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Willie BGNTWO.jpg - 5.73 K Ocasac BGN.jpg - 6.12 K The Late Risers Club WMBR at MIT Nervous Eaters pIc by Denise Donahue Johnathan Richman. Oedipus - for a while he had rainbow colored dandruff.
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The BGN News Archive

April 6, 2015

Real Kids
The Real Kids

Wednesday was another bill put together by Illegally Blind at the Middle East. Black Beach who I’ve seen several times lately was on the bill and like other shows the light show was an effective mood enhancer. They generated a whirlwind of psych rock. The rhythm section keeps a steady pulse as the guitarist digs deep and shovels out the distorted solos. Each song picks you up and takes you for a ride. Looking for something new and rocking? These are the guys.

Black Beach
Black Beach

   The following group was Babes a trio from New Orleans. The guitarist was in a cape and the singer/keyboard player put a cloth over his head and had a veil covering his face. The veil soon came off revealing his face covered in white makeup. Soon afterward his shirt came off too. The music however was not compelling. It was very basic playing that couldn’t parley with the stage antics to make something bigger. I didn’t see the other groups but the room was on the full side and they were there before me and were staying after me. It’s a good bill that can do that on a Wednesday.

Babes
Babes

   Friday was a familiar situation – the Midway and the Real Kids. The lineup earned a "Sold Out" sign on the door. Classic Ruins we missed, and Stop Calling Me Frank we didn’t give attention to because of our yapping.

Monsiers
The Monsieurs

   The Monsieurs get your attention; they demand your attention or maybe a flying chair, microphone or full beer glass thrown to the floor will. All of that happened during the sideshow that made up this set. First off Erin the stand up drummer and Hilken Mancini the guitarist pump out a thumping distorted swirl then Andy McBain takes an offensive stance and launches the lyrics like a threat. I never quite got the lyrics but one got the idea that he was really mad all the time but then you could hear real melodies, catchy melodies even that seemed to belie the anger. By the end of the set I knew I would have to get their CD and give it a listen.

Monsieurs
The Monsieurs

    Andy's antics were something to see: He’s singing hanging from a pipe, sitting in a chair with legs spread out, lounging fashion. He pumps the microphone stand like it’s a spear. He sticks his head in a woman’s cleavage. He flops limp into some people who have to lift him up and get him back on stage….it goes on and on. What a laugh. You feel the energy! When it’s over you felt like you had gone through the ringer.
   We also found out that Andy and Hilken are getting married - this week!! Congrats to them on the big occasion!!

    On another night I would have left then but this night has the Real Kids.
   Reports are that the RK’s are feeling good and John is doing well. The crowd mostly stays just the usual it’s-getting-late leavers. Rick Harte is helping set up. The RK's do spend time getting things straight, we’re used to that.

Real Kids
The Real Kids

   In 1977 one of the biggest kicks was seeing the Real Kids. In 2015 one of our biggest kicks is seeing the Real Kids. It just hasn’t changed. The center that has the sound and soul of what we think of as the Real Kids is still there; unbelievable but true.
   The summer residency at the Midway made the current RK’s more consistent and hammered out the arrangements of the new material. We know what to expect generally and get it but with a twist here and there. You first get the sound – the sharp guitars the brutal basic beat by Randall and the warm but punchy bass by Dickie, then as the set rolls on the songs come to the fore. The old songs and the new songs are all of the same mold. There’s not one clunker. John says he’s got lots more new songs lined up too, albums worth of songs….holy moly.

The Real Kids
The Real Kids

   One new fave is All Night Boppin’. On that Dickie digs into a walking bass line and carries the song almost single handedly. You could imagine just him playing and the vocals and that would be fine. Dickie is having a great night, he’s in the pocket all the time.
   Randall does what we have seen before. He’s laying down a simple two four with little embellishment. His basic beat is powerful and unrelenting that when the few rolls come they give a relief like no other. In Reggae Reggae he gives just a few punctuations at the very end that stick in your mind long after the gig is over; and the rolls in All Kindsa Girls – transporting.

   John is looking good and seems very strong. And he's smiling too! His playing at the end of the generous set is as strong as the beginning. Billy and John are what you pay attention to. Their guitar interplay is the cornerstone of the RK sound which you can graphically see during their cover of Baby Blue as they work their way through the riffs and the singing. Billy playing the 12 string for a few songs is a highlight.
   The RK’s have been in the studio recording and they play one of the new originals that they've recorded. Baby Blue and Don’t Talk to Strangers have also been done. John was cracking a few jokes and the set as a whole was just lots of fun. That was the night really a club full of people having a ball. Midway scores again.

   Saturday was another case of catching up with people and groups we haven’t seen in two wintery months.

James Straight
James Straight and the Wide Stance

   James Straight and the Wide Stance hadn’t been able to even get to practice because of the snow but sounded comfortable and together doing their off center and acerbic musical diatribes. Joe Fagan was playing guitar under his leg then on a chair. Singer James Straight was as always the engaging front man bringing home the intelligent lyrics. Most of the material was from their representative CD but the last song was a new one called Sex with Lou and that was a standout. One assumes it’s about Lou Miami. It was exciting getting something that good out of the blue. I immediately want it recorded and played on the radio.

Cadillac Heart
Cadillac Heart

   I was talking to the group members and a few people in between the sets in the full club. I was catching up with Chuck “Angel” Myra Cadillac Heart’s drummer, was sitting out from a knee operation. Like me Chuck goes was back, beyond punk, to the Boston music scene in the mid-sixties. Richee Johnson was playing drums with the Hearts tonight. I not only like the Cadillac Hearts' music I like the whole idea of the group; the fact that these musicians from the first days of Boston Punk are still playing and writing new songs making them a creative force now. They play mostly Billy Connor’s songs including Ecstasy, the one the Paley Brothers Recorded. Richee plays clean with lots of crisp punctuations. There is a lot to listen to just there. Off in the corner but lively is Gary Soprano feeding the tastiest licks into the mix with an off handed manner that belies his complete control of his instrument. He did this way back with Third Rail, which reminds me – what’s going on with Third Rail and Richard Nolan?

   I’m satisfied with those two groups but there’s two more to come and the club is full. People are coming out. The Real Kids gig was sold out. The OC45 gig the next day at Midway was sold out. Joanie Lindstrom said on the Late Risers Club that she has never seen so many sold out show already coming up. I’m taking the hint and buying tickets in advance when I can.

Brother Cleve
Brother Cleve at work at the Store 54

   We also checked out the scene at Store 54's 4th Anniversary Cocktail and Dance Party. Brother Cleve was busy at the DJ station on stage keeping the music going all night. There was a nice mix of people from the older scene and a lot of young hipsters. This place is popular and it's great that its popular across the board of age groups and scenes - congrartulations to Wayne Viens on a job well done!!


Wayne and Tim Sprague

Not by Rock Alone - Steve Reich and Laurie Anderson lecture reviews
by John Keegan. Click Here

Sonics    So with that said.....here are some shows that are happening this week....

   April 10 (Friday) Salad Days - The D.C. Punk Revolution is a film about the great punk scene that came out of DC from 1980-1990 is playing in Providence, RI at AS220 (115 Empire St) Here's the FB page for this event.

   April 10 (Friday) and of course The Sonics are at The Brighton Music Hall along with Barrence Whitfield & The Savages, Muck And The Mires - NOTE!! early show, doors at 6 show starts at 7PM! Hmm, what to do afterwards???

   April 10 (Friday)- Illegally Blind Presents: The New Highway Hymnal "Reverb Room" LP Release Show, Vundabar, The Televibes, Andy California (that's Andy McBain from The Monsieurs doing solo crazed country) at The Middle East up.

    April 11 (Saturday) A is for AWESOME 2: the punk version. This is a fund raiser for Autism research etc. The money raised from all four events during the weekend will be donated to The Trudeau Center Children's Rec Program and The Autism Project. Confirmed so far they have: Neutral Nation, The Frenzy of Tongs, The McGunks and Me Jane. At the Parlour in Providence RI. Check the FB page for updates!!

   April 12 (Sunday) A is for AWESOME 2 : On this night they have: The Worried, Pyramid, Black Oil Incinerator, Atlantic Thrills The Neutrinos, The Evil Streaks and more to be announced soon. Check the FB page for updates on the bands etc...

   April 12 (Sunday) Roy Sludge is at the Midway for a 6:30 - 8:30 all ages show.

   And coming up after this week we have.......

Fireking    April 19 (Sunday) It's The 5th Annual Hard Core Cotillion...with Gang Green, Antagonizers ATL, Drug Shock and "Special Guests" (who they'll announce after 3/17!) and Rockin Bob (Cenci) and The BarRoom Heroes. This is an All Ages 3PM afternoon show.

   April 19 (Sunday) Thalia Zedek Band, Magic Shoppe and Black Helicopter are at TT's.

   April 24 (Friday) The Upper Crust, The Grannies, White Dynomite and I Am Next are at Cuisine en Locale. You can buy tix for this killer show here.

   April 24 (Friday) if you live near Dover, NH you're lucky coz there's a awesome show with NYC legends Thee Casualties and we luv us some Wimpy and you get Wimpy Rutherford & The Cryptics doing a Full Queers set - the Cryptics backing up NH legend and original Queers singer Wimpy Rutherford ...also, he should not have cut his hair,- Rockin' Bob which is Bob Cenci of Jerry's Kids and The FUs & friends playing Jerry's Kids material + more but you also get Shitty Friends we all have some of those right? these guys are from Lancaster, PA and also on the bill are Maine street punks The Earbleeds. its all happening at the Dover Brickhouse. See the FB page and be there.

   April 25 (Saturday)- Bob Colby Presents Sarah Rabdau & Self-Employed Assassins and The Wrong Shapes at Store 54

   April 25 (Saturday) Crazy & The Brains, The Pity Whores, Alex Stern, The Black Cheers and Whoopi Sticks are at The Midway

   May 1 (Friday) Whiskey Kill and Red Pennys are at Johnny D's

Record day sale    May 6 (Wednesday) here's one to put in your calendars my friends: The Meatmen, Against the Grain and The Humanoids at the Middle East upstairs....(UP??? They sold out the downstairs last time!!) anyway here's the FB event page

   May 9 (Saturday) JOEFEST III: The 3rd Annual Joe Coughlin Memorial Concert with M.O.T.O., Johhny & The Jumper Cables - Stump The Undertaker and Lenny Lashley

   May 9 (Saturday) Tsunami of Sound, My Own Worst Enemy and The Shambolics are at Sally O'Brien's

    May 14 (Thursday) John Cooper Clarke is performing at Berklee!! At the David Friend Recital Hall (921 Boylston Street) Click the link to read more about JCC and to buy tickets.

    May 16 (Saturday) Hixx are at Club Bohemia at The Cantab

   May 16 (Saturday) The Evil Streaks, The Downbeat 5, The Reverb Syndicate (from Ottawa) and The Radiator Rattlers are at OBrien's

   May 22 (Friday) The Brigands and The Black Souls are at the Tavern at the End of the World. FB event page

Pity Whores    May 22 (Friday)- You have been warned - Book the flight now: Sleep Chamber!! Doing their only show in 34 years in Tel Aviv, Israel at UTC+02. Not only is this their first show in 34 years - its their LAST SHOW ever.

    May 30 (Saturday) Reddy Teddy are at the Rhumbline up in Gloucester. .

   June 4 (Thursday) Motobunny, The Charms, Watts and Greg Allen's Fringe Religion are at TT's.

   July 18 (Saturday) Mission of Burma opens for The Foo Fighters and the Mighty Mighty Bosstones at Fenway Park

   and of course The New England Shake-Up! September 25,26,27 2015! Keep yourself updated at their FB page

   Newly posted is Joanie Lindstrom's London/Liverpool Vacation. She catches Sham 69 on Jimmy Pursey's 60th birthday and hunts out record stores and even does the Magical Mystery Tour.

   CONTACT US AT.......misslynbgn @ yahoo.con Send us your gig listings, your news and anything else ya got!!

v
Babes

Babes
Black Beach

Black Beach
Stop calling me Frank

Stop Calling Me Frank
Real Kids

Real Kids
jOHN fELICE

John Felice
rEAL kIDS

Dickie Oakes
Monsieurs

Monsieurs
Monsieurs

Monsieurs
Andy and Hilken

Andy and Hilken

 


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