Rita & Lolita

OCTOBER IN SALEM MA

Rita: Every year October is my favorite issue of The Noise. It brings the witch out in me. Lolita: Maybe it’s because Halloween in Salem, MA, is as big as Mardi Gras in New Orleans. Rita: It’s become a tradition that bands put on costumes and become other bands—just for the night. Lolita: Though Halloween in Salem runs throughout October—it’s so big that surrounding towns are benefiting from the spillover.

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TRICK NOT TREAT

Rita:  Have you ever experienced a “trick” instead of a treat? JIM TRICK (solo): I have made it my life’s work to be both a “Trick” (though I didn’t have a say in it) AND a treat!  The treat part I have more control over and I can tell you sometimes it’s soooo much easier to be a trick! *** KIER BYRNES (Three Day Threshold): Is this a trick? Lolita: Only if you don’t think it’s a treat to answer the Question of the Month. But we could always put words in your mouth instead of candy. Kier: Lolita, the last time I let you put something in my mouth, I told you that you’d have to let me put something in yours. Needless to say, my wife was very upset. Lolita: Sure she was upset, your Boston cream pie is the best.

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N.E. MUSIC NEWS

Rita: The Rat Room—I mean the Rathskellar Suite is now available for your enjoyment (if you have $500-$900 to drop) at the Hotel Commonwealth (where the original Rat once stood) in Kenmore Square. *** JEN MALONE, former publicist for Boston-based Black & White PR (Piebald, Hellacopters, Roadsaw) is now a music supervisor for film and TV in LA. She’s looking for bands to license for film and web projects. Send streaming links to jen@blackandwhitepr.net.  Instrumentals are used as well. *** ERIN HARPE & THE DELTA SWINGERS are now part of the VizzTone Label Group. *** MAX HEINEGG has MIKE QUINN (Reverse), ALEX NECOCHEA (Bleu/ Bang Camaro/ Township), ROBERT GAGGIN (The Luxury/ Sayhitolisa), WILL DAILEY (solo), and DANA COLLEY (Morphine) playing on his upcoming solo CD. *** J MASCUS (Dinosaur Jr.) is joined by Emmy-nominated FRED ARMISEN (Saturday Night Live/ Portlandia) in the amusing video of “Every Morning.” *** The Honk! Festival gets rolling on October 10-12. A wide variety of free events are scheduled in Somerville, Cambridge, and Boston. *** TERRY KITCHEN’s novel Next Big Thing is now available as a downloadable audio book on audible.com. *** WILL DAILEY is in the middle of his tour of France, where he is promoting his latest release National Throat that is charting (#18) on Billboard’s Heatseekers. *** THE REPLACEMENTS played The Tonight Show Starring Jimmy Fallon on September 9—and although they are a band from Minneapolis, they have New England ties now with DAVID MINEHAN (The Neighborhoods/ Woolly Mammoth Sound) on guitar. *** ROB POTYLO is back with a new series of Quiet Desperation—look up “EMF” (Pilot) A Boston Based Reality Series. Lolita: The series is based on ALVAN LONG’s magic to inspire young artists and give them a home. 

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CATS

Lolita: Cats definitely connect to Halloween—we asked our friends to tell us a cat story. MR. CURT (Fun Era Fifty): About eight years ago, our mama cat Ruby escaped. We searched for days—no luck. Put up “lost cat” fliers around the neighborhood. Weeks passed—still searching—still no luck. Seven weeks go by and suddenly we get a call from a couple at the other end of our street (200 yards away) who took in a stray who had wandered out of twenty-two acres of conservation land near our house. Eureka! She was down to four pounds, a bit withered, but ALIVE! Brought her home and we have remained vigilant ever since! Love ‘em like crazy! *** KERRI POWERS (solo): Reggie (Siamese) and T. (Calico) sit in my guitar case frequently before I hit the road. It’s their way of telling me to stay and feed them. ***RUBY BIRD (Bird Mancini): Iman was a handsome, feisty tuxedo male who got into crazy scrapes often. The worst was finding himself stuck on a third story turret at the start of Hurricane Bob.  As wind and rain increased, a large crowd gathered, Iman crying helplessly. No one had any good ideas on how to get him down, conditions becoming more treacherous by the minute. An electrician nearby donated a long ladder and an off-duty animal control guy risked his life and limb to finally get Iman down to safety… his foot touching ground as the hurricane began to howl. We wrote a letter to then-Mayor Ray Flynn thanking the man who had saved our cat (sadly, didn’t get his name.)  Ray wrote us back, stating proudly that only the best people worked for him. We still have that letter and a photo of Iman way up high, the wet crowd below peering skyward. *** MIKE PIEHL (Reverse): At our old band house in Somerville, Pete Armata (bass player from Expanding Man) ordered Chinese food. The delivery guy rang the bell and as Pete opened the door our cat Kiko ran out past the guy. Delivery guy said, “’Zat your cat? Thass a big cat!” Not even kidding. Lolita: Was he thinking about the meat for his next few deliveries? Mike: I have no idea but we still quote him to this day! 

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UNSIGNED ONLY WINNERS

Rita: Winners from the Unsigned Only competition have been announced. Here are the winners from New England… WILL DAILEY of Boston, MA (Folk/ Singer Songwriter x 3 and Rock x 2 and Adult Contemporary), KYLE BENT of Boston MA (R&B/ Hip Hop x 3), andTOM DOBSON of Bristol, CT (Adult Contemporary). Semi-finalists include: in the category of Folk/ Singer-Songwriter—ABE LOOMIS of Conway, MA, WILL EVANS of Westerly, RI, and JOEL CAGE of Meredith, NH; in the category of Teen ANTHONY CAMMALLERI of Westford, MA, RYLE LYNCH of Hartford, CT, and GINA MARSH of Boston, MA; in the category of Americana—GRANT MALOY SMITH of Wakefield, MA, JO EL CAMBIO of Boston, MA,  SADO-DOMESTICS of Boston, MA, TOM DEAN of North Conway, NH, and JOEL SCHWELLING of Bedford, NH; in the category of Adult Contemporary—JON LEVINE of Westport, CT, MATT CUSSON of Pittsfield, MA, SKYLER of Boston, MA, TEN CENT HERRING of Boston, MA, THE AEON LIGHTS of Concord, NH, and BACKYARD COMMITTEE of Bridgeport, CT; and in the category of R&B/ Hip Hop—YUNG STASH of Cambridge, MA, and SHI of Providence, RI.  Lolita: Congratulations to all.

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JOHN LENNON REMEMBERED

Rita: If he were still alive, John Lennon would be 73 on October 9.  What can you say about John.  PREACHER JACK (solo): If Sir John were alive today I would say to him, John although you were born a year later than I your love of early rock ’n’ roll is undeniable and we both share it. We both grew up in an era when music meant something, when music touched our souls, when music actually mattered! Granted you went on to earn millions with worldwide acclaim and I took a decidedly different route, nonetheless our love for the roots of rock ’n’ roll was something we had in common, and I consider you a brother. God bless you my musical brother! *** AD BOC (AfterFab-The Beatles Solo Years/Miranda Warning):  I’ve never been much of a crier, except when romantically heartbroken, but when my dad came into my room on the night of Dec. 8, 1980 and solemnly reported that John Lennon had been murdered, I bawled my eyes out for hours.  The Beatles have been it, musically, for me, all my life.  I don’t so much lament missing the music John might have continued to make, but would dearly love to have witnessed how he might have continued to mix it up with his political commentary, and advance the cause of peace.  “Give Peace a Chance” was recorded on my eighth birthday.  John inspired me to return to live performance after a decade away. ***BONNIE BARRISH (solo): That is amazing how old John Lennon is today! I have loved The Beatles, from the moment I ever heard their music, and have never heard any group that has a unique sound with their harmonics, like The Beatles!! John Lennon had a really hard life growing up, and became an incredible singer/songwriter/performer, and multi-instrumentalist! His voice was really a vital part of their distinctive sounds! When he collaborated with Paul McCartney, their music withstood time, for multiple generations! The Beatles have been incredibly prolific, as well as writing so many great songs, that are loved many years later, through multiple generations! *** JOHN POWHIDA (…International Airport): I read in a book about the Double Fantasy sessions that john loved “Sailing” by Christopher Cross. you just never know. Also he was my fave Beatle. *** LINDA VIENS (Kingdom of Love): I worshipped John Lennon as a musician of course, like so many of us did, but I also loved that he truly loved, celebrated, even championed his wife, Yoko Ono, who utterly had her own identity as a seminal artist and human being, and I loved that their life together was a constant collaboration: as artists, parents, political activists, dreamers, and soul mates. I cannot even comprehend what losing him was like for her. That she has continued to work tirelessly for a more peaceful and loving world, in the face of such devastating loss, is a testimony to why John loved Yoko so much. *** RAY MASON (Ray Mason Band/ Lonesome Brothers): There’s a scene in A Hard Day’s Night that never fails to knock me out. One of the stagehands starts messing with Ringo’s drums which puts him (Ringo) in a not very good mood. John then walks over, guitar in hand, and starts singing “If I Fell.” A huge smile forms on Ringo’s face and all is well as The Beatles proceed to destroy everyone in sight with one of the most beautiful ballads ever! *** JOHN TAMILIO III, Ph. D (JT3): The one of the most pointed things I can say about the legacy of John Lennon is captured in the second verse to my song, “Power to Write”: “December 8th, 1980/ In the dark of the New York cold/ Mark David Chapman gunned down John Lennon/ And the story was told. Eight years later, no one was satisfied/ People won’t let it end/ Mark David Chapman gunned down John Lennon/ And Albert Goldman killed him again.” *** BILLY CARL MANCINI (Bird Mancini):  All I can say about John Lennon is this:  If he had never become the famous Beatle he was, I would most likely never have been a musician, never met my wife, would     have had completely different friends, and would have lived somewhere else.  I’m sure this goes for many of us.  I’m not sure this was John’s intention when he started out but it is what he achieved.  Shine on John. *** JIM SULLIVAN (jimsullivanink.com): I talked to Sean Lennon after his band Goastt’s concert at Brighton Music Hall in June, and what he told me was that John didn’t really have any friends. The superstar status had put him on such a pedestal no one could relate to him normally—superfame was always a factor—nor he to anyone else, much as he wanted to. *** CHUCK U. ROSINA (WMBR/ WMFO): Everyone knows the tragic story of John Lennon. Those of us who grew up with the Beatles remember exactly where we were that faithful Monday night. What many younger people don’t know is the awful timing of this tragedy.   John had been driven off the scene primarily due to immigration hassles.  After years of court battles, he had finally got his green card.  But the whole process, coupled with a newborn baby he and Yoko had, simply left him exhausted.  He dropped out of the scene for five years.  No recording, no performing, no public appearances. His song “Watching the Wheels” is about this. In 1980, he and Yoko release Double Fantasy, and John was poised to take back his rightful place on the world stage.  Then poof, in an instant, he was gone. ***  DAVE TREE (Tree): Here’s a John Lennon quote I thought was right on the money “We must always remember to thank the CIA and the Army for LSD. They invented LSD to control people but what they gave us was freedom.” *** SHILO McDONALD (WMFO): The first time I heard “Imagine,” I cried. *** KRISTEN MILLER (solo): Lolita, remember that time we hung out with John in Washington Square Park when he was living in the Village? And he taught you how to play “Across the Universe” on the guitar? Yeah. That was cool. Lolita: Yeah, it was cool, but I think the sight of your red curls and sound of your looped cello parts were kind of hypnotizing him. I wish that day would have gone on forever.

    Rita: Check out all ghouls and goblins/ monsters and zombies in this issue. This has to be our best Halloween issue ever. Thanks to Ray Dollard for all his Salem Freak shots. We hope to see all of you in costume sometime in October. We’ll be back with another print issue just before the day of the dead holiday.  

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TEDDY VIRGIN (RIP)

Lolita: In late August we received the sad news that TED RODDEN (a.k.a. Teddy Virgin) who help start The Noise was found shot to death in Marin County, CA. Ted played bass in The Machines and printed up the first of many issues of The Noise. He also deserves credit for naming the longest running music magazine in New England. Below is The Machines’ single that his song “Analog” appeared on.  RIP: Teddy Virgin… 1… 0… 1… o… 1… 0.
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