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The Rat soundman, Granny, at the Johnboy Franklin Memorial Photo: John Keegan

A memorial show with a full roster of bands...and at the Paradise!! Johnboy Franklin must be smiling down. His friends did not forget him. They remembered and celebrated his life on December 28. We have a full page of photos by John Keegan. Just click the photo banner below.

Looking for something different? What about a night out seeing Berklee grad Ian Legge, the punk cellist. He plays pop punk and emo covers. (We didn't see any old school punk covers.) He's playing January 10 at Distraction Brewing in Roslindale. It's right around the corner from The Square Root.

And here's some new club news....

The new club Moon Base One in Salem opens February 7. It's an all ages, sober club with matinee shows and night shows. There are some good shows already booked starting Feb 7 - check the gig listings for them. Also...for you people in bands - there are different options for booking shows there -it's well worth it for you to read info here on booking shows. Moon Base One Instagram Moon Base One web page And here is their Greater Boston Band Census....you can add your band info to this page for free!!

Here's an article on Moon Base One on Vanyaland.

It's not unusual for Bostonians to head to Portland to see shows. Now the huge venue trend has reached Portland, a new 3,300 person venue is proposed for downtown. It's connected to Live Nation. Specifically built as a concert venue they promise top quality sound. It's bigger than other local venues but not as large as the large Civic Center. More on the venue

The Cut in Gloucester is closing this winter for renovations even though the club just opened last year. We assume there is some problem with the way the space is set up. On their web site they are saying they will reopen. The Gang of Four show scheduled for April 19 is still going on. Boston Globe Article on the club The Cut Facebook page There is a lot of comment on social media about whether they will actually really reopen.

Slim Dunlap died a week ago after struggling for 12 years from a stroke. He was 73. He was a replacement for The Replacements. He joined the group in 1987 to fill in for Bob Stinson. He played on the last two albums, Don't Tell a Soul and All Shook Down. Article on Slim.

We found a treasure trove of recordings by The Dark on the Under the Radar Recording website. They were done by the soundman for the band for two years. The recordings are from 1982-83. The first one is from a show at the Channel which happened to be the live debut of Til Tuesday. That's included on the page also.

With AI and some extra time someone has made a series of classic albums that sound like they were recorded in the '50s. What does it sound like?…well more like the 50s than the classic albums. If you are curious you can hear Led Zeppelin, ACDC, Guns and Roses and Black Sabbath getting the fifties treatment. Take your pick at the YouTube channel. We found it on the Louder website.

Bob Nelson died this week. He was a DJ for 44 years in Boston and the North Shore on WMWM. He favored local music. Obituary.

We have the latest Joanie Lindstrom Vacation report. This trip was Switzerland/Strasbourg/Milan. There are glories of nature with the Alps and glaciers, glories of mankind with The Duomo and then the Headbangers bar to top things off. Click Here for Joanie's Switzerland/Strasbourg/Milan Vacation.

VIDEOS......

The Rats are back…the Boomtown Rats that is. They've marked 2025 as their return to performing. They did a few songs on Jools Holland's Annual Hootenanny show on January 5. You can see their version of "Rat Trap" above. They also did 'She's So Modern' and 'I Don't Like Mondays". They'll be touring in May/June and Oct/Nov this year. Schedule on their website They also have a collection titled The First 50 Years: Songs Of Boomtown Glory that will come out later this year. That can be preordered here

Here's a video of the hardcore group S.T.P. playing the song "Sick". It's from a show at Green Street Station from 1990. It's a great chance to see the club stage after all these years. The band can't be beat and we wish we had the ability or the smarts to record live at that time.

RADIO......

Joanie Lindstrom did her best of 2024 on January 2 on the Late Risers Club. For local hardcore it's hard to beat The Hope Conspiracy album Tools of Oppression/Rule by Deception. Joanie played the song "A Struggle for Power".

She played "Hide & Seek" off the new Jesus Lizard album that's shown up on a lot of 'best of' lists. Another local favorite was Gossip Collar doing the goth thing. Joanie played "Midnight Ride".

To hear Lindstrom's whole Late Risers Club show go to the WMBR archive page and hit the Late Risers Show for Thursday 1/2.

PODCASTS.........

Dave Harrison is typical of some people that are doing so much that if you are plugged into the scene you have to be aware of him. Blowing Smoke with Twisted Rico gives you the chance to get up to speed on his projects and his Boston music history. Harrison's early band was the Voodoo Dolls, now his band is the False Positives.

The first live show that clicked with Harrison was seeing the Neighborhoods at the Channel in 1979. Later he saw the Sex Exes and the Del Fuegos. He was a big Prime Movers fan and his friendship with Cam Ackland led to the Voodoo Dolls in 1988. The Voodoo Dolls opened up for the Ramones six times because Evan was in touch with the Ramones manager. Dave and Evan formed The Nines after the Voodoo Dolls. Living in Rochester for some years, Dave came back to Boston in 2017. In 2018 he played the Mess Around a few times. Dave lines up his future plans with gigs and recordings. The False Positives will play On the Town with Mikey Dee on WMFO on February 26.

The Elastic Glam Show (1/10) started the new year with a Celebration of the Life of David Bowie. It began with a Bowie/Bolan collaboration "Prettiest Star". There were two more Bowie recording but the rest was covers. Lulu did "Man Who Sold the World", Foo Fighters played "All the Young Dudes", Def Leppard had "Ziggy Stardust", Pampaloose sang "Soul Love" and the Killers with "Fame". Songs Bowie co wrote were "Tonight" by Iggy and "Satellite of Love" by Lou Reed. Sethyspice says he's got plenty of new glam from bands since New Year's and all that will be on next week's show.

Al Quint had two weeks of 2024 highlights on Sonic Overload. He had some overlap with others this year with Gossip Collar, Pissed Jeans, Jesus Lizard and Citric Dummies. We have a few songs to give an idea of the show. The first song was "Desperate Housepunks" by Chicago band Ejaculators. It has a nice punk feel to it. "Septic Appendix was by Boston Band The Massacred. We thought the song "Seized Up" by Force Fed Hate had a powerful message with a hard hitting performance. The last song was one that Al plays every year, "New Year" by SVT. We always loved "Heart of Stone" back in the day. There's been a few new collections of their material in the last few years. Hard to believe that Jack Cassidy of the Jefferson Airplane was in the group. Hear those four songs below.

On the January 6 version of Sonic Overload, Al got us right off the bat with his opening salvos. One was reference to what was happening in Washington DC on that day. The song used to comment was "The Mob Rules" by Black Sabbath which is a great Sabbath song. Then there was a six punk set with: Wipers, Misfits, Violators, Unnatural Axe ("Hitler's Brains"), Ground Zero and Plasmatics ("Butcher Boy"). You can hear the whole show on the Sonic Overload web page

We've posted some shows by Donut Monoxide of KALX in Berkley California because Monoxide is a Real Kids fanatic. Her last show was on the occasion of John Felice's 70th birthday on December 27. The show has wonderful music and an interview with Real Kids drummer Jimmy Birmingham. He tells the story about how he got to play with Felice. He also talks about his musical background and influences. You really get a clear picture of how Jimmy fits into the Real Kids story.

Monoxide plays a few Modern Lovers songs that are live recordings while John was in the band. That recording "Live at the Stonehenge Club, Ipswich, MA" is on YouTube The show ends with two well picked songs. One is "Bright Lit, Blue Skys" by the Rockin' Ramrods. John would love that they were included. It ends with "Little Red Riding Hood" which was done by John and some notable musicians from the album Turban Renewal, a Sam the Sham tribute album on Norton.
Here is the list of songs played: Real Kids - "All Kindsa Girls", Heartbreaker - "Born to Lose", Taxi Boys- "Up is Up", Modern Lovers - "Wake up Sleepyheads", Carbonas - "Who Needs Ya", Real Kids - "Everybody's Girl". Real Kids - "Better Be Good", Rosehips - "Common at Noon", Taxi Boys - "She", John Felice & The Lowdowns - "I'll Never Sing That Song Again", The Real Kids - "Let Me Convince You", Mary Weiss - "Tell Me What You Want Me to Do", The Modern Lovers - "I'm Straight", The Chinese Millionaires - "Reggae Reggae", The Modern Lovers - "Roadrunner", The Dents - "Do the Boob", The Real Kids - "My Baby's Book", Rockin' Ramrods - "Bright Lit Blue Skies" and John Felice - "Lil' Red Riding Hood".

NEW MUSIC/CDs......

Minibeast's new album The Maze of Now and will be released on January 15. They have three songs on Bandcamp now. This album comes closest to the effect they have live. When we first saw the group at Once we were taken aback by the sound because it was so massive and just different from the norm. Since then we've enjoyed seeing the group live and taking in the reactions of the audience new to their sound. That first time we saw them Matt Burns (RIP) was there and we talked a while about what this group was doing. Here's a short vid from that show. Most people know by now that they have a rhythm section from the musical gods with Peter Prescott adding guitar and sound drop ins, while his vocals channel a schizophrenic alien preacher…or something. The opening song "Spots" has a twenty second intro of electronic sounds before those drums that Keith Seidel turns into an infernal machine that takes over all your attention. There's no one to compare Keith with. We're lucky beyond belief to have Keith playing in our area and that Prescott has a musical framework that accommodates his style.

Hey, back to the song! The bass adds to the feeling of an unstoppable pace. Peter Prescott rants a warning or a threat and adds a cool distorted guitar line. The song is six minutes long and doesn't seem long. That's the case with all the songs. "Defenders of the Sound" is 8:43 minutes in length "Cookie Cutter" is an instrumental. In "Arm of the Wood" they take things down a notch. They cut out some of the frenetic pace and that presents a different aural landscape for variation. If you like Minibeast and don't have the music, this is the album to get.

If you haven't heard them live, you should correct that. At the least listen below to hear what we are talking about here.

Happy Little Clouds new single is "Higher". They had three superior recordings in 2024. This is another one, the performance is so notable here. This is one tight band. In one section where the lyrics repeat the line "Is that the way you love" the voice parses the words two by two, as the guitar, bass and drums stagger the rhythm to duplicate the vocal delivery. We remember when Willie Loco and the Boom Boom Band used to do the same thing when Willie would sing his "Ah ya, ah ay, ah ya" tag and the Boom Booms mimicked him.
The guitar has a nice chunky grit when it's playing the main chord progression that is repeated through the song. It's punctuated with a bass and drum fillip at the end that makes it even sweeter. The vocals of other songs by Happy Little Clouds have been well done. In "Higher" Jac Mestel gives a few extra syllables to the end words of a line. One is on the word "love" and the other on "higher". On the final "higher" Jac gives it even more ornamentation. We like the group sound. It's not indie, it's not punk or post punk. They call it a few things including pop rock. It's a few things but mostly it sounds very much right now. Familiar yet unique.

OC45 have been promising a return in 2025 and they are true to their word. They have a show coming up at the Midway on January 19 with Jukebox Romantics, In the Meantime and Oh The Humanity - but sorry, that's sold out already. They also have a new song. "False Idol" shows that they are all there sonically. They self-describe themselves as "politically punk" and "False Idol" doesn't pussy foot around or waste time in going after the biggest political target around. Welcome back guys, you have been missed.

The Spackles always have something in the pipeline. Their latest is "Dr. Crippen". That sent us searching because you know there's a back story on this. Sure enough Dr. Crippen was quite a character. It's a complicated tale with a missing wife and a body in the cellar and a show trial. As the song states, he is a figure in Madame Tussauds Wax Museum in London. The song is a bouncy up beat affair. It sounds like the soundtrack theme of a cheesy movie. The Spackles did that with their cover of - "The Blob." It is verging on musical theatre territory too. Hey, do up this whole story and you have a play. The song has a strong melody and a flowing form that glides through a few change ups. The guitar solo is nicely stated and adds to the whole package. A video is on the way.

Early in 2024 we reviewed a hardcore recording "Escape" by Billy. It was a raging and scorching effort. We now see that Billy has a five song EP, Permanent Void, that is soon to be released.

Right now they have two songs you can hear on Bandcamp. They are as uncompromising as their previous material. We love that they have the lyrics posted. When you hear that singer at the top of his lungs spewing heightened emotions you want to know what exactly he's saying. We have the Bandcamp link below for the two songs and where you can preorder the EP. If you go to the No Echo website you can hear the whole EP.

Crow Follow's latest song "Sylvia" was inspired by Justine Covault. You can see that in the imagery on the digital single and the mentions of red hair in the lyrics. The song goes seven and a half minutes but doesn't seem that long. They keep things more upbeat than usual for them and they take good advantage of their horns to keep things bright.

Come have been rereleasing their catalog. Gently Down The Stream was their last album in 1998. It is available now on a double vinyl LP. The Come albums are described as noise rock a lot of time. But to us is more of a dense drilling sound that typifies the music. When you listen closely you come to appreciate the immense amount of guitar work there is. Zedek and Brokaw never let up with the intense guitar interplay. One song is instrumental but other songs go for a few minutes even before the singing starts.

Come albums only sound better as time goes on.

Brad Marino has a new album on the way.On The Brink: Rarities, Remixed & Unreleased will be on Rum Bar Records. There are 17 tracks all told. There are two songs pre-released that you can hear on YouTube. "On the Brink" is a early sixties sounding rocker. "Not Fooling Me" is a sweet throwback too. It's a smooth well crafted song that you love immediately. We love that last string bend.

We owe it to Rum Bar Records for getting to know The Glimmer Stars from California. We fell hard for The Rise of the Glimmer Stars. A large part of that is the singing by Mini Mendez. He now has a new single named "December" on his own. It's that singing that entrances us again. He's got that yearning thing going and he has it naturally. The group responds with a comfortable grove and setting. The guitar solo is minimal and a perfect fit.

Here's some good shows coming up .....

January 14, 2024 (Tuesday) Horsefly Gulch, The Stigmatics, The Strangeroos, River Sang Wild at O'Brien's

January 18, 2024 (Saturday) Huck 2, State of The Union, The Satch Kerans Band at The Worthen Attic, Lowell

January 25, 2024 (Saturday) The Wynotts, J Prozac, The Hi-End at The Square Root

January 25, 2024 (Saturday) Barry Larry, The Mighty Suicide Squirrels, DnA's Evolution, Girl Sküll at The Midway

February 1, 2024 (Saturday) Minibeast, TELL, Janky Teeth at The Jungle

February 1, 2024 (Saturday) Electric Street Queens, Blood Morons, Resting Clown Face, The Humanoids at Ralph's Diner, Worcester

February 7, 2024 (Friday) Moon Base One Opening Weekend!!! Mallcops, 5ever and Pintail at 6PM

February 8, 2024 (Saturday) Moon Base One Opening Weekend!!! Clay Pigeons, Lucia and the Lunch Boxes, Tiny the Bear, Cape Crush (solo acoustic) 1PM

February 8, 2024 (Saturday) Moon Base One Opening Weekend!!! New Forms, I have no mouth, Silent Spring, The Promised End - 6PM

February 8, 2024 (Saturday) Circus Battalion, Structure Sounds. The Prozacs. Scotty Saints and The True Believers at The Midway - 3PM Matinee

February 8, 2024 (Saturday) Lesser Birds, The Golden Years of Dutch Pop, Daylilies, Charming Arson at The Midway 8Pm show

February 8, 2024 (Saturday) The Cretins, Samsara, Lost Out West at The Square Root

February 8, 2024 (Saturday) Thigh Scrapers, Huck2, The Stigmatics at The Jungle

February 8, 2024 (Saturday) Kids Like you & Me Presents Nurse Joy, Reklama, G. Gordon Gritty, Target Scammers, ICU at Cambridge Community Center FB page

February 9, 2024 (Sunday) Moon Base One Opening Weekend!!! Pregame Rituals, The Modern Faces, Canadian Sailor, Weatherman 1PM

February 15, 2024 (Saturday) A V-Day Matinee with Muck & The Mires, The Carnivals, Stop Calling Me Frank - 3-7 at the Midway

February 21, 2024 (Friday) Tsk Tsk Task, Gut Health, S.C.O.B.Y, Fat Randy at Moon Base One in Salem

March 8, 2024 (Saturday) Abbey Reunion Show with Yes Nanny, Eric Salt & The Electric City, The Grownup Noise at Sally O'Brien's

March 29, 2024 (Saturday) The Marvels Reunion!!!! with The Downhauls, Bad Terms at Deep Cuts Medford TIX

April 17, 2025 (Thursday) Dead Boys with Richard Lloyd (Of Television) at Deep Cuts, Medford, MA, 7pm

April 20, 2025 (Friday) Gang of Four at The Crystal Ballroom, Somerville. Tickets.

CONTACT US AT....misslynbgn@yahoo.com Send us your gig listings, your anything else you've got!! You want your CD reviewed?? Contact us for that too.