DUKE ROBILLARD  ON THE ROAD AGAIN    by A.J. Wachtel After dinner, you are tuned into WBZ Channel 4 watching Jeopardy as Alex intones to the final jeopardy contestants: “What do Bob Dylan, Tom Waits, John Hammond, the late Jimmy Witherspoon, Dr. John, Maria Muldaur, and Roomful of Blues all have in common?” You find yourself screaming “Duke Robillard! Duke Robillard! Duke Robillard!” to the TV screen and you curse the stupidity of the blank-eyed threesome. You even know Duke won Blues … Read More >>

FLY AMERO  by Peter Van Ness Children are playing in a warm, sunlit field behind the Amero’s Southern Avenue home in Essex, MA.  Suddenly, Mother shouts out the back door: “Come quick! Gene Krupa is on Dave Garroway.” Dennis “Fly” Amero, along with his older brother and sisters race into the dark living room to be instantly mesmerized by the first superstar drummer.  Gene Krupa had catapulted to fame on Benny Goodman’s 1937 cover of Louis Prima’s hit, “Sing, Sing, Sing,” one … Read More >>

JON BUTCHER  GOES BACK TO THE FUTURE  by A.J. Wachtel Jon Butcher is a showman in every true sense of the word. Behind his charismatic smile is a heart full of soul and passion. And now, a generation later, he brings his iconic flashy licks front and center and revisits a great former band—Jon Butcher Axis. Read on and learn the differences between fact and fiction as the plot thickens in Butcher’s legendary life. Noise: In three sentences, give me … Read More >>

KATE TAYLOR by A.J.Wachtel Coming from the first family of music in Massachusetts bears with it certain responsibilities. For decades, Kate and her brothers have treated the world to their specific sounds of creative compositions. And now in the new millennium, another generation of Taylors delights us with their talents. Here is the gospel according to Sister Kate… The Noise: In 2009, you released your CD Fair Time! and a documentary DVD with Film Truth Productions called Kate Taylor—Tunes from the Tipi and Other … Read More >>