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April 2012

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Silver Circle Reviews

TIM MUNGENAST & HIS PREEXISTING CONDITIONS
(aka TIMWORLD)
Goat River Productions
Dhoom
12 tracks
This is the fifth CD of off-kilter rock-jazz-psychedelia-what-have-you from Mungenast and his talented sidemen, Michael Bloom (bass) and Jon Proudman (drums). The album consist, not of endlessly rehearsed, conventionally constructed songs; instead, the trio’s methodology mostly seems to consist in selecting a motif, then seeing how far they can carry it forward. It’s a series of live performances, warts and all, some of which are astonishing. In particular, the opening track “Dhoom,” reminds me, in intuitive ways, of “East-West” by the Butterfield Blues Band—accomplished raga-rock of the highest order. “Space Goat” is an interesting throwaway number which opens with a cranky clangor that devolves into a theme song about “a goat who fights crime in outer space.” (Nowadays, one sign of truly eccentric art is how resistant it is to being co-opted and mass-marketed. I don’t suppose we’ll be seeing this one on Nickelodeon any time soon.) “Cerulean” is a minimalist bass-heavy song-fragment with subtle percussion and a languorously convoluted guitar line. “Making Scary New Gods Out of Corn Husks” is another bass-pulsing bit of minimalism with time-warped and monumental guitar, and electric cello courtesy of Karen Langlie; you might describe it as music on a low simmer. “Spinach (Is Grown in Sand) is an oldie—a truly odd space-chantey with tumbledown bass, wistful backup vocals (courtesy of Kelly Godshall, of Amber Spyglass), and psychotronic guitar which distends out into a juddering finale. “Karen Lost in Middle Earth” is an extradimensional instrumental fragment teased through with liquescently dripping guitar and electric cello. “Mersault’s Blues” is quite possibly the most conventional track on here: a lovely vocal melody accompanied by a counterintuitive but equally lovely guitar line which sporadically bursts into a microcosm of chaotic psychedelia, with all the complex musical values of a jazz unknown and hitherto unheard.      (Francis DiMenno)

DARLING PET MUNKEE
Glows in the Dark!
7 tracks
Another brilliant concept band from the brains of concept meisters Michael J. Epstein and Sophia Cacciola along with Axemunkee’s Catherine Capozzi, who is continually pushing the envelope of how a guitar can sound. The idea was derived from ads for living squirrel monkeys and a play on the names of the bands the three are currently involved with. The result is a futuristic sci-fi surf extravaganza, which conjures Saturday afternoon creature features and late night comedy bits from an episode of The Ghoul. While the titles and the concept itself may seem a little kitschy and cute, the music is well thought out and evokes a panorama of moods and shades of dark and light. Michael, Sophia, and Cathy are easily some of the most gifted and innovative musicians in this town and everything they’ve done has been worth checking out. This combination of musical minds melds so seamlessly. I can’t recommend this album or band more highly. (Joel Simches)

VARIOUS ARTISTS
Under the Influence
12 tracks
Any time homage is being paid to some of rock’s biggest names, one knows it is going to be an amazing effort. In fact, the brilliance of Under the Influence is that it spotlights Berklee students and alumni. The collection is impressively vast, ranging from renditions of seminal bands such as the Pixies, Mission of Burma, Hüsker Dü, and Gang of Four, to the more modern tunes popularized by Green Day and the Red Hot Chili Peppers, to name a few. The disc opens with Julia Easterlin’s striking interpretation of the Pixies’ “Break My Body.” A powerhouse vocalist, her rendition is bold and emotive, while Da’Rayia’s “Give It Away” (Red Hot Chili Peppers) is positively funky and quite the departure from the soft-spoken sounds of Easterlin, but such is the beauty of a compilation of this magnitude. Admirers of Billie Joe Armstrong and company will delight in the Boston Boys featuring Emily Elbert’s “Welcome to Paradise” (Green Day), while David Pramik’s “I Still Haven’t Found What I’m Looking For” (U2) must be heard to be believed. Pramik’s soulful interpretation is just that good. On the whole, Under the Influence is a testament to the talent and skill within the Boston music scene. The album deserves a careful listen, if not for the wide variety of artists covered, then for the artistic liberties taken and the boundless creativity that the students and alumni exhibit throughout. (Julia R. DeStefano)

BILL GOFFRIER & SAUCER
Homebound Records
The Saucer Years
6 tracks
This record is pretty much what you would expect to get out of an outfit that includes members of both Big Dipper and the Del Fuegos. The songs are reminiscent of classic ’80s indie pop: heavy on the melody, but never sounding wimpy. Some songs have a hint of early R.E.M. twang, while the more fuzzed out numbers recall the Cars if that band had more guitar and less keyboard. The songs occasionally showcase a bit of humor, and they always show a real dedication to song-craft. While there is nothing here that amazes, it’s still a pleasant listen that does nothing to detract from the band members’ legacies. (Kevin Finn)

BILLY SHAKE
Crashing Down
11 tracks
Billy Shake is a band built around the songwritings of George Simpson, who is also the vocalist. At times Simpson channels Lou Reed filtered through Mark Knopfler and Warren Zevon. Simpson’s lyrics are cynical and ironic, roadworn, yet bemused. The music and vibe of this album might suggest an older audience, but has a rebellious nature and forces you to listen to it on its own terms, without preconception or bias. Delving deeper into the album reveals lush arrangements, stark acoustic mood pieces, casual bluesy grooves, and good ol’ fashioned rock ’n’ roll. I’m admittedly not a huge songwriter fan. What so many songwriters lack in dimension is beautifully illustrated here. The layers aren’t forced and the production has plenty of teeth, rather than a hollow sheen. I entered a skeptic and left a fan. (Joel Simches)

ALEX RAZDAN & THE A-TRAIN ORCHESTRA
ASR Records
Two-Timin’
14 tracks
Big band swing revivalism had a brief vogue in the late 1990s, but, insofar as the music and its tropes are timeless, this is a pleasant outing, with the expected assortment of cabaret numbers (a nuancical rendition of Kurt Weill’s 1938 classic “September Song”); early rock-era mainstream pop (“Sleepwalk” by Santo and Johnny); and bluesy classics (“Backstroke” and “Pinky”), with proto-rock standards such as “Looking Back” mixed in. The performances here are the polar opposite of moribund—they are executed with both clarity and panache, heard perhaps nowhere better than on “Cloudburst,” an instrumental version of the amazing 1959 Lambert, Hendricks, & Ross smash hit. The A-Train Orchestra’s rendition is bursting with an explosive, propulsive vigor which further exalts the already admittedly spectacular and incomparable original. Highly recommended. (Francis DiMenno)

TWO VIEW REVIEW

SARAH BLACKER
Perfectly Imperfect
6 tracks
Sarah Blacker sounds like a little bit of Emmylou Harris mixed with Regina Spektor and a smidge of Feist. This six song download lilts, tumbles and swoons along with some of the best pop acoustic music I’ve heard in a great while. With lots of hand drums, uke, mandolin, acoustic guitar and bucket of percussive toys, Blacker shifts effortlessly from one mood to the next: serious to silly, playful to introspective, mournful to hopeful. The arrangements are quirky and unpredictable, yet deliciously appropriate. The vocal harmonies are sublime. I can’t get enough of this release. Make more music soon!    (Joel Simches)

SARAH BLACKER
Perfectly Imperfect
6 tracks
Though a little shorter than her previous albums, Perfectly Imperfect, Sarah Blacker’s third trip into the recording studio, makes the most of six tracks. This new array of sound offers something different with each tune, whether it’s alternate instrumentation or a memorable vocal style. The title track, “Perfectly Imperfect,” brings a stripped-down treat for the ears, with an acoustic lead backed by finger snaps and hand claps that blend together to paint a scene of chilling on the porch in the summer sun, filling the air with some spontaneous sound. “Darling” is a more full-bodied brew, and with this tune Sarah shows what a diverse vocal range she’s built over the years, with her wide assortment of octaves making this opening number worth hearing again and again. In fact, listen to it three times. “These Summer Nights” is a track I sincerely hope I get to hear live someday. It’s so intense and melodic, and I can picture a packed club in Cambridge singing along and stomping their feet to this passionate creation. Eran Shaysh, Sarah’s touring partner, accompanies her on percussion and vocals, showing the amazing chemistry these two possess, whether it’s on the stage or in the studio. Sarah’s shown a great devotion to her craft, always giving her fans much more than their money’s worth. Perfectly Imperfect is no exception, and a great addition to any music-lover’s collection. (Max Bowen)

UNCOMFORTABLES
75 or Less Records
Across the Shields Vol. 1
10 tracks
This band is heavy, that’s for sure. So heavy they should have an umlaut in their name. Hell, they should have two. Yes, I can see the marquee now: Üncomförtables—Tonite at [insert local club name here]! All jokes aside, these guys ain’t bad. They do the whole metallicized punk-rock thing and they do it well. Grating guitars, pummeling drums, hoarse vocals, and an insatiable need for speed. They also throw a couple catchy melodies into the equation, as well. The guitar solos have a touch of blues to them with their string-bending riffage and, thankfully, don’t revolve around the dexterous yet utterly soulless pedantry of shredding. The guitars don’t rely solely on power-chords either. There are some open-sounding suspensions strewn in between the distorted chug-a-lugging. A pleasant surprise. Think Motörhead but with a bit of ’90s pop-punk thrown in there, too. Overall, this band has exceeded my expectations. Still, it’s nothing to write home about. I’m not exactly on pins and needles waiting to hear Volume 2. (Will Barry)

AJ EDWARDS
Start Over the Moon
10 tracks
To refer to AJ Edwards as “music appreciator” would be an understatement. In fact, the emerging singer, songwriter, and guitarist cites a certain pull that he felt towards the field. It was upon witnessing U2 perform live in 2001 that the determined and newly-inspired Edwards decided that he would make music his life and began by teaching himself how to play the guitar. In just a short time, an undeniable passion for songwriting was realized, coupled with a powerful desire to share himself and his creations with the world. It is through Start Over the Moon that the potential for stardom is apparent. Edwards’ meticulously crafted blend of indie-pop is especially evident in the album’s uplifting opener, “Undefeated” as well as throughout the heartwarming “I’m Open” and the closer, “Still Life.” Such a brand calls to mind Graham Colton, Pete Yorn, and even New England’s own Matt Nathanson. It is through a relaxing, mellow vibe that Edwards delves deep into subject matter that is both playful and profound, making this effort perfect for a coffeehouse scenario or as “chill out” music after a difficult day. (Julia R. DeStefano)

DAPHNE LEE MARTIN & RAISE THE RENT
The Telegraph Recording Company
Dig & Be Dug
10 tracks
The term eclectic doesn’t begin to do this band justice. You’d probably need to find some German loanword to even come close to defining this band’s mighty amalgam of vintage musical styles. They sound, at times, like a Mexican wedding with the spurts of mariachi horns and accordion. Other times, they sound like a New Orleans funeral with the nasally wah-wah of the muted trumpet. Or, like last call at some sleazy country-western saloon with all the pedal-steel twang. The list goes on. Martin’s lilting old-timey vocals are the only constant in this ever-changing backdrop of misc-Americana. Clearly, this is a very talented group of musicians with motley musical tastes. However, the album really measures high on the ol’ hokiness meter. It’s a little heavy on the sappy sentimentality, too, if ya ask me. Still, their nostalgia for the music of the good ol’ days is kinda nice in a wholesome sit-on-grandpappy’s-lap sort of way. (Will Barry)

DANIEL OUELLETTE & THE SHOBIJIN
Meanie Jeanie Records
The Enchantment (Songs to Sing Whilst You Sharpen Your Pencil)
11 tracks
When I listen to the opening track, “There Is a Wolf In California,” I think of how, in the mid-1970s, Bryan Ferry and David Bowie made much of this type of exaggerated cabaret rock. It’s certainly innocuous enough, though throughout the synth-slathered proceedings I’m also thinking that die-hard meat-and-potatoes rockers might find the whole experience more than just a bit fey. “I Want! (That Superman Song)” features lyrics that are witty in a densely camp way, while the synth-and-percussion based instrumental is equally clever. Among the more conventional songs, “Te Odio” is particularly appealing and notable. But it’s not all fun and games: “Out By Assawompsett” is a seriously twisted bit of weird, commemorative melodrama. I am hearing the songs on this album as falling midway between the balls-out garishness of the B-52s and the mumbling consequentialities of early REM. On the whole, this is also a bit like the Cramps for die-hard aestheticians—as though, instead of the Green Fuz and the Legendary Stardust Cowboy, the Cramps took Was/Not Was and Georgio Moroder as their weirdo role models. This is a hitherto under-explored back alley of the rock genre, which is not so much to say it is original than that it is oddly idiosyncratic, boldly off-kilter genre clowning. It’s odd in an oddly familiar way, and I can imagine that a lot of people who treasure up the offbeat, the one-off, and the unusual getting an enormous kick out of many of these strangely appealing tunes. (Francis DiMenno)

THE THROWDOWN BAND
Let Sleeping Dogs Lie
9 tracks
The Hendrix influence is huge here: whether it’s Stan Blues Jr’s screaming guitar solos or the arrangements in the songs themselves, where each tune starts out with soaring guitar work setting the groove. The big difference here is in Eric Savoie’s gruff and growling voice; this man can sing and his powerful heavy metal/blues delivery is both captivating and memorable. Songs like “The Day Love Dies,” “Dogs of War,” and “Sexy” are similar to Robin Trower ballads but more contemporary and better. They end the CD with a cover of “Voodoo Child” done differently, not note-for-note, but just as psychedelic. PLAY THIS CD LOUD. (A.J. Wachtel)

BAR SINISTER
Intense Human Victories
Great Satan
4 tracks
For the most part, Bar Sinister’s blend of dark, metallic post-hardcore works quite well. The intense but sparse instrumentation packs quite a punch while leaving an appropriate amount of breathing room. The music is moody and atmospheric, and the band is smart enough to know that occasionally taking things down a notch makes the intense parts sound even more furious. Unlike most punk-influenced bands, Bar Sinister isn’t afraid of stretching out; the four-song EP approaches twenty minutes long. The only real weak point is the singing. Over the first half of the EP, the vocals are fine, recalling J. Robbins from Jawbox: intense but melodic. Over the second half, though, the singing too often devolves into a rather tuneless cracked screaming. By the end of the EP, it has worn a bit thin. That said, there is still much worth recommending here. (Kevin Finn)

HOOKERCLOPS
I No Bueno!
13 tracks
Listening to Hookerclops makes me wanna snort a bunch of Adderall, shotgun a couple beers, and roam the moonlit city streets raising all kinds of hell. If you haven’t guessed already, subtlety is not one of this band’s strong suits. Writing rowdy punk songs, however, and pumping them full of ball-busting blues-rock riffs is. You gotta love their proto-punk primitivism, testosterone-fueled guitar, tag-team, rock ’em sock ’em drumming, and low-down skulking bass-lines, not to mention the absurdist sense of humor of the lyrics and their guttural vocal delivery. I mean c’mon, a one-eyed prostitute with lobster claws for hands? You can’t make this stuff up. Oh wait, yes you can. Their music speaks to the caveman in me that wants only to fight, feed, and, well, ya know—fornicate. No ego or super-ego to be heard on this album. It’s nothin’ but id on overdrive. (Will Barry)

THE SPACE SHARKS
The Space Sharks
9 tracks
The Space Sharks bring the big, loud guitars on this updated take on psychedelic-tinged classic rock. They’re not reinventing the wheel, but by no means are they pretending to. The band is technically quite proficient with Lonnie Richard’s guitar playing, flashy without being ostentatious, and Mike Martino’s dexterous fills providing most of the highlights. The production is excellent throughout, giving the record that live feel that is so often hard to create in a studio environment. At times, the listener is best off ignoring the lyrics, which can get a little flower-child goofy, and the distorted vocal effect on “Some Fantastic” is completely unnecessary. Overall, though, the Space Sharks have put out a lively, enjoyable record. While the band probably would have fit in better forty years ago, the emphasis on skill over preciousness will provide a welcome respite to those turned off by the overly mannered style of much of what is currently considered hip. (Kevin Finn)

GRAND EVOLUTION
Collide
4 tracks
Sarah Kenyon has a sweetly emotional voice, and this four song sampler serves up an ingratiating dose of transparent pop, from the kiss-off of “Sweetheart” to the melodramatically evincing “Forget You” with its bursts of double-tracked roundelays, and from the keening, chiming dynamics of “Goodbye” to the incandescently hook-laden “Better Off.” On the whole, a promising debut. (Francis DiMenno)

SATELLITES FALL
Midday Records
Line on the Road
5 tracks
Ever hear a song that you feel this insatiable need to run through a few times? That’s what hit me right off the bat as I listened to Satellites Fall’s EP, Lines on the Road. For this album, you’ll want to let this run on repeat, and trust me when I say that it’s time well spent. Lines on the Road has superb production value, with some added effects that enhance the strengths of the band. Influences like Oasis and U2 are cited, and while I can hear hints of these musical greats within this album, Satellites Fall clearly has the strength to stand on their own, taking a few lessons but incorporating plenty of their own material into the final product. Vocalist/guitarist Mark Charron brings some serious singing chops to this EP, supported and strengthened by Brian Bardsley and Davey Moore on guitar and Luke Riskalla on drums. “The World Outside,” my top pick of the EP, adds in some experienced piano playing courtesy of Charron. It’s easy to envision this alt-rock band playing to a crowd of thousands, but this is hardly the typical pre-packaged arena rock we’ve all heard a thousand times before. It’s got an easy versatility to it that fans from different genres can come together and appreciate. And I imagine that plenty of them will. (Max Bowen)

PAUL TAIT
Mixing My Emotions 1995-2010
10 tracks
Paul has been performing for decades, both onstage in theatrical productions and as a solo pianist/singer/ songwriter. This is a compilation of songs recorded over a 15-year period. If you are a fan of Elton John’s power ballads from 1972-1975, you are going to really like these songs. While the production of these tunes hasn’t aged as well as the songs (right at the beginning of the home studio boom), Tait performs them with an earnest passion and relentless sense of melody. I easily could see any one of these songs playing over the end credits of some summer blockbuster, or romantic comedy. Get on that, will ya, Paul? This is not for jaded indie rockers. It’s not for the emo crowd or the punk crowd. It is for the heart on the sleeve hopeless romantic. I dare you to listen to this and not feel moved. (Joel Simches)

JAPANESE MONSTERS
Bleeps, Sweeps, Creeps
6 tracks
This cool product—a red flash drive with a rotating metal protector for the USB jack—is loaded with synth sounds that made me smile. “Theme From a Norwegian Western” had a big phat bass synth beeping’ along to a disco beat with an opening lead synth melody that reminded me of the Dr. Who theme song. Everything was groovy until the vocals entered—they were either not loud enough or too loud depending on your aesthetics. “Animal” follows with another disco beat but flounders around too much—then those same vocals enter. Maybe they take some getting use to. “The Shore” gives more luscious synths—yeah! Oops, those vocals interrup my smiles again. I’m really trying to like them. (T Max)

SHV
Hexagon Records
Scene Ripper
4 tracks
What do dance music and underground noise have in common? Usually not much. Alley Dennig, aka SHV from Providence, takes any preconceived notions you may have and rams them down your pipe. You can groove to a couple of these songs. The others are more like Eno’s Music For Films than say Unicorn Hard On or Donna Summer. You can dance if you want to, you can leave your friends behind, but if you listen to SHV you’ll get a bloody nose, and like it. Music for dungeons or Studio 54, whatever mood you happen to be in. (Eric Baylies)

ROTARY CLUB
Woodside Records
Second Year In Swine
12 songs
Tom Devaney (ex-Bulkhead) fronts this exemplary combo, whose take on rock music is a must for anyone who cares about a non-heritage direction for a sadly battered form. The opening salvo, “Get a Room,” is tuff-sounding sideways rock ala late Beefheart or Ubu (not too surprising—Tony Maimone produces and contributes to the album). This track features powerful angularity yoked to a spacy undertow. The remainder of the album is very much in the same primo mode; it often sounds like rock transmitted from a slightly different parallel realm, with counter-intuitive melodies and instrumentations which provide a sonic palette that isn’t simply more of the same-old same-old. Overall, the production values provide beautiful compression in these valleys of passion. On “Union?”, foreshortened riffs serve as a talisman against the void; pleasantly hectoring offside hooks evoke buried intensities. The lush textures on “Millie’s Variety” provide continuous soft hits to the brain which prove that anyone can grow up to be prescient. “Kidney Stone” is a brilliantly warpo bit of bent liquescent kosmik folk pop. “Multicolored Rings” is a shamanistic dive into some lunatic pool of slow-motion extasis. The title track evokes a mythic city in which the Let It Bleed-era Stones are free to pursue the psychedelic proclivities to their illogical denouement. “Capsule” is a beautifully inspired ballad that eerily crescendos into an astonishing pronunciato—an unforgettable, out-standing classic track. The second half of “Pluto” is nearly as good. The final track, “Used to Fear Math,” is a surprisingly conventional song tendering—get this—good advice! All hail King Blur! This album is utterly original and utterly solid. One of the best damn pieces of work I have heard in years, and a quantum leap from their first effort, 2007’s Vis a Vis. It ain’t your grandpaw’s rock, but it might become your grandchildren’s. (Francis DiMenno)

BITCH BROTHERS
Bitch Brothers
16 tracks
Permeating this album is a brooding and eerie post-punk atmosphere. A restrained kind of intensity that, more often than not, ends up erupting into fits of throbbing noise-heavy rage. The band’s quieter moments are typified by tender melodic bass-lines, palpable but unintrusive drumming, and a complex web of reverb-heavy guitars. Like I said, these quiet moments are usually short-lived, as the band soon goes postal in a frenzy of fuzzed-out guitars, thunderous drums, and blasts of pure noise. The vocals are half-sung, half-spoken, or sometimes just plain shouted. The recordings themselves are about as DIY as you can get, recorded by the band themselves, probably in some basement. This is Fugazi-style post-hardcore. It’s got all the fury and raw energy that typifies the hardest of hardcore with plenty of lo-fi pride and an avante-garde aesthetic. (Will Barry)

GALVANIZE
75 or Less Records
Galvanize
5 tracks
“Battleship,” the opening track to this EP, hooks me right in with its rollicking drums and dirty guitars. This song wouldn’t feel out of place on a Mudhoney or Dinosaur Jr. record. If this release had been a single, I would have given it a standing ovation. Unfortunately, there are four more tracks that never approach that high mark, and by track five, I’m throwing tomatoes at my stereo. To be fully accurate, it’s track three, entitled “Cupcake Face” that really does it for me. Is this supposed to be clever? Avant-garde? It just comes across as being less smart than its author thinks it is and makes me feel that the first track was lightning striking once. Based on the rest of the EP, I’d take my chances with winning Powerball before lighting strikes again. (Kevin Finn)

THE FALLEN STARS
Heart Like Mine
16 tracks
Originally from the Boston area, the Fallen Stars now call the West Coast home, earning themselves a wall full of awards and accolades along the way. Listening to the old-school Americana tunes of Heart Like Mine, it’s not hard to understand why, and it makes me feel lucky the band still plays in the New England area. Lead singer Tracy Byrnes has a gorgeous voice that belongs with the great female leads of her genre. Her husband Bobbo adds his own experienced vocals to the mix, along with some sweet twangin’ guitar skills that can rock the house and strum some mellow melodies with equal precision. Gary O’Yeah (drums) and Geoff Geib (keys) add their unique sounds and stories to a foursome that have created a sound that stands apart. These are the songs the survive the years, the kind you’ll hear on the radio and remember the time you saw them at a Tuesday night show with only 10 people in the audience. Tunes like “All I Want” offer the full-course music meal: pulse-pounding Americana rock, slick guitar skills and Tracy’s voice reminding you that you didn’t come here to occupy a barstool. “The Last Hurrah,” adds the elegant violin skills of Caitlin Gary to produce a song that speaks about the things that mean the most to us, despite the pain we suffer along the way. There’s plenty more stories for this band to tell. Do yourself a favor and give ’em a listen. (Max Bowen)

OLD ENGLISH
EP
5 tracks
Five scorching, largely instrumental tracks that harken back to the 80’s—when it was still okay to get wonky with your guitar. On their debut EP, Old English captures the best of guitar gods like Eddie Van Halen and Joe Satriani while leaving behind the pretense and self-masturbatory schlock. While the guitar is the clear focus for Old English, the rhythm section plays supporting its role exactly as it should—locking in and maintaining structure while the guitar freestyles on top. The two occasions where Old English chooses to go vocal add extra dynamics—a chant-y psychedelic element and Weezer-esque bombast. (George Dow)

LIVING SYNDICATION
Aneurythm
18 tracks
Ay coño, I’d sooner suffer an aneurysm than hear Aneurythm again. I bet an aneurysm would be much less painful for me. Seriously. I mean, an album is already way too long for me if it’s twelve tracks, but this goes on for EIGHTEEN excruciating tracks! They’re not short songs, either! I’m not ADD, but who the hell has that kind of attention span? I highly doubt that even this band’s fans, fluffers, and significant others do! Especially when the music is as unoriginal and done to death as this! You may as well load up your disc changer with Korn, Nickelback, Puddle of Mudd, Adema, and all that other nu-metal and post-grunge shite that most somewhat reasonable people got sick of about eight years ago, and just put that puppy on shuffle! This CD fits right in! If you just can’t get enough downtuned crunchy guitar, clenched-teeth grunge vocals, and lyrics about pain, drugs, disease, and loathing, maybe you’ll love Living Syndication. You probably also have tribal tattoos and rock a sweet soul patch. (Tony Mellor)

ELI VOYNICH MANUSCRIPT
Gross Domestic Product
Black Pageant
9 tracks
When I got the solo tape from Eli of Humanbeast, I expected harsh noise and the devil to come out of my speakers. What I got instead was chamber music for the damned. I did not expect to hear synths and organs played in a very traditional way. If you go to the Red Sox on acid, this is what the organ will sound like. This reminds me of some of the Sleep Chamber recordings. Music to fill up your tub with salt and float to. This tape defied my expectations and overwhelmed them. A very cool release from a very diverse artist. (Eric Baylies)

THE PRECIOUS FEW
New Waves
13 tracks
It says in this here booklet that this album was recorded in two different studios—quit lying, guys. Sounds like this was recorded on your old iMac with GarageBand in need of some serious updating. The production values on this CD are zilch. The drums sound canned, the guitar sounds so cheesy that they’re one step from directly recorded to the board, and the vocals sound like they’re recorded on Radio Shack mics. Now, I like “lo-fi” music if it’s got character and the songs are strong. This CD features neither. It’s bland dad-rock. Literally. It’s great to love your kids, but either keep them off the album or keep the album in the family—as in don’t release it. Don’t get me going on the identical sheep-bleats that are the two band members’ voices. Then there’s the utterly corny piss-take of “Bela Lugosi’s Dead” to make a Bauhaus fan wish these guys had never been born, let alone have a chance to be undead. Hopefully, those unfortunate enough to hear this will be a precious few. (Tony Mellor)

SATELLITES FALL
Midday Records
Lines on the Road
5 tracks
For Lines on the Road, Satellites Fall’s first official release, the band sheds some of their Foo Fighters-ish bombast in favor of subtler indie-pop. This time out, Satellites Fall let their inner Radiohead shine through. “Servitude” sets the tone with a contemporary take on the Cure and Echo & the Bunnymen. “Hold Out,” the EP’s standout track, shines with its more complex mix. Here, the drumming stands out, while the vocals show their widest range. Any time you kick Dave Grohl to the curb in favor of Thom Yorke you’ll come out on top—a fact proven by Satellites Fall with Lines on the Road. (George Dow)

 

If your act is from New England, send your CDs for review to the Noise/ T Max, PO Box 353, Gloucester, MA. If you’re not based in New England, save your postage.

If you’re sending a CD in to the Noise make sure to use our new address.
And everyone else should update our contact info too. Thanks.

T Max/ the Noise
PO Box 353
Gloucester, MA 01931
617-331-9637

 

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Officer May

by Mike Baldino

Last Week’s Minutes from the Meeting
of the Secret Society of Your Friends
Who Actually Hate You

“Being young and seeing The Year Punk Broke was huge,” says Officer May singer/ guitarist Chris Warren. “That’s what made me decide what I wanted to be when I grew up. That looked like a good career, you know, breaking shit and drinking beer in Europe and everything’s fucked up and all these people are thrashing about, and you’re failing 10th grade or whatever and are guaranteed to be a fuck-up, and these people looked like they were doing really well, and they look like fuck-ups too. Seemed like the only option. There’s been no plan B.”

When Officer May takes the stage, it’s like there was never even a plan A. Their confrontational sound combines the abrasive but catchy approach of Unwound, Sonic Youth, and particularly In Utero-era Nirvana. Officer May doesn’t deal in choreographed rock kicks. They’ve mastered the art of breaking strings, throwing instruments against walls, and making beautiful mistakes while playing with the sort of wild abandon that would make a lesser band collapse under the weight of its own intensity. Chris and drummer Jared Croteau grew up in small- town New Hampshire and have been playing together for years; Smoking in A Minor marks bassist Mike Sanders’ recorded debut with the band. “They basically called me up and told me I was playing bass,” he says. “The first time I met Mike was when I picked him up for practice,” says Chris. “My friend told me he was a standup guy, so I called him up and said, ‘I hear you’re good at bass and you’re a standup guy,’ and he’s like, ‘I don’t know if I’m a standup guy, but I’m good at bass.’ That was all I needed to hear. He was pretty confident.”

“Officer May was a cop from me and Chris’ hometown,” says Jared about the band’s name. “Not a good guy. We were in high school and we’d go somewhere with the best intentions, like we’d go to the store to buy milk for our moms, and Officer May’s squad car would be behind us the whole time. He was a real ass. Naming the band Officer May was kind of a fuck you to him.”

“We needed a name at the time and didn’t intend for it to last, but there it is,” says Chris with a shrug.

Smoking in A Minor, their first for the rapidly up-and-coming Ace Fu indie label (Ted Leo and Pinback are also on the roster), shows dramatic growth from 2001’s full-length Helping Others Help Themselves, an album that opened with the declaration, “I want to be the leading cause of cancer.” Smoking… is the sound of a band synthesizing their influences and developing a distinctive personality. Their control of dynamics and shifting musical textures is impressive, and Chris’ guitar playing is particularly stunning; his playing aesthetic is similar to Gang of Four’s Andy Gill, Mission of Burma’s Roger Miller, The Wipers’ Greg Sage, and Jesus Lizard’s Duane Denison-players who filled space in jarring and innovative melodic ways. Better still is that Chris pulls off the scrapes, slides, and harmonics while throwing himself wildly around the stage. “I think on a good show, it’s awesome. I can just feel what we’re doing and feel it in the room, like a little buzzing going on, and you’re not thinking about anything, you’re just there in the moment and it’s awesome and you’re sweating and you don’t get tired-there’s something going on. Someone that’s at one of those shows is gonna be psyched that they’re there, it’s something special. It’s not gonna be like that every time, ’cause shit’s usually fucked up-but it’s usually fucked up in a good way.” They tell a story of one of their worst gigs opening for Skeleton Key at The Middle East, which involved them throwing their instruments against the wall out of frustration. “The worst show ever,” says Mike, “and when we got offstage all these kids were hugging us and going, ‘Oh my God!’ It was like, ‘Are you kidding me?’”

“We were psyched to be on a show with a touring band that people have heard of, like our big break, and everything just sucked. We’re throwing stuff around, Jared’s drum kit’s all over the place…”

Officer May’s live show has won them a rapidly increasing number of loyal fans in the past few years, many of whom one might guess were college students because of the band’s age (early twenties), but no. “Why is it that a third of the city is college students, and so few of them go out to see local bands?” I ask.

“I don’t think anybody really tries to get to them,” says Mike. “The kids don’t go looking for The Noise to try to find out what’s going on, and us as a band, we don’t flyer B.U. or anything.”

“Why don’t you?”

“It’s out of the way,” Chris deadpans.

Chris writes with a dark sardonic bent: “If I’m such a witty guy then why are all the jokes on me?” he asks in “My Heart the Boomerang.” “My lyrics are about walking to work day in and day out, again and again, and you live once and you have to waste all this time to maybe get a little time to yourself, but you never get any time to yourself to relax or think or do anything,” he says. “So this bad mood starts small and just kind of balls up and results in frustration. I just want to have progress and I want to be creative, but jobs are all the same and they get in the way of that. I want to play music and feel like I’ve said what I have to say.”

“What is it you want to say?” I ask.

“Well, I’m really disappointed that we don’t have jet packs,” he jokes. “I really thought we’d have jet packs by now.”

“I know, 2003, right? What the fuck,” says Mike. “We should at least have flying cars…”

“All we have is war and high gas prices,” says Chris. “I don’t know. I write about frustration and not having any time and everything being disposable and trash being everywhere. You walk to work five days in a row and it’s hard to breathe stepping on cigarette butts and banana peels and lottery tickets that didn’t win, there’s cars everywhere, everyone’s miserable, everyone’s frowning, like on the T nobody’s talking to each other, and we’re just defeated by this thing, this feeling, this awful machine.”

“But at the same time, I think of how awful it must’ve been to live in the 1600s-can you picture how shitty it must’ve been trudging to work every day back then,” asks Mike. “Everybody lived ’til 40; it seems terrible going to work these days, but…”

“So Mike’s basically saying you’ve got nothing to bitch about,” I tell Chris.

“But that’s the beauty of being a musician,” says Mike. “We can see the miserable shit in everything and bitch about it and write it down.”

I ask Chris if he’s happy with his life, or if he feels negative about the way things are going. “I don’t know, up and down. I feel progress sometimes, I feel happy, certain things make sense, like all the friends and decisions I’ve made make sense for that time and place, and then on the bad days I feel like all my time has been wasted,” he says. “There’s like this fold of skin in your head that prevents you from expressing what’s really on your mind. I’ll have a song in my head and an idea for lyrics, and what comes out isn’t what I had in mind. A lot of it gets scrapped. But with a little time and a little pain, the good stuff and the good songs come out in five minutes.”

“I think it comes from having a certain amount of pain in your heart to make you keep trying and trying,” says Mike. “Anyone who’s ever written a really good song has written 150 shitty songs first, and you’ve got to lose the feeling of being scared of what you’re writing about. You have to lose the fear, and then songs will come out. I think that’s key.”

“I just don’t think that life should have to be drearily predictable,” says Chris, “and you get spoiled when you play a show and everything goes great, ’cause you’re not thinking about anything and you’re escaping from time and everything about yourself, from your body and your face and what you ate for breakfast. You’re just not thinking, and it’s great to escape from everything and just live. There’s clocks and cameras and time everywhere and time is always bearing down on you, like ‘Three hours ’til I can go home, two hours ’til I have to go to work,’ and all that shit-it adds up to frustration. You see people on the subway looking down, and I don’t want that. That’s why music seems like the only way to go, because you can be free and express yourself at the same time – just rock out, you know, that’s the only way to live, and that’s why there shouldn’t be any plan B.”

Officer May plays Charlie’s Kitchen on 4/7 with The Vexers and The Middle East (upstairs) on 4/18 for Nicky Kuland’s leukemia benefit with Roadsaw, Lamont, and Elgin James. Visit acefu.com and officermay.com for details and MP3s.

Support Local Music

THE CHANDLER TRAVIS PHILHARMONIC
Sonic Trout
Tarnation and Alastair Sim
48-song CD
I’m thinking life’s too short to listen to shitty music by artsy poseurs, hedonistic-slash-politically-aware “heavy” rockers, ham-fisted indie wankers, retro panderers, or brain-dead goofs in psychedelic clown suits. So I’d still much rather listen to “Surfin Bird” (or, for that matter, “Eje Ka Jo”) than, um, “Stairway to Heaven.”
Good news for those who agree: “Wireless” has finally made it onto a studio album, as track six. Tune-wise, it’s this timeless and gladsome and nearly indescribably life-affirming hoodoo spell, with a free-jazz horn section from Valhalla and drums that swat out at you like King Kong’s paw, and all seemingly custom-designed to leach all the endorphins out from where they’ve been building up since God was a pup. Plus, brilliant lyrics:
Everything everywhere is faster and lighter and smoother and brighter and better than it’s ever been before/ Everything everywhere is longer and leaner and stronger and meaner and bigger than it ever was way back when/ When it was small and kind and weak and fat and short and worse and dull and rough and dark and slow/ Like back in the old days/ Jesus Christ, say what you will, at least we got cable now…. We’re wireless.
Okay, there are 48 tracks here, and if we winnow out the mere tomfoolery, and there’s plenty of it, we’re left with about a half-dozen truly upstanding songs, like the ready-made wedding reception number, “It’s Almost Christmas Again,” and the jaunty “Money Won’t Buy You Happiness,” and the ecstatic, horn-slathered instrumental “Jesus Teaches Lloyd Price About Remote Controls,” and the friendly old-timey pop hokum of “Must Be Love.” But “Wireless” is literally one of the greatest songs of Travis’s career: Robert Wyatt circa Rock Bottom meets “Oliver’s Army.” For the love of all that’s holy and wise, don’t miss it. (Francis DiMenno)

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BIRD MANCINI
Funny Day
13-song CD
What Funny Day isn’t: punk, garage, or metal of any kind. What Funny Day is: ’60s pop, blues, and rock with a whole lot of other things thrown in there—did I hear some loungy bossa nova? This CD is a veritable goulash of musical ingredients mixed in just the right proportions—two cups of outstanding vocals, six or seven cups of amazing musicianship, a few tablespoons of electric guitar, bass, and drums, a dash of accordion, and a pinch of glockenspiel, piano, tambourine—that the ratio of ingredients creates a brand new dish. Every song is superb but here’s what stands out in my mind at the moment: “Holly”—lush layered vocals reminiscent of ’60s vocal groups (a recurring sound throughout the CD). “So Cool”—Lucinda Williams with less twang and even more grit. “Red Geraniums”—Annie Lennox meets Tom Waits. I hope Bird Mancini keeps the recipe for this concoction; I want many more servings of this stuff. (Robin Umbley)

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THE LIZ BORDEN BAND
Beverly Raven Records
Beautifu
15-songs
For those of you unfamiliar with Lizzie Borden & the Axes (the predecessor of The Liz Borden band), well, they were a pretty happening band in the eighties in these here parts. I’m not sure if I ever saw the band, (too many bands, too few neurons left) but I do recall a big graffiti of their name just outside of Kenmore Square back in the day. If you’re expecting some flashback punk from this band you won’t get it. Instead you’ll get some straightforward bluesy pop/hard rock that probably sounds extra good with a little whiskey, moonlight and beer to go along with it. And their cover of Ten Years After’s “Change The World” is a nice surprise. Actually, most music in this genre seems dull and contrived to my ears but these cats have good tunes that rock—nothing wrong with that. (Slimedog)

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POLYETHYLENE
Optimistic Records
9-song CD
What Goes On Inside Housse
When a band names influences that you’ve never heard, that can be either a good or a bad sign, and in this case, it’s great. Sure, I could throw down a few, but they’d probably be wrong. Polyethylene is a wife/husband pair (Elene Proaka Ellis gets my billing over hubby Neal Ellis simply because her vocals stamp this disc so firmly into my mind’s ear), aided by a drummer and, fetchingly, some folks who occasionally play flute, violin, cello and trombone. If you get the idea that there are some atmospherics going on here, you’re right—this disc works best on a drizzly, unseasonably cold day in June—but there are some other songs that drive right along on a guitar-shaped chassis. Things never get too emo, but they do get plenty melancholy at times, and even a little goth, but only in that sort of “wearing Victorian clothing and playing cello by moonlight” kind of way. This is, in a word, original, and as such, is well worth your time. (Tim Emswiler)

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ERICH GROAT
Found Missing: Volume One 1997-2000
12-song CD
About half of these songs are Baby Ray demos: out-takes to die for—literally, you might think, after listening to the claustrophobic opener “Psychosomatic” and the spooky dissonance of the droning followup, “Drugs Like Me.” But the uncanny and anthemic “Good Kid Nothing,” is a brilliant example of Groat’s unashamed knack for compulsively bending harsh oddness into repetitive and strangely comforting and familiar shapes. Similarly, “Sad Eyed Girl” has a compellingly ominous and almost hypnotic riff underscoring a double-tracked series of vocally suggestive pronunciatos.
In contrast to these, a song like the beautifully lyric “Cross the Table,” with its ostinado-pulsing guitar, seems to float just over the canon of Western music like a helium balloon. The instrumental “69” is telepathic and vital in its impetus, yet lilting and circumambulatory as well. Similarly, the melodic, solo acoustic piece, “What Fred Said,” while stark, is sinuous and insinuating in its sonic impetus. “Treehouse Rock” is a light, acoustic piece with a haunting refrain that resolves into a nearly shamanic combination of electric guitar and incantation. Best of these is the lyrically and melodically brilliant four-piece “Nuclear Explosion,” a luminously tuneful number with a cleverly self-deconstructing coda.
In between the extremes of light and darkness are songs like the astonishing “Little Animal;” this chopped and channeled and backwards-masked Baby Ray amalgam is oddly resonant, and the coda is brilliant. “Come for Dinner,” is taut and tense and resolves into an ecstatic and grandiose climax that’s chilling and brutal. The high point of the album is the nearly inhuman, intensely pentatonic first minute of the penultimate track, “Lonely When I Do,” which, next, lyrically soars for another twenty seconds then grinds its gears into a heavy-bottomed verse, chorus and extended coda.
This collection of lost-and-now-recovered classics is a phenomenally good album from start to finish. Fans of Baby Ray in particular can’t possibly afford to be without it. (Francis DiMenno)

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STEPLADDER
98 Centre Street Lab
Nice Guys Finish
13-song CD
This is the type of guitar -and-keys driven power pop that you’d expect from an album recorded partially at Q Division and featuring guest appearances from the likes of Kay Hanley and Jed Parish. While the disc has its moments, it mostly comes across as a lesser version of Señor Happy or the Gigolo Aunts. The songs are catchy, but not quite catchy enough, with the Kay Hanley-infused “Stubborn in Spanish” being the only real standout amidst tracks that tend to blend together. For the most part, Stepladder is too content to stay in the middle of the road and things really grind to a halt on the slower numbers like “Long Overdue,” which goes down way too easily. This isn’t a bad record by any means, but I’ve got a whole stack of them at home that go down a similar path only more successfully. (Kevin Finn)

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THE FAMILY JEWELS
Hi-N-Dry
Rockin’ Strong
12 songs
On their second LP, The Family Jewels pay tribute to the 1950s R& B, rockabilly, and doo-wop artists. Though nearly letter-perfect, there are some shortcomings to their approach. The vocal arrangement of “You’re So Fine” seems both sluggish and rather broadly interpreted. Furthermore, since it would make little sense to mimic primitive production techniques, the covers of “Ling Tong Tong,” by Otis Williams and His Charms, and of “Gee,” by The Crows, both lack the sublimely antique nuance of the originals—mainly because the ensemble vocals are clean and up-front and Kevin Shurtleff’s drumming is crisp and pronounced. But many of these classic tunes are more than sturdy enough to benefit from modern touches and even some judicious rearrangements. On “Oh Golly Oh Gee,” Steve Sadler is particularly ingenious in the way he amps the steel guitar ala Bob Dunn, and the resurrection of an obscure gem like “Blue Jeans and Ribbons” by The Spiders, a 1950s New Orleans doo-wop group, is a genuine treat, one which also sheds light on the possible origins of “Speedo.” On the whole, we should all be glad that fine folks like Fred Griffeth, Asa Brebner, and Fred Mazzone are up to the challenge of keeping this particularly rich and resonant strain of proto-rock alive. (Francis DiMenno)

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AUTO INTERIORS

Ryko
Let’s Agree to Deceive Our Best Friends
11-song CD
There’s a problem in the world of rock criticism–a problem of which, I am well aware, I contribute with damn near all of my reviews. That’s the game of “spot the influence,” which is too often an excuse for showing off one’s knowledge of obscure bands. The whole situation is made worse when bands drop so many names themselves that they may as well just include a list of their record collections. “We like to say we play record collector rock,” states a member of Auto Interiors, and, while that’s all well and good, it also leaves one (well, it leaves me) with the sense of… well, having sampled their record collections. All of which is to say that I don’t really have a lot to say about this. It’s poppy, it’s rocky, it’s well played and sung even better than well, and some of it sounds like you’ve heard it before, and some of it comes pretty close to sounding like you haven’t heard it before. In the end, it made me go sample my own record collection. (Tim Emswiler)

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THE SELF-RIGHTEOUS BROTHERS

Black and Greene Records
In Loving Memory Of…
12-song CD
The band’s gentle, even genial (and absolutely spot-on) spoofery of various genres is rather like something The Turtles might have done, assuming they had survived as a unit well into the 21st century. Their exemplary ensemble work enhances our ability to appreciate their compositions, not only as (mere) send-ups, but also as baroque exercises in excess and grotesquerie. There certainly ought to be a place of honor reserved for any band that is willing and able to travel this lonely road. Among the send-ups represented here are “heavy” rock bands of the early ’70s (“Floyd”), earnestly cheesy late ’70s power balladry (“Diana”), Kink-y Music Hall (“Tain’t Misbehazin’) and indie-era nouveaux-psychedelic folk-rock wankery—with horns, no less (“Alan Watts”). Why do they do it? I suppose because they can, and because it’s fun. Is the result worth it? Well, twelve songs by virtuosos at play—hell, even one song as good as the querulous steel-guitarfest “Sidecar Jesus”—are worth twelve dozen by any number of solemn asses without a clue. (Francis DiMenno)

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CWAF/NOOSEBOMB

Bestial Onslaught
7-song split CD
How can angst, anger, and rage be captured so brilliantly on tape? This Noosebomb/ CWAF split is packed with energy and balls and is by far one of the best CD’s I have reviewed this year. CWAF is American made grind/sludge that combines thick, heavy riffs with a powerful driving rhythm section topped off with authoritative vocals narrating fury and despair. They feature an all-star lineup—most notably John Gillis (drums) who played with local legends like Today is the Day and Anal Cunt. His performance once again proves that he may be one of the best metal drummers in New England. Noosebomb, who leans more towards sludge/thrash metal, also features a well known lineup with Jeff Hayward (Grief, Disrupt) on guitar, Randy Odierno (Disrupt) on bass and Mike Butkiewicz (Bane of Existence) on drums. This confirms that any band with Hayward and his suburban critique channeled though enraged vocals is bound to make an impression. The final track, “What is the World Coming To,” is a doom- inspired masterpiece, which is just a small example of the tremendous power of Noosebomb. (Leonid)

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MEDINA SOD

Brandt Can’t Watch Music
Trace Back the Lines 10-song CD
If you compare yourself to Phish, then bring the uber-wanky chops and the time signatures that only over-trained musicologists will appreciate, and stomp the idea of “groove” into the dirt. And if you’re gonna mention Zappa, you’d better be able to elevate oddball freakiness to high art. Medina Sod mentions both, but holds a candle to neither (which may be a good thing in the former case, in this Phish-unfriendly universe). Okay, they can play the heck out of their instruments, although that’s a mite far from playing the living shit out of them. They can throw down a jam that doesn’t get (too) boring, and that’s no mean feat. I can hear a little Queen in the operatic, bombastic elements that crop up from time to time, but dammit, when I think “prog,” I think of Yes, old Genesis, King Crimson– hell, I’ll even concede, to my own consternation, Dream Theater. But rather wacky songs played rather well is a far cry from being a subgenre unto itself, and I think it’s best if we keep it that way. (Tim Emswiler)

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ROUTE .44

Blue Radio Records
Worthless Lessons
12-song CD
Like a thick muddy snapping turtle out of a Breakheart swamp, Route .44 lets us in on experiencing the thick, lowdown sludgy wonder and glory that IS one of the defining sounds of the New England area. Upon hearing the first track, I ran to grab the album cover to make sure I wasn’t hearing an unreleased song by Mark Sandman and Morphine. That’s a compliment, as Morphine was one of the most interesting and enjoyable bands to come from around this area. Fat sax layers the tracks (sounds like a rhyme to me), along with a bit more guitar orchestration than the ’Phine would have done, but man o man, it grooves, rocks, and has a constant minor tonality burning through the whole thing that satisfies this listener. This is really a great sounding band, and at eight pieces of personnel, generates a big sound. Want more? Listen to the CD! (Mike Loce)

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PARADE
Out Of The Funbox
13-song CD
This CD is a hard to review. I like it, but who am I? Self-assessment gets menial when confronted by good music. Imagine burning through your workday in a not-so-bad-somewhat-okay mood, and you take the T to work. You’re on two Red Bulls (the 12 ounces) and the hustle-bustle of the station has you pepped up for once, not depressed. The female vocals with harmonization plunge through your ears as you miss the train to Park Street. I hear parade down the windy hallway annals of Tremont. The production is tight but loose, like my T pass in my wallet. I’m trying to describe the “places” this melodic, well-crafted, alternative music put me, you see. I can only write what I know. And I choose to describe locations rather than compare Parade to other bands. So fuck you. They’re really fine. Can you lend me a buck so I can get a coffee at Dunks? I’m so cold. (Mike Loce)

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STAND UP GET DOWN

Topshelf Records
We Have Something To Celebrate
10-song CD
When El Paso post-punk renegades At the Drive In broke up much to the chagrin of its loyal constituency (myself included) in 2000, they left an endless trail of hapless impersonators in their wake. Each tried to capture the band’s frenetically fearless and manic style, most falling well short of the bar, including the band’s two offshoot projects, the Mars Volta and Sparta. And while Boston maybe miles away from Texas, local four-piece Stand Up Get Down seems to be well aligned with their influential ancestry. On We Have Something To Celebrate, the band shifts and moves like a bunch of rabid Fugazi fans on speed, dishing up ten tracks of technically solid and challenging art punk that’s sure to keep listeners on their toes. The music moves from loud to soft and slow to quick, sometimes in a matter of seconds, and while it can be something of a challenging listen to the uninitiated, the feverish energy of the music gives credence to the concept of getting high on music. (Ryan Bray)

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DESOLATION BELLS

Sonic Bubblegum Records
What Is Your Trajectory?
11-song CD
The press release name-drops a fistful of bands, and I’ll be damned if I’ve heard half of them, but that just means it’s a crappy press release. The album is fine, even if it confirms my growing suspicion that stylistic continuity from the start of an album to the finish is going the way of the dinosaur. Opener “Butterflies” is a feel-good track that makes my head do hippy-dippy things, but then “Love is a Fire” sounds like it would be right at home on a Chris D/Divine Horsemen disc. Then there’s more poppy goodness, then a punchy rave-up with some sharp guitar hooks, a Brit-pop inflected song, a slightly funkified rocker, and a mopey closer. The contributions of the female vocalists set this way apart from the pack (and the band’s overall oddness renders it a pretty small pack in the first place). The musicianship is pretty no-frills, but the emotive content is all over the place, so those of us with multiple personalities will always find something to dig. (Tim Emswiler)

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VARIOUS ARTISTS
Compound 440R
Local Collections 2007
14-song CD compilation
I love the idea of this CD. Take one track each from fourteen artists who practice at the same space and release a compilation. The execution of this idea, though, I’m not so crazy about. I incorrectly assumed (and I admit it was probably a bad assumption) that there would be a whole array of styles and genres, but the majority of the tracks have an electronic leaning, which to my admittedly more guitar-loving ears grows extremely monotonous. The worst offenders are UV Protection, whose contribution sounds like an outtake from a video game score and The Westward Trail, whose track sounds like a very slow torture session. There are some highlights, though. Cassette’s brief “Stay Close to Home” is what The Smiths would have sounded like had laptops been prevalent in the ’80s and Crystal Understanding’s “White Teacher” manages to remind me of both The Magnetic Fields and Mates of State. And I must say that the disc ends fantastically with Hilken Mancini’s very non-electro Shepherdess doing “Green Seat,” a number whose choppy, rhythmic guitars and occasionally shouted vocals recall Mary Timony’s best post-Helium work. The CD is worth picking up for that song alone. (Kevin Finn)

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HIRUDINEA/WATCHMAKER

Bestial Onslaught
11-song split CD
Bestial Onslaught’s Watchmaker/Hirudinea split is black metal/thrash at its finest. The CD contains so much power it’s like they absorbed all the energy from the sun and fed it to their monstrous approach to music. The low-fi recording quality only adds to the appeal. There are hints of Slayer, The Accused, Black Flag, Napalm Death, and Today is the Day but with an original twist. Regarding Hirudinea, I am most impressed by the drumming and vocal dynamic that get my adrenaline rushing thus making me vigorously angry yet peacefully subdued. Watchmaker epitomizes black metal with their use of heavily-distorted guitars, fast-paced rhythms and gnarling vocals. Combined, both bands inspire me to jump onto a sea of fury, strong enough for me to float above until I fall to the ground and get trampled to death. Later my soul will be burned to ashes and blown to dust. There is not much to critique nor praise about this CD—it’s just black metal with true passion. (Leonid)

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SINKING SPELLS

Cedar House Sound
The Devil at my Side
7-song CD
Try to remember where you were the day Joey told Dawson it was over and went and cried all over Pacey (Dawson’s Creek). If you can’t remember back that far, picture Ryan finding Marissa dead on the side of the road (The O.C.). Try to remember what was playing in the backround. It’s safe to say, that you could easily replace that song with any given track from this standout composition by Sinking Spells (Neil, Phil, and Robb). This three-piece has stumbled upon the formula to bring the best of melancholia, dark themes, and assorted teenage angst into harmony with gleeful poppy chords and well placed upbeat tempos. It’s beautiful and catchy and sure to have wide appeal.
If you have never seen one of these “soundtrack shows” and have absolutely no idea what I’m talking about, try to imagine All in The Family sneaking a future hit song into every episode. Just imagine Archie running up the stairs to use the terlit, while Band of Horses’ “Funeral” plays softly in the backround. Or maybe, Edith staring off into space as Leonard Cohen’s “Halelujah” indicates to the veiwer another poigniant moment.
Anyway, this record is a nice piece of work. I like it. (Paisley Simone)

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LIGHTS
Get Lit
9-song CD
I really don’t know quite what to make of this record, and that actually makes me quite happy. The album cover is a cheery light blue with a little kid and some flowers, so I was expecting something kind of mellow and pretty. Nope. For the most part, this is loud, noisy, expansive rock with the vocals frequently obscured by various effects, best exemplified on the album’s strongest number, “Big Bad Little One.” A full album of this approach would probably get old. Fortunately, though, Lights does allow a melodic sensibility to puncture through all the noise, and there are a couple trippy, mellower instrumentals that serve as effective changes of pace, most notably “You’re Gonna Need a Bigger Boat.” It will be interesting to see what these guys cook up next. (Kevin Finn)

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EASTER BLOODHOUNDS
14-song CD
I’ve tried listening to this disc about ten times now, and can’t get beyond the first three songs due to the mix… and the vocalist—what you can hear of him. At times there seems to be some great instrumental stuff going on, and perhaps it is this band’s calling to be without a vocalist. For the most part, this three-piece is very heavy and conjures some great dirgy metal sounds. It’s not until the eighth track (“Night Terrors”) that there is any semblance of dynamics. Track nine (“Light Years”) is brilliant, and almost makes up for the last twenty minutes of my life that I can’t have back. The mixes seem to improve later in the disc, but still have an overly bombastic musical assault with poorly mixed vocals. If I’ve understood six words on this disc, I’m lucky. There are several tracks that show a lot of promise, but the production completely ruins any thought of this disc being somewhat enjoyable or intriguing to listen to. (John Hess)

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FAMILY JUNCTION

FamJam Records
Running Trains (we’re huge in Japan)
13-song CD + extras
Family Junction’s Running Trains (we’re huge in Japan) is a self-produced album that includes 13 great original tunes plus a bonus DVD that features two versions of their homemade movie, shorts, deleted scenes and commentary tracks. I am impressed by the overall packaging and the idea of including a DVD. This multi-instrumentalist (they all switch) quintet incorporate various styles of music such as progressive, funk, jazz, rock, folk and hip hop and utilize them flawlessly in their approach to songwriting. There are some great jazzy guitar arrangements complimented with smooth rhymes flowing on top. Family Junction remind me of Phish during the upslope of their success; before their egos and drug addictions forced them to write goofy songs while continuously breaking up and reforming until the diehard Trey fans finally realized that he does not have the ‘Midas Touch.’ Family Junction has evolved past the jam-band scene, creating a new genre for their fans to absorb. If you like Umhpries Mcgee and hip-hop (backed by a live band) then you will enjoy Family Junction. (Leonid)

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MUSEUM OF SCIENCE
CTRL+ALT+DLT
16-song CD
Yo, Zortar here, and we are here at the Museum of Science to witness strange exhibits. Since everyone knows the best rap comes from the wilds of New Hampshire it should be no surprise that this New Hampster, band gets mad props from my white cracker-ass alien lips. But this is not mere rap, no, dear earthlings. The music encompasses progressive rock (in the drumming), metalish guitar, experimental electro, surreal humor, all put in a blender, pureed and poured in little margarita glasses with umbrellas for you to sip and savor. Yum! And served on a bed of Spanish rice (with your choice of vegetable.) This band is cooler than ice cream stuffed down your shorts on a hot summer day. If one is intrigued by rap but put off by its commerciality and don’t want to leave your rock roots completely behind, then pony up, I say, and be a Granite State gangsta, live free or die! (Slimedog)

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KURT REIFLER

Red Glare Records
Kurt Reifler
10-song CD
The hills are alive—with the sound of Kurt Reifler’s self titled debut and something about it, bothers me. I mean, it’s everything it claims to be: raw, passionate, and unapologetic. Still, something nags at me to DEMAND an apology. I just can’t put my finger on what that is. Maybe it’s me. I keep waiting for a breakthrough, which never materializes.
It’s not bad. It has all the right things in all the right places, thanks in large part to Reifler’s full band (unfortunately, never mentioned by name anywhere in the bio or on the disc). Bummer, because there’s some really great stuff going on in the backround. It’s a truly rugged little package with suprisingly meaty tracks and catchy refrains (you break it, you buy it, you own it). In the words of “cowbell legend” Bruce Dickenson, “You guys… have… what appears to be… a dynamite sound.” It just grates after a while. (Paisley Simone)

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ELECTRIC LASER PEOPLE
Straight Talk on Raising Kids
13-song CD
These MIT graduates know how to do more than just build robots and design prosthetic limbs; they can also arrange and produce music to par with Warner Bros. Studying engineering and scientific theory not only results in lucrative careers but in this case it helped produce artistic conceptualizations. Straight Talk on Raising Kids, recorded and produced by the band, is an extension of their brilliantly trained minds, now motivated to produce melody and rhyme. Electric Laser People is a party band to say the least. Their sound blends the hip hop stylings of The Beastie Boys with the production and song writing abilities of The Flaming Lips and The Police. They also have a sense of humor that stands out most with “The Makeout Song” and “Words Couldn’t Do Justice” (which is a short bootleg). The CD starts off and finishes strong with some minor snags in between. It contains a plethora of styles ranging from hip hop to bluegrass to country to blues. This is for fans of early Beck and Talking Heads. (Leonid)

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THE REV TOR BAND
Mystic Wolf
12-song CD
Great. Mystic Wolf—a CD with a picture of a wolf howling in the sunset on the cover. Just what I want to listen to: another crappy quasi-spiritual band from Vermont. Whatever. I gotta review it. Okay—prepare mind to endure a whole CD of embarrassingly earnest “musicians” who can’t play. Pop CD in car stereo. Here goes. First few bars play. Hey! This isn’t crappy; this is really good! It sounds sort of like Little Feat, with elements of funk, blues, soul, rock, jazz, and whatever you call it, it has a fantastic happy groove going throughout. “Let Me Down” has upbeat, fun piano and guitar solos; “Believe” is bluesy and oh-so-smooth. “Be Nice or Leave” has a basic rock ’n’ roll structure with some soulful organ—and a guest performance from Jaimo, the Allman Brothers’ drummer. This stuff is way too intelligent and structured for the jam label it’s been lumped in with; it’s jam when jam meant jamboree. And they’re not from Vermont; they’re from Massachusetts. (Robin Umbley)

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MEDICATED KISSES
Medicated Kisses
3-song CD
Medicated Kisses is a powerhouse of rock talent. Frontwoman Alanna V has an incredible vocal range as well as a potent emotional presence and the band is tighter than a kindergartener’s vagina (not that I would really know about such things). Unfortunately, the band sells itself short by creating music that evokes comparisons with Christina Aguilera—A comparison that could easily put a date stamp on a band that should be looking toward the future, setting their own trends, instead of trying to follow one littered with corpses of failed disciples and American Idol wannabes. Their instantly commercial sounding hard driving sound will get them on the radio, but the potential for creative originality, hinted at in moments within each of these three songs and certainly exhibited in their live shows, should, by all rights, propel them to greatness. (Joel Simches)

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BRIAN KELLEY & SOCIAL LUBRICATION
LSK Records
War Stories
6-song CD
With Inspiration from Kelley’s grandfather’s experience in Iwo Jima as a Marine during WWII, Brian Kelley’s trio produces a dark mournful collection of pieces destined to become the soundtrack to the black and white newsreel memories of the last great war. War Stories carves a path that is far away from traditional jazz, but has more genuine emotion and soul than anything contemporary experimental jazz has attempted in quite some time. While there is still very loose structure to the melodic ideas, these pieces seem to paint more of a stark and accurate portrait of actual events than just a freeform ambiguous feeling open to interpretation. Ken Burns should give these guys a call next time the History Channel does a World War II documentary. (Joel Simches)

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CRYOSTASIUM
Bestial Onslaught
Cryostasium
5-song CD
This is either brilliant or a waste of time, depending on your mindset. Recorded on a broken four-track by Strip Cunt, each piece is a tormented journey into the diseased mind of a twisted, tortured soul. Guitar drones, recorded at various speeds are interspersed with wails, grinds, stifled screams and the occasional distorted drum machine pulse. This meandering mélange of malaise is split into three main sections, each evoking images of claustrophobic entrapment, mental anguish, and futile struggle. If Happy Flowers were more like Happy the Clown, it would sound a lot like this. I don’t recommend listening to this on mushrooms, or maybe I do. (Joel Simches)

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JIMI HALFDEAD & THE DIE ALONGS
Down Came The Rain…
6-song CD
Slimedog’s cat, here. The guy who lives downstairs, Johnny Shortpantz, brought this upstairs for a review. He’s not in the band but works with one of the guys who’s in the band but I won’t hold it against the band for consorting with such disreputable company. Slimedog fell off his chair, drunk again, so I slipped the CD in myself while he just drooled on the floor. The first song is a curious little number with a slow descending synth line and Martian vocals spilled in but after that it’s a rocking, guitar based sound throughout. Mr. Shortpantz thought it was punk but I think though energetic and rough this falls in with the gore-horror rockabilly garage style and they do it admirably. They would sound good on a bill with Providence’s The Goners, I believe. My favorite tune is “Call of the Spider,” just wish I could find one to play with right now. (Slimedog)

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ANCIENT PISTOL
White Sands Memories: A Nuclear Landscape
5-song CD
Mike Feeney has a guitar, some looping effects, and a lot of time to kill in an afternoon. As sole member of Ancient Pistol, he takes inspiration from what he rather pompously calls “Musicians That Matter,” a roster of influentials such as Laibach, Roger Miller, Fripp, Eno…the usual suspects. His soundscapes are made on the fly and recorded live, much like many artists around here whose work I’ve come to respect. While the textures are inventive, the quality of the recording is pretty lo-fi, which robs these pieces of the cinematic texture they cry out for and the ideas seem to develop at a glacial pace and seem masturbatory at times. It would be nice to hear such inspired work better recorded and more refined. (Joel Simches)

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HUMAN SEXUAL RESPONSE/

UNNATURAL AXE

House of Blues, Boston, MA

11/3/17

Shows like these put me in a reflective mood (excuse me – maybe a ROMAN mood) wherein bands that I developed a passion for years ago return from past glories and resurrect the dream that does go on forever – both for themselves and for their fans. I am forever grateful for living in Boston and have experienced so many satisfying musical memories since the mid-’60s onwards. As we all know so well, some groups grow, break-up, reform, return – this is the grand arc of a musical heritage.

Tonight we are witnessing history once more as both the Humans and the Axe return to wow die-hard fans and a whole slew of newbies. Opening the evening, Unnatural Axe hit the stage like a thunderbolt, offering such punk classics as “Rock & Roll is Dead,” “No Surfin’ in Dorchester Bay,” “Tonight We Fight,” “3 Chord Rock,” “The Man I Don’t Wanna Be,” “They Saved Hitler’s Brain” and “The Creeper” with urgency and abandon. Tonight, as a special treat, they add two La Peste tunes to their show: “Someone Somewhere” and “Don’t Wanna Die in My Sleep Tonight.” Frank Dehler (bass/vocals) and Jack Clark (drums) are crisp and relentless, firing up Tommy White (lead guitar/ vocals) through their fast-paced set, which leaves Richie Parsons (lead vocals/ guitar) to cast his wicked-intense charm by swilling beer and crushing cans off his head, just like in the old days. Even though the members all have advanced into other projects, when they come together with such pounding songs and a slosh of humor, it is easy to see and hear why they have become favorites on the punk festival scenes here in the USA and in Europe. Reunions like this are magical and the audience is primed to the max.

To remember that the Humans played their original farewell concert at Metro (the former site of H.O.B.) back in 1982, only to return occasionally through the years, is mind-baffling. And here they are one more time, just as precise, fancifully rocking, modernly attuned and snazzily attired…seemingly more popular than in their heyday. Similar to the Axe with a limited discography (only two albums), they are able to imbue their tunes with devotion, personality, and character, allowing each member to shine individually, but totally sensational when the four vocalists align. Larry Bangor, Casey Cameron, Dini Lamot, and Windle Davis had sung together before the four decided to start a rock band, adding three musician/composers, Malcolm Travis (drums), Rich Gilbert (guitar), and Chris Maclachlan (bass). Their many performances notably included cross-dressing, homosexual flirting, fancy dance moves, and more new-wave shenanigans. Though HSR met with limited success commercially, as performance artistes, they are totally unique and their success then and now is truly phenomenal. Their songs have become iconic to our local ears – “(I Want to Be) Jackie Onassis,” “What Does Sex Mean to Me?,” “Land of the Glass Pinecones,” “Andy Fell,” “Anne Frank Story,” “Dick and Jane,” “Pound,” “Unba Unba,” “12345678910” and the lascivious “Butt Fuck” have all attributed to their cult success. Tonight, they play them all, and many more, and the response is rapturous. We are dipped into the memory pool and feel cleansed – a musical orgasm that even Masters and Johnson would have approved of. Unba-unba unbelievable! If they come back in another five years, we’ll be waiting!   (Harry C. Tuniese)

…

MASON DARING & JEANE STAHL/

JULIE DOUGHERTY & WOODY WOODWARD

Me & Thee Coffeehouse, Marblehead, MA

11/10/17

I’ve come to volunteer at Me & Thee Coffeehouse because I have constantly been impressed with the place, the people who run it, and the talent I’ve seen on the stage. Tonight some key regular volunteers aren’t here and I can sense things running a little more roughly than normal. Lights don’t go on when the should, doors don’t open for the those waiting to find their seats, and announcements are made by second stringers (myself included). But that is not going to stop a full house from enjoying themselves.

Julie Dougherty is a household name in the neighboring town of Salem, and the headliners, Mason Daring and Jeanie Stahl, grew up right here in Marblehead. So we have plenty of local fans filling the place on the first freezing night of the season.

Julie, on guitar and vocals, plays with her husband Woody Woodward accompanying her on bass. She starts with “Salvation and Second Chances” showing off her songwriting and pro-quality voice and guitar playing. She tells us that “Heavens Gate” was written about her cat, because it can easily be mistaken for the loss of a loved one – I think James Taylor has something like this about his dog. On “I’m Getting Out” she admits it’s not about her relationship with Woody – she just wrote it. “He’s the One” is a composition describing that guy your mother warned you about… funny, it makes me wonder how much of that guy exists in me. Mid-song Woody’s bass solo draws applause. Then Julie invites her sister, Kathleen, up to help sing a honey-dripped rendition of one of the Beatles biggest early hits – “She Loves You.” In this slowed down version the sweet sister harmonies melt every syllable of the tune. It has to be the best cover I’ve ever heard. Julie and Woody end with the title track of her 2013 release Land of Dreams. The intro always reminds me of an old song by The Animals – but it quickly heads in another direction. Dougherty and Woodward are one of my favorite North Shore acts – and some of the nicest people to hang with.

It’s half time – the coffee flows and sweet baked treats disappear into a lot of happy tummies, readying the audience for the long-time Marblehead folk favorites – Mason Daring and Jeanie Stahl.

Introduced as Passim All-Stars and contributors to both TV and film compositions/performances, the duet goes right into “Sweet Melodies in the Night.” Mason and Jeanie are relaxed as they sit in front of an adoring crowd.  And it’s a familiar audience – Mason jokes that there are only five people in the pews who haven’t been in his living room. The 1941 hit, “Chattanooga Choo Choo,” fills the air with Jeannie swinging it. Why are the melodies and chord structures on older songs so much more interesting than modern compositions? On “Counting the Stars” Mason adds lead guitar bits on an acoustic (other times on a Fender Stratocaster)… he also contributes some heavenly harmonies. These harmonies are so high that I have a hard time figuring out that they are coming out of him. Mason’s “Funny,” a jazzy creation, includes a cool low-end bass solo by Richard Gates, who from my seat is hidden behind Jeanie. Ms. Stahl says the next one is appropriate with the current TV airing of Ken Burns’ “Vietnam” – the song is “Memorial” based on remembering the men and women who fought the war from the 1960s and ’70s. On “I Do For You” Mason slides on over to the piano and shows us that his fingers are multi-talented while Jeanie, in her higher register can take on the tone of Joan Baez. They pick up the pace with “San Antonio Rose” and sing about sailors last at sea in “Mermaid.” Hearts are warmed hearing the double melody of “Marblehead Morning.” Julie Dougherty and Woody Woodward join Mason and Jeanie on stage to sing the beautiful jazzy chorded “The Real Deal” penned by Julie and her niece Kelly Fitzgerald. The two couples continue with Dylan’s “I Shall Be Released” and Guy Van Duzen’s “River.” Mason and Jeanie then finish us off with the absolutely lovely melody of “Nevertheless I’m in Love With You” from 1931. Another great night at Me & Thee.  (T Max)

…

WILLIE LOCO ALEXANDER/

THE NERVOUS EATERS/

EMILY GROGAN BAND/

THE DOGMATICS

Live At The Rat Volume II  Record Release Party

Hotel Commonwealth, Boston, MA

11/ 16/ 17

I can smell the irony in the air while walking through Kenmore Square to where Boston’s own punk den of inequity The Rat once stood. The ritzy decor of The Hotel Commonwealth stands in stark contrast to the dark and dirty glamour of the legendary club. In fact, a beer is now ten dollars and wine is more expensive at fourteen dollars a glass. A sawbuck at The Rat would have been good for a whole night of drinking back in the day. Be that as it may, the schedule for the night begins with a Live At The Rat DVD screening and a silent auction to benefit Right Turn the substance use disorder program headed by Woody Geissman (The Del Fuegos). Then a welcome by Adam Sperling the Hotel Commonwealth’s General Manager and a proclamation from Mayor Marty Walsh’s office naming the twenty four hour period  Rathskellar Day in the city of Boston. John Laurenti (WGBH) does a band introduction and this great night commences. Willie Loco Alexander, The Nervous Eaters, The Emily Grogan Band and The Dogmatics shake the roof during their sets. Willie is wearing a bright red Fats Domino shirt and fronts a three piece band, with Mark Chenevert on sax. They start off with “Life Is The Poem,” from Gloucester born poet Vincent Ferrini’s greatest hits, and Alexander announces tongue- in-cheek that Jimmy Harold wrote it. Then comes a few Boom Boom songs including: “Gourmet Baby,” “Malinda,”  and “At The Rat,” which Willie calls “At The Hop, the national anthem of Kenmore Square.”  When The Eaters do “Loretta” the crowd goes nuts and the dance floor is packed.  Emily Grogan is one of the best female vocalists on the east coast and her band is tight throughout her six song set. Her tune about Rat resident Mr. Butch, “Butch,” is appropriate and memorable. I also dig “Can’t Hurt” and “Weathervane” two killer cuts from her album At Sea. The Dogmatics are the icing on the cake. Check out their set: the group’s contributing cut on the new release, “Saturday Night Again,” “Pussy Whipped,” “Thayer Street,” “Drinking By The Pool,” “Good Looking Girls,” and “Sister Serena.” It’s very cool when they have Richie Parsons (Unnatural Axe) front them and sing lead on “Summertime,” an Axe song,  they originally did for the 2008 Unnatural Axe tribute album Ruling The World From The Back Seat. It’s a fucking trip down memory lane and my head is spinning with a night of classic garage punk music amidst a large crowd of lively local luminaries, many with white hair and many with no hair at all. All of a sudden, a well- dressed twenty something year old walks up to me while I’m smoking my chillum and enjoying the music and smirks “we don’t allow smoking in here,” so I shrugged and pretended to put my pipe away. I could hear the unspoken old man in his eyes as he spoke.  I look around the room and see who’s in the audience mingling and eating  the special James Ryan Hoodoo BBQ hor d’oeuvres on the shiny silver platters. The trays are being held by a posse of very elegantly dressed college-aged attendants wearing very un-Rat like uniforms of white shirts with black ties. Young stud waiters and cute as a button waitresses add to the surrealism present in the room as the older generation dances and the youngsters act as their eager to please servants. How punk is that in 2017? People I still recognize after all these years: Oedipus,  Bradley Jay and David Beeber (WBCN), Steve Morse and Jim Sullivan (Boston Globe), Brett Milano (Boston Herald), Robin Lane and Tim Jackson (The Chartbusters), Heather Rice-Fahey (Lizzie Borden & The Axes), Kelly Knapp (The Bristols), Dave Minehan (The Neighborhoods), Rat bartenders M.J. Costa- Byrnes and George Smart, Mr. Curt and Miss Donna, Linda Viens (Kingdom Of Love), Adam Sherman (The Billy Connors Project). Tim McKenna (Live Nation), Joanie Lindstrom, Scott Baerenwald, Joe Donnelly (The Whitewalls), Johnny Gags (The Well Babies), Johnny Black (Johnny & The Jumper Cables), Jody and Richard Moore (The Jody Moore Band), Hirsh Gardner (New England) brought his hair, Ray Fernandes (The Atlantics), Evan and Linda Shore (Muck & The Mires), Carolyn Stratton, Hope Moon and Cindy Daley (Lovelace). This is a great party and it’s just mythical that forty one years after the original album Live At The Rat was released, Jimmy Harold again defies nature and delivers big time. The only thing missing is the sticky floors that were the Rat’s trademark: and I have to smirk when I think I’m at a Rat party and the men’s room is clean, has an unbroken mirror  and a toilet bowl that actually flushes.   (A.J. Wachtel)

…

JIM TRICK/

ALICE HOWE/

FREEBO  first set (in the round)

Me & Thee Coffeehouse, Marblehead, MA

11/3/17

I’m ready once more to hear some great music at my favorite coffeehouse… Me & Thee. This volunteer-run venue has been offering the public the best live folk music for 47 years. Tonight the pews are mostly filled for a local favorite Jim Trick… with two other performers, Alice Howe and Feebo, on stage the whole night performing in the round. Jim Trick, standing on the right, starts off the night with “I Can Only Dream of You Now” a lamenting tune with the line “I’m getting use to lonely” standing out. Jim is a sensitive spiritual performer with touching songs. He then introduces Alice Howe, center stage, who shares “Homeland Blues” with Freebo backing her up on bass and some vocal harmonies. She a very attractive woman with a beautiful voice and great stage presence. After her song, she introduces Freebo… Bonnie Raitt’s  musical partner/ bass player during her heyday.  Alice mentions, “We all did our hair tonight,” referring mostly to Freebo’s unkept nest. Jim quips in, “I polished my bald spot.” Freebo keeps it fun with, “My Personal GPS” – referencing the growing relationship between driver and the guiding voice. After the first round, it is apparent that we, the audience, are in for a wonderful mix of interesting music professionally performed. Moving on, we find that Alice frequently works with Freebo – he’s even producing her next album – Twilight. And although this night is completely enjoyable and successful, I start feeling something. In a round with three people, they each take their turn softly competing with each other’s performance or songwriting. But something is wrong with this round. Jim Trick performs totally solo most of the time, where every time Alice plays she has Freebo’s bass and/ or background vocals chiming in. Then when Freebo plays, Alice sings harmonies. It starts not feeling like a round at all, but like a duet performing two songs for every one that the solo artist plays. Jim is at a disadvantage the entire night, but never shows any sign of acknowledging it, though I sense he knows the situation is working against him. This evening would have worked nicer if Jim just opened Alice Howe and Freebo (or visa versa). Don’t get me wrong, I loved Alice and Freebo, the night just shouldn’t have been in the round.  (T Max)

…

ARLO GUTHRIE

The Regeneration Tour

The Cabot, Beverly, MA

11/17/17

Arlo brought his whole family to perform two sets tonight at this beautiful old theater: his three daughters, including solo artist Sarah Guthrie, and son Abe, and his five grandchildren; two teenagers and three younger very high- pitched girls all pitching in on vocals with Sarah and Abe also playing acoustic guitars. Arlo sits in a chair next to a row of about five or six guitars and tells stories as he changes guitars and introduces the songs in a very off- hand and casual living room conversational way. Great harmonies and a really cool selection of songs is on the menu tonight. I really dig Pete Seeger’s “Midnight Special,” Guthrie’s  “Motorcycle Song” with his three daughters adding great backing vocal harmonies, Steve Goodman’s “City of New Orleans,” and two Dylan covers “Blowin’ in the Wind,” and “Mr. Tambourine Man.” You haven’t lived until you’ve heard Guthrie cover Dylan. He plays a few of his dad Woody’s song’s including “This Land Is Your Land,” which should be our country’s national anthem. Mid-set Arlo is telling a story to the audience with his family standing next to him onstage and he plays a few choruses of “Alice’s Restaurant” playfully asking his youngest granddaughters if they’ve “ever heard this song before around the house” as the audience laughs. Arlo accompanies himself on electric piano, harmonica, and with a banjo on a few tunes and the family does a great Christmas song that has the lyrics “I don’t want your kisses on Christmas Eve, all I wan’t for Christmas is for you to leave” complete with the three sisters singing nice harmonies together like they’ve been doing their whole lives. Arlo even has the audience doing a sing-a-long after apologizing for being corny in concert. It’s always great spending the holidays with Arlo Guthrie and tonight is no exception. Special thanks to Jeff Freedman god-emperor of Wiz Security for his usual above and beyond hospitality.   (A.J. Wachtel)

…

THE FREESTONES/

MAX CLARK

Cantab (Club Bohemia), Cambridge, MA

11/19/17

Opening act Max Clark (son of Jerry’s Kids/ Unnatural Axe drummer Jack Clark) is a delight with his Dylan-esque angst, using the guitar as a percussive instrument to drive the statement home without a net – or a loud, active band behind him.

The Freestones are a real find, a sound not often present in the Boston area community that got a good taste of this New Hampshire group’s fun and musical style For those who have heard the amazing recordings of Alan O’Day’s “Easy Evil,” be it by Genya Ravan, Sarah Vaughan, Sylvia, Lulu – this ensemble present that kind of Rusty Kershaw cajun magic (see Rusty’s Domino album release produced by Rob Fraboni) …and in concert, it’s an electric hootenanny – an electric jugband that keeps its rock sensibilities front and center. The vocals of Mackenzie Hamilton are as essential as the guitar, bass and drums, and when she wants to wail, as on “Going Down,” she dominates the proceedings in a very good way. Not Janis Joplin taking over the show, but complementing the boys as they churn out this delightful and somewhat aggressive sound… the slide guitar and rhythm section all in unison and brilliantly powerful. John Webb’s guitar and vocals lead the group in a Jerry Garcia sort of way, not pushy but guiding the elements as they combine to generate a dance groove inside a genre that isn’t recognized as a style that invites dance. That’s because they are as much a rock ’n’ roll group as they are stylists. “I Need Never Get Old” changes the form but stays within a framework, Matt Smith’s bass and Sean Knight’s drums at times a single unit, at others dimensional parts of the whole. Is that “Tumblin’ Dice” by the Rolling Stones? Yes, morphed and melted into the netherworld Jarred Garneau builds. Just lots of fun on a Stones’ classic starting in the Freestone way, a little dash of Linda Ronstadt’s hit version, the Rolling Stones composition coming full circle as the song concludes. The encore was a most respectful, but again transitioned, approach to former Malden, Massachusetts resident Norman Greenbaum’s eternal “Spirit in the Sky.” As with “Tumblin’ Dice” your brain starts in with “is this… could it be?…” and – yes, a reinvention of a perfect song for this creative crew from Rollinsville, New Hampshire. (Joe Viglione)

 

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The most intoxicating track on this compilation is also the simplest: Lydia Thornton’s a cappella rendition of “She Moved Through the Fair” is sung in the highly ornamented Sean-nós style with her wispy vibrato-filled voice. Its bareness and haunting beauty make it a tough act to follow. However, T Max is up to the challenge with a tongue-in-cheek tale of an out-of-control sausage-maker. The catchy sing-a-long chorus and jangling electric guitar interludes are nice, but it’s his gravelly voice and the subtle overdubs that really make this track shine. Patrick Coman & the Lo-Fi Angels continue with a slow sentimental lament, complete with spot-on guy/girl vocal harmonies and sweetly pining fiddle.
I’m not wild about “Danny Boy,” as it’s such a staple of Irish music that it has become painful cliché and this rendition, while ably played, doesn’t do anything innovative enough to change my mind. Same goes for “Whiskey In the Jar” later on. But I really dig the Whiskey Boys’ “Roisin the Beau.” It’s a simply-adorned acoustic track with some wonderful drone-heavy fiddle work. The lead vocals are plain as can be, but tell a great story and tell it well. Part drinking song, part requiem, this song doesn’t get old over it’s epic length. Greg Klyma’s eponymous closer has an Adam Sandler-type feel to it. Funny, but for a closer, it kinda fizzles.          (Will Barry)

 

CARAVAN OF THIEVES
UFO Music
The Fun House 
15 tracks
Talk about a thrill ride…  There are so many things going on with this band, it’s hard to begin.  Caravan of Thieves is part Gypsy, part vaudeville, part bluegrass, and part circus sideshow. I’m sure I’m not the only one who thinks Tim Burton should be calling this band to do his next film with Johnny Depp.  The latest release from Caravan of Thieves offers a buffet of everything a great album should have: clever lyrics, panoramic arrangements, and every conceivable mood and texture you could hope for.  Lovers of literature, eclecticism, melody, wit, and wisdom should have this album in their collection. Unlike a few bands of this genre, Caravan of Thieves seems to accept all types of followers.  Young, old, normal, freak, cynic, and fool have an equal opportunity to be entertained by this multi-faceted group of gifted tunemeisters and sonic storytellers.  It is impossible not to love this.  Wow!          (Joel Simches)

 

DAN CLOUTIER
Blind Willie’s Lighthouse   
13 tracks
It is through fitting homage to one of his greatest influences, 1920s gospel-blues legend, Blind Willie Johnson, that Dan Cloutier’s apparent love of New England is chronicled.  Powerful imagery of oceans and crashing waves combine with heartwarming anecdotes of love and one’s unshakable faith.  Perhaps the most fitting example of this lies in “The Climber,” which references Boston, Maine, and New Hampshire in an effort to further illustrate a determined Cloutier’s quest to make it through the pearly gates of Heaven.  Among the talented group of musicians to accompany Cloutier are Kim Jennings (piano, Wurlitzer, keyboards, lead harmony vocals), Eric Anderson (drums, bass), and Dennis Pearne (bass).  Jennings’ voice is angelic perfection, especially notable within “Trouble in the Promised Land” and “Kinnerett.”  Her piano contribution to “Bangor at 5:00 am” provides the haunting song, set within the Maine coast, with an air of mystery.  One could envision Cloutier crooning these inspiring songs on a beach or perhaps by a blazing campfire.  One thing is for certain: he is a born, gifted storyteller following a path that is most certainly meant for him.         (Julia R. DeStefano)

 

THE CRANKS
Downside Up
9 tracks
Woo-hoo, The Cranks are go! In my short time with the Noise, I’ve become jaded having to review all types of lousy music, that it’s a cause for celebration on those rare occasions when I’m actually impressed! Seriously, I’m having difficulty typing out a review while the CD is playing because this music just won’t sink in the background enough for me to concentrate. Anyway, the Cranks are a gifted trio of high-school, age kids playing spirited college rock (remember when they called it college rock?). Their influences include Kings of Leon (more Youth and Young Manhood-era KofL, not that later “Sex on Fire” pablum), Weezer, and Pixies. In addition, I’m reminded at times of Earwig-era Blake Babies with a twist of Screaming Females. Their youthful enthusiasm is contagious, the lyrics are well-written, and while they can certainly play, they’re not overly flashy and technical—their music’s got heart, and I can do nothing but support that. Best tracks are “Voice Inside,” “Good Guys,” “Here I Go,” and “Seven.” I look forward to how they progress!              (Tony Mellor)

 

THE BIRTHDAY SUICIDE  
Two Others Music
Palm Trees and Dead Leaves
9 tracks
Gregg Padula’s lyrical folk project is not yet all that it can be, but it’s getting there, as it’s an improvement over his uneven debut from a few years back.  His gravelly voice still struggles when pushed, but he’s learned to more effectively milk earnest feelings out of it.  The songwriting, while occasionally displaying too much of a song-to-song sameness, has gotten sharper, most noticeably on the opening title track, a pretty number that reminds me of The Goo Goo Dolls’ acoustic hits, only smarter and not pandering to soccer moms.  Padula would probably prefer to be compared to Dylan, but I swear I mean that as a compliment.  The instrumentation has been fleshed out.  At times, like with the rocking drumbeat in “Last Winter”, it works to great effect, but the guitar pyro of Danny Brady, while technically proficient, sounds out of place.  Padula’s still a work in progress, but it’s worth sticking around to see where he ends up.          (Kevin Finn)

 

ABBIE BARRETT & THE LAST DATE
The Triples: Volume 1
3 tracks
The most diversified artist to come along in a long time, Abbie Barrett may embody elements of Sarah RabDAU and Self-Employed Assassins, the Dresden Dolls, and even Alanis Morissette, but she is, essentially, in a class all her own.  If her debut, Dying Day, was our introduction to her capabilities, The Triples: Volume 1 represents her musical evolution, all while solidifying her place – fitting, as the album’s opening track is appropriately titled “Here to Stay.”  Best described as a track straddling the realms of pop and punk, the adage is clear: one can do anything.  What follows is “On the Range,” a noticeable shift from the opener and through a twangy country feel, it serves as further proof of just what Barrett and the Last Date can cover.  Volume 1 closes with the romantic and soft “Draw Me In,” an exquisite track that showcases the sensuality of her voice.  Refreshingly unpredictable, Barrett remains a bright light among others of her genre, and The Triples: Volume 1is every indication of this.       (Julia R. DeStefano)

 

FUTURE CARNIVORES
Future Carnivores
10 tracks
Listening to this album makes me feel like I’m floating care-free in tranquil amniotic waters. I can’t get enough—from the trance-inducing tribal rhythms to the warm melodic plunkings of the bass to the layers upon layers of textural guitars, tinkling like a porch full of wind-chimes. Then, of course, there’s the zen synth chanting long electronic oms. Now, if all this electro-bliss doesn’t getcha, the guy/girl vocal harmonies sure as hell will. The guy’s vocal style has a palpable Bowie influence from the nasally baritone crooning to the the airy falsetto. It’s just enough to cultivate the soulful art-rock vibes these guys are dishing out without becoming parody. Altogether, this band weaves a complex soundscape that’s uplifting, amorous, and brimming with joie-de-vivre.             (Will Barry)

 

ERIC OTT
Letter Box
8 tracks
Ott’s music manages the difficult task of being both beautiful and a little bit depressing.  While it’s steeped in the acoustic guitar / singer-songwriter realm, Ott’s experience playing in full bands shows, as the music has a much fuller feel than most in this genre.  Ott’s deep, full voice commands attention, recalling James Taylor if James Taylor actually had a pair, and cellist Kristen Miller is a marvel, equally adept at soothing the listeners as she is at sending shivers up their spines.  The songwriting is solid throughout, reaching its highest point with “Coattails,” which comes off as a quieter version of the drug rush in the Velvet Underground’s “Heroin.”  This may be a debut, but it sounds like it came from an established veteran.    (Kevin Finn)

 

LOVE OF LIFE
…And Time Again
12 tracks
The best songs here are very self-assured heavy rock from local scene veteran Scott Gagnon. You feel almost obliged to like these latter-day comeback efforts just for old times’ sake, and, to be sure, a track like “Sleeping Dogs” is little more than an off-kilter bit of simplistic garage rock. However, the opening salvo, “The Controller,” is a classic track in the tradition of Mission of Burma, Uzi, and too many other avant-noise bands to mention, though early Love also comes to mind. Lively, dense, and compelling songs predominate throughout. “Everybody’s Right” is a strenous, brazen, cojoined guitar and bass attack with lively percussion, and although the vocal verges betimes on braying pronunciato, the song itself is too strong to ignore. The closing track, “The Aftermath” is a welcome surprise–oddly reminiscent of the Cowboys International song of the same name.  Though lyrics are rudimentary and direct, the best songs here are quite remarkable.      (Francis DiMenno)

 

STEVE CARAWAY
Indienink
Hurricane Season
13 tracks
Released in 2008, this CD still sounds current. It easily has me singing along. The songwriting is excellent (both musically and lyrically) and the clean production scores the CD high in sell-ability. This is pop rock at it’s best—what you’d expect get if Elvis Costello and Bruce Springsteen joined forces with the remaining members of the Beatles. Steve has the ability to rock out, as on the title track, and then he can pull it back and show a sensitive side with “Something New” and “Keeping Secrets.” “Before You Run Away” leans toward Elvis Costello with a classic intro and nice melody movement into the chorus. “When I Change My Mind” has some surprising, yet natural, chord changes, sparsely used Beatle hand claps, and good 12-string melodies spawned from the early British invasion. “Gone Gone Gone” employs a distinctive Beatle flavor with Ringo’s “Tomorrow Never Knows” drum beat and McCartney’s “Rain” bass hammer-ons. Overall Steve has a knack for throwing good chords and melodies together with easy-to-follow-along lyrics that are sung with masculine fervor and tight harmonies.                          (T Max)

 

VERTICAL TWIN  
75 or Less Records
Geezer Wheelie
6 tracks
I’ve never heard a 75 or Less record that I haven’t found strangely appealing. Fate has dealt me three compact discs from three different bands on this label, including this one, and just like its label brethren, Geezer Wheelie is big dumb party-hard rock with grungy stoner-riffic riffs, juvenile beer-soaked lyrics and bargain-basement Building 19 production—I don’t hate it! The fact is, as I write this, I’ve been painlessly (and soberly!) listening to this Vertical Twin EP on shuffle and on repeat. I’d probably even white-boy dance to this if I wasn’t so busy typing. Just ignore that CD cover.            (Tony Mellor)

 

LEWIS AND GARRELS 
On the Way Home 
12 tracks
I think we can all agree that an album is like a novel, with the guys behind the mics and instruments telling the story. In the case of Lewis and Garrels’ album, On the Way Home, the tales they have to tell will be familiar to fans of the genre, but all are well worth a listen. The folk/rock creations of this duo blend mellow, easy-listening tunes, down-home blues and some classic rock sounds. Andrew Lewis (vocals/guitar) is a presence onstage, and has a deep, commanding voice that fills the room with no effort. Paired with the lighter vocals and exemplary guitar work of Jake Garrels, these two combine countless years of experience to create an assortment of music that never fails to put me at ease. It’s like they’ve already seen the end of the journey, and they’re here to help us find our path and give a little guidance along the way. A particular favorite of mine is “I Remember,”which from my perspective, reflects on past actions, both the big and the small, something we’ve all pondered after a few beers or a lonely night at home. On “Bagful of Blues,” Jake shows his chops as a blues-man, giving us a mournful tune about that certain someone and the heartache that comes with them. The music is simple and straightforward: no overdubbing, no effects, no quirky instrumentation tricks. And really, that’s all we need.     (Max Bowen)

 

BUBBLES IN THE THINK TANK
presents The Petite 7 Inch Record
6 tracks (on vinyl)
“Bubbles…” is a weekly show on WMFO, with hostesses Belinda and January Fairy. The record is purple, plays at 33-1/3 RPM, and comes with a download link that includes extra tracks. 300 were made, more than half are already gone, and I’m not surprised. It’s a microcosm of one big family tree of sorts, connecting all the acts (and many others, as well as fans) with long, deep roots stretching back a good thirty years plus. Most everyone involved knows or has worked with any number of others along a given branch at some point, regardless of home base. Who knew that those proverbial six degrees separated Ray Mason from Birdsongs of the Mesozoic? Or the Spampinato Brothers from singing TV sock puppets? And on it goes. The scenario deserves an extensive article of its own, but if you had to narrow it all down to one commonality in this case, it would be the simple, underlying sweetness here, so warm you can feel it. By not shooting for epic or whimsy, they somehow ended up with epic whimsy. Oh, and every song is about records. And, it rocks. The liner notes guy says it best: “Just listen. You can actually hear the fun that the artists are having.” Well, that’s just for starters.      (Joe Coughlin)

 

LAST BUILDERS OF EMPIRE
Without Remorse 
5 tracks
Between the band’s name, Last Builders of Empire, and the title of their debut, Without Remorse, one would expect unbearably heavy, angsty rock and even perhaps industrial metal.  To this reviewer’s pleasant surprise, Dan Mandino (guitar and synth), Rich Reed (drums, bells, percussion), Pat Horrigan (bass), and Jesse Chamberlain (guitar), have developed an innovative post-rock instrumental sound, even if titles such as “The Withered Are Serene” are more than slightly misleading to listeners.  On the whole, Last Builders of Empire’s compositions are dark, melodic, and haunting, best suited for inclusion in the realm of both television and film.           (Julia R. DeStefano)

 

J T LOCKWOOD
A Chance for Change
9 tracks
This is an interesting CD that mixes acoustic and electric instruments resulting in songs with folk, pop, reggae, and Americana influences; and great vocals and harmonies all over the place.Recorded and mixed in Maine, I like the opening song “The Best of Me” with its pop feel and calypso cadences and it’s more electronic re-mix at the very end. “Run” is an acoustic ballad with a pop feel, and “As I Am” is an acoustic/power pop tune. I like the sequencing of “Away” an Americana/folkie ballad and the next one “I Think”; an electric American/pop ballad too; with good harmonies everywhere. I also dig the uptempo guitar intro in “Down” and just really enjoy the optimism in the delivery and arrangements of the music in the whole package. Worth a lot of listens; you’ll find something else you like each time you play this.       (A.J.Wachtel)

 

PROTEAN COLLECTIVE
Exposed
3 tracks
One of the best parts of listening to the progressive hard rock/metal of Protean Collective is that what you get on the CDs and downloads is a mirror image of their live shows. It was true with Once Mechanical and Divided, and remains the same with their newest work, the three-song EP Exposed. I had the chance to listen to the album, and a few hours later, caught their EP release show and honestly couldn’t tell the difference between the live set and the recordings. This EP packs in all the eardrum-busting electricity of the live shows, and gets a ton of mileage out of three tracks. “Quiet in Wartime” is anything but, slamming the senses within the first 30 seconds and never letting up, perfectly encompassing the sound of Protean Collective. The band, comprised of Graham Bacher (lead vocals, guitar), Steph Goyer (guitar, vocals), Dan Ehramjian (bass) and Matt Zappa (drums), maintains their signature style of technical precision and intense, powerful tones that jar bones and brainpans. Bacher’s vocals punch through on each verse, melding and flowing with the music. Zappa’s a master on the drums, firing off the percussionist’s version of a machine gun artillery salvo. Goyer and Erhamjian’s prowess on the guitar and bass, respectively, complete the equation, creating a unique style that is both fast-paced, melodic and best played at the highest volume possible.       (Max Bowen)

 

AMY BLACK
One/Time
12 tracks
This woman is an impressive singer and her voice sounds very authentic in a few different styles; and all present on this CD. Whether communicating folk ballads, like opener “Run Johnny” or “Molly,” or a bluesy song like “One Time,” or  an Americana Loretta Lynn cover “You Ain’t Woman Enough (To Take My Man),” or a C&W weeper “Words Fail You”; Black’s vocals are emotional and very believable on every cut. I think “Stay” and “I Can’t Play This Game” are the most radio-friendly and commercial compositions, but in my opinion I liked most of the tunes on this CD and after my first listen I want to go check her performance out live and onstage. A good collection and solid selection of songs.     (A.J. Wachtel)

 

ASIA MEI    
No Box Music
Introverse  
10 tracks
It’s always a lot of fun to get to review an album like this that defies labels and category. Asia Mei covers a broad range of styles and moods.  Fans of Kate Bush, Muse, Fiona Apple and Regina Spektor will enjoy her sense of melody, introspective lyrics and bombastic sense of style and arrangement. Every song sounds pretty epic and loving performed by some gifted musicians.  The only area that this album falls short is in its attempt to accomplish too much.  There are great melodies, but not enough of them to latch onto.  Mei seems to have a lot to say in some songs and tries to cram a lot of words into each of them, forsaking any kind of recognizable hook, or something that someone could easily sing along with. This seems to be a common problem with singer/songwriters of this ilk. Sometimes less is more. If songwriting can be expressed as some kind of musical journey, it helps to be able to remember the sites along the way.     (Joel Simches)

 

FOOD WILL WIN THE WAR
A False Sense of Warmth
11 tracks
I’m pretty damned decent at judging a CD by its packaging, but this threw me off. It’s a beautiful package—brings to mind those post-rock CDs that labels like Thrill Jockey and Quarterstick/Touch and Go were putting out some years ago. Couple that with the claim that no fewer than twelve people are on this recording, and I was expecting perhaps a Tortoise clone. Not even close. The music is very acoustic guitar-based, unmistakably American(a), festooned with what the liner notes say “violin,” but stylistically sounds more like “fiddle” to me, grounded with a lead voice that at times sounds like Calvin Johnson fronting a jamless early ’90s studio Phish, and all wrapped up in an over-smooth production somewhat reminiscent of R.E.M.’s Reveal. Besides the many vocalists heard, never at any point in this album does it sound like there are more than five people playing at the same time. I could see this band sharing a bill with OldJack, and if a show like that ever happened, I’d make sure I wasn’t in the neighborhood.    (Tony Mellor)

 

WALTER NOONS
Real Records
Hurricane Songs  
10 tracks
This collection assembles a bunch of low-key compositions in a bluesy mode, with an added boogie tune, an uptempo rock number, some 1920s-era hokum, and other Americana. Nothing earth-shaking here. Just anodyne instrumentals and unremarkable deadpan vocals with lyrics about nothing truly notable. “Have Pity on the Poor” is a sub-Dylan “Rainy Day Woman”-style boogie where the joke—if there is one—is supposed to consist of a cleverly sardonic commentary on contemporary affairs, though it falls considerably short of even that modest goal. Flattened, depressing affect simply isn’t doing it for me these days. Sorry.       (Francis DiMenno)

 

THE GREAT WHISKEY REBELLION
On The Whiskey Train
8 tracks
If the Dropkick Murphy’s were really born in Dublin and not Dorchester they would sound like this. Without bagpipes and angry punk vocals this group’s Americana/traditional Irish pub sound is very different and very authentic. Most of the tracks here are instrumental with vocals appearing on a few scattered spots, but the focus is on the great fiddle playing. All of the music is uptempo and dance-able but catering more towards the jig then the break-dance. My favorite cuts are the traditional “Cooley’s Reel” and an original “Mr. Whiskey” because they are very lively and very interesting. I met this Worcester-area band loading out onto Lansdown Street after a gig and they gave me their CD when I introduced myself; you find good music in the most unexpected ways.       (A.J. Wachtel)

 

CRYOSTASIUM II
2 tracks
Track two sounds quite a bit like a querulous oscilloscope stomped down by a monochord drone. Track one is even, er, better.  32 years ago we were treated to “Radio 4,” an odd final track on the Metal Box PiL album. Now we have what very nearly amounts to an LP-length version—industrial fuzz and blurry death metal backed by howling Lucifer and recorded on a Tascam analog 8-track—so nice to know The Evil One hasn’t gone digital just yet—I guess that would mean He is truly Evil. Um, not to be unsupportive, but unless you’re looking for music to climb out of a K-hole by, I’m wondering—what’s the point? I presume the answer is “Because I can!” Solid. Don’t forget to write. (Francis DiMenno)

 

QUETZALCOATLUS
Beats + Noise
14 tracks
This ambient electronica is rife with industrial beats, slithering atonal synth-basslines, with a kaleidoscopic array of instrumental textures and sound effects—including everything from church bells to the screeching of the Green Line train. These pieces often include quirky thought-provoking use of spoken-word sampling. Foreboding at one point, tender the next, this album always keeps you guessing. Just to give you an idea of what’s going on here, one track meshes trip-hop beats with children’s voices singing snippets of “Old McDonald Had a Farm.” Part of me shutters to think what kind of depraved, possibly psychotic individual would create such grotesque collages of sound. Another part of me wants to buy that guy a drink. What does a guy like this drink anyway? Absinthe would be my guess.     (Will Barry)

 

THE FEW 
Headstock
11 tracks
This band works on so many levels.  They have a groove, but they’re not simply a funk band.  They jam out, but they’re not wasted on bad beer and brown acid. They play blues, but more in a classic rock way.  They have a female singer, but they also have a male singer.  They make their own guitars.  In a scene where classic rock is usually about as popular as puppy rape, the Few have managed to put a fresh and funky spin on the tired moniker.  If you like the James Gang, Led Zeppelin, Grand Funk, Peter Green’s Fleetwood Mac, Jefferson Airplane, Government Mule, It’s A Beautiful Day, and Aretha Franklin, you will probably love this band.  If you hate all the music I just mentioned, you’d probably come away from this album wondering how you can still like a band this much. This new album seems to have found not only a balance of all these influences, but also a sound that defines them as their own thing.    (Joel Simches)

 

OTTO KINZEL 
We Are All Doomed: The Zodiac Killer  
11 tracks
Okay, hands up, who’s ever wanted to hear the complete story of the Zodiac Killer set to a blistering metal sound? That many? Good, I’ve found the right crowd. Otto Kinzel’s album is a first for me, and that’s saying something. Each song tackles a different chapter of the Zodiac Killer’s story, from the “Two Dead on Lake Herman Road” to “October 13th” to “I Am NOT Paul Avery.” If you’ve seen any of the movies or are just a fan of the macabre, this one’s going to appeal to you. The music here is a mix, from shredding guitars and growled-out vocals that would leave the throat of a lesser singer bloody and raw, to more melodic instrumentals that give us a break between slayings. Otto’s done his homework in preparation for this album, showing that he’s taking this as a serious project, rather than choosing a dark subject for pure shock value. In “I Want To Report a Murder,” he even includes lines where the killer calls the police to report the murders. Instrumentally, this album’s a good mix, with Otto providing guitar, bass, keyboard and some slick programming work. There’s plenty of guests as well, such as Jeremiah Thomas on the piano for “The Wait,” and Marc Brennan doing drum work on several songs. All in all, this is a very creative product that is more like a novel than a collection of songs. Each one’s a different chapter, and given to us in a different way. Go ahead, give it a read.             (Max Bowen)

 

ANNALISE EMERICK  
Starry-Eyed
7 tracks
It’s a frustrating thing. There are so many nice female voices going around, making records, playing shows, but so few of these voices are used in anything interesting or remotely individualistic—like this CD by Annalise Emerick. There is no question that she has a natural-sounding, unaffected (no melisma or annoying vocal acrobatics), and likable singing voice, but the rest of the music is extremely dull. There are certain voices that can transcend whatever backing (or lack thereof) due to sheer character and lyrical power (think those post-’70s Leonard Cohen albums with the Muzak backing); unfortunately, Annalise doesn’t have either of these qualities. Her voice is nice, but it’s not interesting enough to render the polite folky trappings and under-stimulating lyrics moot. Basically, this CD bores the hell out of me because the music is so cookie-cutter, so dime-a-dozen, that it goes through my noggin like a sieve, leaving no residue behind. Plus, the cover of “Stand By Me” is completely forgettable and pointless, same with the interpolation of “Auld Lang Syne” in track 6.             (Tony Mellor)

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2006 Noise Poll Nominees

2. New Band
Bang Camaro
The Snowleopards
Hallellujah the Hills
Angeline
OK Thursday
Steamy Bohemians
Temper
Mystery Tramps
The Motion Sick
Apple Betty
The Silver Lining
Blanketeer
Christians & Lions
Bleedin Bleedins
Township

3. CD
Neptune – Patterns
Mission of Burma – The Obliterati
Ho-Ag – The Word From Pluto
The Motion Sick – Her Brilliant Fifteen
Corin Ashley – Songs from the Brill Bedroom
Aloud – Leave Your Light On
Campaign For Real-Time – Yes… Imean No
Muck & The Mires – 1-2-3-4
Dresden Dolls – Yes, Virginia
Radio Knives – Cursed
Monique Ortiz – Reclining Female
Temper – Hang by Your Own Tail
Hooray For Earth – Hooray for Earth
Mittens – Fools on a Holiday
Bon Savants – Post-Rock Defends The Nation

4. Song
Fluttr Effect – “Hollywood is Porn”
Campaign for Real-Time – “In Your Dreams”
Muck & the Mires – “You Better Write Your Number Down”
Scamper /Kay Hanley – “Barcelona”
Sidewalk Driver – “Christmas in Fallujah”
Hooray for Earth – “Simple Plan”
Shoot the Moon – “It’s All Good”
Mittens – “The Way We’re Living”
The Daily Pravda – “She’s So Mature”
Mission of Burma – “1001 Pleasant Dreams”
Dresden Dolls – “Backstabber”
Pernice Brothers – “Somerville”
Damone – “Out Here All Night”
Hallelujah the Hills – “Hallelujah the Hills”
Bang Camaro – “Bang Camaro”

5. Vocalist (M)
John Powhida (The Rudds)
Thom Moran (Bon Savants)
Brad Parker (Aberdeen City)
Sammy Miami (Shoot the Moon)
Corin Ashley (Corin Ashley)
Munk ([munk])
Jared Marsh (Taxpayer)
Chris Mascara (Mascara)
Ad Frank (… & the Fast Easy Women)
Eli “Paperboy” Reed
Dave Jackel (The Daily Pravda)
Mark Lind (Ducky Boys)
Chris Pappas (Everyday Visuals)
Jason Dunn (The Luxury)

6. Vocalist (F)
Anna Price (The Silver Lining)
Monique Ortiz (AKACOD)
Jen D’Angora (The Downbeat 5/ Dents)
Emily Grogan (Emily Grogan Band/ Angeline)
Jordan Valentine (Worlds Greatest Sinners)
Andrea Gillis (Andrea Gillis/ The Rudds)
Holly Brewer (Humanwine)
Kara Trott (Fluttr Effect)
Linda Viens (Angeline)
Elena Proakis (Polyethylen)
Jen Johnson (Static of the Gods)
Jen De La Osa (Aloud)
Elli Vee (The Charms)
Leah Callahan (The Glass Set)
Catherine Cavanaugh (Chop Chop)

7. Guitarist
Roger Miller (Mission of Burma)
Tony Savarino (World Greatest Sinners)
Brett Rosenberg (The Rudds)
Sean Connelly (Ad Frank/ Francine)
Henry Beguiristain (Aloud)
Gilliford Gillis (Township)
Matt Rhodes (The Silver Lining)
Sean McCarthy (Helms)
Ernie Kim (Tristan da Cunha)
Alex Necochea (Bang Camaro)
Bryn Bennet (Bang Camaro)
Maclain Diemer (Bang Camaro)

8. Bassist
Monique Ortiz (AKACOD)
Michelle Paulhus (Dents)
Tony Goddess (The Rudds/ Andrea Gillis)
Mike Rivard (Club d’Elf)
Jim Gilbert (The Plain Janes)
Brad Parker (Aberdeen City)
Jimmy Jax (The Snowleopards)
Nick Ward (Ho-Ag)
Dave “Doz” Riley (Bang Camaro)
Clint Conley (Mission of Burma)
Hilary Jones (Sweetthieves)
Nicholas Ward (Ho-Ag)
Farhad Ebrahimi (Night Rally)

9. Drummer
Brian Viglione (Dresden Dolls)
Nick Zampiello (Campaign For Real-Time)
Andy Dole (Bon Savants/ Bang Camaro)
Seth Kasper (Hooray For Earth)
Rob Lynch (Harris)
Tanya Paglia (The Hidden)
Jesse Mayer (Wild Zero)
Steve Budney (Tristan da Cunha)
Mora Precarious (Ketman)
Eric Meyer (Ho-Ag / Hallelujah the Hills)
Luke Kirkland (Night Rally)
Peter Prescott (Mission of Burma)

10. Keyboardist
Sarah Rabdau (Sarah Rabdau)
Roger Miller (Binary System/ Alloy Orchestra)
Johnny Pics (The Chainletter)
Jane Allard (The Motion Sick)
Nicole Boudreau (Baker)
Ashley Moody (The Information)
Falconer & Felix (The Campaign For Real-Time)
Gary Benacquista (Hooray For Earth)
Tyler Derryberry (Ho-Ag/ Longknives)
Amanda Palmer (Dresden Dolls)
Rick Berlin (Rick Berlin)
Elio DeLuca (The Irreverends/ Keys to the Streets of Fear)

11. Other Instrument
Valerie Thompson – cello (Fluttr Effect)
Dana Colley – saxophone (AKACOD/ Twinemen)
Donna Parker – knobs (Donna Parker)
Tyler Derryberry – theremin (Ho-Ag)
Brian Ruttledge – trumpet (Hallelujah the Hills)
Vessela Stoyanova – MIDI marimba (Fluttr Effect)
Paul Ahlstrand – saxophone (various bands)
Chilly Kurtz – mouth harp (Collisions/ Caged Heat)
Chris Barrett – trumpet (Christians & Lions, Logan 5 & the Runners)
Ken Field – sax/flute (Birdsongs of the Mesozoic)
Kris Thompson – theramin (The Lothars)

12. Stage Presence
John Powhida (The Rudds)
Robby Roadsteamer (Robby Roadsteamer)
Jordan Valentine (World’s Greatest Sinners)
Otto Jayayyemmri (Porsches On The Autobahn)
The Choir (Bang Camaro)
Eli “Paperboy” Reed
Ryan Walsh (Hallelujah to the Hills)
Ad Frank (… & the Fast Easy Women)
Gene Dante (Gene Dante & The Future Starlets)
Mach Bell (Mach 5)
Brian Viglione (Dresden Dolls)
Thermos X. Pimpington (Voodoo Screw Machine)
Nick Given (Bang Camaro)

13. Radio Station
WFNX
WMFO
WZBC
WMBR
WBCN
WAAF
WERS

14. Radio DJ
Shred (WBCN)
Carmelita (WAAF)
Dave Duncan (WFNX)
Joanie Lindstrom (WMBR)
Anngelle Wood (WZLX/ WMFO)
Jeff Breeze (WMBR)
Laura Wilson (WMBR)
Tracey Stark (WZBC)
Jon Bernhardt (WMBR)
Mark Hamilton (WBCN)
Tim Kelly (WMBR)

15. Writer
Steve Gisselbrecht
Will Spitz
Michael Marotta
Joe Coughlin
Brett Milano
Matt Ashare
Carly Carioli
Luke O’Neil
Lexi Kahn
Slimedog

16. Photographer
Michael Byrne
Kelly Davidson
Nicole Tammaro
Bill T Miller
Mick Murray
Just Bill
Liz Linder
Sheri Haussi
Gail Rush

17. Record Label
Fenway Recordings
Curve of the Earth
Rodent Popsicle
Lunch
Bodies of Water Arts & Crafts
Lemon Merchant
Hi-N-Dry
Mister Records

18. Producer
Hugh Wyman
Tom Polce
Paul Q. Kolderie
Tony Goddess
Dave Minehan
Nick Zampiello
Richard Marr
Darren Burke
Dave Westner
Mark Schliecher
Ethan Deusault

19. Club
the Middle East
the Abbey Lounge
Great Scott
T.T. the Bear’s
Avalon
the Midway
PA’s Lounge
O’Brien’s
Lizard Lounge
the Paradise
Bill’s Bar
the Milkyway
Bullfinch Yacht Club
the Kirkland

20. Personality M
Robby Roadsteamer
Thermos X. Pimpington
The Franx
Joe Coughlin
Marc Schliecher
Alvan Long
Ken Cmar
Shawn Wolf Wortis
Dave Tree
Al Janik
Chandler Travis
Slimedog
Gary “Rotten Drunk” Taylor

21. Personality F
Honah Lee
Lizzie Borden
Lexi Kahn
Andrea Gillis
Carmelita
Anngelle Wood
Linda Viens
Michelle Paulhus
Emily Grogen
Rachael Ieszenberg
Jordan Valentine

22. Noise Centerfold
Nabil & Joseph Sater (issue $267)
Rachael Ieszenberg (issue #266)
Tony Savarino (issue #265)
Monique Ortiz (issue #264)
Jim Healy (issue #263)
Ellie Vee (issue #262)
Nate Rogers (issue #261)
Wendi Faren & Nilo (issue #260)
Jimmy Birmingham (issue #259)
Kara Trott (issue #258)

23. Disappointment
RIP: Barb Kitson
Nemo lacks credibility
Noise Board softball fails to make it to the World Series
RIP: Johnny Pics (The Chainletter)
O’Brien’s closes for renovations
RIP: Alpo (The Real Kids)
Pay-to-play “battle of the bands” hog the clubs
AChick resigns from the Noise Board

24. Highlight
Ho-Ag as Devo
Rock ’n’ Roll Socials move to the Model
Aberdeen City get signed
The Rudds as Hall & Oats
Bang Camaro sells out their first headline show
Richie Hoss’ spring party
Mission of Burma return
The Sheila Divine re-form on New Year’s 2006
Clawjob’s Space Crackers (rock opera)
Ultrasonic Rock Orchestra’s A Night at the Opera

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Live Reviews

Page Contents

BARRENCE WHITFIELD & THE GRITS AND GROCERIES ORCHESTRA

THE DELTA GENERATORS

The Narrows Center for the Arts, Fall River, MA

2/27/16

It’s a cold February night on the waterfront in Fall River, Massachusetts, and the stony exterior of The Narrows’ Center for the Arts tells nothing of the happenings inside. The place is a true diamond in the rough in terms of local venues for the arts. Nestled in an old, abandoned mill building, inside, it is warm and welcoming – a direct contradiction to its exterior. The place is mellow, warm, and funky, being a fusion of art gallery/ concert venue, and an art shop. A truly unique place which has hosted both internationally iconic and local talent equally. Another perk, is that it is strictly BYOB, and yet somehow, rowdiness is never a problem here. The energy is great. Also, the acoustics are quite simply, awesome.

On this particular night, there is a highly impressive double billing rocking these old mill walls. The featured acts are The Delta Generators and Boston area music legend, Barrence Whitfield, which to my mind, are two of the Boston area’s best acts, and they definitely proceed to affirm my opinion. This night’s performances are nothing short of perfection and I suspect that each band has left indelible marks at The Narrows’ Center, delivering performances that tear up the stage in the best way possible. Simply put, they smoked it!

First up, blues rockers, The Delta Generators, opening with “Hand Me Down Blues.”  Um, hello awesomeness! I count 14 songs on their set list, none of which disappoint. Front man, Craig Rawding, is delivering up soulful vocals, (at times having the feel of some of Eric Burdon’s early stuff), he really feels what he is singing and emotes it with ease. He also works one truly impressive blues harp. Backed by Rick O’Neal, whose finely tuned bass skills lend a deep, driving foundation to their sounds, Jeff Armstrong, a nice, strong, solid drumming presence, and last, but by no means, least, their phenomenally  talented guitar player, Charlie O’Neal. WOW!  Easy to forget that there are only four musicians playing, since their sound is so much fuller and so much bigger. The high points for me, are the powerful sounds of “Way Down,’’ “That Evil,” “Night of the Johnstown Flood,” “Get on the Horse,” Two Headed Snake,’ and their final song, “Shake Your Money Maker.” These guys are definitely all that, and more!

Next up, is the one – the only, Barrence Whitfield, who tonight, is accompanied by The Grits and Groceries Orchestra and their performance is tour de force. They open with “Mad House,” and the audience is immediately tweaked. Barrence’s charisma is both natural and electrifying, and utterly infectious, his presence is strongly animated both as he performs, and in between songs, as he interacts easily with the audience. He knows how to own the stage and this band is rocking it. These guys are TIGHT! The Delta Generators’, Charlie O’Neal is pulling double duty, filling in on guitar, and he plays now, as if everything he did so well in his opening performance, was simply an epic warm up to what he proceeds to do now. Robert Lyons delivers some insanely great tenor sax, whose sound pierces the atmosphere with mind boggling ease. Rare to hear sax of this quality. John Anthony plays one hell of a melodic bass also lending some nice backup vocals. Kemp Dunn on drums, easily equals the flawless talent of the rest of the band.

The Narrows’ is by no means, a dance venue, but tonight – no doubt in anticipation of what’s to come, they have moved seating to accommodate those who can’t help but heed Barrence’s call to “get up and shake your booties!” And dance, they do, myself included.  It’s impossible to resist. I am feeling hard pressed to choose favorites, with a generous set list of 17 incredible songs, several of which have commanded well deserved standing ovations, but every show has its high points, and for me, those would be “Georgia Slide,” the almost trance inducing,“Chillin’,” the smoking hot, “Bloody Mary,” and an awesomely executed cover of Big Mama Thornton’s, “I Smell a Rat.”

What an unforgettable night here, at The Narrows’.  I will definitely recall these performances fondly. Nights such as this one are rare. I do feel sorry for anyone who could not make it to this show, but I feel grateful that I was lucky enough to attend. I will be following tour dates for both bands closely, and I am recommending that others do the same.  (R.J. Ouellette)

…

NICK ZAINO

BANDA DE GOMA

JON WATERMAN

CHARLIE FARREN

KATE EPPERS

PATRICK NELSON

Mashup at Moka, Cafe Moka, Lynn, MA

3/17/16

My first time going to Cafe Moka in Lynn, MA, and as I’m searching for the place on foot a tall gentleman with a grey beard points me the way as if he knows where I’m heading. I look up at the sign and he’s right!  It’s the debut night of Mashup at Moka, a multiple singer/songwriter presentation consisting of  20-minute performances by each artist. There’s a friendly feel in this long L-shaped room with art hanging all along its length. The performance area is set up on the hardwood floor at the bend in the L.  Host and booker of the Mashup, Patrick Nelson, starts the evening off with acoustic guitar and voice pumped through the P.A. system with an ample amount of reverb making the sound feel large and alive. I’ve seen Patrick before and his songs have stuck with me. He’s doubling as chef and perform tonight! “Do Re Mi” has a nice bounce to it and Patrick’s crisp guitar guitar playing gets the night off to a good start.

Up next is Kate Eppers on keys. She donning a green Ireland V-neck jersey reminding me that it’s St. Patty’s Day (I had my blinking plastic shamrock on earlier but misplaced it during the day). Kate tells us she was in Ireland six years ago and has a song inspired by the trip. This tune sounds like it could be part of an opera. She plays another that she says is a “Franken-song” because she pieced it together from music written at two totally different times. She’s a Disney Freak and her final song is a take on Frozen.

The lanky rock star Charlie Farren (Farrenheit) unexpectedly hops up next and boy does he put on a show. He’s a master rock performer and the new material he’s presenting solo tonight is clearly in the classic rock genre. The big reverb really adds to the imagination of a full band blasting out “My True Story,” “Always” (a beautiful ballad), “Don’t Believe Your Eyes” (sounding like “Livin’ on a Prayer”), and “Powers That Be.” Photographer Sheila Roberts Orlando leans over to me and says, “He’s so commanding!” She’s right. He’s always got a big smile for his audience and the percussive picking of his guitar practically takes the place of a drummer.

Jon Waterman can now claim that Charlie Farren opened for him and he won’t be lying!  Jon has been a main stay in North Shore music and his wit and interesting character holds the attention of the Moka fans. He has a wonderful way of breaking into solos on his old acoustic where he slams chords and melody into one. With the kind of material that the Band would like to cover, Jon is comfortable knocking out a kind of American that was popular before the genre’s name existed. He ends with original tribute to Hughie Cannon, the composer of “(Won’t You Come Home) Bill Bailey” that ends with a verse of the popular old (1902) tune.

Pianist/ vocalist Lynn Taylor’s new duo, Banda de Goma, with Jason Novak on harp graces the stage next. It’s kinda bluesy and then it has a beatnik feel – no it’s kinda soulful. It’s all that and more wrapped up into a fun performance. Jason sing/speaks the lyric to “Back on Track” and the audience gets into clapping along. Lynn says she’s played this exact of piano years ago and loves it, then starts a tune from her latest solo CD. They end with Lynn strapping on her bass and the two sing “Lay me down right as rain.”

Nick Zaino presents himself as a classic folk singer/guitarist complete with harmonica hanging round his neck and mini tambourine strapped on his foot. Nick is a writer and he enjoys making words his focus on “I Can Live Through You.” He says he feels like a cowboy wearing an instrument on his foot that clinks like spurs. He’s the first performer of the night to take the reverb off the PA to give his lyric a definition that didn’t exist for some of the performers earlier in the night. In “Bruises” he uses light guitar notes to bring his lyrics of family violence center stage. He ends with “The Good News” a song a lot of people refer to as “the Bastard Song” and everyone tries to sing along.

I stick around more to talk to the host Patrick and I get introduce to the owner, Yakov Tseitlin – yes, he’s the tall man with the beard that knowingly guided me into Cafe Moka. And wouldn’t you know it – I’m in Lynn, MA and the musical mayor of the town walks in… yes Mr. Don White (see my other live review in this issue). I praise him for his recent performance in Marblehead and it brings a big smile to his face. A nice way to end a night.  I leave feeling very fulfilled.  (T Max)

…

THE CASCO BAY TUMMLERS

Port City Blue, Portland, ME

3/3/16

The great thing about living in Portland, Maine, is that I can drive away from my house and within 15 minutes I can find myself sitting in a venue listening to live music. The Casco Bay Tummlers, a Klezmer band, are appearing here in Blue on this Thursday night. About a dozen people are here when I show up and I am able to grab a table for myself close to the stage. The band is composed of clarinetist Steve Gruverman, percussionist Eric LaPerna, John Clark on stand-up bass, and visiting violinist, Sarah Mueller. I saw them a long time ago when a few more people were in the band. Tonight’s performance features no vocalist, it is an instrumental show. I’m awash with chills with the first mysterious tune – the klezmer clarinet is like nothing else. The tunes all long for something, the scale is wistful. In my head I see women wearing colorful scarves dancing –  it’s almost like Persian belly dancing music. The musicians are talking about Dixieland klezmer music, Rastafarian klezmer music, any kind of klezmer music. They ask, “What do Rastafarians and Klezmer musicians have in common?” I suggest “Curly hair?” The band laughs. The songs are from the Balkans, from Turkey, from Jews emigrating to America. It’s a timeless kind of blues music, emanating from the enigmatic heart of Eastern Europe. If you’ve never heard it, treat yourself when you have the chance. The ancestors fill the room, invisible though they are.  (Kimmy Sophia Brown)
…

6 STAR GENERAL

SICK PILLS

The Parlour, Providence, RI

3/5/16

Winter is winding down but it is still bitter cold as I brave the frozen tundra to ride my sled dogs to Providence to see two great bands for a 75orless records night. Where are all the sunny tundras? The Parlour is a nice place to play a show or see one. I just don’t like the paintings of giant Marshall amps on the rear of the stage. I think it makes the real amps look small and is distracting, it makes it cheesy if you videotape your set or take pictures, but hey, what do I know about sliced bread? 6 Star General have small amps but big sounds. Singer and bassist Mark is ever entertaining as a frontman, with asides, introductions,observations, and conversations between songs. 6 Star General have been winning hearts and minds with their blend of 90’s college rock and punky alternative for over a decade and they have this down to a sweet science. Well placed covers of Daniel Johnston, Grandaddy, and Camper Van Beethoven give  you a glimpse of their influences. The night might have been running late, because their set seemed a bit short to me, but that’s rock and roll sometimes.

After a short break Sick Pills storm the stage, like well mannered Vikings. Singer/ guitar player Chris Evil has been playing around New England in Blood Moons and Chris Evil & the Taints for many a year. This band mixes his punk and garage influences with a bit more straight up rock ’n’ or roll. They do a cool version of “Goodbye Horses” from Silence of the Lambs, but rely mainly on their well crafted catchy punk nuggets. This is their first show in a couple of years with their old drummer, but they sound pretty well rehearsed. These two veteran bands of the Providence punk and whatever scene make the frostbite worthwhile. (Eric Baylies)

…

CHANDLER TRAVIS PHILHARMONIC ORCHESTRA

YANI BATTEAU & THE RODEO

Johnny D’s (Closing Weekend), Somerville , MA

3/12/6

For so many many special years, Johnny D’s has been a mecca for disparate entertainment. Easily one of my fave rooms in the Boston area, it has championed national and local acts with a honest and healthy attitude towards its patrons and staff. With seating in close proximity to the stage, we always felt treated to an intimate showcasing of talent. But, this past weekend it all comes to a close after forty years of extended family effort. Another club bites the dust… such a goddamn shame!
Two bands that have dazzled at past shows return to a rousing welcome. First up, the singing banjo-queen Yani Batteau and her group spin out country-folk-bluegrass yarns with low-key humor and tight ensemble playing. Usually a trio, today she is sporting a larger outfit with drums, trombone, and backing singer. Song by song the admiration grows until the floor is filled with barn-dance stompin’. Only an encore will suffice… darn tootin’.
Next, the amazing, thrilling, grinning, crooning, lounge-(or is it bedtime?)-lizard – Mr. Chandler Travis and his Philharmonic Orchestra appear. Opening with “This is Home,” and then an ode to Somerville, he sends the crowd into overdrive. The club is packed wall-to-wall, people are bursting with laughter and love, dancing dervishes devoted to his care-free manner and wonderful pop tunes. No wonder his entertainment factor has been a perfect ten for umpteen years. He brings the owner Carla DeLellis on stage to rousing cheers and presents her with a gift of engraved chopsticks and the sly joker serenades her and the audience in a hyper-climax to this afternoon showcase. Sweet memories are made of this.    (Harry C. Tuniese)
P.S. – I hear that this evening’s surprise entertainment was The J. Geils Band – after the sold-out Rickie Lee Jones show on Tuesday, that’s truly going out in style!

…

ALASTAIR MOOCK’S PASTURES OF PLEANTY

Me & Thee Coffeehouse, Marblehead, MA

3/25/15

Kids! There are kids with their kid voices filling up the pews of Me & Thee with a youthful din that can only be made by kids. I’m told that these are third graders from the Glover School in Marblehead and they are part of tonight’s show.

As soon as the lights go down the room hushes to a silence and Alastair Moock (guitar/ banjo/ vocals), Eric Royer (banjo/ vocals), Sean Staples (mandolin/ guitar/ vocals), Paul Kochanski (bass/ vocals) and the 10 year-old Fiddlin’ Quinn (fiddle/ vocals) set the stage like it’s their living room for the night. “Hard Travellin’” commences and country bluegrass bounce has those kids in the front row doing a heavy sway right and left. Alastair lets us know that his Pastures of Plenty has been kickin’ its heels for 20 years. The idea of the project is that each member brings in songs from American history and stories are told about each tune. The audience sets the music and a bit of history thrown in. Each member takes the lead vocal on their song and the rest follow along giving it a fresh semi-rehearsed feel. Even Quinn’s dad, Chris Eastburn, swaps places with Alastair to play along with some songs that Quinn sings. His young voice still untouched by puberty cuts through volume of the instruments easily, like on “Rocky Top Tennessee.” That’s followed by Dave Van Ronk’s slippery slidin’ “Baltimore.” One of the funniest songs of the night is “The Bright Side of Me,” a rolling Moock original that is sung from a kid’s perspective about looking on the positive side of their doings. Mr. Moock invites one of the third graders, his daughter Cleo, up to join him on vocals for a couple of tunes from the 2012 Grammy nominated Singing Our Way Through Songs for the World’s Bravest Kids. Cleo is one of these kids who battled through leukemia when she was five years old. They do “When I Get Bald” and “B-R-A-V-E” and the talent is obviously flowing in the Moock family. Sean Staples gets featured with his song “Joy Comes Back” and tells the story of how a video was made by one of those BRAVE kids singing this song. Next Elsa Moock (Cleo’s twin sister) is up leading “This Little Light of Mine.” Then the group of 17 third graders get their spotlight time singing “Grover School Song” and all the parents in the audience are standing with their iPhones recording the momentous occasion. Time for a well-earned coffee and treat break.

Fifteen minutes later the audience thins out with a lot of the parents escorting their star children home for bedtime. But the show is not over yet.  Eric Royer picks an interesting song, “Pegging On,” about how a man who pegged shoes for a living in the mid-1800s was replace by a machine that could do the job faster. Quinn shows off his fiddlin’ skills with the classic “Orange Blossom Special.” And Alastair tells an intriguing story about how the song “Freight Train” was written by the 12-year-old Elizabeth “Libby” Cotten and by a strange set of circumstances, and a 25 year break from playing guitar, ended up performing her classic folk song at the Newport Folk Festival at the age of 80. Paul Kochanski executes the lead vocal on “I Just Destroyed the World” and surprisingly sounds a bit like Johnny Cash. Eric rolls into “Pastures of Plenty,” the groups one-chord theme song penned by Woody Gutherie.  Then Sean claims the next composer must have been showing off with the TWO-CHORD “Take Me back to Tulsa” where Paul takes an extended bass solo. They see us off with “You Are My Sunshine” and “Good Night Irene.” (T Max)

…

HEAVY METAL HORNS

25th Anniversary Reunion

Johnny D’s, Somerville, MA

2/26/16

Tonight’s music is being played in front of a packed house and is sorta like Tower of Power meets Chicago, and I can feel the excitement in the air. The original rhythm section has come to the club from all over the place just to be at this gig. Peter Calo (Carly Simon Band) on guitar and vocals is from upper state New York. Drummer Jim Sturdevant journeyed up from PA. Pengbian Sang on bass trekked all the way from the Dominican Republic. With fellow founding member John Mathews singing and on keys joining the incredible horn section of Henley Douglas and John Vanderpool on saxes, John Ferry (Bim Skala Bim) tooting trombone and on vocals and Garrett Savluk on trumpet for a great night of brass and funk. The crowd is going nuts and getting louder and louder as the night proceeds. Check out their set list: Old Heavy Metal Horns tunes “Shake” and “99%” by Calo and “You Make Me Want To Rock” and “The Horns Are In The House” by Berklee legend Thaddeus Hogarth. And they cover “Champagne” by The Del Fuegos, “Hang Up Your Hangups” by Herbie Hancock, “Can’t Find My Way Back Home” by Blind Faith’s Stevie Winwood and Tower of Power’s “You’re Still A Young Man.” Trust me. The roof and walls of the club are shaking! The band says they’re gonna be back for another gig or two real soon and I can’t wait. New music from this legendary old band? Keep your fingers crossed and on the valves. (A.J. Wachtel)

…

BEST NOT BROKEN

Blue Ocean Music Hall, Salisbury, MA

3/17/16

The storm-whipped waves pounding against the Blue Ocean Music Hall in Salisbury, Massachusetts, provides the backdrop for Best Not Broken (“BNB”) from Manchester, New Hampshire, as they open the night for the iconic Jefferson Starship.  Eric Jackson (vocals, guitar), Carlo Carluccio (drums), Brian Eyberg  (keyboards), and Mark Oswald (bass) take the stage for this sold-out show not knowing what to expect. The band opens with “Anarchy,” an upbeat melody with the story of a crazy love affair that contains lines like “I’ll forget you’re a psycho crazy bitch.”   They then perform “I Won’t Stop Loving You,” the story of growing old with your only love.  After another slow love song “Breaking My Heart,” the band goes straight into “Listerine,” a simple way to explain the sting of a lost love.  “What The Night Has Left” brings the crowd back from tears and they are moving again.

The Jefferson Starship biased crowd gets into Best Not Broken’s power pop material with bobbing heads, chair dancing, and arm waving that leads to rich applause after every song.  Eric entices the crowd by saying if they go to Facebook and like the band, they will get a free CD at the end of the show.  Immediately cell phones begin lighting up all over the venue indicating that the band will be handing out quite a few CDs.  Continuing with their set, BNB goes into the danceable “Tell Me That You Want Me” that gets a few of the chair dancers up out of their seats.  This song was debuted on the radio by Chris Desimonie on Frank FM 106.3 and featured by Pat Monahan of Train on his Sirius XM show Train Tracks last November.

The band closes their 40-minute set with a cover of “The Letter” by The Box Tops just to show this crowd that BNB can bring the R&B and sound amazing doing it.  Best Not Broken exits the stage to rousing applause and whistles leaving them with no doubt that if they were not the opening band an encore would be in order.

The band meets a long line of new fans to sign CDs before and after Jefferson Starship’s set; a sight you rarely see when you are the support for the night.  It’s a great night for a local band starting to catch the eye and ear of New Englanders by giving fun performances of great songs with sometimes funny and sometimes thoughtful lyrics combined with killer melodies.  (Brick Mason)

…

THE GHOSTS OF JOHNSON CITY

Port City Blue, Portland, ME

3/25/16

The last time I saw these guys I said I was going to see them again as soon as possible. So here I am again in Blue with skads of other people – the place is packed. As the “Ghosts” assemble on stage they tell us that tonight all the songs will be original compositions. They begin with “Fare Thee Well,” an acoustic and harmonic minor-key dirge featuring the sociopathic lyrics of a cruel, possibly jealous husband who carries out the demise of his golden haired bride right in front of us. Musically, that is! Next is a song honoring the explosion at the Stag Canyon Mine in New Mexico, the second worst mine disaster in American history taking over 250 souls. Now we hear “Evelyn McHale” about a most beautiful death of Ms. McHale who, in her red dress and pearls, leaped from the Empire State Building and landed on a parked limousine, where she looked like a woman sleeping in folded blankets of metal. A theme somewhere between Edgar Allen Poe and America’s Most Wanted is emerging. More story songs: one about America’s first serial killing family, the Benders; correspondence of heartsick lovers of the Gold Rush; Civil War tragedies; The Sultana Steamboat disaster claiming over 1800 souls; the influenza epidemic of 1918. And more. I find myself getting emotional, realizing that remorse and sorrow linger near the earth, and this band is a mouthpiece for stories that long to be told. I imagine more ghosts lining up behind songwriter Amos Libby, tugging on his sleeve, “Tell my story now, tell mine.” Their mission is profound. They are bringing back a genre from a bygone era that feels prescient and important. Doug Porter, Erik Neilson, Erik Winter, Ian Riley and Amos are supported this evening with help on vocals by Bridget.  (Kimmy Sophia Brown)

…

DON WHITE & CHRISTINE LAVIN

Me & Thee Coffeehouse, Marblehead, MA

3/4/16

On a day that commands us to “march forth” (through the snow), Don White celebrates his birthday in front of a crowd of adoring fans. Me & Thee is quickly packed so I squeeze into a tight space in the front pew – I love getting to see the nuances of performers facial expressions. New Yorker Christine Lavin starts with a hilarious opening set and though I could elaborate on every well-chosen comic tale, I have to follow The Noiseformat and move on to our New England-based artist of the night, the afore mentioned musician/ storyteller/ comedian, Don White. For those not in the know, Don is practically the Mayor of Lynn, Massachusetts, by way of his never-ending attention to his local community. His quick wit earns him big laughs, like when he boasts about being married for 38 years, then looks out at the mature audience and adds, “but I can see I’m not gonna win any awards here.” He sings about his relationship with his dog, his kids growing up, and his wife, and every song brings on gut-busting laughs. But what really makes Don the master of his audience is his ability to turn around and hit you with a serious life lesson sewn into a song that practically brings tears to your eyes. He introduces vocalist Christina Thompson and violinist Jackie Damsky to back him up and also lets them take the spotlight for their own song. Don follows that up with about 15 minutes of real life standup comedy. Then Christine Lavin joins him and the laughs keep coming. She also manages to get everyone up shaking and dancing. The surprising highlight of the night is a serious one, when Don delivers the simple yet beautiful title track of his latest CD, More Alive. In it he tugs on our heart strings with advice from of his wild 82-year-old Aunt Betty Mae who lives life like she’s 22. Other great songs at the end of the night include a Don/Christine duet of “I’m Glad S/he Can’t Read My Mind,” a version of “Goodnight Irene” impaled with some creative new verses, and “Sensitive New Age Guys” where a dozen or so male members pile on the stage offering their untrained baritones to the chorus. If you get the chance, buy a ticket to go see Don White in concert, it’s one of the better things in life.  (T Max)

…

RICK BERLIN & NICKEL & DIME BAND

WILLIE “LOCO” ALEXANDER & THE FISHEYE BROTHERS

ELIZABETH & BEN ANDERSON

Nickel & Dime CD Release Party

Lizard Lounge, Cambridge, MA

3/12/16

Totally amazing – it’s icon time at this venerable establishment. Celebrating the release of Rick & Nickel’s EP Badville, we are treated to a major showcase from two local legends, still plowing the fields of creativity. Settling in for some prime entertainment, the opening act is the very young brother/sister Ben & Elizabeth Anderson, who offer a set of Irish  jigs, reels, and folderol… mildly interesting.
But then, we quickly step into the realm of the sublime with a short powerful selection from Rick & Co., who introduce some of the new tunes and several classics from Rick’s oeuvre. Tonight they are doing two sets and the band is whip sharp – the audience relishes it. As always, Mr. Berlin is brilliant and the crowd adores him. Obviously, we are being primed for a rare local appearance by Mr. Alexander & The Fisheye Brothers (Jim Doherty: drums and Mark Chenevert: clarinet & saxes).
In a ten-song explosion of energy, we get a concise primer of Willie’s vital spirit and songwriting hijinks. Opening with a twisted reworking of “Great Balls of Fire,” and his two initial classics, “Kerouac” (it was his birthday!) and “Mass. Ave” (Willie says: “just cause it’s right outside”), we get a cross section of his decades-long career. Other stopping points were “Shopping Cart Louie,” “Ogalala,” “Life is the Poem,” and “Dirty Eddie.” Pure rockin’ bliss!
When we return to the Berlin & Dime Band, they are rejuvenated by Loco’s set, and unleash a sampling of their torchin’, tender, terrific tunes from their past few albums. The new EP’s title track, “Badville” is an apt metaphor for this group – honest and true, down-home, catchy, enthusiastic, talented BAD-ASS daddios (Jesse, Mike, Sam, Ricky, Rob, Al, and the exceptional Jane Mangini)! We are totally wiped out and awash in admiration for a tremendous evening. Thank you very much!   (Harry C. Tuniese)

…

THE OLIVES

The Foundation Room in The House of Blues, Boston, MA

2/27/16

These guys don’t get out and play as much as they used to because they all have other responsibilities. And that’s a pity because they’re as good as the handful of other Grateful Dead inspired bands in the area like Max Creek, Playin’ Dead, Crazy Fingers and Dead Beat. New Hampshire guitarist Leo Ganley (Lemon Fresh Kids, Weed,Inc.)  on lead vocals and guitar, George Chambers playing lead guitar, Jeff Wyman (The Fiends) on four strings and Norm Fuller (The Cause) pounding play really well together. There is a lot going on onstage between the tight playing and good arrangements. The guitarists sound great and like they’ve shared the spotlight forever and the bass and drums keep it jumping. They remind me a bit of 10,000 Maniacs meets R.E.M. This is a real good party band and the nice harmonies and power pop sound make original songs like “New England Town,” “Eskimo Pie,” “Mary Goes ‘Round,” and “Mother Earth” sound like familiar tunes you’ve heard on the radio before. “Don’t Let Me Down” by The Fab Four, “Big Railroad Blues” and “Don’t Ease Me In” by The Dead are cool coverspeople in the crowd are swaying and singing along with too. A lot of fun. Let’s hope their next gig is sooner than later.   (A.J. Wachtel)

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CD Reviews – June

If you are an artist based in New England and you’d like The Noise to review your latest releases, send a hard copy to T Max/ The Noise, 28 Goodhue St #406, Salem, MA.

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Page Contents

WISHBONE  ZOE

All of These Oddities

11 tracks

Wow… what I have been missing.  Listening to All of These Oddities, Wishbone Zoe felt like an adventure of many colors and moods, with surprises awaiting you, one song after the other. Saera Kochanski has the waifish, pixie – like voice of a playfully fey being in a story book garden, at times light and whimsical, with other times the sounds feeling much like a virtual cabaret one might find “through the looking glass.” Surreal, but not excessively trippy, Saera’s lovely voice keeps the voyage on a very listener friendly keel. On the surface, if this were playing in the background, it could all be taken at face value and sound like a lighthearted summer “girl band” CD, which would be fine in and of itself, but there is so much more art and depth at play to it than that.

This music is decidedly, an experimental, artistic venture, keeping very much with keeping the playing in playing. I love this concept! Every now and then, it’s really good to break away from music that makes you ask, “why so serious?” Sure, Wishbone Zoe does hit upon the serious to a degree. They hit upon a lot of things on this CD. As I have said, Saera Kochanski has a lovely voice and she is unafraid to make lovely noise. Great instrumental talent all over the place here too. Guitar, banjo, harmonica, drums, bass, and I suspect, many unexpected improvisational instruments. (Remember when you were a child, and would find random objects and were able to make musical sounds with just about any of them?) Yes, that is the essence of this music, and how awesome is that? The inner musical child is still very much alive and well and soaring high within these songs, and it feels great to hear and feel that child- spirit running free and making noise, noise, glorious noise!

Clearly, I am smitten with Wishbone Zoe and this CD. Both are big winners for me, and the best of the best tracks for me, are “Idealism,” “Windy City,” “Hazel and Wine,” “Sacrificial Lamb,” and the beautiful, “Lullaby for Olga.”  This music leaves a smile on my face, and a sigh within my heart. Many of us face the fact that our inner child has, within the world of adult realities, forgotten how to really come out and play. Wishbone Zoe is not afraid to connect with that aspect – fearlessly, beautifully, coloring outside the lines, and for me, therein lies the charm of their music. I feel happy to have crossed paths with All of These Oddities and will be listening for what Wishbone Zoe does next. (R.J. Ouellette)

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KARLO TAKKI

Takkimedia

Bad Behavior 

15 tracks

Takki’s prison diary songs (for so we are told in the accompanying booklet) are revelatory in their variegation. “Truelove (Revisited)” is like a melding of shimmery Beatles-influenced guitar with ominous post-punk march rhythms. Takki’s vocalizations are within the spectrum of stylists such as Morrissey, et al. This particular song is a cut above most simply because over its basic incantatory chorus he positions a variety of sonic effects, which include keyboards and taxicab mike vocals. Other highlights include “Summertime in Prison,” which reminds me of a smacked-out Sly Stone on his last-gasp albums There’s a Riot Going On and Fresh. “Maximum Security” is an elliptical psyche-pop number which could have been written and recorded in 1966; the progressive ascending major and minor piano chords are hypnotic in their incantatory clarity. “My 500th Day” is another upbeat Beatlesque romp, replete with shiny Harrisonesque guitars and punk rock keyboard stylings vaguely reminiscent of The Stranglers. “Foot That Walketh” is a stark and lovely jazz-inflected piano piece. “Kiss the Pain” is a somewhat severe, yet gently surging incantatory number with a lightly swirling piano break and a doomy, tolling coda. “Day of the Dead” is a lively, bouncing rocker reminiscent of ’80s-era pop purveyors such as Yo La Tengo or Green on Red. The introspective opener to “When Pigs Fly” quickly evolves into a grandiose bit of acid-funk noodling worthy of early Funkadelic. “Etude 43C (Snow Falling on Razor Wire)” is a new-agey piano composition with a gentle rippling effect in its inexorable rises and falls. On his best songs, Takki has skillfully juxtaposed dark lyrical content with contrasting lighter musical motifs. There’s no denying he is a skillful and sometimes daring composer, and, as a result, Bad Behavior is a genuine work of art. (Francis DiMenno)

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MOOSE & THE MUDBUGS

SIAMESE TRIPLETS

Unbelievacable! Records

Live at The Knights of Pythias

18 tracks

Both bands have the same members but they play different styles of music.This special night was planned to celebrate vocalist/ kazoo/ harmonica/ assorted percussionist Moose Savage’s fiftieth birthday party in this unique venue; located on the North Shore, in Lynn. The Mudbugs play garage punk, sorta like The Dogmatics meet Lyres, and The Triplets are more gloomy and stark; with psychedelia mixed in. In both bands Moose Savage is a beast. The guests on some of the eighteen Mudbugs songs include Willie Loco Alexander, who plays organ on “20 Ashford” and uses a tambourine and sings back-up on the stellar cover of Van Morrison’s “Gloria.” Ken Field from Birdsongs of the Mesozoic and The Revolutionary Snake Ensemble blows sax on “Festival Time” and Erik Lindgren from Arf! Arf! Records and Birdsongs adds his keyboard talent to “20 Ashford” too. The other members of both bands are Ken Kaiser on guitar and vocals, Carl Square on bass and vocals and drummer extraordinaire Paul Dionne. Moose wrote most of the music and I love the intros to many of the songs. Savage is a funny, funny man. Having the same people play in two bands is light-hearted in itself to start off with. This humor also transposes to his lyrics. For instance, in “Talk” he smirks “I talk with my mouth. It’s part of my head.” Now that’s funny. I really dig the cover of “I Am The Walrus” done punk among the fifteen Triplets tunes captured live. Listen to Moose ably reach those high “ahs” which isn’t an easy feat in any octave. Other cool things to listen for: the neat kazoo opening on “Festival,” the hot harp on “Land Full of People” and “Yellow Lines.” And the stark gloomy psychedelic feel of “Greenery,” and “Combat.” Great turn of the century punk with some nice twists. Check it out!   (A.J. Wachtel)

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THE SUITCASE JUNKET

Making What I Want Music

Dying Star

7 tracks

This CD is one of those surprises, of the good variety, with which you happily and unexpectedly collide now and then in life. The Suitcase Junket is a one man band, said one man, being Matt Lorenz, who sings, plays guitar, violins, sax, drums, and as far as I can tell, all else that you hear on this CD (with the exclusion of his dog, “Scribner,” who makes her musical debut here.) His various influences definitely show themselves at times, but more as very sheer tints as opposed to any solid shades coloring his style. He is an remarkable talent and makes whatever he is playing, uniquely his own. There is a quirkiness to his sound which appeals to me immensely, but this quirkiness coexists nicely with an easy, appealing, earthiness.

There are undeniable elements of garage rock in the bare bones essence of this music, Lorenz’s guitar having a rough and tough, blurry, gritty rattle at times, which thumbs its nose at any high airs of studio induced veneers. His voice is weathered and worn in all the best ways, inducing a really nice easiness to his songs. I was quite taken with this CD, which left me with the unmistakable glow that one feels after having had the pleasure of a fulfilling, happy listening experience.

I really did enjoy every track on this CD, but would have to call, “Dying Star,” “On Our Own,” and “Never Leave, Let Me Be,” my favorites. It was a genuine pleasure to give this a listen. Great talent. Plain? Yes, but in spite of that, it defies the word, “simple.” The word, “unique,” definitely comes to mind. I love this man’s music and I highly recommend checking out Dying Star. Outstanding!  (R.J. Ouellette)

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BENT KNEE

Cuneiform Records

Say So

10 tracks

Rich with lyricism and mystery, Say So is Bent Knee at their best, affirming them as one of Boston’s most audacious and imaginative musical collectives of this or any other era. Any singer would be hard-pressed to match the lyrical & commanding touch with which Courtney Swain’s clarion voice and adroit keyboard wizardry leads a handful of these compelling tracks with a uniqueness that is sophisticated and fascinating. The group’s bassist/vocalist Jessica Kion and drummer Gavin Wallace-Ainsworth push the limits on what is expected of a rhythm section. The colorful texturists, Chris Baum on violin and Ben Levin on guitar weave sinewy, sumptuous lines in and around the tunes, looping and layering with artful abandon. Their onstage sound mixer/ producer Vince Welch stands quietly in the background with a hovering eye, shaping and guiding their sound with his MIDI controller like an indispensable Brian Eno.

The past eight years have seen the band create a distinctive and original repertoire of inventive and exciting original music, which has finally reached fruition. I am stunned by their oddity, twisted familiarity, sincerity, and unbridled uniqueness. It is musical art on the edge, tethered sufficiently to be accepted by all adventurous fans of progressive categories – a recording with production that doesn’t sit back but leans forward in exacting scrutiny and urges the listener to pay attention. It is music that is challenging, approachable, enjoyable and always intriguing, which lets the music sweep the listener away emotionally. Each track is a gem. Easily, at this early date, my candidate for album of the year – phenomenal!  (Harry C. Tuniese)

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KEVIN WALL

Chapter2

10 tracks

This is a songwriters’ album. No fancy production typically used to distract you from weak songwriting. Here the “song” rules. Track one “Power of Love” would make John Lennon smirk in appreciation of Kevin’s worldly reflected sentiment…“When the power of love overcomes our love of the power… the world will know peace.” Nothing is forced – the song’s peaceful groove gently finds its way into my memory cells. “Barrel of a Gun” is the heaviest of the subjects tackled here with the confessions of a criminal. But if not taken literally, it may just be about what people go through with the pains of life. A synthesizer wash opens “Graduation Day.” Lyrically it’s full of fatherly advice  gently handed down to help create a wonderful life. This song must have been a graduation present. Pretty cool way for a dad to share his experience in a creative beautiful way. It really says something about the man behind the song. Kevin Wall is thoughtful and wears a peaceful helping attitude. With a piano backing, “One True Friend” shows heartfelt appreciation of friendship. Simple and solid. “Raw Emotion” is addressed to a lost friend who taught the singer how to be a man. Sounds like a thank you to a father, older brother, or best male friend. “Things That I Could Tell You” rocks while dad simply shares his experiences to help the next generation not fall into the same mistakes in growing up. “A Hold on You” is more advice given (to a daughter?) – full of care and respect with simple guitar, piano, bass and drums accompaniment. Double electric guitar leads in “Fell From the Sky” follow a serious awakening of how things can just come to you by surprise. “Graduation Day v.2” is another similar take to track three on what appears to be the key song on Chapter2. The disc closes with “Capturing the Sparks,” a final reminder of how important it is to be aware of love that ignites the sparks of life. Overall Chapter2 creates a mesmerizing effect with a kind of serious masculine serenity. Recommended – especially for parents of teenagers, and the teenagers themselves.  (T Max)

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ABBIE BARRETT & THE LAST DATE 

Beige Bomber Records

The Triples

9 tracks

I’m glad this 2014 entry finally made it into our in-box. It is an entertaining and interesting ride right from the get-go. The opening track, “Here to Stay,” is a punkish new-wavy number which I suspect is the ace up their sleeve. It comes across like some dream mix of The Runaways and the Go Gos, but it’s also some lively and crisp rock ’n’ roll. I love the percolating rhythm and the brazen guitar, and Barrett’s vocals are velvety and evocative. “Perfect Math” is a dreamy, ambient instrumental with choppy vocals which sporadically turns into a vocal declamatory. This reminds me strangely of an experimental take on early girl-group pop mixed with art rock, e.g. “Sally Go Round the Roses.” “Soldier” continues the experimentation with heavily processed vocals over a swoony instrumental which explodes into an inexorable percussive beat overlaid by vocals both angelic and anguished, and a trippy guitar break. The excellent “Lake House Moon” bursts into a mind-manifesting refrain with a tunefulness which is hypnotic and irresistible, as well as beautifully executed. “Kingdoms and Castles” is a more whimsical piece which gently ripples like waves in a tidal pool, with fanciful vocals and instrumentals. “Dreams We Bleed” is another nearly hallucinogenic composition with languorous instrumentals overlaid by stately, highly melodic vocals. Overall, The Triples is an idiosyncratic and innovative collection; fans of groups like The Raincoats and Throwing Muses would find a great deal to like in these melodically intriguing songs. (Francis DiMenno)

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JAMES MONTGOMERY

Live at The Larcom – Thursday, May 21, 2015                                  

9 tracks

This release is a red hot recording of a great artist on fire. Nine live cuts of funky Detroit blues done by New England’s legendary James Montgomery to benefit Veteran’s causes throughout the area. From the opening original “Good Question” (Grace Kelly/George McCann/James Montgomery) to the closing cover  “C’est La Vie,” a Chuck Berry B-side that Montgomery changes from a guitar song to a harp driven rocker, this band keeps the momentum of the set rising; and you can hear the passion in the playing  and you can feel the excitement in the air. Three of the nine cuts are over eleven minutes long too !!! MC’d by WUMB’s “Spinning the Blues” Saturday night show d.j. Holly Harris the packed house in the audience, including Sen. Scott Brown (retired U.S.Army Colonel) who joins the group onstage with his guitar, is so loud and boisterous the people sound like they are really having a blast. And check out his band: David Hull (Joe Perry Project, Aerosmith, Farrenheit) on four strings and vocals, Cliff Goodwin (Christine Ohlman & Rebel Montez) on six, Jeff Thompson pounding and Andrew Clark on tenor sax and John McGovern blowing trumpet. A powerful performance. These experienced cats know exactly what works and  specifically where they are taking you for sure.  I really dig in the middle of a song how James will bring the band to a stop and then re-start them a measure or two later and continue the melody for greater impact. And it works well. “Good Time Charlie,” Al Green’s “Sweet 16,” Willie Dixon’s “Same Thing,” Sonny Boy Williamson’s “Help Me,” Bo Diddley’s “Who Do You Love?” and James and David’s “Intoxicated,” get the fire started and by the time they do the ’60s pop gem “Land of a 1000 Dances,” the crowd is screaming along with every word and having a terrific time. This is a monster party album with hot music from a cool band and it is a perfect example of what experiencing their live show is like. What you hear is what you get. Live at The Larcom – Thursday, May 21, 2015  is the best live CD of the year. (A.J. Wachtel)

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SLIPPERY DIXON

Live At Dollhouse

6 tracks

Slippery Dixon are a new band from Amherst w Jeff Gallagher of Alto Jeffro ,Jonathan Hanson of Be The Seen, and Shane Bruno of Wandering Oak. This short collection of twisted pop gems is an outstanding introduction to the latest western Mass.noise super group. There are traces of Jonathan Richman, Picniclunch, Jandek, and the Velvet Underground, but the sound they create is their own kind of awesome. Slippery Dixon, it’s worth the trip. (Eric Baylies)

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LISA MANNING

Lisa’s Songs for Kids

13 tracks

Lisa Manning has to be one of the most eccentric performers on Massachusetts’ North Shore. She plays her guitar in a classical finger-picking style and has a unique approach to her child-like vocal melodies that come from another century. On Lisa’s Songs for Kids she gives some sound advice, starting with the much needed “What If I Had Something That Really Made Me Happy.” It’s about the joys of finding something simple to make you happy instead of being focused on the next popular expensive toy. “Summer Rain” pleads with a boring day to go away. “If You Tell Me a Riddle” is a fun little song about connecting sounds to complete words.  A short ditty based around a tongue twister is “Twiddle Dee.” “Sky” seems to be about someone named Sheila who is entering the world. “I Am Here” is for kids to follow instructions of moving their body around – creating a fun little dance. Sparkling, falling snowflakes are observed in “Snow Dance” with an abrupt ending – maybe representing the splat of a snowflake on the ground. “Ten Marbles” is a bit confusing – I think it’s a bunch of arithmetic problems based on different colored marbles. I believe I failed the test.  Out in the barn there’s a party with lots of animals dancing in “The Waddle.”  “Noisy Lisa” has our songstress bothering a lot of folks by clumping around until she gets alone and realizes she can be quiet.

Focusing on the feet of many different kinds of people leads to “I Like Rhythm.” By the last verse of “Seven Guests” you figure out that Lisa is singing about the days of the week. Lisa’s Songs for Kids wraps up with “A Strange, Strange Place” – a quiz of a song, giving you clues to different countries of the world. It turns into a song about loving the differences between all races. A nice way to end an album specifically made for kids.  (T Max)

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JIMMY BEZ BAND

Lies of A Sinner

5 tracks

Jimmy Bez is a teenager who can really play the guitar. Originally in 21st Century Fugitives he formed his current band in 2015 and this trio can really rock. The formula for these four originals and a blistering cover of Freddie King’s “Have You Ever Loved A Women,” is the same on all the cuts. A lot of impressive notes played with an ominous, squeaky clean intensity that will make your ears bleed. The title and opening track “Lies Of A Sinner” is the hit. Starting out with an impressive guitar run and sung with a youthful, good voice, this song is real radio-friendly and could be a hit. Backed by a solid rhythm section of Johnny Bass on bass of course, and Josh Hunt pounding, “I Don’t Belong,” “Don’t Let Me Die,” and “Keep Me Back” are sometimes hard rocking, frequently funky with a hint of the blues, but always powerful, interesting  and screaming. Produced and engineered by Doug Batchelder at The Den Studios in North Reading, all the tunes on Lies of A Sinner sound great and jump out of the speakers when played. Jimmy Bez has been compared to a young Bonamassa with Eric Clapton and Mike Bloomfield mixed in and you’ll get no disagreement from me. (A.J. Wachtel)

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WALTER NOONS

Real Records

A Murmuration of Starlings

8 tracks

Mr. Noons has an eccentric, somewhat creaky voice reminiscent of Harry Chapin, with a similar heartfelt feel and preference for autobiographical subject matter. His admirers will find much to like in this latest collection. The excellent, lengthy opening track “My Souvenirs” is a self-excoriating recitative with a balmy, soothing melodic like on keyboard and a contrastingly halting, almost childlike guitar accompaniment. The eerie “Madame Blue” sounds like a cross between famously ominous James Bond theme music, a bongo-happy beatnik romp, and a garage punk manifesto. “It’s Part of Your Own Desire” is a cascading garage punk number with nasty circular riffing and dazzling guitar runs–the vocals, however, seem a bit sluggishly monotone; otherwise, this might have been a modern-day classic. “You Saved My Heart” is a folksy Hibernian sing-song replete with harmonica and mandolin. “Most of All” is another soothing autobiographical story-song with twee harmonica and ethereal organ accompaniment. “In a Little While (I’ll Be There Beside You)” is a bass and keyboard-driven bit of exotica accompanied by bongo. “When the Spirit Moves You” has something of a Spanish feel, and Noons gives forth with what sounds vaguely like an Elvis impression, followed up by a clangorous quasi-surf music guitar instrumental. “The Heartbeat of Love” has a sitar-like accompaniment and a quasi-mystical lyric message. I’m of two minds about A Murmuration of Starlings; it is often musically engaging, but Noons comes across in his singing as more of a bardic stylist, when what is perhaps called for is a more accomplished vocalist. (Francis DiMenno)

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VIOLENT MAE

Kid

11 tracks

Roxbury, Connecticut’s Violent Mae is a duo consisting of vocalist/ guitar player Becky Kessler and multi instrumentalist Floyd Kellog. This album hits on all cylinders. The songwriting, production, and playing are exactly what they need to be. Clean vocals with dirty guitar remind me of Garbage, Florence & The Machine, Radiohead, and Boston’s own late, great, Opium Den. Violent Mae are trippy enough to play a psyche fest, but poppy enough to be the last good band in the world with a hit single. They seem to play Boston a bit, so I initially thought they were from Roxbury, Mass. Wherever you can find them, please enjoy a night with the Roxbury (band). (Eric Baylies)

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GREG ADAMS

All or Nothing 

5 tracks

Formerly of New York, recently of Boston, and now residing in Nashville, the sounds of singer-songwriter Greg Adams’ debut EP are as varied as his recent addresses. The opening track, “Pony Up,” has a strong country sound to it, while “Before You Leave,” leans toward a folk style. Greg’s still in the early years of his career, so perhaps this an experiment of sorts to find a style that he connects with.

Vocally, Greg has a strong presence. Rather than sounding like an experienced bard that has “been there done that,” he gives the impression of a storyteller eager to begin his journey and see what this world has to offer. Much of his songs have to do with relationships, but they touch on some new tales, such as meeting the right person when you least expect it, or finding that old flame still wants a connection after you called it quits. All or Nothing is a strong introduction, and speaks to the potential of what’s to come. (Max Bowen)

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RYAN CARRAHER

Vocturnal

8 tracks

The title, Vocturnal, is an apt one for Ryan Carraher’s debut album. It’s smooth, slick, ambient jazz. The type of chill out music one might find soothing to kick back to at the end of a hectic day while surrendering to the evening. Nothing abrasive or harsh here. It’s all about the soft and polished sound of a good, relaxing mind massage. The songs flow nicely into a solid stream of laid back music, only occasionally breaking the that relaxing tempo here and there.

Mr. Carraher plays a really nice, sharp, improvisational guitar, and is clearly at ease and within his element. Unobtrusively, he keeps with flow of the music and the ease of the sounds being laid down along with fellow musicians, Steve Wilkinson on drums,  Evan Waaramaa on keyboard,  Brandon Wilkins on alto sax, and Greg Toro on bass. They all blend perfectly together to create something that I can only call “silky” music.

Hard to believe that this is a debut album, as his skills do convey those of a well seasoned professional with a good sense of balance and composition and the CD sounds very well produced indeed. So, my take on Vocturnal, is that as noted, it is likely best saved for unwinding at night, shoes off, feet up, your drink of choice in hand, and your mind ready to turn off and tune in to some serious chilling. “Silky” chilling. This music was made for that. (R.J. Ouellette)

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ILANA KATZ KATZ

Regina Royale Records

Movin’ On

13 tracks

Ilana plays blues and roots fiddle sorta like Appalachian music with a twist of Chicago in it. This follow up to her 2014 debut “I’ve Got Something To Tell You” is great listening on a few different levels for me. First, this woman is a good musician and can really play. And on all the cuts you either hear her and guitarist extraordinaire Barry Levenson (once in Canned Heat) playing together or off each other, or her and fiddler Cedric Watson playing hide and seek with each other. Check out “Tanya” and “You Crush My Soul” to hear what I mean. And it really works well. Second, hearing the different perspective coming from her very nice female renditions  of classics like “Baby Please Don’t Go,” Big Bill Broonzy’s “Sweet To Mama,” and “Kansas City, ” that were originally sung by men, is always captivating. I really dig Katz’ own  “Reuben’s Train,” “Blues For Bobby Radcliff,” and “Demon Blues” to hear the artists play together and “Forevermore” and “Cruel Willie Blues #2” to hear Ilana scat a bit. As you can see, there are a lot of things I like about this release including the final cut, the traditional “Jack of Diamonds,” which is solo Ilana on voice and fiddle. Interesting fact: Ilana, Diane Blues and Toni Lynn Washington are the only artists recording on Regina Royale Records. Impressive line up huh? Great stuff – check out Movin’ On. (A.J. Wachtel)

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BLACK KENNEDYS

Marcus’s Mixtape

11 tracks

 The Black Kennedys are a very young band from New Bedford. This Whaling City quartet is a punk rock band with some surprising twists and turns. The song “The Other Side Of Town” has  a sludge guitar that would make the Melvins proud. With lyrics like “put my hoodie down, because my skin is brown, my hands up, don’t shoot please, I can’t breathe” the Black Kennedys go way beyond most bands their age. Imagine Gil Scott Heron fronting Faith No More to get an idea where these guys are coming from. They are not just raging against the machine, so to speak, their is real melody on this album, too. Just fast forward to the song “Look Away” and be the first on your block to request it on the radio. I have a feeling you will be hearing that song on the radio for years to come. So many bands like Helmet and Parliament, how come no one can blend them together? All your prayers have been answered, the Black Kennedys’Marcus’s Mixtape is here. (Eric Baylies)

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DON WHITE

Lumperboy Music

More Alive

9 tracks

One’s enjoyment of this hour-long collection of live tracks and spoken-word pieces, mostly original, will depend, I suspect, upon one’s liking for Don White himself, and for his musical stylings which run the gamut from barrelhouse blues, Country-rock of the caliber of Dan Hicks & His Hot Licks, and myriad and sundry other genre conventions, including The Sensitive Acoustic Ballad (“More Alive”), The Sassy Acoustic Duet (“Good Thing She Can’t Read My Mind”), The Stately Piano Ballad (“Last Dance”), The Socially Significant Talking Blues (“Union Song”) and The Doleful Lament (“Away From the Sun”). These are mixed together with practiced, anodyne Cosby-esque slice-of-life stand up routines: “How to Get Your Kids to Move Out,” “Junior High School,” and “Crying Woman’s Channel.” This is undeniably some good, wholesome middlebrow entertainment, but More Alive leaves me feeling somewhat less than totally impressed. (Francis DiMenno)

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S.S. CRETINS

Bigger Than Jesus

5 tracks

S.S. Cretins are from Portland, Maine. I stumbled across this CD and hurt my little foot. I don’t know anything about the band except that they put out this terrific album. The song “Freakout” reminds me a little of “Drug Farm” by Monster Magnet, but it is its own little animal. S.S. Cretins have garage like moments like Lyres or The Count Five, and other times go into more psychedelic territory like Iron Butterfly, all great stuff to be compared to. Put some mushrooms on your linguica pizza, put out the lights, and put S.S. Cretins’ Bigger Than Jesus on your turntable. (Eric Baylies)

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VARIOUS ARTISTS

Obscure Me Records

Calligrams

8 tracks

This Connecticut bands compilation has four different groups doing two cuts apiece. The music runs the gamut from surf inspired power pop to metal to shoe-gazing noise rock and all with a punk attitude. Dr. Martino is a high-energy garage rock trio with Amy Shaw, Simone Puleo and drummer Mike Kaminsky, and they are influenced by ’60s pop and surf and metal. Their cuts “Clean Plate Club” and “Anna Mae” are loud and a bit menacing. I like Amy’s vocals with an attitude and I dig Simone’s growling guitars. Good rock and roll. Spectral Fangs is a three piece power pop band with dreamy drifts, reverb and screaming guitars. I hear ’60s soul, ’70s punk and ’90s indie pop. Sorta like Dinosaur Jr, meets The db’s meets The Soft Boys meets Metallica. Their songs “Stoned And Atoned” and “Catnip” are both great arena rockers. They are powerful and sound like anthems most headbangers would really groove to. Ghost of Chance (without an A) are a noise rock band out of New Haven. Catchy pop hooks with psychedelic guitars, subtle time changes  and sonic experimentation make these cats different and unique. Their sound is influenced by John Cale and 13th Floor Elevators and their music is the brainchild of vocalist Jayson Munro and guitarist George Moore. David Corsak on bass and Mark Niciu join the fold and complete the line-up. Their tunes “Can Opener” and “It’s A Drain” are sorta like pop rock ballads done real well with a punk feel. I really dig Jayson’s passionate vocals and the harmonies on the second song.  Terrible Roars, led by multi-instrumentalist Ross Page, is low-fi sorta like Emo from the ’90s. “Calling Out” and “June Gloom” are both very interesting melodies and remind me of indy pop; sorta ominous without the loud guitars. “June Gloom” starts with a real cool drum beat and just builds up steam as it continues. Good song. Great music from Connecticut. Not a bad song on Calligrams.    (A.J. Wachtel)

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If you are an artist based in New England and you’d like The Noise to review your latest releases, send a hard copy to T Max/ The Noise, 28 Goodhue St #406, Salem, MA.

 

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Emily Grogan
Photo by Jenny Nourse

I’m A Screaming Eagle
A conversation with Iron Lung
by Sleazegrinder

What do you do about all that energy you expend after a show?

“I puke.”

Scissorfight aren’t so much a rock band as they are a strange and powerful force of nature, like ball lightening or a rain of frogs. Every time they grace a stage, and Iron Lung , the heavy metal Castro, greets the crowd with a thoughtful expletive (“Fuck me? Fuck you!” is a favorite), the room explodes in a burst of violent energy, like somebody just popped the lid off of all holy Hell itself. There’s half a million rock bands in this country, but virtually none of them can rile the troops with such swaggering vigor as Scissorfight can. Their genre bending, heavy-ass rock ’n’ roll isn’t so much heard as it is felt in the guts and groins of any rocker in earshot. Their primal urges are fed with mammoth volume, redneck powerchords, and the bellowing thunder and evil charisma of the Lung.

When faced with the daunting task of getting to the brass tacks and dark heart of the Scissorfight experience, I made sure to kiss the wife good-bye before I left, figuring that Iron Lung might kill me, or at least smack my head into a dumpster and send me to the hospital. It’s no secret that he hates interviews, hates punk ass writers asking him dopey questions about the fucking monkey song over and over. “It gets a tad redundant” he told me, with a noticeable trigger finger twitch. But I got the street cred, baby, and such are the perils of sleazy rock journalism anyway, so we met up one Sunday afternoon in front of garage rock wonderland Lilli’s. Iron Lung didn’t kill me. He was surprised that I even thought that he would . Although he’s certainly got fire in his eyes, up close you find out that Iron Lung doesn’t really have retractable claws or blood in his teeth. He’s actually a thoughtful, well educated cat who just happens to be widely considered rock ’n’ roll’s Beserker King. That doesn’t make him any less dangerous, though. Just look at what’s left of the dance floor after a particularly rowdy Scissorfight gig. If Iron Lung had chosen politics over rock as his primary preoccupation, there’d be blood, gunshots, and fire in the streets. Just be happy all he’s asking you to do is rock the fuck out.

This is the Anvil…

I start out by asking Iron lung why he thinks the kids go so fucking crazy whenever Scissorfight play. “It’s just big ol’ rock ’n’ roll. That’ll do it,” he says simply. “It provides them with a good way to release a lot of pent up energy. It’s very cathartic.” Of course, the gut punching bruise- rock sound they’ve created has something to do with it. Every Scissorfight song sounds combat ready, like this is the music you’ll hear blasting out of tinny transistors in the body part-strewn trenches of our next Vietnam. It’s rock ’n’ roll with the pin pulled. “We just forged the sound from all the stuff we grew up with—Mountain, AC/DC, Lynrd Skynyrd, Black Flag, Fear, the Circle Jerks.” I tell him I think it’s remarkable that this potent musical stew came out of such an unlikely place. I mean, Scissorfight really are from New Hampshire, right? Iron Lung laughs. “Sure, man. Everybody’s from somewhere, right?” At this point, The ’Fight’s myriad members are flung all over the region, and you can even find a couple of them drinking in Rock City right now. Don’t question the Lung too much about where he’s been sleeping, though. “Let’s just say it’s not around here,” he tells me. I ask him to tell me a little bit about Scissorfight’s screaming birth five years ago. Did the sky crack open that night? Did the mothers of young men weep in fear? “Those guys were looking for a singer,” he says. “A mutual friend introduced us. I thought I was going in for an audition, but those guys just said ‘Fuck it, you’re doing it.’ That’s sort of always been our way of doing things, you know, just go for it.” Scissorfight is Iron Lung’s first band, so I asked him what he was doing right before he signed up for the wage of mayhem. “Nothing good,” he laughs. “Not that I’m up to anything good now, either.” The truth is that Iron Lung’s well known, thanks to a recent inexplicable MTV spot, as a rock ’n’roll fisherman during the day. “MTV’s such an evil corporate entity,” he says when I mention it, “but it’s all about what you do with it. I mean, they approached us about it, so it’s no skin off of our back.” Still, I tell him, it’s pretty wild that kids all over America were suddenly hipped to Scissorfight, if only briefly. “That’s probably the best thing that’s ever happened to the youth of America,” he laughs. “The downfall, the decline of civilization is on the rise.” The best part of the clip was seeing Iron Lung tooling around on the fishing boat. I ask him how the fisherman lifestyle and the rock lifestyle converge. “They’re very much the same,” he says. “Same attitude towards life—‘have a good time.’ It’s a good living, just different hours.” That attitude has defined Scissorfight’s career. “We’ve always done exactly what we wanted to, and gradually, more and more people have gotten into it as we go along.” That’s an understatement. The Scissorfight faithful are breeding like blast-proof cockroaches, so much so that the band has to come up with alternate band names when they play smaller clubs, just so the fans won’t overrun the joint. “Yeah, that pisses off the club owners sometimes,” he says, “but we like playing smaller shows. It’s more intimate, and we always have fun. Big shows are cool too, though. We did the Hemp-fest on Boston Common last fall, and that was cool. We’re going to do that again this year.” Before the Fest, Scissorfight will be spreading their evil net even wider, as they take on our more civilized brethren across the Atlantic. In August, the band releases the UK- only album American Cloven Hoof Blues. Soon after, they’ll be invading the British Isles in person, primed to lay down a good Yankee cocking. The pasty monarchists won’t know what hit them. “Again, we don’t go looking for anything. They sought us out. The guy from Eccentric Man liked our stuff, and wanted to put something out, so we recorded this record.” I asked him how he thought the Brits would handle Scissorfight. “Who cares? We’re going anyway,” he says, characteristically. Stateside fans will have to wait until October, when the next magnum opus, a tribute to gonzo survivalist Ragnar Redbeard entitled “Man Trapping For Sport and Profit” hits the streets. I ask him about some of the new songs that will eventually end up on the album, like the ferocious rocker, “Acid For Blood.” “That’s about self-medication,” he says cryptically. When I ask him to elaborate, he says, “It’s the history of rock ’n’ roll.” Of course it is. How about “The Most Dangerous Animal is Me”? Is that auto-biographical? “No,” he laughs, “it’s just a funny idea.” After mulling it over for a second, he inexplicably adds, “The woods, the wilderness. It’s sort of an interesting place.”

…And This is the Hammer.

Iron Lung’s responses to my questions begin to alternate between vague and surreal. He obviously leaves the perils of rock ’n’ roll decadence for the leather pants crowd, and the shameless self-promotion for lesser men. Direct answers either land in a monotone thud or dissolve into sloganeering. “Go cave, full throttle,” he’ll say flatly while being distracted by traffic. It doesn’t seem like he’s being evasive so much as it seems that he’s already five minutes ahead of me, waiting for me to catch up. I decide to take a different tact, dropping the mock formality of the ‘rock interview,’ instead going for the meat of the man. There’s a lot of meat going on in the Scissorfight camp anyway. Just look at the steaming pile of it on the cover of their Guaranteed Kill album. I ask him if he’s done a lot of hunting. “I’ve never been hunting in my life,” he says. “It’s a fascinating subculture…” he stops for a second to gather his thoughts on the subject. ” Well, not fascinating. It’s a bizarre thing to do, I think. It’s just really not my thing.” I’m actually surprised that a man who has elaborated so many times on the thrill of the hunt in song has never done it himself. ‘So, Iron Lung has never killed anything?’ I ask. “Well…” He pauses. Cars go by, as do long seconds. “No,” he says finally, and emphatically. It’s an honest answer, but more than that, it’s a myth breaker, the bursting of a black balloon. Personally, I would’ve answered with something like, “Sure, I’ve killed billions in my mind, hundreds on paper, and a dozen or so on interstate 95 over the years,” but Iron Lung is operating with a whole different agenda. It’s suddenly obvious to me that the aura of fear, respect, and intimidation that surrounds him has been wholly created by the rock fans, big dreamers like myself who want their rock stars to have steel knuckles, black hearts, and Lungs of Iron. But that’s just not his problem. He’s just a rock ’n’ roll singer that likes cool books, hiking in the woods, and occasionally kick starting an apocalypse on stage. Ultimately, Iron Lung the Killing Machine is merely a cypher, a gateway to catharsis. Iron Lung the man is fully aware of that. “Rock’s like the last expressive outlet. It’s like you’re supposed to have it together all the time, society has all these rules that you have to abide by, but with your art, none of those rules apply. It’s the one place when you can do whatever the fuck you want. It’s a good release. How that gets interpreted by other people really has nothing to do with me, though. That’s really all about them.”

Together, they forge the iron.

In the end, I find Iron Lung to be a lesson in duality, good and evil forged into one burly, bearded, rock warrior, equally adept at creation and destruction. The evil Iron Lung simply does not fuck around when it comes to rock ’n’roll. When I ask him if he’s ever had a broken heart, he decisively tells me “No.” I guess there won’t be any Scissorfight ballads, then. “People don’t want to hear about that shit,” he says. “People want to hear about motorcycles and ass.” The good side of Iron Lung, so to speak, is working on his master’s thesis, a heady, ahem, piece of work involving LSD’s effect on American culture and politics. He also has a love for the outdoors that borders on the feral. “I can survive in the woods for a long time,” he says. “Sometimes I think it would be cool to just stay out there.” That image, of the great and terrible Scissorfight soldiers superimposed over a mighty mountain range remains one of rock’s great ironies. For all their tales of rugged outdoorsmen, most of the people that buy and listen to their records have never even been out of the city. I mention this to Iron Lung, expecting some kind of explanation. He just stares at me, waiting for me to answer my own question. The words of another great cultural renegade spring to mind, the late and much lamented junkie prophet and beat poet William Burroughs. “Read your own palm,” he once said. “Tell your own Goddamn fortune.” As I say my good byes to Iron Lung and company, I realize that if there’s any message to Scissorfight’s music, that’s it. Be your own supervillian, and be loud about it. Meanwhile, Iron Lung will go back to fishing and rocking, same as it ever was. I still wouldn’t take the fucking guy on in a bar brawl, though.