acts, like Schizo Hum, don’t send me ANY footage. They ask me to create the entire video from scratch and trust me to come up with something that fits whatever piece of music they send me. I enjoy that method too. That’s where I’m free do come up with abstract visuals to fit their schizophrenic sounds, like where I filmed my glass of blueberries-in-lemonade-with-vodka and slowed it down. They do send me some of the text however. I really like the video I did for their YES Remix Album, but I fully expect YouTube to remove it for the nudity. That’s one where I got to have a lot of fun with still photos. I’m still figuring out what can and can’t be done. Plus, I only use shitty iMovie because I like the limitations. It forces me to be more creative. Or strange. I really love working with the stoner prog bands because they are allergic to making normal videos too, and love masks and costumes and other fun, colorful stuff. I don’t really like boring ordinary music.

Noise: I think your video for HELL YES’ twisted cover of “Owner of a Lonely Heart” is my favorite. Some of the images are astonishing. How’d that one come about?

Frentatta: Yeah, that might be my favorite so far – I’m still learning on the job so I like to think i’m getting better at this with each video. But that video is great mostly due to their insane footage, not mine. Most of the bands I make videos for contact me, via word of mouth from their friends, or Zach and Emily [of Cupcake Kamikaze] will send me something. I’ll make a video for anything, just because it’s a fun challenge. I make no promises that it’ll be a great work of art. You can clearly tell I don’t spend more than a few hours on any video! [laughs]

Noise: Most of your videos I’ve found on Youtube are on Cupcake Kamikaze’s page. Can you tell us who that is? They’re not a band, right? 

Frentatta: Even Zach and Emily don’t know what they are, but they’re not musicians. They say their goal is to become a publicity/ management team for weird bands, but they’re really casual about it because they have day jobs and all that. I think they also want to start their own record label of sorts. Bombastic Labs is some of our friends creating their own label too, which promises to only feature bizarre bands. But none of them are good capitalists, so we’ll believe it when we see it. Plus it’s expensive living in Boston and most of the people are students or have jobs. Cupcake Kamikaze jokes that I’m their house director, which is flattering.

Noise: What’s with the variations on your name? Terrata Frentappa and others.

Frentatta: Everyone gets the spelling of my name wrong, which doesn’t bother me, but I decided to have fun with it.

Noise: What got you initially started on music videos?

Frentatta: I love painting, but that’s too isolated a medium. Maybe too lifeless as well. One night I was really stoned with my roommates at the time, who had a band called Humongous Brunette, and they asked me to make something and I did. And it wasn’t very good. But it was fun.

Noise: Before we wrap this up, any final words for Noise readers?

Frentatta: Watch my videos on FULL screen please! I can’t stand the white of YouTube.

SINATRA: THE CHAIRMAN

By James Kaplan. Hardcover. Doubleday. 992 pages.

Review by Francis DiMenno.

For the first time in over a year I have foregone sleep to finish reading a book – namely, Kaplan’s brand new three-pound Sinatra biography, spanning the years 1954 to 1998. (The compelling first half, covering the years up to 1954, is called Frank: The Voice, and came out in 2010.)

Here is where most amateur reviewers might insert some anecdote of how deeply touched they were by the Old Man’s songs. About the first song of His they ever heard, maybe, and how old they were. They might even gush over the fact that the man was known as “The Entertainer of the Century,” and blather on about what a towering figure he was, and how meaningful and important his career was.

Here’s a secret. I don’t admire the man’s music. I never did. It has always mostly left me cold. Maybe it’s a generational thing; maybe not. Anyway, I am not hypnotized by, nor do I have any sentimental attachment to “The Voice.” I do not revere “The Chairman,” whose career trajectory has always struck me as a story of ruthless ambition yoked to thuggish behavior. So why did I bother to read both the first, and this, the second half of his biography?

I read it voraciously, and with great enjoyment, because in the center of it all is a fascinating exploration of the territory comprising the crossroads of the mob, American politics, and popular entertainment; particularly in the Kennedy portions of the book. Kaplan doesn’t shy away from the worst of it – he mentions, albeit in passing, an incident at the Cal-Neva lodge which occurred about a week before Marilyn Monroe’s death, in which a drugged-up Marilyn was being ridden like a horse by Sam Giancana –while Frankie snapped photos. The author even has the balls to twit acclaimed Johnson biographer Robert Caro for never once mentioning an allegedly crucial fact – or conjecture – regarding Johnson and Kennedy – namely, that Kennedy picked Johnson for VP because LBJ and Hoover were extorting him via potential scandals such as “womanizing,” etc. Of course, Caro is a serious and high-minded historian respected by academics; Kaplan is more along the lines of a smart and super-competent journalist who has seen and assessed every Sinatra motion picture, as well as having heard and ranked every Sinatra album virtually song by song (though I don’t know how he could have left out Sarah Vowell’s prescient and hilarious condemnation of “My Way”: “[It] pretends to speak up for self-possession and personal vision when, at base, it only calls forth the temper tantrums of 2-year-olds or perhaps the last words spoken to Eva Braun.”)

On top of all that, Kaplan has read just about everybody else who has ever written about Sinatra: From supportive gossip columnist’s Earl Wilson’s early (1976) biography to Gay Talese’s snarky but risible April 1966 Esquire essay Frank Sinatra Has a Cold; from Kitty Kelley’s scandalous and scandal-filled 1983 hatchet job His Way, to Anthony Summers’ conspiracy-minded Sinatra: The Life (2005); from Randy Taraborrelli’s gossipy Sinatra: Behind the Legend (1997) to Tom Santopietrio’s entertaining Sinatra in Hollywood (2009). Kaplan, in fact, is such a Sinatra expert and close reader of all things Sinatra that he can almost seamlessly balance certain aspects of the Sinatra legend (his world-spanning charitable work; his generous moral and financial support of individuals) with certain less-savory aspects of the man’s behavior (his hatred of critical journalists; his well-known inclination to nurse lifelong vendettas; his mobbed-up associates; his famously volatile temper).

It’s a thinking man’s biography; but it essentially gives short shrift to Sinatra’s career in the 1970s and practically ends with 1981, and the release of his final album for Reprise, She Shot Me Down. Perhaps Kaplan is sentimental and prefers not to focus too closely on the decline of Sinatra’s talent in his sunset years; more likely, it was a mercenary editorial decision which was taken to edit the book to a manageable length. To be sure, angling for a Part Three – arguably a necessary component – would have been pushing it. Not a commercially viable decision.

Then again, in other places the book might have profitably been shortened, particularly in Kaplan’s account of the years 1954-1965, by omitting the seemingly interminable lists of Sinatra concert attendees, Sinatra party attendees, and Sinatra girlfriends, who notably included Gloria Vanderbilt, Lauren Bacall, Kim Novak, Anita Ekberg, Juliet Prowse, and Judy Garland. And Judith Campbell, whom he shared with mobster Sam “Momo” Giancana and pimped out to none other than the President of the United States, John F. Kennedy. (Small wonder Jackie Kennedy regarded Sinatra as, at best, a boorish nuisance and, at worst, a certified menace.) But such lists, I suppose, were a part of Kaplan’s always painstaking research, and perhaps he was loath to jettison them. Besides, Sinatra, who famously hated to be alone, was very much a social animal, and such accounts of his pals and gals help to define him as a social creature.

Kaplan, in addition to quoting every Sinatra authority out there, also seems very much inclined to rely extensively on accounts by people who are Willing to Talk; most notably, Sammy Davis Jr.; estranged Sinatra valet George Jacobs (whom Sinatra charmingly called “Spook”): and legendary comedian Shecky Green, source of the famous Sinatra-related quip (cited in print by Wilson): “Sinatra saved my life in 1967. Five guys were beating me up, and I heard Frank say, ‘That’s enough.’ ”

What ultimately emerges from this biography is a picture of a complex, contradictory man, which Kaplan shows us examples of time and time again, so that even the most unrepentant Sinatra-hater (or idolater) must surely get the picture: That there is far more to Sinatra than meets the eye. The man was both admirable and contemptible. Many people don’t even know themselves; how can they presume to know what truly rests in the heart of another? Kaplan tries, and, to his lasting credit, he comes about as close to unraveling the history and mystique of Sinatra as anybody I’ve read.

DANNY BEDROSIAN & SECRET ARMY/

SARAH & THE WILD VERSATILE

Opus, Salem, MA

12/20/15

Tonight, North Shore native Danny Bedrosian is taking a break from his main gig as long time keyboardist in George Clinton & Parliament Funkadelic and is bringing his three-piece side project, Secret Army, to the basement room of an upper scale Salem restaurant. Opening the bill, Sarah & the Wild Versatile, is led by two artists, singer Sarah Seminski and guitarist Eric Reardon, whom I am already favorably familiar with. They started playing together last year as the duo, Cozy Covers, on a night for Booker T. Jones. The band also features drummer Derek Hayden, multi-instrumentalist Derek Dupuis, Brian Cogger on trumpet, Jonathan Bousqet on sax, and Steve Burke on bass. They remind me a bit of an ’80s alt rock outfit. Sort of like Steely Dan meets Radiohead.  Psychedelic grunge sung by a passionate singer with great stage presence.  Sort of like Nikki Minaj meets Etta James. Great guitar, solid singing and harmonies, and a nice grungy, pop/rock sound. I really like their songs “Fall Into Grace,” “Sherman’s March,” and “Hands To The Sky.”

Next up is headliner Danny Bedrosian and his trio of funky fusion. Lige Curry on six-string bass, Benzel Cowan on drums, and Danny playing his red Nord Electro 73 and Novatim Bass Station keyboards. His band’s sound reminds me of Weather Report meets Spyro Gyra with no real breaks between songs. These cats have come to PLAY. I really dig “Country Life,” “Locksmith,” and “Set The TV on Fire” – a couple of cuts from different periods in Bedrosian’s career. The highlight of the night for me is when Danny lifts his synthesizer out of its stand mid-song and walks around the stage playing the board. After an impressive solo showcasing his amazing talent he returns to his original location and puts his other instrument into its stand BACKWARDS purposely, and he continues playing the song! I may be the only person in the audience that sees this but it sure is cool! Fun. Fun. Fun!  (A.J. Wachtel)

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TROPHY LUNGS/

SILVER SCREAMS/

NOMAD STONES

Great Scott, Allston, MA

1/3/16

You might think that the first Sunday of the year, and the night before returning to work from a week’s vacation, is not the most opportune moment to choose for seeing your first show of the year. Under most circumstances I would agree. But in this case, the opportunity to see Washington, D.C.’s legendary hardcore band, Scream, play with their original line-up is just too much to resist. The show also comes with the opportunity to check out three local punk bands — always a plus in my book.

Playing to a room of 25 people is no easy task. Heavy rock trio, Nomad Stones, do their best to act as though it’s a full house. Their sound owes a little something to a less punk version of Motörhead and Rancid, playing up the more straightforward rock and roll leanings of both bands. They mix in a bit of Social Distortion-style punk as well. Trouble is, they lack the personality of any of those bands. The band shows good potential though. The guitarist clearly knows how to play and breaks out quality solos throughout the set. Not knowing anything about this band, I choose to chalk up their rough edges to inexperience. The fact that they have to restart at least a couple of songs and the guitarist screws up the names of the other bands on the bill, lead me to believe they haven’t been playing in front of audiences for very long. This gives me hope that with more experience they will evolve into something slightly more polished.

Silver Screams open their set with an ALL-esque instrumental that percolates and jitters like a cup of strong black coffee. Next they move quickly into a Nirvana-like power chord tune which sounds great even though the singer lacks Cobain’s fragile yet hammering vocal skill. The next couple of tunes have a classic punk flair in the style of D.O.A. Midway through the set they floor me when they blast out a cover of Hüsker Dü’s New Day Rising. The vigor with which they stomp through it more than makes up for the fact that they can’t quite pull off the manic harmonies of Hart/Mould. This is clearly a band that is about to make its mark on the city. They have the right combination of talent and influences to take them far.

When Trophy Lungs hit the stage I immediately feel very, very old. I’ve been around long enough to see the dangerous, southern California, hardcore punk rock of my youth coopted and turned into Broadway plays and packaged up for 16-year-old girls and top forty radio. Bands like the Descendents and Bad Religion paved the way. Then Green Day came along and, for better or worse, made the world safe for pop punk. Blink 183, Sum 41, and an endless run of like-styled bands have come and gone since. Yikes—I just saw 5 Seconds of Summer with my daughter at the Kiss 108 Jingle Ball. Sure sounded like American Eagle-ready, watered down punk to me.

With all that said, there’s still something lovely when you hear pop-punk done right. To me, it’s always sounded like my underground’s version of the Beach Boys. Sand, sun, and harmonies. Who gives a shit it I’m standing in a dingy club with 25 other crusty old punkers, it still makes me feel like I’m 16 again.

Trophy Lungs know how to do pop-punk. They pull out all the stops; nasally, whiney vocals; faux-British accents; blissful harmonies. Initially the nasally, Thom DeLong-like vocals that come from the mountain-man, bearded bass player are a little disconcerting. After a couple of minutes though, I regain my equilibrium and am able to enjoy the show. The guitarist plays the perfect counterpoint enabling the two to play off each other and trade lead vocals like a punk-rock Lennon and McCartney. They storm through a brief set, quickly making way for the main event, Scream.      (George Dow)

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MATT BEDNARSKY

Dedham Square Coffeehouse, Dedham MA

12/11/15

Originally from Connecticut, Matt Bednarsky has called Nashville home for some time. Tonight, he makes his return to the East Coast at one of my favorite little venues. His solo performance is a range of original tunes and covers, and even includes a mashup of well-known songs that delights the crowd. There’s little conversation among the two dozen people in attendance, some clearly there to enjoy the music, others walk-ins to get dinner or a beer.

Matt tells all kinds of tales that night, including one of the time his guitar was damaged in a wind storm in a small town. The local repairman said it couldn’t be fixed, so he went to another to get a second opinion – this person happened to be that town’s mayor.

Bednarsky’s voice is subtle and intense at the same time, with such a passion for his calling in his words, but spoken at a light volume. He debuts a few new songs, even one that “had only been spoken aloud a few times.” (Max Bowen)

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TRIGGER/

DYR FASER 

Out of the Blue Gallery, Cambridge, MA

12/16/15

I must begin this review by applauding the bizarre and cozy “gallery” this show was held in. More accurately, it’s one of the best venues I’ve ever been in, because it’s so unique and so comfortable and casual. Part odd-gift-shop, part indie-rock art-studio cubicles, and a sprawling schizophrenic “gallery”. You can even see that some cheesy clothing store used to occupy this space, by the mirrors on the ceiling! Across the street from the Middle East Cafe, this space should hold concerts every night!

This show was put together by the lovely folks at the Boston Hassle, so I went blind, having heard none of the bands. And it couldn’t have been more perfect. Dyr Faser are a duo (possibly containing indie rock legend Thalia Zadek) doing lush, simple, vulnerable music, with twin reverb guitars over casio drum machine beats and a bit of cheap organ, while the video projections on the musicians made it look and feel like we’re seeing early Pink Floyd / Velvet Underground… except those bands didn’t play in a weird gift shop! I’d call it paradise – but then you’d think of a more-normal rock club! The audience even has a choice between love seats and recliners, or sitting on the carpeted floor, befitting the post-psychedelia of this first act.

The poor lads in Trigger.  They would’ve made my Top Ten of 2015 had they only come up with a better band name and had some visual style, because they are thrilling and masterful: post-King Crimson (circa Red) indie-rock power-trio math rock, but not as derivative as most bands influenced by KC usually are. They have some monster riffs, but never fail to keep surprising me in new areas. Their sense of humor is also better than KC’s. And they are more fun than KC, too. Honestly, they are a lot better than I’m making them sound. I probably should’ve taken notes. Please, musicians – it’s not that hard to come up with a good band name. There are so many great words out there. Or invent your own. A name should advertise your music. If your name is boring, that means your music must be. See how that works? Make exciting or innovative music? Then come up with a band name that is innovative. See how that works? We’re all in this together!    (Shauna Erlbaum)

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SPEEDY ORTIZ/

DOWNTOWN BOYS/

URSULA

The Middle East Downstairs, Cambridge, MA

12/9/15

Speedy Ortiz cranked out a short winter tour with its Middle East date benefiting Girls Rock Campaign Boston. The GRCB is a program, which, though music education and performance, provides a supportive community to girls in order to foster self-expression, confidence, and collaboration.

Sadly I had to miss the early performances by graduates of the program in favor of my son’s high school holiday chorus production. I arrived just in time to catch the last few songs of Ursula’s set. The duo – guitarist and drummer –were a dark, gothic pair of ladies. There was much noisy grinding of guitar and banging of drums, accompanied by copious screaming and moaning. If you have ever seen any movie from the’80s depicting a goth or punk band, then you’ve seen something akin to Ursula. If you have ever heard the sound of cats mating while Black Sabbath plays in the background, then you’ve heard something akin to Ursula.

Next up, Providence, Rhode Island’s, Downtown Boys rip out an energetic set of political punk. Their sound combines the X-Ray Specs with the Plasmatics, and some Voodoo Glowskulls (sans the ska). It’s a killer combination that suits their far-left political passions.

Speaking frankly, I could do without the nonsensical political ranks that blossom between each song. Most sound like random non-sequiturs – combining fascism, abortion rights, religious tolerance, and revolution – than any cohesive statement of position.

Nonetheless, the music is stirring. Played hard and fast, bouncing from English to Spanish, they barrel through their half hour set like a multi-ethnic tornado. The most impressive aspect of Downtown Boys is their sax player. She looks and dresses like Cindy Williams – Shirley from the classis sit-com, Laverne & Shirley – and plays her sax like a lead guitar. She pulls out solos for every song and bounds around the stage unleashing Pete Townsend-esque leg kicks and mighty squawk from her instrument.

There is so much to say about Speedy Ortiz. It’s hard to know where to start. They came out of nowhere (well, out of North Hampton, Mass.) in 2012 and have taken Boston and the national indie underground by storm with their noisy ’90s alternative rock style. Speedy Ortiz sound a little like every one of your favorite bands from that era without ever sounding like a knock-off. You’ll find some Breeders, some Belly, some Letters to Cleo. There’s some Liz Phair, some Throwing Muses, and some Juliana Hatfield. How can you possibly go wrong?

As amazing as the players are, this is clearly Sadie Dupuis’ show. As she takes center stage in her baby blue and silver party dress, under blue and white lights, the band fades to the background. Her silver and blue hair, pale makeup and blue lipstick make her look like a like a cross between iZombie’s Liv Moore (Rose McIver) and Else from Disney’s Frozen. The effect is pale and icy while, at the same time, she pops like a sparkling, animated Cinderella. She is stunning and commands the audience’s attention without ever really having to try at it.

The music is pure ’90s alternative guitar noise buoyed by Sadie’s effervescent vocals. When I say noisy, think Pavement or the Pixies at their most abrasive; but mixed with a little Sonic Youth at their most tuneful – now you have the picture. The masterful mix of melody and noise is something that I have missed immensely over the past 15 years. Speedy Ortiz performs a master-class on this technique. I’m instantly transformed into my 25-year old self, circa 1995. I pine for they heyday of WFNX and the alternative rock boom of that decade.

Don’t get me wrong though. Speedy Ortiz is not a throwback act. This group resonates with both aging hipsters and the up and coming generation of indie rock fans. It is a pleasure to have been around long enough to experience up and coming bands take inspiration from the underground of my youth. And to be able to see someone do it as well as Speedy Ortiz is a true treat.

When I sit back and recall the fact that this entire show is being put on for the purpose of supporting female empowerment through music and performance, it’s hard to think of another band that would represent as well as Speedy Ortiz.    (George Dow)

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HUMMINGBIRD SYNDICATE

Hibernian Hall, Watertown, MA

11/21/15

Sometimes there’s a great notion to create a multi-purpose band that features sympathetic talents. As long as there are people that like to sing and send words into other ears, there will be a band that is required to have lived with the past to reaffirm their influences and still stay focused on creating modern music. Let’s say hello to Hummingbird Syndicate, featuring local luminaries Jon Macey (Fox Pass), Lynn Shipley (Adam & Eve), Chris Maclachlan (Human Sexual Response), Lenny Shea (The Stompers), and two Californian folks I don’t know, Mary Jaye Simms and Dan Coughlin (Children of Paradise) who are not here tonight, being replaced by Tom Hostage (Macey’s Parade) and Rich Lamphear and Linda Viens (Kingdom of Love) and additional singer Jennifer Lewis Bennett.

The Syndicate is built around an equal partnership of men and women with their merger of voices and three guitars. It’s a lot of wonderful songs with a guitar solo here and there, and a vibe that’s both sprightly and distinctly beautiful. For me, it feels like this group is bringing back the ’60s (in sound and spirit). Right out of the gate, we have pop for pop’s sake with upbeat melodies and lots of harmony. It is unusual to hear such a high concentration of covers (Monkees, Velvets, The Band, Dylan, Johnny Rivers, Grass Roots, Lefty Frizzell, Gene Clark, Flying Burritos, Ernest Tubb, lots of country/folk) amidst a handful of originals, but I guess that will change in time. The focus tonight is the release of their single, “Waterfall Away” b/w “I Want You to stay,” two lightweight retro-sunshine-pop tunes (which they play in both sets). They promise the imminent full album will include more pop, as well as moody tunes and non-pop stuff. Since this is only their first gig, we can only wish for more of their best. Good luck!   (Harry C. Tuniese)

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LENNY SOLOMON/

MARINA EVANS

Cat in the Cradle, Byfield, MA

12/12/15

Back at the entertainment hub of Byfield, Massachusettes we’ve got Marina Evans opening for Lenny Solomon and his band. Every table is full in this big, square, high-ceiling room with the four-foot high stage. Host and booker Heidi Fram greets the audience and warmly introduces dues Marina who’s currently living between Rockport, MA, and Italy.  Marina presents herself well – with God-given pretty features and a well trained voice she’s got a lot going for her. She starts with “Blue Yonder” and from from her banter you get the feeling that having a husband living in Italy and family and friends in Rockport is pulling on those heart strings. “Middle of the Ocean” also reflects on her current situation. Her sets peaks with a lovely song that she sets up perfectly. During last year’s brutal winter she spotted a solo mitten in a large melting pile of snow. “One of Two” takes the lone mitten and turns it into a wonderful metaphor of one hoping to be reunited with another. I guess this song also falls nicely into place with her pair of homes.

Lenny Solomon is up on the big stage next with the accompaniment of Andy Hollinger (lead guitar/ mandolin) and Don Barry (double bass). Lenny wears the classic country performer look well. He’s dressed in blue with long white hair and matching chin beard, topped off with a cowboy hat and a turquoise belt buckle.  The trio does songs about Robert Frost, fracking, a rockabilly singer, drinking the blues, a cat… and my favorite of the night, ” The Ballad of Little Squirrel,” that is set up perfectly with a story. On August 27, 2013, Lenny was walking his dog when saw a baby squirrel on the ground looking pretty dead. He scooped him up and set him on a picnic table, left him there and decided he go back to check on him the next day after breakfast. When he returned he saw that the little guy made it though the night, so Lenny took him in as a pet and gave him a small bird cage to live in while he recovered. The squirrel grew in strength, graduated to an aquarium home, and became a good friend. When the squirrel was healthy enough, Lenny set him free. And to this day the fuzzy-tailed rodent comes back to visit almost every other day. The song is as wonderful as the story. It made my night. (T Max)

FREEVOLT

Once You Say

7 tracks

This North Shore band’s music is roots rock/ Americana/ pop with a strong reggae foundation, and dread locked acoustic guitarist/gruffy vocalist Michael Bernier is the motivational muse behind this great groove band.  I really dig “Bump Bump Bump” and “Bring The Humans Back” with the nice horn arrangements, “We Never Knew” with its cool piano opening, and the real radio-friendly opening cut “Once You Say” with the enjoyable guitar and horn tracks. Songs with only a hint of Jamaica are the electronic and jazzier “The Helm” and the poppy “Without A Plan (Whoa Nah Nah).” Both are moody ballads with good playing. In all the melodies Bernier writes messages of triumph, freedom, love and pursuit, and all of the music is uplifting and relaxing. The closing cut, the funky reggae tune “Mighty Leader” has a neat break in the song where the music halts when the vocals implore “STOP!… We won’t take it no more” and then continues after the sentence is completed. An effective arrangement for sure. Spark up a blunt and listen to da music mon!   (A.J. Wachtel)

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BLACK CHEERS

Sick Gun

9 tracks

Its been a while since I’ve heard a band in this town as authentically seedy as the Black Cheers. They sound like they’re ten days late for the rent and haven’t been to the dentist in a decade. Sick Gun (gross spoiler alert: it’s a diseased penis) is a greasy wallop of street rock with whiffs of glam and hardcore, not unlike The Black Halos, if you remember those dudes, or (really) early Replacements. It’s catchy and rip-snorting and feels like the real deal, always. You will wanna hang out with these dudes after listening to this but only for a couple hours because after that it’s just gonna be puking and crying.   (Sleazegrinder)

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THE LINCOLN TUNNEL

75 Or Less Records

Today 2.0

10 tracks

Christian Calderone is a smart songwriter and lyricist; one of the best around, judging from this debut effort. “Damn, I Wear It Well” begins this epic collection of brilliant songs with a circus-like romp, replete with a bass played like a trombone, an attenuated oompah rhythm, and some scorching guitar. “Big Decision” has a preening and brittle punk guitar rhythm and world-weary trailing vocals. “All Together Wrong” is lively, frantic indie rock bravado in the vein of the DBs; eminently hit-worthy. “Friend of the Roses” is a tuneful romp with an electrifying guitar-bass-drum hook and wistful trumpet filigrees courtesy of Ellen Block. “Makin’ Cents and Takin’ Vows” features liquescent guitar and is otherwise an inoffensive ballad. “Elemental Sun” features slapping drums and ingenious harmony vocals in the lead-up to the chorus. “Our Mother’s Sons” combines twangy guitar and echoey glad-making vocals with a lonesome trumpet melody. A surprisingly touching song, and Best of Show. “Ordinary Sky” is elevated psyche interspersed with an irresistible cascading guitar riff; it comes to a climax which is short and sweet. “Memphis” is a straight-ahead, paint-peeling, numinously buzzing rocker. “Line My Pockets” is a mysterious and spacy yet upbeat and surly love song. This is mostly excellent all the way through; the songs are smart and the band uses instrumentals like a good painter mixes colors for effect. Definitely a band to watch.  (Francis DiMenno)

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RADIO CARBON

Caveman Ballads

7 tracks

75orless Records

There are no ballads on this record, although there might be some cavemen. The Troggs have influenced all punk and rock in a way, but that’s about it. This Providence band can destroy you, literally, if they want to. (The singer is a big man.) Based on my experience of seeing Radio Carbon live a few times, the only thing they want to hurt is your ears. The volume and energy is intense, and the songs and musicianship are polished but gritty. A solid release with one good song after another. It’s punk with elements of stoner and noise rock, and all that’s still good in this world.    (Eric Baylies)

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MATT YORK

Boston, Texas

9 tracks

This one comes in shrieking out of the gate with “Big Fan of Why,” some straightforwardly raucous rock ’n’ roll that would melt a stone gargoyle. The rackety rock continues with the ostinado-insistent “Let’s Go to the Beach.” What is most striking about the best of these songs is their energy and brevity, even on a country-flavored romp like “Saw You On Friday,” replete with a soaring fiddle solo by Katy Boc. Less successful is the ballad “Losing Streak” which is taken at too brisk a tempo for the vocalist to sound convincing. “New to You” is a somewhat over-frantic hook-filled riff-a-thon with keening telegraphic guitars in the middle eight and some intriguing tempo shifts in the instrumentals. “Tomorrows” is a winsome, country-inflected barn-burner; “I’m Back” features smoldering, ominous Johnny Cash style vocals, and a dynamic bass and fiddle rhythm section. “In “Love You the Same” the vocalist sings above his range, although the underlying melody is gorgeous. This is a mostly dynamic, briskly-paced solo outing with several quality tunes. (Francis DiMenno)

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JETS CAN’T LAND

You Can’t Linger On

6 tracks

Some tasty retro ’9’s alt-pop from Rhode Island that you could probably seduce middle-aged chicks with, especially if you were slumming it in Providence. Very lightly psychedelic and jangly (in a non-’80s way), You Can’t Linger On will remind you of whatever obscure local indie-rock sensation you were into in 1994. Plus the lyrics are good, with MASH and ELO references and bummer lines like “Here I am watching things go bad again.” I’m not sure that I would personally listen to this regularly – I hate the ’90s except for that one song by Matthew Sweet – but if you’re still laboring under the delusion that everything was swell back when we were young and eating ramen for dinner six times a week, then this is your new favorite band.  (Sleazegrinder)

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TIM MANN

Chasing Dreams

11 tracks

The acoustic folk/ rock sound on this release is unique, interesting, and very good. Check out the artists and their instruments in the credits: Greg Allison – acoustic guitar/baritone uke, Greg Hawkes (The Cars/ The Greg Hawkes Ukulele Trio) – uke, Zacharia Hickman – bass/euphorium, Lawrence Scudder – viola, Craig Robertson – harmonies and Tim Mann on all other instruments and vocals. Mann also plays the ukulele with Hawkes in Greg’s own string uke trio. Very interesting reading on the cover. Even more interesting listening to the disc. Mann wrote all the ballads and there are lush harmonies all over the place. Listen to “In My Arms,” “Days Go By,” and “The Maybe Song” to hear the angels sing. I also like the more rocking “You Can’t Go Home Again,” the mellow “Longing” with the soulful viola, and the cool uke/viola playing on “Another Moment.” Sorta like the youthful optimism of John Denver meets the storytelling soul and delivery of Donovan. Great stuff. Check it out.  (A.J. Wachtel)

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BENT SHAPES 

Feels Weird

11 tracks

This is dreamy like Chris Isaak (his guitar playing, not his cheekbones) but looking more to the future than the past. The softer side of the Velvet Underground is evoked, but faster tunes like “Brat Poison” take on a dreamlife of their own. Boston’s Bent Shapes have been transmogrifying rock and pop for a few years now and are really crushing it. They have a new album due for release this spring and I cannot wait to hear it. The album Feels Weird feels great! (Eric Baylies)

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POSITIVE NEGATIVE MAN 

Broken

10 tracks

Let’s file this review under “Tough Love.”

Allow me to get my bias out of the way up front, as I have to heavily criticize this album. I am a music snob. To me, music is about artistic expression more than random entertainment. Many music lovers feel like I do, while many others don’t care about anything other than whether they like it or not. Both are fair outlooks.  For instance, when one singer in this band sounds like he’s imitating Iggy Pop (which is often), that pisses me off, because I like artists to express themselves, not someone else. I don’t like bands that sound like their favorite bands. I like originality. It’s a form of honesty. (It means you are not going to steal your ideas or sound or look from someone else.)

Meanwhile… many people would say “I love that he sounds like Iggy Pop.” Fair enough. I still enjoy bands that ape Pink Floyd. I just don’t respect them. I think bands should aim to both entertain us and innovate for us, just as all the greats were able to do. Aim higher, musicians!

I also like to review an entire album, not just the music, and I like constructive criticism, since most bands aren’t going to get the truth from friends or family. Broken is a bland name for an album (sorry), and the album cover is not too good either. (I don’t mind that it’s all crappy and low-budget… but, if you’re going to save money and time, then really commit to it and make it wild-and-crazy-crappy, instead of like you wish you could’ve afforded less-pixelated album packaging. But couldn’t.)

A good band is going to have interesting song titles. (Smart people hate cliches.) This band has an interesting name (although I think “Negative Positive Man” rolls off the tongue better), but do any of these song titles portend a thrilling listening experience? “Gasoline.” “Keep It Together.” “Newport Beach.” “Just Don’t Think.” Interesting song titles not only make things more fun, they invite the listener to care more. Postitve Negative Man has a few interesting song titles, like “The Ice Queen of Space,” so we know they can be fun when they want to be, so it’s yet again simple laziness. (That’s the top cancer in all fields of entertainment and art, I’ve found.)

From what I gather, the band is a duo of one male singer on bass, and one male singer on guitar, with a drum machine. (Very little detective work suggests Pete is the melody singer on bass, and Mike is the Iggy Popper on guitar.) Sort of a post-pop-punk rock band.  I like the scuzz guitar sounds and the drum machine is fine too but the dude with the “prettier” voice needs to practice more, because his going off-pitch a lot really doesn’t work in this context. (“With No Machine” is the most glaring.) Yet his voice works great on “Keep It Together” (which they surprisingly make a damn-catchy chorus out of) – it’s sort of a Queen of the Stone Age thing. Pretty great. (The dude on Iggy Pop vocals doesn’t need to sing in pitch for his type of vocal.)

The album is quite schizo. The influences of Pete and Mike haven’t gelled into a whole, yet. (You can hear like 30 bands overall. Here’s the Buzzcocks thing. Here’s one that sounds like a bad Foo Fighters leftover.) One minute I’m enjoying it, and then the next I’m not. Even in the same songs. (Generally, I’m not a fan of standard punk rock riffing, or predictable rhymes, for instance.) Whoa, there’s a bridge that sounds like Cheap Trick a bit.

Ironically, if some of Mike’s tunes were actually on a new Iggy Pop album, I’d think it was pretty good stuff. I’ve listened to the CD a few times and it’s interesting how the first listen I found it to be awful, and how much it grew on me. It’s like a strange mix of good and bad, and both Pete and Mike take turns on being great and sucking. Weird. 

Mostly, it sounds like they need to play more and get more comfortable with what they’re doing. Turn the laziness down, and this album could’ve been killer.  (Shauna Erlbaum)

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WHIRLPOOLS

E.P.

8 tracks

This debut and swan song release by Whirlpools opens with a heartfelt throbbing acid garage declamatory (“Song In A”), proceeds to showcase emergency-siren-urgent spacy psychedelia ala the Three O’Clock (“Outside Looking In”), and then messes up our minds with some warbling and warped quasi-Beach Boys balladry (“Summer Sun”). The ominous “Fire Alarm” is a Pebbles-ready murky recitation replete with shimmering and spooky organ atmospherics. “Sur La Plage” is a snazzy flute-raddled persnickety instrumental. “Boundaries” has the feel of a backwards composition, albeit with a chiming instrumental hook and a sing-songy vocal that bursts into a fiery climax. “Detritus” changes the pace: it’s clamorous slurpy Buzzcocks-tinged punk rock with a Pixies-like dynamism. “Waiting” is a cracked-voiced and nearly bottomless lament a la The Only Ones. This is quality goods, despite the somewhat muffled production values.  (Francis DiMenno)

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JOCELYN ARDNT

Strangers in Fairyland

7 tracks

With the intense, punchy, “Cinderella,” this album is off to a killer start. This sibling-led rock band brings a great blend of tunes, riding some interesting highs and lows. “Nevermind” takes a slower beat, giving Jocelyn Ardnt a chance to let her vocal skills shine. From the epic rock tunes like “Cinderalla” to the mellow, jazzy “Gaslight,” she shifts her sound smoothly, showing a good range of abilities on the mic. Fellow band members Chris Arndt (lead guitar), Kate Sgroi (bass guitar), and David Bourgeois (drums) help create a beautiful landscape of sound that gives listeners an ever-changing scenery as they journey from the first track to the last.

What I like best about this album is how easily I run through it multiple times while on the road. At about 25 minutes I can finish it a few times going to and from work, and never feel bored or looking for another CD. That’s what tells me that this one is a keeper. (Max Bowen)

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LADY BONES

Dying

10 tracks

Boston’s Lady Bones deliver an exciting collection of songs, despite the non uplifting title of the album. This record will lift you out of the abyss and into the Elysian Fields. Too noisy and abstract to be the Killers, too polished to be And You Will Know Us by the Trail of Dead, this record exists on a plane of it’s own. Lady Bones are here to save you, Allston, Rock City! (Eric Baylies)

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B11 (two CDs)

B11     15 tracks

Surf My Spy    3 tracks

B11 is a Brighton band led by Bulgarian born guitarist extraordinaire Boyan Hristov. They are a pro jazz trio that puts an attitude in surf, r&b, soul, funk, reggae, and Latin – and all their music is instrumental with no vocals. The  self-titled CD showcases this Berklee grad’s great technique, creative repertoire, and soaring leads, backed by bassist Tom Appleman and drummer Mike Levesque. Hriston covers Henry Mancini’s “Peter Gunn Theme,” “The Pink Panther,” and “Moon River.” They also do a very sweet version of Stevie Wonder’s “Isn’t She Lovely.” These are all straight ahead versions focusing on his guitar virtuosity. In fact, changing “The Pink Panther” from a horn tune to a guitar tune gives a tres chic and different perspective on this classic.  His nice guitar work is all over the original compositions too. “Waltz in A,” “The Gospel Of Me” and the bluesier songs “The One Note Piano” and “Boyan’s New Tune” are impressive and well thought out. The second release, Surf My Spy, is sorta like The Ventures meet The Surfaris meet Dick Dale, who once said “real surf music is instrumental.”  The three cuts, “Space Age Tragedy,” “Spooky Soca Surf,” and the title cut “Surf My Spy” are short nicely arranged trips with the whammy bar leading the way. Great chops. Great tone. Great music. This cat can play!   (A.J. Wachtel)

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THE INSTINCT

Mostly Awake

14 tracks

Hook-infested rock with that late seventies/early eighties jittery punk rock feel. Highlights include the sputtering guitar on “Sleeping”; the gnarly guitar fragment “Flutter”; and the telegraphic guitar and drums on “Going,” replete with frantic sax by new band member Frank Freedman and a full-bore rocking coda by Mssrs. Bowie, Bowie, Landry and Jordan. Other highlights include the snazzy guitar and affectless vocals on “Over It”; the ingenious backward bass line on “Long I Walk, ” and, on “Lone Gun,” the dynamic bass thrum and jittery insistence of the instrumentals. Overall, this is a decent meat-and-potatoes punk outfit with an added dimension in the sax and keyboards. (Francis DiMenno)

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GAVAGE

POP records

Gavage

10 tracks

Gavage is a Providence punk rock group. There are catchy parts, heavy parts, and sax from Adrienne from one of the town’s best bands Downtown Boys that adds a slight undercurrent of avant garde to the rock ’n’ roll. I like that the CD comes with a lyric sheet, not many bands bother with this anymore. This is a good album to listen to as you stroll drunkenly down a dark alley, just before something crazy happens. If you make it out of that alley, you’ll want to listen to this album over and over again. (Eric Baylies)

Click on this piece of a photo by Sheila Roberts Orlando to see the full image. Can you guess who it is before you click?

RULES FOR THE STAGE by Jordan Tishler

http://www.digitalbear.com/

• Know your material. Don’t start and stop. Be prepared to fall down, be heckled, have equipment fall over. Be sure you can sing on key without the monitors. Know what to do if the monitor mix is bad or cuts out entirely.

• Know how long you have to play. Don’t run over. That’s amateurish. Don’t tell the audience “we have three more for you” only to be told “only two more” by the soundman. Play too little and the fans will be thrilled when you announce an extra song, kind of like an encore.

• Make sure the room knows who you are. Introduce the band name before you start, or immediately after the first song. You have to mention the name seven times before you’re off. Similarly, use the CD name with the band name. Mention song titles as you go. Point out which are on the CD for sale. Mention the web site. Mention the mailing list. Mention the mailing list again. Each time use the band name.

• Getting names on your mailing is the key mission of the evening. Playing a great show and selling CDs or T-shirt are just part of the process. In the end, gaining the new fan and their contact info is the bottom line.

• Know the names of the acts you are playing with that night. Mention them by name, and the order or times they’ll play. Remind your fans to stay. (This should be reinforced in your email newsletter too – stay and build a scene…). Don’t just say “stick around” or flub the other band’s name. Thank the other band for sharing the bill. Promote them from the stage and they’ll want to share the bill with you again, and they’ll remind their fans how wonderful you just were.

• Don’t bitch about the sound or soundman. Most are brain-dead. Accept it and work with them. Above all, leave your egos at home. Be professional. Tip the bar folk well and, while onstage, remind your fans to do so too.

• Set up – you should never let more than five minutes elapse between the end of the act before you and starting yourself. If that means you have to help them load out, so be it. Don’t lose the energy in the room while you set up.

• Load out – Divide and Conquer. Just after you play is a crucial time. Your fans and potential new fans need you. Don’t get mired in moving equipment or talking to the other bands. Send your frontman and chief sideman (lead guitar, for example) into the crowd to meet fans, shake hands, point out the mailing list, mention CDs or T-shirts. Have the backline guys do the rapid load out. Once the gear is out of the way, it can be gotten later.

• Have a visible presence. You must have two banners with your name and logo on it. One should be visible behind the band as you play. Be sure it is not obscured by your heads. Don’t use a kick head for this reason. The other should be over your merchandise table to attract buyers/fans.

• Know your fans. Get to know their personal details. Go beyond names to significant others, children, jobs, personal problems. The more you know, the more they will feel bonded to your band.

• If you’re lucky enough to have an industry insiders come to one of your shows. Don’t rush up to them before you play. If they introduce themselves, thank them for coming, tell them you hope they enjoy the show, offer them a drink (say, “can I get you something to drink?” NOT “wanna beer?”  You never know who is a recovering alcoholic). After the show, send a band member to them immediately. Don’t wait for them to approach you, they’ll feel neglected. Thank them for coming, tell them you hope they enjoyed the show, offer them a drink.

• Guest list. Never let an industry person pay the cover. That’s what the guest list is for (Okay, you can use it for your parents too, on occasion). If there is no list, prepay the venue the cover charge for that guest.

FIRST THINGS LAST

Rita: February is my least favorite month of the year. Lolita: Because you never pay your heating bill and freeze during the winter? Rita: Well that too, but February 3 is The Day The Music Died and was Buddy Holly, The Big Bopper, Ritchie Valens, and pilot Roger Peterson’s last day on earth alive. Lolita: Oh Boy, Rita, I wish you’d just Fade Away already. Time to ignore you and ask our Question of the Month. Where was the first gig in Boston that you either played at or went to? Tell us a little about the venue and the show. Hey Robin, can you tweet us your answer? ROBIN LANE (…& the Chartbusters): The first gig I played in Boston was on Newbury street at one of those concert type events they used to have back in the ’70s. I arrived in Boston one day and I was playing the next.  Oh and the show… hmmm, probably some local shows at the Inn Square Men’s Bar.  The first big show with a national band was The Paradise to see Cheap Trick three nights in a row.  Got to talk to Robin Zander, who told me his father knew my father… so cute was he and such an amazing band, so exciting… hit me over the head.  It was at that show that I met Alpo from Real Kids, just reminded me I had a dream with John Felice in it last night… something to do with where we were going to moor our perspective boats because we knew we’d need them because soon the end of the world was coming.  I digress.  Alpo introduced me to all the new music coming from New York, Boston, and London. Introduced me to guys who would become my band mates.   He helped open a new chapter on my life. *** ROGER CLARK MILLER (Mission of Burma/ The Trinary System): In January 1978 I’d just arrived in Boston, thinking I was gonna drop out of rock music forever.  Then I saw a poster that read “Girls.  La Peste.  Movies.  MassArt.  Human Sexual Response.” in a very hep punk graphic style.  No way in hell I was gonna miss that.  The Humans played a capella, so I couldn’t figure out what they were up to.  La Peste struck me as being too Black Sabbath (though I liked them a lot later on).  But the Girls blew me away, totally.  Anarchistic punk-art rock.  Chaos in the best sense.  I thought “Hell, if these guys can get a gig, I’ve come to the right town!”  A year later Burma was sharing bills with the Girls. *** JED GOTTLIED (The Boston Herald): Moving to a city with a legacy as deep and wide as Boston’s can be daunting. Where do you start? The ’Dise? T.T.’s? Wally’s? For me it began in 2005 at the Abbey Lounge in Inman Square. I didn’t have to wander far from my door to discover the scene. A few blocks away from my house, the Abbey Lounge boomed nightly with the clatter and caterwaul of punk, garage, hard and noise rock. My first night out in my new hometown featured – as should be expected – a four band bill. I dug every one of the acts even if I can’t remember three of them. The fourth was Cocked N’ Loaded. Back in 2005, rock bands didn’t always rock. As delightful as the indie pop overthrow was, bands like the Shins and Postal Service lacked a certain something. That something: loud, lusty Gibson guitars. Cocked N’ Loaded weren’t serious. But they were no joke, and they played with rock ‘n’ roll thunder and lightning. It takes loads of talent, hard work and Narragansett tallboys to write songs that pack in Angus Young’s riffs, Vince Neil’s sneer, and L.A. Guns’ sleaze. And it demanded moxie to push this music in a world dominated by tween pop, earnest punk and hipster rock. That Cocked N’ Loaded bill was my gateway into the scene – later I would discover my Boston favorite Mellow Bravo. It was a night of spilled beer, dripped sweat, possibly a little blood and loads of great rock. The Abbey Lounge closed a year or two after that. It’s now Trina’s – a great bar for great cocktails. At first I was bummed about the closing but I soon saw that the scene is immortal. As places close, new rooms always take their place. The end of the Abbey, Radio, T.T.’s and soon Johnny D’s has meant the beginning of the Sinclair, Thunder Road, and Once at Cuisine en Locale. Rock endures. The scene lives. And I love covering it. *** JOYCE LINEHAN (Mayor Walsh’s Chief of Policy): I don’t even remember the first show I saw in Boston. *** DUKE ROBILLARD (The Duke Robillard Band): I believe the first show I remember seeing in the Boston area was the James Cotton Blues Band at Club 47 in Cambridge. Another early memory was The Colwell-Winfield Blues Band at I believe the Boston Tea Party. A few other shows around ’68/’69 were Cream’s first US show at the Psychedelic Supermarket and Fleetwood Mac at the Tea Party. Which one I actually saw first I’m not sure, I was probably stoned at the time. *** CYNDIE BARONE (Lizzie Borden & The Axes):  My recollection is our first gig was at Streets which I think became Club Soda. And we knew maybe eight songs. This was before we added Kathy (Perry) on keyboards and Daria (Smith) with the two tone hair – who is now a vet in Lexington MA was our lead singer. She was I believe in 12th grade at the time! We rehearsed in Rita’s parents basement and pretty much took over their house and ate the cupboard bare! Rita (Lavaccia) was the only one with a car so she had to come get us all only to drive us right back to her house! Liz and I lived in Boston at the time.

FAB FEB FACTOIDS

Rita: While club hopping during the past month I was guilty of partying to the max and abusing myself while listening to all of my  patrons  talk about their current events. By patrons I mean whomever paid for my drinks. *** GOV. CHARLIE BAKER and CARTER ALAN (CBS Radio) showed up for THE STOMPERS/ BRIAN WASHBURN and JOE FELONI Celebrity Series night at Johnny D’s.  Gov. Baker was overheard saying “I can’t think of a better way to celebrate my first year in office than going to see The Stompers.” SEAN MCNALLY‘s Cringe Productions put this great gig together. The club is now planning on staying open until the end of March. *** CAPITOL MUSIC GROUP has hired lead guitarist NATE ALBERT (The Mighty Mighty Bosstones) as it’s new executive VP of A&R. Albert will sign and develop new talent as well as oversee recording projects for roster artists. Nate is also a longtime exec at Republic Records. *** MOVING TARGETS had a killer New Year’s Eve gig up in Salem. KENNY CHAMBERS and the guys blew the roof off the club when they played “Coming Home.” No shit. Fast and furious. *** DIGNEY FIGNUS still on the scene. More acoustic folk/Americana than new wave, he still does some of his ’80s hits in his set. Go see him, TIM FIEHLER, JIM TREACY and “FESS” CHRIS NEMITZ and see if they play “The Girl With The Curious Hand.” *** Happy Birthday February 6 to blues diva GRACIE CURRAN (Gracie Curran & The High Falutin’ Band). *** At the 2016 Hot Stove Cool Music benefit at The Paradise last month JENNIFER D’ANGORA (Downbeat 5) shared the stage with female all-stars BOTO (Band of Their Own). FREDA LOVE SMITH, JEN TRYNIN, KELLY HOGAN, TANYA DONELLY (Throwing Muses), CHRIS TOPPIN, HILKEN MANCINI and GAIL GREENWOOD and entertained the packed house. Former Sox players Jake Peavy, Bronson Arroyo, Lenny DiNardo and Sean Casey were in the crowd. *** B 11 is a three-piece jazz trio that play surf! BOYAN HRISTON is a Berklee grad from Bulgaria who now lives in Brighton and plays like Dick Dale. The band is currently working on two original full length albums due out in the next few months. *** Progressive quartet DOPAPOD is going on a cross-country spring tour. They will be back in Boston at The Sinclair for three nights at the end of April. “Trapper Keeper” and “Burning Down The House” show the crafty songwriting of ROB COMPA on guitar/vocals and ELI WINDERMAN on keys/vocals. *** AIMEE MANN and 23 other music notables will be judging The Unsigned Only Music Competition. With $100,000 in cash prizes and industry mentor-ships, this competition is worth entering. Put your songs in the running at unsignedonly.com. *** North Shore band OL’ BROWN SHOE had a cool show at The Spotlight Tavern in Beverly. They are a rock ’n’ roll jam band and when you are at the club say high to the fabulous WARLAND MARK HERSEY at the bar. *** MIKE PRESS from Velocity has a new group and a new album coming out at the end of this month or next. Their moniker is Sunscream and RIP CARSON is in the band. *** BRIAN BAILEY & THE CHANGE UP’s ALEX COHEN has an even heavier project called FATHOM FAREWELL. They are going into the studio to record two singles. One of which will have an accompanying music video. We dig The Change Up’s old tune “Puzzle” and their new reggae jam “Bowtie.” *** The Lemmy Dies/Long Live Lemmy Department surely includes Mass Ave Music/Berklee professor TONY SAVARINO. His first solo CD Guitaring has a tune called “Christine’s Song.” If you go to the end, the ghost track starts with a cover of “Dancing on Your Grave” by Motorhead. Recorded at Q Division’s B Room by RAFI SOFER and SEAN MCLAUGHLIN. Tony’s band includes KEITH BURNETT singing, TOM CARNALI on bass and local legend JESSE VON KENMORE pounding. *** The first time we saw Berklee professor TOMO FUJITA was onstage tearing down the house with JON BUTCHER. He has 11 already recorded/mixed cuts with no release date yet. He is also busy on a few other recording projects. Fun Tomo Fact: he has signature pedals, speakers, and Strat guitars out in stores that are so popular they fly out the doors. *** Blues guitarist PETER PARCEK has a new album coming out soon with the working title Every Drop of Rain. Overdubs and mixing done by DUCKY CARLISLE. We can’t wait to hear his cover of The Velvet Underground’s “Waiting For The Man.” *** RICK HARTE (Ace of Hearts Records) working on another Real Kids record, The Wasted Years Vol. 2. *** ROGER MILLER currently finishing up a five song EP for his new rock trio THE TRINARY SYSTEM. *** A recent glam night at The Tavern At The End of The World in Charlestown had THE HANDYMEN shaking the walls. Their pop vocals with driving electronic beats is killer. JEFF LARSON on guitar, JACK HOWARD on drums, RYAN PERRY doing percussion chores, and JEFF RAJCHEL playing bass really rock. *** Great folk gig at The Cat In The Cradle Coffeehouse in Byfield the other night. The double bill included singer/songwriter/local farmer HAYLEY SABELLA. She has a honey voice with a little rasp. This short 5’ 2″ artist  was overheard saying: “I’m big on the inside.” But she ishuge onstage. Also playing that night Newburyport resident  LYNNE TAYLOR who has been performing bluegrass on the local scene for 30 years. He also plays bass in punk band HALO & THE HARLOTS.

FIRST THINGS FIRST

Lolita: In case anyone’s interested the first gig I ever went to was seeing Unnatural Axe at The Rat. I went home with Mitch the doorman that night and I made him speak. I made him scream. I made him cry. Let’s ask Richie Parsons what his opening act on the local scene was. RICHIE PARSONS (Richie Parsons Band/ Unnatural Axe): First gig I went to was The Runaways at the Rat in March ’77. Thundertrain opened! I was underage and called the club ahead of time and promised I wouldn’t drink. I got Marc Bell’s tambourine, Jackie Fox’s shirt and Iggy Pop’s autograph… my high school English teacher loaned me his camera and I got some pretty great pics! *** ROBERTO MIGHTY (Kathryn & Roberto): Wow, let’s climb into the wayback machine for this one. The first gig in Boston that I vividly recall was seeing a large funk band in a basement cafeteria at Tufts University for one dollar… that’s right – uno ducats! It was, by far, the best band I’d ever seen in my life. One of the members played what looked like a solid gold clarinet, but somehow he make it wail like a high-pitched saxophone. They were TIGHT, the horn players did steps and the bass player, who was a monster musician, was WILD on stage. Unforgettable. I remember thinking that these guys were gonna go far. It must have been between 1972 and 1974. They had an unusual name – Earth, Wind & Fire.  Ha ha ha ha. That solid gold clarinet was, of course, a soprano saxophone. I’d never seen one before. I was at that time the leader and lead guitarist of a ten-piece funk band based at BU called Hypertension. We had some killer players from BU, Berklee, and Tufts. We played all over the Boston area and had a ball. Another memorable gig, also in the ’70s, was seeing Rick Berlin’s Orchestra Luna. They had an amazing guitarist named Randy Roos who played jazzy stuff on an Ovation acoustic-electric that blew my mind. *** LINDA SHORE (Muck & The Mires): My first Boston club experience is more fun from the perspective of a fan. My uncle took me to an all ages show at The Channel. I was probably about 13 at the time. John Butcher Axis was playing and I just got the WCOZ album with their song “New Man” so I loved them and was in awe the whole time they played. Jon came into the room and he was larger than life. I was also pretty into drums (worked hard to figure out that drum intro on “New Man”) and I watched Derek play drums and just fell in love with the thought of being in a band and playing. That was it for me. It was the moment I knew I would be in a band. *** SUNNY CROWNOVER (Sunny Crownover Band/ Duke Robillard Band): The first gig I can remember I played in Boston was probably at Harper’s Ferry with my band 2120 South Michigan Avenue in 2002 or 2003. We were part of a three band lineup that night (can’t remember the other bands) and the crowd was great. I hadn’t been there before, but had heard a lot about it and it was cool to perform at a place with such a great history.

INSIGNIFICA

Rita:  A new generation of musicians is at our doorstep. If you ever see my sister Lolita at your doorstep call the cops. Check this out! Pounder SHANE LAMM‘s band RYSE is in the studio working on a six-song EP with no title yet. The son of AXMINSTER drummer MIKE LAMM tells us that his band will bring a fresh sound to the metal scene around Boston with heavy guitar tones, brutal screams, beautiful singing and aggressive drumming. *** JULIANA HATFIELD has teamed up with PAUL WESTERBERG (The Replacements) to form the duo THE I DON’T CARES with a new single “Born for Me” and a 16-track album, Wild Stab, released days ago. *** Another next generation performer is BAXTER HALL who is the young guitarist son of MARNI HALL (Robin Lane/ Rick Berlin). He plays in two bands CLYDE BROWN and MONTY’S LOBSTER. CLYDE BROWN is currently working on a four-song EP at BlueBox Studios in Acton, MA. Members of this young band include bassist WILLEM THUM (17 years old), his little brother NOLAN THUM (15 years old), 16 year old BAXTER, and 18 year old lead singer ERIC WELOTH. They play contemporary blues. Willem, Nolan and Eric were previously in local alternative band THE VIBES.  MONTY’S LOBSTER is a blues trio that has headlined The Middle East, Copperfield’s, and The Hard Rock Cafe. BAXTER is now taking guitar lessons from DUKE ROBILLARD. *** Speaking of the Duke department, his highness is working on three different new albums while rehabilitating from his shoulder surgery. One of them is Duke And His Girlfriends that features his band, four horns, and a host of local fantastic female vocalists – MARIA MULDAUR, MADELAINE PEROUX, KELLEY HUNT, ELIZABETH McGOWAN (of Downton Abbey fame), CATHERINE RUSSELL, and SUNNY CROWNOVER. It will be  music from the ’20s through the present. Also, The Van Vessem Gallery in Tiverton, RI, will be presenting a show of his photography with an opening extravaganza at the end of March. 30 images of many legendary musicians is included plus shots of his worldwide travels. THE DUKE ROBILLARD BAND will also play a special concert right after the art show next door at Sandywoods. Duke’s last release The Acoustic Blues And Roots of Duke Robillard has just been nominated for this year’s BMA (Blues Music Awards) in Memphis for Best Acoustic Blues Album. On it SUNNY CROWNOVER sings “Evangeline.” She and Duke are in the middle of working on the followup to their last release Tales From The Tiki Lounge. *** ROBERTO MIGHTY and KATHRYN HOWELL (Roberto & Kathryn) are working on their third album. She sings like Sarah Vaughn meets Ella and he plays guitar like Joe Pass meets Jose Feliciano. *** Best wishes  to music scene vet CORIN ASHLEY (The Pills) who suffered a stroke last month and has a prognosis for a full recovery. *** JULIET SIMMONS DINALLO has a new release called Dream Girl. We really dig the song “Tennessee.” Her first album No Regrets is great. She can sing and her Americana music is first rate too. *** Our new favorite band from Maine is BLACK CAT ROAD. They play blues based original Americana and are looking to get into a studio soon to lay down tracks for their next release. Members include JESSICA HINES (vocals/ washboard), KATE SEAVEY (bass/ vocals), SLOWPOKE JOHNSON (keys), CHRIS HARLOGH (drums), and STEVE BAILEY(guitar). *** Since Johnny D’s ‘s is closing at the end of March they have ended their legendary Sunday blues jam that’s been around since the ’80s. GRANT KELLY is looking for other venues to move the jam to, with Carla’s blessings. He will keep it as the Johnny D’s Legacy Jam and we’ll let you know where the music lands as soon as we hear. *** Happy birthday to RICH GILBERT (Human Sexual Response/ The Zulus) who turned 60 on January 7. *** North Shore guitar ace GARY HOEY will be spending The President’s Day weekend of February 11-14 at The Rock and Roll Fantasy Camp in LA (not Lower Allston) with Steve Vai, Warren Haynes, Tony Iommi, and Zakk Wylde. *** Local Weymouth rapper MARC VINCENT is working on finishing up and mixing his next project entitled Words From A Heathen. He is influenced by Tupac and Big L and his music is a new twist on an old school sound. We dig “Flyin’ Soul” and “The Fight” both cuts produced by CHRIS DOE aka RIZN and DEREK GILBERT aka DRG. *** Best wishes to local legend BERNIE WORRELL(George Clinton & Parliament Funkadelics) who is now battling fourth stage lung cancer. He helped popularize the sound of the keyboard/bass. He went to New England Conservatory during which he played with a group based in the area known as CHUBBY & THE TURNPIKES who later became known as TAVARES, who still plays today. Last month’s Noise cover story was on DANNY BEDROSIAN who replaced this founding member of Parliament Funkadelics more than a decade ago. *** Saturday Night Live band Beehive QueenCHRISTINE OHLMAN (Rebel Montez) and guitarist extraordinaire and band mate CLIFF GOODWIN recently joined THE JAMES MONTGOMERY BAND for a killer cover of Freddie King’s “Tore Down.” Local keys great MITCH CHAKOUR also joined in. Yeah baby! If shit like this happened in New York it would be on the cover of Rolling Stone! *** Manchester, NH, based band BEST NOT BROKEN has been selected as Dreamscape Records artist of the month for January. Guitarist STEVE FARRO (Pharaoh Entertainment) tells us their song “I Won’t Stop Loving You” is on the soundtrack of the Indy flick Most Likely. They are also nominated for a few awards in the upcoming New England Music Awards. *** An interesting duo of duo gigs at Third Life Studios in Somerville was RUSS GERSHON (Either Orchestra) on sax with drummer CHARLIE KOHLHASE and saxman PHIL NEIGHBORS with bassist AARON DARRELL. They finished with a quartet finale. It reminds us of the legendary jazz lofts of NYC when you could hear giants like Lester Bowie, Julius Hemphill and Arthur  Blythe play solo or duo in intimate spaces. Do you think they have performances like this in Duluth? *** Happy seventh anniversary to DENNIS BRENNAN (The Dennis Brennan Band) and DIANNA WILDE. At their actual wedding  PETER WOLF officiated and gave the couple an elegant ceremony. *** Mighty Mighty Bosstone DICKIE BARRETT (Jimmy Kimmel Show) jumped onstage at the Hometown Throwdown with UNNATURAL AXE at The House Of Blues. They gave a shout out to The Rat and large framed photos ofMR. BUTCH and doorman MITCH were on the stage’s back wall. Highlights included when THE QUEERS played THE REAL KIDS’ “All Kindsa Girls,” with RICK BARTON (The Outlets/ Continental) and his son STEPHEN BARTON (Continental) on guitar and RICHIE PARSONS (Unnatural Axe) singing. On the last night, Dickie brought up JAMES RYAN from The Hoodoo Barbeque at The Rat to thank him onstage for feeding the homeless in Kenmore Square as well as starving musicians. To paraphrase Dickie, James took care of the homeless and hungry before it was popular. *** How’s this for a fun NEW ENGLAND (the band) anniversary? Thirty-five years ago this winter during a tour with Molly Hatchett, all members of the group and crew were arrested by the Arkansas State Police. They were charged with lighting a federal interstate highway on fire. The band was in one bus with the crew in another speeding down the highway together. The band members started firing roman candles at the crew’s vehicle. Fines were paid but the plan to make last call in Dallas was compromised.

FINAL FIRSTS

Rita: That band is still on fire on stage. Lolita: And it’s reassuring to know they are still dangerous off stage as well. Let’s ask Rick what he remembers from when he was red hot. RICK HARTE (Ace of Hearts Records): That was a long time ago now. Do you mean Paul’s Mall, The Jazz Workshop, the Boston Tea Party, The Unicorn, The Psychedelic Supermarket?  Or seeing the Beatles at Suffolk Downs or The Rolling Stones at the Manning Bowl in Lynn?  Or the music period from 1976 to the present when I went to shows and then started to record my own records for Ace of Hearts? Lots of memories starting in 1964. Saw Jimi Hendrix twice also. Led Zep, The Who, and the Yardbirds at The Tea Party. Also Velvet Underground and the Jeff Beck Group. The Who and Cream at RKO and 58th Street Theater in NYC when both bands alternated playing 20-30 minute sets. Lots of fun back then. Regarding local bands it was either The Real Kids at The Summit or the Infliktors at Cantones. *** MICHELLE “Evil Gal” WILLSON (Michelle Willson & The Evil Gal Orchestra): One of the very first times I sang in Boston was when I was about 16 maybe just turned 17. Some more experienced friends had a band and let me sit in. It was at Copperfield’s!  My dad had to come pick me up afterwards and the entire band mocked me mercilessly about that for years! *** RICK PAIGE (ATOMIC DIMESTORE): The first gig I went to? Well technically, it would have been The Cars at The Paradise, which would have been the spring/summer of ’78? I had been to shows at The Garden and The Music Hall and The Orpheum before that, but those don’t really count. And then I went to The Rat for The Real Kids in the fall of ’78, maybe with The Shane Champagne Band? But I think it was seeing The Girls at The Rat a few weeks later that got me hooked. *** JEFF LAWRENCE (WRKO/ WNBP/ CBS Radio): First gig I ever played in Boston was a Richard Nader Rock & Roll Revival show at The Boston Garden. I was a drummer for The Belmonts (of Dion & The Belmonts fame), and it was a package tour with Fats Domino, Freddy Cannon (also from Boston), The 5 Satins, The Shirelles and Bill Haley & The Comets were the headliner. Rita: Great answers! Sounds like a good time to end the column. Lolita: See you in March.

Send your band or music business news to wachtelaj@gmail.com.

DIANE BLUE

by A.J. Wachtel

In my book, there are not many performances more entertaining than seeing and hearing an incredible blues diva belt out a song in front of a great band. Case in point is Ms. Blue singing with Ronnie Earl & the Broadcasters. For the first time in two decades the Blues Foundation’s 2014 Blues Music Award’s “Best Blues Guitarist,” Ronnie Earl, has increased the voltage of his band with the addition of this extraordinarily talented vocalist. And make no mistake, this is a perfect match made in heaven.

Noise: Before you were a performer you were a corporate trainer. Are there any similarities between standing in front of an audience of business administrators training them and standing in front of a crowd of blues lovers and singing to them, in terms of preparation, stress and personal fulfillment?

Diane Blue: The two situations are really like apples and oranges… no comparison.  Corporate training is work.  Performing the music that I love is my passion.  Obviously, corporate training wasn’t doing it for me in terms of fulfillment, that’s why I left it behind.

Noise: The way you got into music is extraordinary in a very bluesy way. Fact or fiction? One day after school, in a classroom as a trainer,  you heard musicians playing in another nearby classroom. After you walked over and met them you sang one of the few tunes you were prepared to perform at the time, “House of the Rising Sun” and hit it off so well that this event suddenly became a chance encounter that changed your life.

Diane:  I always credit my friend and first accompanist, Paul White, with encouraging me to sing in front of people. My sister had taught me how to play “House of the Rising Sun” on my dad’s beautiful old Gibson acoustic guitar that we had at home.  I was really shy about playing and singing in front of anyone, but I played it for Paul, and then he offered to learn any song that I wanted to sing.  He also gave me my first harmonica and encouraged me to teach myself how to play.   A few months later, he forced me to go to my first open mic.  We played three songs. That was the beginning in the early ’90s.

Noise: Your vocal style is influenced by artists Nina Simone, Koko Taylor, Dinah Washington, and Aretha Franklin. What part of each icon do you think is most evident in your own sound and onstage persona?

Diane:  Well, thanks for saying that my vocal style is influenced by these great artists.  I have a great amount of respect for them as singers… but really, I chose to cover their tunes because of the lyrics or the groove.  I try to be myself and deliver the message of a song as genuinely and soulfully as I can.  That’s the basis of my style.

Noise: You are both a strong singer and a skillful harmonica player. What blues harp players have had the biggest effects on your playing and what part of their sounds do you use in yours?

Diane:  When I was starting out, everyone told me to listen to the great players like James Cotton, Little Walter – you know the list – guys like Butterfield, Charlie Musselwhite.  There are a lot of great players who emulate the old school tone and might even be able to quote original solos and hooks note for note.  That’s not me. I sorta do my own thing, trying to emulate horn lines or even guitar licks instead.  I play what I feel, and try to interpret songs in my own way. People tell me it’s different, in a refreshing sort of way, and a lot of folks seem to like it.

Noise: Your singing is soulful and sassy. You can go from singing a funky soul song to a sweet ballad. How do you maintain your high level of passion for each extreme and then change styles in the blink of an eye?

Diane:  Each song has a life of its own.  Any professional musician will tell you, the song deserves the utmost respect and the best treatment from a musician.  I try to select music for my repertoire based on the way it makes me feel.  You’ll never hear me singing angry, hateful, or hurtful lyrics.  I do what I do to hopefully move people in a positive way, so that’s the focus when I sing any song.

Noise: While singing at the open mic night hosted by Little Joe Cook at The Cantab in 2008, you met Italian blues bandleader Roberto Morbioli; front man for The Morblus Band from Verona, Italy. You have toured all over the world with him. What are the differences between European and American audiences and care to share a short story about a great gig at a cool club in a foreign land?

Diane:  Our mutual friend, Jim Carty (local blues media man), brought Roberto into the Cantab one night when he was in Boston. Roberto had told Jim that he was looking for a female singer to feature with his band in Italy.  He heard me sing some R&B, and I played some harp, and then he offered me a two-week tour in Italy!  The first tour was just clubs in Italy, in the winter months, as I recall.  Afterwards, I went back a few times and did some clubs and festival gigs with him in Italy, Luxembourg, Germany, Holland, Belgium, and we also got an opportunity to play in Romania (Sighisoara Blues Festival) and in Bulgaria with Liviu Pop (a drummer who lives is Connecticut but is originally from Romania).

The European audiences are so appreciative of hearing an American deliver traditionally American music. In Romania and Bulgaria especially, they were so hungry for American music.  I sold out of all of my CDs in an hour at the fest in Romania, so I had no product when I got to Bulgaria. That was really surprising, and made me feel pretty good!  I was really treated like royalty by the festival organizers, and sometimes even the town/city officials who would honor me with a gift or flowers on stage.

Noise: You have played with Chicago blues guitarist greats Ronnie Earl and Muddy’s sideman Luther Guitar Jr. Johnson, Big Jack Johnson from Clarksdale, Mississippi, and Irma Thomas-The Soul Queen of New Orleans. What’s the difference in singing a Chicago blues tune and a Mississippi or New Orleans blues melody? Is there any difference in the way you sing in front of two great but very different axe-men Ronnie and Luther?

Diane:  As I mentioned before, when I sing I try to be myself and deliver the message of a song as genuinely as I can.  It doesn’t matter who I am with on stage, except that I get nervous when it’s the first time, just because I don’t know what to expect or what they might expect from me.  It’s a good kind of nervous energy, though.

When I played with Luther “Guitar Jr.” Johnson (who was Muddy’s sideman), he called me and asked me to play harmonica with the band at the Iron Horse Music Hall.  His saxman, Cookie, didn’t make it to sound check, so he wanted me to fill the gap.  Well, Cookie showed up for the gig, but Luther let me stay on stage for the night.  He paid me, so it was a legit gig.  Cookie was really kind to me, telling me the key of each tune and coaching me through the tunes. He’d help me figure out horn lines and then he’d play a harmony line.  That was the first time I played as if in a section.

With Big Jack Johnson, I played with him at Red’s Lounge in Clarksdale, MS – a real juke joint – during the Juke Joint Festival in April one year.  Dick Lourie, saxman and poet, introduced me to Big Jack and told him that I played blues harp.  Mr. Johnson invited me to sit in with his band.  I figured I’d play a tune and sit down.  After one song, he said, “You’re a monster on that thing, stay up here and play some more.” So I did.  Big Jack Johnson was SO kind and mild-mannered.  A beautiful person with a really big heart.  And a genuine old-school bluesman.

Irma Thomas is SO lovely, inside and out.  I had met and hung out with her band after a show that she did at the Regattabar in Cambridge.  The guys in the band actually came to the Cantab and hung out at my gig after their show at the Regattabar was over.  They told Ms. Thomas about me, and invited me to the show the next night.  She called me up and asked me to sit in on harmonica.  After she heard me play on one song (“Hip Shakin’ Mama”), she started singing “Baby What You Want Me to Do” and I sang harmonies with her.  She hugged me and said, “You don’t know how many harmonica guys want to get up and play with me on that Blues Cruise… THAT was refreshing, Miss Blue!”  She was so kind to me.  It was really a thrill to be on stage with her and her outstanding band.

Singing with Ronnie Earl & the Broadcasters is incredible.  It’s truly a spiritual experience every time I’m on stage with them.  Ronnie’s playing is so heartfelt and intense, I can hear him grunting and moaning the blues while he masterfully plays his beautiful guitar.  Ronnie tells me all the time, his band is like a family.  To me, it truly is a privilege and a blessing to share the stage with Ronnie and the Broadcasters.  They are such seasoned veterans, and a really tight band.  It really makes me reach for a very high bar and dig deep to deliver my best performance each time.  Ronnie doesn’t use a set list, so that really keeps me on my toes!

Noise: You are the first female vocalist in Ronnie Earl & The Broadcasters in two decades and you have been the featured vocalist on the band’s last two releases “Good News” and “Father’s Day”. How did this happen and how does this change the band?

Diane:  I think it was in 2009 when I met Ronnie, doing a duo gig at Right Turn in Arlington (www.right-turn.org).  He came to the gig (with his guitar), sat in while I sang.  Afterwards, he asked me for my card, and called me to “sit in” on a few gigs – at the Regent Theater in Arlington, at the Bull Run in Shirley, at TCAN in Natick, the Narrows in Fall River… and after that, he would ask me frequently to sit in on many of his gigs.  On his 2013 CD, Just for Today, he included a live version of “I’d Rather Go Blind” that I sang with him at TCAN.  Then, on his 2014 CD, Good News, he asked me to go into the studio and sing four songs, and I co-wrote one of these with him and Debbie Blanchard (“Six String Blessing”).  I was the only vocalist on that CD.  In 2015, on the Father’s Day CD, I sang on several tunes, doing a couple of duets with Michael Ledbetter of the Nick Moss band.  Shortly after the release of the record, Ronnie asked me to join the band!

The only change to the Broadcasters band is that now I’m in it!  They continue to be a tight unit, performing the soulful Ronnie Earl instrumentals that his fans love to hear.  But now, the concerts also include some songs with me doing vocals, and every now and then, I’ll play harmonica too.  Sometimes Ronnie lets the band take a bathroom break, and he and I will do a couple of country blues tunes in duo, then the band will come back and play for another hour.  Ronnie doesn’t take breaks in between sets.  He lets the momentum carry him and keeps going when he’s in the zone.

Noise: You are currently working on the band’s next release. Is their a title yet?How is that going and when do you expect it to be released?

Diane:  Yes, we were in the studio in early December for 2 days, and now it’s down to the mixing and final production details.  I don’t know the title yet.  It’s really up to the label, Stony Plain, to decide when it will be released, but I would guess that most likely it will be released in the spring of 2016.

Noise: On your debut album Blues in my Soul, on Regina Royale Records, you sing with Boston’s Queen of the Blues Toni Lynn Washington. How is it different singing with another vocalist and care to share a cool Toni Lynn Washington story with us? How are your two voices and styles similar and different?

Diane:  Our styles are very different, but we complement each other, I think.  Toni Lynn Washington is so amazing.  She sings the blues so righteously.  She has a quality and tone that is something truly special. Indescribably soulful and real.  And yet, her speaking voice is so gentle and soft.  She’s exceptionally versatile, and she likes to put her treatment to songs, stylizing songs by giving them a different groove, or maybe changing the phrasing to make it her own.  She’s remarkably talented, and I respect her so very much. And, she really knows how to get an audience in the palm of her hand. I learn from her every time we share the stage together.

When I was recording my album, Blues in my Soul, in early 2015, I chose to cover a couple of Koko Taylor tunes.  One of them Koko actually covered a Bobby Blue Bland song, “Nothing You Can Do,” and the other one Koko wrote, “Jump for Joy.”   The songs just needed Toni Lynn’s vocals. I asked her to come in the studio and trade verses with me.  We worked on arrangements together in my car, while we rode to the studio.  She offered her ideas about some backup vocals for a couple of other tunes, which I thought were great suggestions. She sang exactly the way I wanted to hear it – with the deep, rich Toni Lynn tone and attitude that I love!  I really admire what she does, and I love her as a person.

Noise: What do you see the national and local statuses of blues and all music scenes in general, and what’s in the future for Diane Blue?

Diane:  Wow.  That’s a big question.  Not sure I can comment on all music scenes in general.  The Blues seems to be alive and well in the NorthEast, especially with Ronnie Earl fans.  There are blues festivals all over America, and they seem to be going strong, with new artists emerging all the time, so that’s a good thing.

It really is difficult to make a living playing music these days, unless you reach the national touring level, but even then, it’s always a hustle. As for the music itself, there are no shortages of Blues Jams, at least in the Boston area.  Some of them are during daytime hours, so younger musicians can attend with parents, as well as people who have day jobs can go and not worry about being out too late when they have to get up and go to work the next day.

I think the future of the blues really depends upon educating the younger generation and helping to foster an appreciation of the music and the history of it.  Blues in schools is one idea that would help. Funding is difficult, so I know someone (sound engineer Bob Sloane) who has made it his mission to raise funds to bring blues to schools in Massachusetts, for a start.

What’s in the future for Diane Blue?  Touring with Ronnie Earl & the Broadcasters and hopefully writing some new music sometime. I enjoy being a featured artist on special shows and continuing to make music with my friends (a roster of musicians with whom I frequently perform in the greater Boston area).  Ronnie has asked me to open with my band for the show in February 2016 at Blue Ocean Music Hall in Salisbury, MA, so he’s cool with continuing with my thing, as well as being the singer in his band.  Once or twice a year, I like to do an all-female band showcase with some local female musicians and my friend, Lisa Mann from Portland, OR (who won the 2015  Blues Music Award for bass player).

Hopefully, I have a long way to go on this musical journey.  I feel very blessed and fortunate to be where I am today. I don’t take any of it for granted. I am extremely grateful to Ronnie Earl for extending so much kindness to me.  It’s inspiring the way he lives his message of “Spread the Love.”  I also appreciate my wonderful, loving, supportive husband who really understands that I need to do what I do, to feed my soul.

TALKING WITH FUNNY MAN DON WHITE

by Kathy Sands-Boehmer

Don White is one of a kind.  He’s a genuine guy who loves his hometown of Lynn, loves his community of fans and friends, and loves being able to communicate via songs, stories, and humor. Don was a keen observer of musicians as he was growing up and learning how to pick out some tunes on his guitar. It wasn’t until he made the connection and began to study comedians so he could learn about the art of performance.  When he married his music to his humor, things began to click.  His words and music and outrageously funny stories made an impact on audiences from all over.

Don White has teamed up with Christine Lavin who is another unique singer-songwriter with an astute sense of humor and a chronicler of all things human, especially in New York City. The two of them play off each other and involve the audiences at their shows. They are constantly reinventing themselves and their routines so it never gets old.

Don took some time to respond to some questions for The Noise.

Noise: When you first started out, I understand that you spent considerable time at the old “Catch a Rising Star” to observe some of the best comics in the country.  For you, that was an invaluable lesson in many aspects of comedy.  Off the top of your head, can you recall any details about what you learned from some of those comics?

Don: I call upon what I learned at Catch every time I set foot on a stage. To me, comics, folksingers, poets, storytellers all suffer from the same disease — they think they have something to say and they want to say it to as many people as possible. Early on I could see that each of these communities were trying to connect with audiences but they were all bringing a different set of tools to the job at hand. I still don’t understand why there isn’t more cross pollination between groups that have the same goal – communication. From the late ’80s thru the mid 90s I spent every free evening studying the communication skills of comics, poets, musicians and storytellers. All these years later I can feel the influences of each of these communities when I perform.

Noise: You consider yourself first and foremost a storyteller but you took a detour through comedy and folk music.  Do you have any favorite storytellers?  What is the core of a memorable story?

Don: I recently performed at the National Storytelling Festival in Jonesborough, Tennessee. Every Teller I saw there was bringing something to the art form that was new to me. That was in October and I still haven’t processed it all yet. For me there is a lot that has to happen for a story to be memorable. The content, the delivery – not being able to predict what is coming next or seeing the moral too early in the process all contribute to keeping me engaged and making the experience memorable. I would highly recommend that people who are curious about storytelling look up Bil Lepp, Donald Davis, Kim Weitcamp and our local heroes Judith Black and Tony Toledo.

Noise: You have said that you enjoy being a performance coach to younger entertainers.  I’m certain that you have given them much wisdom and many great stories about your life as a musician/ songwriter/ comic/ storyteller, but what have your students taught you?

Don: That’s a pretty good question, Kathy Sands Boehmer. Having taught performance, comedy and storytelling for over 20 years I’m pretty sure that I have acquired more knowledge than I have contributed. One major thing I’ve learned is to say, “I don’t know.” When you have four more decades of experience than the person you are teaching you can easily fall victim to thinking that your years give you knowledge and authority that they do not. You show respect to a student when you admit that you don’t know the answer. It does something to the relationship that is hard to describe but deepens the back and forth in a way that nothing else can.

Noise:  What’s your favorite thing about working with Christine Lavin?

Don: How much time do we have here? Her comedic sensibility is just remarkable. Her dedication to her work – her sense of mischief – her generosity – It’s a big list of favorites.

Noise: Have you tried to learn how to manipulate the baton like she does?

Don: No.

Noise:  You’re known as a guy who has a fierce love of family and your stories about your parents and children are as hilarious as they are touching.  Now that you’re a grandfather, have you started working on material about the youngest members of the White family?  Do you see any glimpses of any of them following in their grandfather’s steps?

Don: As far as material goes, a few anecdotes have found their way into the show but I’m nervous about writing about a subject before I can be objective about it. I’m so insanely in love with them that I’m afraid anything I write will be sappy and fall into the category of songs that make me roll my eyes when I hear them. Regarding the possibility of my grandchildren following in my footsteps – If you could see my journey to this point in its entirety you would see years of footsteps that no one should follow. They can be whatever they want. I’ll support it – within reason.

Noise: What’s up next for Don White?

Don: Be in the moment – enjoy the ride – be present but not complacent – and several other under appreciated cliches all of which boil down to trying to behave in a way that will look good from the end.

…

Don White and Christine Lavin will be appearing at  me&thee coffeehouse (28 Mugford St., Marblehead, MA) on Friday, March 6.  It’s a Don White Birthday extravaganza so who knows what to expect!

If you’d like to start writing live reviews of New England acts of your choice,
contact tmax@thenoise-boston.com – please put LIVE REVIEW in the subject.

Show listed with a “+” after the artist’s name indicate more acts on the bill.

…

Thur Feb 18  THE CALLITHUMPIAN CONSORT with ROGER MILLER @ Jordan Hall, New England Conservatory, Boston, MA

Fri Feb 19  CHELSEA BERRY @ Shalin Liu, Rockport, MA

Fri Feb 19  FOUR POINT RESTRAINTS + @ Pete’s Bar, Quincy, MA

Fri Feb 19  SARAH BLACKER + @ Passim, Cambridge, MA

Fri Feb 19  THE PEASANTS @ Tavern at the End of the World, Charlestown, MA

Sat Feb 20  STOP CALLING ME FRANK + @ The Midway, Jamaica Plain, MA

Sat Feb 20  VAPORS OF MORPHINE @ Atwoods, Cambridge, MA

Mon Feb 22  TAXIDERMISTS + @ The Midway, Jamaica Plain, MA

Thur Feb 25  AURUAL GARAGE + @ The Cantab, Cambridge, MA

Thur Feb 25  WILL DAILEY @ Stewart Gardner Museum, Boston, MA

Fri Feb 26  DEBRA COWAN + @ Me & Thee Coffeehouse, Marblehead, MA

Fri Feb 26  MUCK & THE MIRES + @ Koto, Salem, MA

Sat Feb 27  SETH GLIER @ Circle of Friends Coffeehouse, Franklin, MA

Sat Feb 27  BENT KNEE + @ The Midway, Jamaica Plain, MA

Sun Feb 28 (day show) CHANDLER TRAVIS PHILHARMONIC @ The Midway, Jamaica Plain, MA

Thur Mar 3  HEATHER MALONEY + @ Club Passim, Cambridge, MA

Thur Mar 3  TANYA DONELLY + Brett Milano’s book release @ Store 54, Allston, MA

Fri Mar 4  DON WHITE with CHRISTINE LAVIN @ Me & Thee Coffeehouse, Marblehead, MA

Fri Mar 4  ERIN HARPE & THE DELTA SWINGERS @ Amazing Things Arts Center, Framingham, MA

Fri Mar 4  THE UPPER CRUST + @ The Midway, Jamaica Plain, MA

Sat Mar 5  PESKY J. NIXON @ Off the Common Coffeehouse, Bridgewater, MA

Sat Mar 5  SARAH BLACKER + @ Homegrown Coffeehouse, Needham, MA

Sat Mar 5  TACKLE BOX reunion + @ Once Ballroom, Somerville, MA

Fri Mar 11  JULIE DOUGHERTY @ Finz, Salem, MA

Sat Mar 12  AIR TRAFFIC CONTROLLER (record release show) @ The Sinclair, Cambridge, MA

Sat Mar 12  JON BUTCHER + @ Thunder Road, Somerville, MA

Sat Mar 12  VARIANT STATE (Trio) +, Sonorium @ Gallows Hills Theatre, Salem, MA

Fri Mar 18  COUNT ZERO + 20th anniversary @ Once Ballroom, Somerville, MA

Sat Mar 19  DROPKICK MURPHYS @ Agganic Arena, Boston, MA

Sat Mar 19  FIREKING + @ The Midway, Jamaica Plain, MA

Sat Mar 19  CHRISTINE OHLMAN & REBEL MONTEZ + @ The French King, Erving, MA

Tue Mar 22  WHITE DYNOMITE + @ The Middle East, Cambridge, MA

Fri Mar 26  KEVIN CONOLLY @ Club Passim, Cambridge, MA

Sat Mar 27 (4:00pm)  CHANDLER TRAVIS PHILHARMONIC @ The Midway, Jamaica Plain, MA

Wed Mar 30  JULIE DOUGHERTY + @ In a Pig’s Eye, Salem, MA

Fri Apr 1  ALICE HIGHLAND Kenne Highland’s Birthday Bash + @ The Cantab, Cambridge, MA

Fri Apr 1  JAKE ARMERDING & FRIENDS @ Club Passim, Cambridge, MA

Sat Apr 2  THALIA ZEDEK BAND + @ The Midway, Jamaica Plain, MA

Sat Apr 9  MARK ERELLI @ Spire Center, Plymouth, MA

Sun Apr 17 (4:00 pm)  CHANDLER TRAVIS PHILHARMONIC @ The Midway, Jamaica Plain, MA

Sat Apr 23  THE REAL KIDS @ The Midway, Jamaica Plain, MA

Sun Apr 24 (4:00 pm)  TONY JONES & THE CRETIN 3 + @ The Midway, Jamaica Plain, MA

Sat Apr 30  41PROSPECT @ Luthier’s Co-op, Easthampton, MA

Fri May 13  THE REMAINS + @ Once Ballroom, Somerville, MA

Fri May 13  CHRIS SMITHER @ Tupelo Music Hall, Londonderry, NH

Wed Aug 3  JAMES TAYLOR @ Fenway Park, Boston, MA

Sat June 18  TARBOX RAMBLERS @ One Longfellow, Portland, ME

“+” after a act implies there are more acts on the bill

If you’d like to start writing live reviews of New England acts of your choice,
contact tmax@thenoise-boston.com – please put LIVE REVIEW in the subject.

Show listed with a “+” after the artist’s name indicate more acts on the bill.

…

Thur Mar 3  HEATHER MALONEY + @ Club Passim, Cambridge, MA

Thur Mar 3  JOHN POWHIDA + Brett Milano’s book release @ Store 54, Allston, MA

Fri Mar 4  DON WHITE & CHRISTINE LAVIN @ Me & Thee Coffeehouse, Marblehead, MA

Fri Mar 4  ERIN HARPE & THE DELTA SWINGERS @ Amazing Things Arts Center, Framingham, MA

Fri Mar 4  THE UPPER CRUST + @ The Midway, Jamaica Plain, MA

Sat Mar 5  TRINARY SYSTEM + @ Store 54 Allston, MA

Sat Mar 5  PESKY J. NIXON @ Off the Common Coffeehouse, Bridgewater, MA

Sat Mar 5  SARAH BLACKER + @ Homegrown Coffeehouse, Needham, MA

Sat Mar 5  TACKLE BOX reunion + @ Once Ballroom, Somerville, MA

Fri Mar 11  JULIE DOUGHERTY @ Finz, Salem, MA

Fri Mar 11  DAVID ROVICS @ Community Church of Boston, Boston, MA

Sat Mar 12  AIR TRAFFIC CONTROLLER (record release show) @ The Sinclair, Cambridge, MA

Sat Mar 12  JON BUTCHER + @ Thunder Road, Somerville, MA

Sat Mar 12 (two shows)  DUKE LEVINE (record release) @ Atwoods, Cambridge, MA

Sat Mar 12  VARIANT STATE (Trio) +, Sonorium @ Gallows Hills Theatre, Salem, MA

Wed Mar 16  LIZ FRAME + @ Katrina’s, Gloucester, MA

Fri Mar 18  COUNT ZERO + 20th anniversary @ Once Ballroom, Somerville, MA

Fri Mar 18  DARLINGSIDE @ The Sinclair, Cambridge, MA

Fri Mar 18  DOUG MacDONALD BAND @ Cantab, Cambridge, MA

Sat Mar 19  DROPKICK MURPHYS @ Agganic Arena, Boston, MA

Sat Mar 19  FIREKING + @ The Midway, Jamaica Plain, MA

Sat Mar 19  CHRISTINE OHLMAN & REBEL MONTEZ + @ The French King, Erving, MA

Tue Mar 22  WHITE DYNOMITE + @ The Middle East, Cambridge, MA

Thur Mar 24  MR. AIRPLAIN MAN @ Atwoods, Cambridge, MA

Fri Mar 25  ALASTAIR MOOCK + @ Me & Thee Coffeehouse, Marblehead, MA

Fri Mar 25  CHRISTINE OHLMAN & REBEL MONTEZ @ Amazing Things, Framingham, MA

Sat Mar 26  KEVIN CONOLLY @ Club Passim, Cambridge, MA

Sat Mar 26  ROY SLUDGE TRIO @ Atwoods, Cambridge, MA

Sun Mar 27 (4:00pm)  CHANDLER TRAVIS PHILHARMONIC @ The Midway, Jamaica Plain, MA

Wed Mar 30  JULIE DOUGHERTY + @ In a Pig’s Eye, Salem, MA

Fri Apr 1  ALICE HIGHLAND Kenne Highland’s Birthday Bash + @ The Cantab, Cambridge, MA

Fri Apr 1  DAVID MALLETT @ Me & Thee Coffeehouse, Marblehead, MA

Fri Apr 1  JAKE ARMERDING & FRIENDS @ Club Passim, Cambridge, MA

Sat Apr 2  THALIA ZEDEK BAND + @ The Midway, Jamaica Plain, MA

Fri Apr 8  STEPHEN KELLOGG + @ Me & Thee Coffeehouse, Marblehead, MA

Sat Apr 9  MARK ERELLI @ Spire Center, Plymouth, MA

Sat Apr 9  BOXCAR LILIES @ Linden Tree Coffeehouse, Wakefield, MA

Fri Apr 15  MAIDEN NEW ENGLAND + @ The Midway, Jamaica Plain, MA

Fri Apr 15  CHELSEA BERRY (opening for Belinda Carlisle B-52s) @ The Cabot Theater, Beverly, MA

Sun Apr 17 (4:00 pm)  CHANDLER TRAVIS PHILHARMONIC @ The Midway, Jamaica Plain, MA

Sat Apr 23  THE REAL KIDS @ The Midway, Jamaica Plain, MA

Sun Apr 24 (4:00 pm)  TONY JONES & THE CRETIN 3 + @ The Midway, Jamaica Plain, MA

Sat Apr 30  41PROSPECT @ Luthier’s Co-op, Easthampton, MA

Fri May 6  MINIBEAST + @ The Midway, Jamaica Plain, MA

Sat May 7  THE CRANKTONES + Easy Ed’s Variety Hour 10th Anniversary @ The Midway, Jamaica Plain, MA

Fri May 13  THE REMAINS + @ Once Ballroom, Somerville, MA

Fri May 13  CHRIS SMITHER @ Tupelo Music Hall, Londonderry, NH

Sat June 25  T MAX & BIRD MANCINI @ Cultural Center of Rocky Neck, Gloucester, MA

Wed Aug 3  JAMES TAYLOR @ Fenway Park, Boston, MA

Sat June 18  TARBOX RAMBLERS @ One Longfellow, Portland, ME

…

“+” after a act implies there are more acts on the bill

If you’d like to start writing live reviews of New England acts of your choice,
contact tmax@thenoise-boston.com – please put LIVE REVIEW in the subject.

LENGTHY QUESTIONS

Rita: In a galaxy far far away… Lolita: Hey, the latest Star Wars movie The Force Awakens came out last year. You sound like you are in a rut. Rita: I live in a rut. Stop by anytime. It’s a great way to introduce our Question of the Month. What is the farthest you’ve ever traveled to play or see a show – and fill us in on the details. Hey, Carter can you stop spinning discs and tell us your answer? CARTER ALAN (WZLX): I traveled to Berlin to see Roger Waters  play Pink Floyd’s Wall at the Berlin Wall.  This occurred July 1990 just months after the Berlin Wall fell and Germany reunited. Unforgettable. I felt like a peace emissary standing at that crossroads of history, dancing with the East German troops to “Run Like Hell.” Howzat? Okay? *** JOHNNY ANGEL (Johnny Angel Wendell & the Fabulous Knuckerholes): 3000 miles. Abbey Lounge. I wanted to sing Blackjacks songs again. *** CHRISTINE OHLMAN (Christine Ohlman & Rebel Montez/ The Saturday Night Live Band): Provence, France. In one word, opulent.  A wedding with GE Smith, The Coasters and US All-Star band for the granddaughter of the US Ambassador to France and the grandson of the Russian Ambassador to France with an international jet-set audience. *** PHIL IN PHLASH (photographer): Okay, I flew from Chicago to upper state New York in a thunder storm on Halloween. When I took off a plane crashed in a cornfield outside Chicago! I thought I would die. The plane tossed and dropped altitude. A wicked storm to photograph PHISH! In one word – fantastic or maybe fantabulous! Why? ’Cause it was a cosmic costume party. All the fans were dressed – there was a Halloween contest for best costume – and I was hired to photograph. One of my photos is on a Phish album. Very trippy time for all and like a weird dream for me. I think something was in those cookies…

NOTABLE NOTABLES

Rita: Everyone who meets me at a nightclub loves to talk to me and thinks I would make the perfect bartender. Lolita: That’s because pour rhymes with whore. Okay, time to separate the drunkards from the alcoholics, start squealing you pig! *** A new band with old friends. THE NAKED I’S consists of ASA BREBNER, JOHN PFISTER, TRICK WALLACE, DAVID CHAMPAGNE, GEORGE HALL and JOE DONNELLY. They play punk rock covers. Come drink, dance, clap, sing a long, take your clothes off. *** Newport’s SUSAN COWSILL just named 2015 Offbeat Magazine‘s best female vocalist. Her upcoming album, Love Is Strange, with MARK  LINDSAY (Paul Revere & The Raiders), under the name LINDSAY COWSILL,  will be released on April 7th with a release party in Marlborough at the Best Western Royal Plaza Trade Center a few weeks later. Plan ahead. *** Have you seen RUBY ROSE FOX and THE GLORIA STEINEMS yet? RUBY ROSE FOX, JULIA MARK, MALLY SMITH and COLLEEN MCNAMARA had a great Valentine’s Day night gig at Atwoods Tavern. *** STEVEN TYLER has a new charity called Janie’s Fund. A big voice for abused girls. Tyler was overheard saying “Janie’s got a gun and now Janie’s got a friend.” *** SEAN MCNALLY from Cringe Productions has been the man behind the great celebrity series at Johnny D’s as the club winds down to its closing this month. ROBIN LANE, JON BUTCHER and JOHN CAFFERTY all had superb shows. Back in the day, Sean managed SAM BLACK CHURCH, and booked hardcore local shows with SLAPSHOT, BAD BRAINS, AGNOSTIC FRONT, BIOHAZARD and FUGAXI. The club is closing its doors with a second line brass band procession through Davis Square on Sunday the 13th. Leading the charge is THE REVOLUTIONARY SNAKE ENSEMBLE led by KEN FIELD. Boston’s costumed improvisational brass band is celebrating their twenty-fifth anniversary this year. Also scheduled is Somerville’s SECOND LINE SOCIAL AID & PLEASURE SOCIETY BRASS BAND – a 25-piece New Orleans style group who are also the founders of the HONK! Street Festival *** The Brendan Behan Pub is on the market for three million dollars. Although not many bands played there in the past decade, in the late ’80s and early ’90s it was a great place to see acts in Jamaica Plain. *** THE HOT TAMALE BAND was in The Hasty Pudding “Woman of the Year” award parade in Harvard Square. MICKEY BONES, SCOTT SHETLER, and MARK CHENEVERT really rock in a New Orleans type of way. *** More than just a pretty face with a dry and intelligent wit, the kind thrifty reverent and most amazing go-go dancer JENNY JASMINE (The Band That Time Forgot) is also an accomplished sculptress. Her work (Maestre) was recently featured as part of a D’Armour Museum of Fine Arts exhibit. *** Blues diva SHIKIBOO BOSTON has just finished her new single “Dried Up” with DANNY ZUG, LAWRENCE TERRY, and STEVE WEJULI-OUNDO. The tune is basically about taking someone for granted to the point they left the relationship. *** Boston songwriter/multi-instrumentalist sideman MARK ERELLI is releasing For A Song on April 8. It’s full of introspective folk ballads and Grammy winner PAULA COLE sings on two of the 12 songs. *** Have you checked out the new Worcester band STRIPPED DOWN? MOLLY GREEN, GEOFFREY OEHLING, and JOE D’ANGELO really rock. *** Comedian/Musician CHANCE LANGTON recently recorded a great demo of his soulful ballad “Love the Babies” from his score for the upcoming movie/musical. When six-string legend ROY BUCHANAN used to come to town on tour in the ’80’s he’d always call Chance up to join him on guitar for a tune. Fun Chance Langton fact: He signs all of his communications “C of L.” *** MICHAEL NAIMO of Naimo Gallery (18 Commercial St, Salem, MA) invited us to his Second Thursday Creative Nights. He’s asking artists to hang art on his walls, musicians to come sing their songs, poets to get it out for all to hear, actors to do their monologue, and film makers come show their shorts or clips. *** Vendors wanted. Acoustic musicians wanted. On Mass. Ave in Cambridge every Saturday. The Out of the Blue Too Art Gallery has a mission to organize support and present the creative efforts of local artists and musicians from the Cambridge community. The gallery encourages artists of all backgrounds to share and celebrate their uniqueness and talent from different cultures, genders, ages and academic backgrounds. *** KRISTA METTLER from Skye Media and Design turned us on to a great Vermont group DWIGHT & NICOLE. He plays electric guitar and sings harmonies to her passionate and soaring vocals. We dig their songs “On Top of the World” as a duo and the slow blues “Slow Blues” with a full band. *** NIKI LUPARELLI is bringing her show “One Night At CBGB” to Oberon in Cambridge real soon. Three tribute bands covering The Ramones, The Talking Heads and Niki will front a band as Fat Blondie. The event will be mc’d by KEN REID and featuring lovely ladies of Burlesque a Go-Go. *** DANNY BEDROSIAN (Secret Army/ George Clinton & Parliament Funkadelic) recently released Motherfunkin’ on his Bozfonk Moosick label. It’s an amazing mash-up of re-mixes and formerly released tracks that is a collaboration between Danny and artist Steffen Klausen aka DANISH REMIX AUTHORITY. It’s a primo party record. *** Berklee cats DEAD POET SOCIETY are going on their first ever international tour supporting Sputnik. Think Queen of the Stone Age meets The Foo Fighters. No frills rock. JACK UNDERKOFLER (vocals/guitar), JACK COLLINS (guitar), NICK TAYLOR (bass) and WILL GOODROAD (drums). *** Former frontman of The Great Divide KEVIN CONNOLLY released the roots rock “Suitcase And A Rifle” video from his 2015 CD Ice Fishing. *** Connecticut blues guitarist extraordinaire JAY WILLIE tells us his band is in the studio working on their next release. His long time drummer BOBBY T was pounding for THE JOHNNY WINTER BAND during the ’80s. *** North Shore’s BUCKET OF BLUES BAND has been together for eight years. They will be playing at the Fourth Annual Blues for Veterans show at Liberty Park in Woburn in the middle of September. They’ve got four lead singers: LARRY POWER vocals/guitar, BILL CUMMINGS vocals/bass, LEROY PINA vocals/drums and JACK REARDON vocals/harmonica. ***JON MACEY (Foxpass) and LYNN SHIPLEY have a new band HUMMINGBIRD SYNDICATE. CHRIS MACLACHLIN is the bassist and you might remember him from HUMAN SEXUAL RESPONSE.

MORE LONG AND SHORT ANSWERS

Rita: Enough with gossip and factoids Time to sober up and get serious again.  Back to our Question of the Month. Hey Jon we were just talking about you how about  you stop rehearsing and answer our question? What’s the longest you ever had to travel for a gig? JON MACEY (Hummingbird Syndicate): The furthest I traveled to play was to Chicago from NYC. A one word description? Loaded. Because that is how I was back then. The band was Tom Dickie and The Desires. Had a semi-hit tune. Three Boston guys based in NYC and signed to Mercury in the early ’80s. *** ASA BREBNER (Robin Lane & The Chartbusters): The farthest I’ve ever gone to play a gig was The Senajoki music festival in North Finland with Jonathan Richman. In one word it was surreal. Playing a show after driving for two days through the land of the midnight sun which hovered ceaselessly in the sky with Andy Paley on drums to a huge audience of mohawk, green hair wearing, recent punk rock enthusiasts, most of whom were staggering  drunk and puking their guts out while we tried to translate from the Finnish into local Medford dialect like : ”Sven- you can’t fuckin” drive!, You ah too fuckin’ hammered.. you can’t fuckin’ drive..” was surreal. I chose this gig because it was funnier. The show in Perth was farther. *** CHELSEA BERRY (Chelsea Berry): I drove fourteen hundred miles to play a show in Minasota. Was the first on a tour but that part of the routing was bonkers. Probably my fault.  In short,  I remember the gig as heartwarming. A guy from my hometown of Chugiak, Alaska, and a woman from Gloucester, MA (where I’ve been living for the last eight years), both now residents of Stillwater MN, came out to support me. *** BILL COPELAND (Bill Copland Music News): I traveled to Greenfield, MA, from southern New Hampshire. Briefly, it was dazzling. Birds of Flame (a western Mass tribute to the Mahavishnu Orchestra and other fusion giants of the ’70s and ’80s) performed their progressive rock-fusion jazz material and a fresh interpretation of Edgar Winter’s “Frankenstein.”

INSIGNIFICA

Lolita: Whenever anyone mentions a monster I think of you Rita. Don’t frighten anybody but it’s time to let you spread the word again. *** Long time entertainment journalist JIM SULLIVAN is now working hard to help bands spread the word. BOSTON ROCK/TALK is a live music/interview show, co-produced by RALPH JACODINE and Jim. Videos have been shot at Comcast Studio in Norwell, or clubs, or at The VerbHotel/Hojoko. Four or five songs done by the artist and 20 to 25 minutes of chat with Sullivan. We think of it as an Inside The Actors Studio for musicians sort of deal. It’s serious, but witty and fun and exclusively on XFinity On Demand in New England. You can get it on YouTube after thirty days. *** Lead singer BILLY HOUGH of Boston’s GARAGE DOGS and LILI TAYLOR won an Earphone Award from Audiophile, for their narration of Michael Cunningham’s A Wild Swan audio book. Billy also scored the music for it. The Garage Dogs have two songs in Oren Moverman’s movie A Time Out Of Mind which Billy is also in. *** North Shore guitarist GARY HOEY just back from the Rock ‘n Roll Fantasy Camp with WARREN HAYNES, TONY IOMMI, and STEVIE VAI. At a recent show at The Whiskey A Go Go on Sunset Strip in L.A. they were joined by ZAKK WYLDE. *** If you are near Coventry, RI, don’t miss RAM acoustically strut his stuff every Tuesday at Pond Pub & Pizza and every Thursday first at Tee Plaza and then at Garden Zen. A big man in a small state. *** Check out ADAM KHALIL and his new band THE RELEVANT ELEPHANT. We dig their single “Rock ‘n Roll Band.” *** Happy belated 60th birthday to MUZZY from BEATLEJUICE and happy belated 18th to his son TIM MUZZY. *** The daughter of Indy songstress and Salem native MARY LOU LORD, ANNABELLE LORD-PATEY is the next generation of talent. At a recent performance at Koto in Salem she was joined on stage by another young musician from The North Shore MATT MINIGELL. *** FRANK CYR former keyboardist with Blockyard has the next generation of talent in his son DALTON CYR. His song “Invisible” is cool pop/rock and is a pretty passionate ballad. *** CLUB LINEHAN A GO GO with KENNE HIGHLAND, MIKE Q QUIRK and JOE QUINN reunited last year. They insist they never broke up. They also played at Q’s 50th birthday party at The Cantab. *** Congrats to guitar ace DAN LAWSON for winning the 2015 Limelight Music Award’s Album of the Year with guidance and musical expertise from Rod Stewart impersonator RICK LARRIMORE at Dreamland Studios. *** Medical update concerning BRUCE FREEDMAN the former manager of the West Hartford Agora Ballroom and his fight with cancer. Sadly, the doctors can’t do much more for him except to make him comfortable. Sometimes life really suck’s and then you die, folks. *** Check out Beehive soundman DENNIS D’ANGELO‘s production on a nice metal ballad “Footprints” a great cut featured on the new release from PERFECT MARK. Check out the cool five-string fretless bass sound. *** Plan ahead. SCISSORHEAD is a four-piece band from Portsmouth, NH, fronted by singer/ songwriter IRONLUNG. The group has a strong libertarian viewpoint and defines itself as playing “acid mountain music.” They are coming to Great Scott’s at the end of May. *** Check out STONE GIANT. A great modern classic rock band. Sorta like Zep meets Sabbath meets Jack White meets Deep Purple. They are busy working on the follow-up to  their last year’s release Wolf. *** National acts MICHAEL ALLMAN, CHARLES NEVILLE and JEFF PRITCHELL  played locally at Johnny D’s and in their set they performed BRUCE MARSHALL‘s song “If Dreams Were Money.” The song won an ASCAP songwriter award in 1991 and Bruce got forty hours of free studio time at Synchro Sound which was owned by The Cars at the time. Bruce told us that although he didn’t make it to one of Johnny D’s swan song shows, he’s happy at least one of his tunes did. *** MELISSA FERRICK had a killer gig at the Me & Thee Coffeehouse in Marblehead. We love her cut “I Don’t Want You To Change.” A great song. *** PETER WOLF came out for the encore with The Bruce Springsteen Band at The Garden. Bruce was playing The Isley Brothers’ classic “Shout” when his wife Patti Scialfa saw Peter at the side of the stage and invited him up to join in on the fun. Wolf’s next release A Cure For Loneliness is due out next month. Get ready for the cure. *** JOHN FERRY from Bim Skala Bim also plays in DUPPY CONQUERORS – a Bob Marley tribute band. *** Metal pop band SWEET CHEATER are back together and shook the roof of The Tank in Agawam. The band is still all original members including MIKE CHAPPEL, MARK RAHILLY, TOM FLAHERTY, CRAIG JACKSON and TOM LEGER. Tom also plays in THE BROOKLYNS. *** GREEDY GEEZER has re-surfaced with his Garage Night formerly at The Granite Rail in Quincy. It is now at The Raynham Flea Market every Sunday. THE TOKYO TRAMPS will be there and so should you! Meanwhile The Tramps are finishing their latest release and aren’t sure if they want to look for a deal or release it themselves. Stay tuned. *** Brighton surf rockers B11 are busy working on their next album Vitamin For The Soul. Expect it out later this year. *** Carly Simon’s long-time guitarist PETER CALO  recently played at Carnegie Hall backing one of his hero’s ERIC BURDON from THE ANIMALS. He even got to play “House of the Rising Son.” *** Check out the new hip-hop collaboration from MR. LIF and EDAN for his new album Don’t Look Down. The song is called “Whizdom” and it features our homie BLACASTAN. *** Christine Ohlman & Rebel Montez working on their seventh CD The Grown Up Thing scheduled to be released later this year. *** The Spotlight Tavern is a great Beverly club. The sign above their new back bar says “Only You Can Prevent Empty Venues. Support Local Music.” *** Believe it or not The Cantab in Central Square isn’t just famous for MICKEY BLISS‘s  Club Bohemia. Tuesday nights feature the best on the bluegrass scene and Sunday has a blues jam hosted by HOT SAUCE. *** SOUP is the latest incarnation of MIKE LIFE VENTURA from Worcester. Known for singing in STONE SOUP and LIFE WITH DANIMAL in the ’80s, today’s group consists of drummer ROGER HODGKINS from Boston and Worcester artists bassist PAUL O’DAY, guitarist TED CABANA, and  MIKE SINGER on keys. Check out “Lipstick Letters.” *** Also from Worcester, LARRY PRESTON from ’80s bands THE PRESTON PORTER BAND and ZONKERAZ is now a a known artist painter in North Hampton. He managed The Firehouse when it was across from The Centrum. BOB ALLEN the well known scenester from out on the other side of Rt. 128 tells us Larry is “an awesome guitar player, artist and a wicked cool dude.”

LAST AS THE CROW FLIES ANSWERS

Rita: Speaking of wicked cool dudes let’s ask LOUIS ST. AUGUST (Mass) to answer our Question of the Month: I flew from Logan airport Boston, MA to perform at The LA Amphitheater in California in 1989. In one word the show was “AMAZING.” Not because it was sold out with 15,000 screaming Stryper & Mass fans or that Mass rocked the show but because I was standing on the same stage that my childhood idol Roger Daltry had stood on the night before as he performed with The Who! *** HEATHER RICE-FAHEY (Lizzie Borden & The Axes): The farthest I have gone to play a gig was Monterey, CA.  I went out to audition for Quincy Jones in LA after my first year at Berklee and stayed in L.A. for the summer.  My friend, Dan Rothchild, present bass player for Heart and son of Paul Rothchild, the producer of the Doors, was my bass player.  It was an amazing summer.  Best part was recording one of Dan’s songs and having his father produce it.  I think the farthest gig in Mass was the one we played at Westfield State College.  Boy do we have stories from that gig!  We played Lilly Tomlin’s birthday party.  It was Lilly, her friend and her dog. *** MO KAVANAUGH-LEGER (The Brooklyns): The Brooklyns played with Sweet Cheater in Chicopee MA. One word description, “Dusty,” Why? It was an outdoor gig, we played on a flatbed, and it was a Bike Run benefit for a little girl. It was an awesome time. *** MR. CURT and MS. DONNA: the farthest was North Adams. The MASS MOCA concert. The feature was Robin Holcomb, an amazing singer/songwriter/composer/pianist from Seattle, who was in residency there. She’s never played in Massachusetts, just NYC. Tis a pity.  The performance was transcendent.  Why? It was a cafe setting with a cushy couch right in front of the stage and we floated away with each new piece she introduced with her trio… like wow! *** Rita: Great answers! Sounds like a good time to end the column. Lolita: See you again in April!