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The BGN News Archive
Chris Bailey of The Saints died this week. It’s hard to realize now, but there was a time when it was hard to fill up a radio show with punk music. When a new album came out everyone pounced on it. In those days there was generally a consensus about what was punk enough to play.
We owe so much to people like Chris. Many can play punk now, but to play it in 1975, that is some sort of genius and artistic courage that should amaze us today!! Ironically The Saints are on the cover of Vive Le Rock! Magazine from England this month where they write up “I’m Stranded” for its 45 year anniversary. That single came out before the Damned and the Sex Pistols in June 1977. It was recorded in December of 1976. Here’s a short article on Chris on Clash.com Here’s a video of “I’m Stranded” with a few stories and tributes at the beginning. Below. Above right is an hour long video of the group and the making of the first album. Something unexpected happened on the way back from Covid…more Covid. There have been more show cancellations lately. A lot of local musicians have come down with the virus. Thankfully all ‘mild’ cases that we know of because they were all vaccinated. When musicians get the virus the show is cancelled but we don’t know how many audience members may have contracted the virus. All the info is out there, mask mandates have been dropped .... but in the end we all have to make our own choices.
We have a review from Captain Easychord of the show at the Midway on March 26 with The Shang Hi-Los, Little Billy Lost, Modern Day Idols and Lonely Leesa & the Lost Cowboys. Why so late? He got Covid and was laid up for a while. At the end of his write up Captain talks about the fact that the show turned out to be a Covid spreader with many of the band members coming down with the virus. Click the photo link below for the whole story.
The Rat Facebook page is very popular. It has over eight thousand followers. The originator of the page was Jim Walent. After a few years in 2011 Michael Weddle joined in to help. Now, Michael has some heath issues that require him to step down. To carry on we have some familiar names. 
Mach Bell who is all over Facebook for his book efforts lately will be on the administrative staff. Peter Rinning, who does all the official Rat merchandising, and Kathie Logue, who used to book the Rat, have also volunteered to be administrators. The best for last, Jimmy Harold the Rat owner himself, has agreed to come on as another administrator! That means when you make a comment on the page Jimmy could be looking!! Michael’s statement about all this is here
Michael Kane and the Morning Afters are having their album release party in Worcester on April 23 at the Hotel Vernon. With them on the bill are Helen & the Trash Pandas and Luke & Russ Condon Scroll down to the gig listings for links etc.
Once has got dates booked for their outside Boynton Yards gigs this summer: June 11 and 25, July 9 and 30, August 13 and 27 and September 10 and 17. They are looking for vendors – food/ art/clothing/stuff - to sell on site, if that's you - contact them at hello@oncesomerville.com. They're also looking for door help, security and bartenders, for that contact them at production@oncesomerville.com. It was hard to miss this upcoming show on Facebook, enthusiastic fans were reposting all over the place: The "80's Throwback to The Channel" The Channel 42nd Anniversary show at Roadrunner. The main attraction is a Del Fuegos reunion. That’s something we didn’t think would ever happen. Also on the bill are Jon Butcher Axis, Barrence Whitfield, Charlie Farren, Sal Baglio and Fred Pineau who will all be playing in a 'super group' of sorts. Tickets are here VIDEOS......
This week Motel Black released a video for their song “Morning Hum” and what a weird video it is. A guy in a bear’s head walks around Mass Ave in Cambridge. He hits a record store (looks like Stereo Jacks) and hits Honeycomb Bakery. Is it related to the song? Not directly it seems but thematically maybe. It does what it should, it makes you give another few listens to that song. The song always holds you even though its six and a half minutes long. It takes some artistic guts to trust yourself to do a long haul song like that with its very slow build up.
We got hooked on Venomous Pink with their last video “No Rules”. Their follow up is another hard but melodic tune “Apothecary Ailment”. The song is about addiction. They come from Mesa, Arizona and they used the desert for the backdrop of the vid. This is in preparation for the full album Vita Mors to be released on June 3. RADIO...... Joanie Lindstrom on WMBR Late Risers Club played a Saints song on Thursday in remembrance of Chris Bailey. “Save Me” is retooled garage. It’s has the “Gloria” chord progression lurking in there but with some horns added. A great one. She followed up with Them doing a “Gloria” redo themselves with “Gloria’s Dream”.
You can hear the show on the WMBR Archive pages On Friday 4/8 DJ Mook of the LRC had an interview with Suzi Moon who played O’Brien’s on Thursday 4/14. Suzi’s personality really comes through, and there’s plenty of good punk on the show too. He played “No Rules” by the Venomous Pink that we spotlighted that video a few weeks ago, that sounded excellent in the mix. Catch it on the WMBR Archive pages PODCASTS......... Blowing Smoke With Twisted Rico has two weeks in a row with a drummer. This week it’s Thommy Price who has been a drummer for Joan Jett and the Blackhearts, Scandal, Mink Deville, Tom Verlaine and he’s the drummer on Billy Idol’s “Rebel Yell.” Currently he is playing with Downtown Phantom. Local Greg Allen has written a song on Price’s latest project.
Guitarist Dan Levy of In the Meantime was
guest on the video podcast You Had Options. Dan revealed that
in 2021 when they released their EP their drummer passed away. He was a victim
The podcast is done by Michael McAuliffe from The Handsome Scoundrels. We saw the Handsome Scoundrels at The Hong Kong in Harvard Square with In the Meantime. Michael asked if that Hong Kong staircase was the worst load-in Dan ever had…as it seemed to be for Michael and band, but Dan had a video shoot with a five staircase load-in that beat that. Here’s a link to the video podcast Here’s a link to the archives of You Had Options NEW MUSIC/CDs.....
Jonathan Richman has a new six song EP titled Cold Pizza & Other Hot Stuff which you can find on Bandcamp. It sounds like his earlier work. It’s sparse with just guitar and light drums. When you hear “Cold Pizza” it sounds like nothing has changed. A simple progression Jonathan has used many times allows enough cover for Jonathan to sing almost five minutes on the stale food item. It’s a Richman trick to use the common place item to view life’s universality. He sings the phase, “it is what it is, what it is” to put a Zen twist on it. He modulates twice and sings a verse in Italian to add interest. “Guitar in Orange, Drums in Pale Purple” is an instrumental. The title is explained by Jonathan’s synesthesia; seeing colors in music. “Everybody Loves Dolly” is a short tribute to Dolly Parton. He redoes “A New Kind of Neighborhood”. He covers “La Bamba” where he expands the song with his mastery of Spanish. “To Celebrate, To Adore” is sung in Italian. This is a much simpler work than “Want to Visit My Inner House” which had more elements in it. This is a much more familiar and direct Jonathan experience.
Doug Tuttle is a name to remember when it comes to new psych rock. He’s latest one song release, “Ratchet”, has an airy feeling without getting to sunshine pop vacuity. There are some real problems he’s mulling over in the lyrics. There are only light drums. It’s the steady bass that draws you along with the hypnotic voice.
Here's some good shows coming up .....
April 21, 2022 (Thursday) Noah Britton, Johnnie & The Food Masters and ... "Surprise Special Guest" at O'Brien's April 21, 2022 (Thursday) My Life as a Ramone-An Interactive Speaking show by Marky Ramone at City Winery, Boston, MA, 8 April 21, 2022 (Thursday) Nervous Eaters, Crunchtime, Bad Larrys at The Breakaway in Danvers FB page April 22, 2022 (Friday) Stormstress (Album Release!) w/ Linnea's Garden, Key of Caustic, The Teezers at The Jungle April 22, 2022 (Friday) Wreckless Wreck Chords Presents Worm, A.P.E., Witches Tears, Rocket Gods, Dear Maryanne ...and More TBA mat The C NOte in Hull. FB page.
April 23, 2022 (Saturday) Dutch Tulips & Friends at The Jungle 4-7PM April 23, 2022 (Saturday) Vernal Volcano Vibe! with Emily Grogan, Crow Follow & Diablogato at The Magic Room FB page April 23, 2022 (Saturday) Michael Kane and the Morning Afters' Broke But Not Broken album release party with them on the bill are Helen & the Trash Pandas and Luke & Russ Condon at The Hotel Vernon, Worcester The FB event page Music at 9PM. April 23, 2022 (Saturday) Jawbreaker, The Lemonheads and Worriers are at the House of Blues. Get tickets at the House of Blues website April 24, 2022 (Sunday) A Bunch Of Jerks, Corinne Southern & The Constellations, Johnny Plankton & The Sea Monkeys Of Sole, Flying A Holes at a matinee show -3PM- at The Midway
April 24, 2022 (Sunday) Linnea's Garden, Orca Bones & The Skirts @ Dusk in Provi RI April 25, 2022 (Monday) Hawk & Heron, Today Junior, Moon Room at Charlie's Kitchen April 27, 2022 (Wednesday) DJ Todd Bananas is spinning discs at Notch Brewery's Brighton Tap Room starting at 7PM. FB page. April 27, 2022 (Wednesday) Pears, Skytigers, Oh The Humanity! at O'Brien's April 27, 2022 (Wednesday) Once at the Rockwell presents The Veldt, Allison and Moon, Death Party April 29, 2022 (Friday) Il Mostro, Hambone Skinny, Common Disaster, Thee Fightin Fish at The Cantab Underground FB page. April 29, 2022 (Friday) Diablogato at Dusk in Provi. April 30, 2022 (Saturday) Flipper, The F. U.'s, The Welch Boys at Middle East Up - this is an All Ages Early show - doors at Noon music at 12:30.
April 30, 2022 (Saturday) If We Go At All, Modern Day Idols, Tad Overbaugh & The Late Arrivals, Glowbox at The Jungle April 30, 2022 (Saturday) Michael Kane & The Morning Afters (Release Show) w/ Stray Bullets, Coffin Salesman, CE Skidmore - 3-7PM matinee at The Midway. April 30, 2022 (Saturday) The Dogmatics, Muck and the Mires, Justine and The Unclean, Earthlings? at The Magic Room FB page April 30, 2022 (Saturday) Burlesque n' Roll Part Deux... Eclectric Electric, Haunting Titans, Killer Kin, Diablogato, Anxious Wave, Microwaves and The Hammer Party! Local burlesque performances/dancing by Kristen Minsky, Shirley MacSlaine, Hades Ivory, Blitzen Vonshtupp, Maiden X and Boston's Jessicalee Skary...along with MC Crimson Al-Khemia providing direction and purpose on this glorious evening! There will also be fire-dancing by Amanda Salemi weather permitting! at Dusk in Provi, RI. Early show starting at 5:30PM!! FB page.
May 2, 2022 (Monday) Major Stars, Lupo Citta, Adult Learners at Charlie's Kitchen May 4, 2022 (Wednesday) Zygote Theory, Vangelism, Rawstrum, hiFi at The Midway May 5, 2022 (Thursday) Minx, Key of Caustic, The Melted Chapstix, Bill Dwyer Band - Middle East Up. May 6, 2022 (Friday) Phantom Ocean, The Guilloteenagers, Minusworld, Battlemode at The Cantab Underground. May 6, 2022 (Friday) The Cryptics, The Brunt Of It, The Martians, Color Killer at The Middle East Up. FB page. May 6, 2022 (Friday) My Life as a Ramone-An Interactive Speaking show by Marky Ramone followed by a screening of Rock 'N' Roll High School. "This multimedia event includes vintage photos, video clips and previously unheard stories behind the music." at The Greenwich Odeum Tix and info here. May 6, 2022 (Friday) Baabes, Kid Gulliver, Gnarnia, Miracle Blood at Thirsty First, Lowell, FB page. May 6, 2022 (Friday) Mad Painter meets Gregg Perry & Strange Berries at The Common Street Spiritual Center in Natick - FB page for info.
May 8, 2022 (Sunday) Field Day featuring Landlady and Girl with a Hawk at The Rockwell Davis Sq Somerville FB page. May 8, 2022 (Sunday) Nervous Eaters, The Stigmatics, Sourpunch at Dusk in Provi, RI. May 9, 2022 (Monday) Weatherless, Between 3 and 4, Built As Drawings, Betties at Charlie's KItchen May 11, 2022 (Wednesday) The Nick Cave film This Much I Know to Be True at The Brattle Theater. Link to calendar and tickets. May 12, 2022 (Thursday) Actor|Observer with Inspirit (former Vanna) and The World at The Sinclair May 13, 2022 (Friday) Post Punk Tribute Night w/ The Temple of Mercy, Gretchen & The Banshees, Ghost Painted Sky (as the Cure ), DJ Sawtooth at The Middle East Up. TIX May 14, 2022 (Saturday) Baabes, Mallcops, Mister Vertigo, The Jacklights at The Jungle May 14, 2022 (Saturday) Thee Fighting Fish at The Square Root in Rozzie
May 18, 2022 (Wednesday) Lady Pills, Layzi, and Olivia Sisay at Once at The Rockwell May 19, 2022 (WThursday) Sinnet, Today Junior, Airport at Notch Brewing in Brighton May 20, 2022 (Friday) "Post Punk Night" at Sally O'Brien's Union Sq Somerville. with" 2 super groups: chuck ferreira & friends and duncan wilder johnson & friends -check the FB page. May 20, 2022 (Friday) Mad Painter, Devious Intentions, Crash Cadet at the Jungle FB page May 22, 2022 (Sunday) The Exploited, Cro-Mags, Total Chaos at The Middle East down. TIX May 23, 2022 (Monday) Linnea's Garden, Skylar Symone & the Local Enigma, Unit One at Charlie's Kitchen May 28, 2022 (Saturday) Chris 'Dimwit' Taylor Memorial Show with The McGunks, The Black Cheers, The Dimwits, DRAGO (1st show in 8 years!) and Duck & Cover at The Midway - FB page.
May 28, 2022 (Saturday) Razors in the Night & Tijuana Sweetheart Reunion Show at Sonia, also on the bill Nothing But Enemies. FB page May 28, 2022 (Saturday) The Channel 42nd Anniversary celebration with The Del Fuegos. Also on the bill are Jon Butcher Axis, Barrence Whitfield, Charlie Farren, Sal Baglio and Fred Pineau who will all be playing in a 'super group' of sorts.. TIX May 29, 2022 (Sunday) Mike Oliver Memorial Show with Watts, Gozu, Hey Zeus, Worshipper, Ceshci Ramos at Sonia - 7PM TIX here. FB page. June 9, 2022 (Thursday)WMBR's Late Risers Club , throw a bash Celebrate with The Darts Hilken Mancini & Chris Colbourn and Loretta at The Middle East Up. June 11, 2022 (Saturday) The Only Things, The Agonizers, The Brand New Luddites at Thirsty First in Lowell June 15, 2022 (Wednesday) Jonathan Richman at 3S Artspace in Portsmouth NH. FB page for info.
June 18, 2022 (Saturday) THE ZULUS are back at The Paradise - tix here. June 18, 2022 (Saturday) Randall Gibson Memorial at The French Club in Waltham. 2-9PM. FB page. June 19, 2022 (Sunday) The Mahones, The Pourmen, The Gobshites at Askew in Provi, RI. FB page June 25, 2022 (Saturday) Show in Honor of Jess Victor - White Dynomite, Muck and the Mires, Stop Calling Me Frank, Piranha Brothers, Screw Cart at The Middle East Up TIX and FB page. July 1, 2022 (Friday) The Prozacs, The Lousekateers, Lürking Class (NY), The Agonizers, Marko Bruiser at Ralph's Rock Diner July 2, 2022 (Saturday) Hixx, Celseigh, The Stigmatics, Marianne Toilet and the Runs at The Midway August 27, 2022 (Saturday) The Worst, Typhoid Rosie, Marianne Toilet and The Runs, Breaking Up at The Middle East Up.
September 8, 2022 (Thursday) D.R.I at Alchemy in Provi, RI - FB page. September 17, 2022 (Saturday) Punks For Pets with Joy Boys, Sleep Mode, Sourpunch, Musclecah, Ghost Grrrl, The Debutantes, The Something Somethin’s, The Stigmatics - at The News Cafe - early show starting at 1PM. Bring something for the doggos and kittehs check the Donation List on the FB page. October 5, 2022 (Wednesday) Dr. John Cooper Clarke at City Winery October 9, 2022 (Sunday) L7: Bricks Are Heavy 30th Anniversary at Big NIght Live FB page. October 11, 2022 (Tuesday) Agent Orange and GNARNIA at Alchemy in Provi, RI FB page. October 15, 2022 (Saturday) Third Annual Punktoberfest at Thirsty First in Lowell...check the FB page for updates, bands etc. CONTACT US AT....misslynbgn@yahoo.com Send us your gig listings, your anything else ya got!! You want your CD reviewed?? Contact us for that too.
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“I’m Stranded” by the Saints was one of those early songs
that positively everyone played and became part of the core of the emerging
punk canon. The Saints were together as early as 1971, so they weren’t
influenced by the Ramones. They took from garage rock and added the hard rawness
that would later be marked punk.
A Mike Oliver Memorial Show at Sonia on May 29. And
OMG would Mike have loved the lineup! ... Watts, Gozu, Hey Zeus,
Worshipper and Ceshci Ramos. Scroll down to
the gig listings below for links to tix etc. 
That was followed by “Underground” by the Darts. The Darts are
on the bill for the Late Risers Club show at the Middle East on June 9. That’s
a good chance to hear their organ drenched garage. Later Joanie went back to
the first Saints record for “Erotic Neurotic”. Here’s a
of opioid addition. As Dan continued the story of the band’s struggle
to move forward there was a real pathos to it. You could see that a band needs
that self-motivation and love of the music to keep things going. 
April 12, 2022 (Tuesday) Punk Rock
Aerobics! Every Tuesday at 6PM - Zoom!! Go to this link: 
April 23, 2022 (Saturday) Record
Store Day 2022!
April 24, 2022 (Sunday) The Mummies
with Thee Fabulous Itchies at Askew in Provi
April 30, 2022 (Saturday) Early Rocknroll
Hang with The Chelsea Curve, 123 Astronaut, and DJ
Mike Gioscia at The Jungle. Early show 4-7PM. (followed by....)
April 30, 2022 (Saturday) Richard
Lloyd, The Sorry Boys, Andy Stone for a 5PM show at
The Parlour in Provi RI 
May 7, 2022 (Saturday) Stop Calling
Me Frank, Jittery Jack Trio, Electric Button at The New World Tavern,
PLymouth
May 16, 2022 (Monday) Coffin Salesman,
North Star the Wanderer, Bad Idea USA, Superdown at Charlie's Kitchen
May 24, 2022 (Tuesday) Reverend
Horton Heat, The Koffin Kats, Sasquatch & The Sickabillys at Alchemy
in Providence, RI.
June 18, 2022 (Saturday) 40 Years
of The Queers Anniversary show also with The Dwarves, The Jasons,
Stubborn Hearts at Sonia. 
September 2, 2022 (Friday) The
Woggles with Muck and Mires & The Chelsea
Curve at The Porch in Medford
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