They quickly got a line-up of artists, some of which are getting good airplay:
False Positives, Little Billy Lost, Fifth Freedom, Smitt E. Smitty &
the Feztones, Crow Follow, Galaxy Cake, Captain Easychord, John Powhida, and
Holy Smoke.
The label heads Lisa and Todd Erickson were on Skybar’s
WMFO Rising show on Tuesday and on Saturday morning’s
WMFO’s Mike on the Mic show had Smitt E. Smitty
from the Feztones talking about the show. (Those shows will
be archived for a week at the MFO
website)
Lisa and Todd were also guests on Blowing Smoke with Twisted Rico(see below)…they
had a busy week!
Betsy ‘Badges’ Sherman used to write film reviews
for the Boston Globe and later wrote about film and music in Boston Rock magazine.
This week Betsy is the Featured Writer on the Rock’s
Back Pages website. They're spotlighting her Ian Dury and New Order
reviews. Betsy's Boston Rock articles are now archived on Rock's
Back Pages. The website has a lot of resources but you do have
to be a subscriber to access. Nice to see Betsy’s work living
on and getting attention!!
In 1981 Rochelle Joseph was in the Boston Groupie
News, in 2023 she makes the front page of the Boston Globe! In 1981
she was in the "Day in the Life of Ralph Fatello of the
Vinny Band" and in 11/20/2023 she was in a story on the
Pink House in Plum Island.
The Pink House has been a well known and loved landmark and has been part of
the Plum Island experience for countless people as well as a focus for artists.
In an ironic twist the US Fish and Wildlife Service who deal with preserving
things has bought the house and wants to knock it down. Locals got together
and formed Support the Pink House to save the house.
Rochelle is the president of that group. To tie it to the Kenmore Square
days, Rochelle tags the house as their Citco sign.
We are sad to hear that Shred City in Wilmington has
closed its doors. We interviewed owner Tommy
Ashcraft back in January. That seemed like such a creative and uplifting place for Wilmingon.
They had many shows there on the stage that looked like the outside of the Rat.
Their front door had the Eddie Van Halen Frankenstein guitar pattern on it. We wish Tommy luck in his next project
- and we figure he's thinking about that right now.
We used to go crazy for Endation and were sad when they broke
up. Well ... They are back together!!
Endation showed us what a two person group could do. The songs had so much
depth, the drumming was so extraordinary, the guitar had four strings! We saw
them first in
2012 at Radio, in 2014 at the Davis
Square Theatre (now the Rockwell), at
the Midway
Now they've have Amy Gee on bass and they are promising to
be active in 2024. Amy just joined The Daylilies back in November
and has been involved in a load of local music projects. We're psyched and you
should be too!!
Gloucester now has a new music venue - The Cut. It's got a
bar, serves food and will have entertainment. It looks very cool. The opening
act is none other than Willie Loco Alexander on Saturday, January
13. and that date also happens to be Willie's birthday!!
Hey you in a band!! - Submissions to be in the Rock and Roll Rumble
2024 close this Friday December 1. To submit go to the Rock
and Roll Rumble website
The Hives made a splash this week by announcing they were
going to franchise their band. They say if you want to be a Hives band you can
sign up on their website,
but we looked and didn’t see a sign up link / .
The Louder website wants to shock with their observation that
The Stranglers had prog tendencies. We think that’s being
late to the game. We all knew that The Stranglers had influences older than
punk, that separated them from the beginning.
The article cites song examples ... they are good listening though. There’s
“Toiler On the Sea” and “Walk On By”. Can you listen
to “Walk On By” and not know they had chops outside of the punk
stereotype? Article
in Louder
Hey the holiday season is upon us...wanna get in shape, work off all the Thanksgiving
pies and look killer for all the parties coming up?? Well get a monthly subscription
to Punk Rock Aerobics!! That'll get you there!! A monthly subscription
rate has dropped to only $15 a month and you can also pick and choose for $5
a class. Hilken says: "here is a huge library of past 30 minute and 60
minute classes that will kick yer butt...." Check
it out on PRA!! And don’t forget Hilken vintage shop in JP; 40
South St. Perfect for Holiday Gift giving!!
VIDEOS......
The Amplifier Heads have a new album coming. Right now they've
released “Something Went Down” a new song/video. Jen D’Angora
sings the song and is featured in the video.
It's about a famous
UFO sighting in England in 1980. The video goes further back than that and
uses loads of cheesy '50s UFO films. They insert Jen into the stream and she
hams it up and it’s all a lot of fun.
The song has an older flavor too. The beat is a Bo Diddly beat that we haven’t
heard in a while but are glad to hear again. This is part of a larger project
for the stage called They
Came to Rock that Sal Baglio wrote songs for. Besides Jen, other
vocals on the album will be by Sal Baglio, Dan Kopko, and Barrence
Whitfield.
John Powhida would be the first to admit that his music is
wide ranging. You just never know what his next song will sound like –
or what the subject matter will be either.
His latest released effort is “Idling.” It has a smoldering soft
soul and jazz gloss to it. The song is about someone who has blown their promising
future and is ‘idling’ and is amazed that their loved ones even
care anymore. Touching.
Greg Hawks is in the video. We recognized the opening mural.
It’s György Kepes’ installation “Blue
Sky on the Red Line” in the Upper Busway at the Harvard Square bus station.
J Prozac has a new video for “We Scream” from
the Prozacs EP of the same title on River
Monster Records
The song sounds like a typical Prozac’s pop punk rocker. This song however
has an edge in the lyrics where it makes a statement on today’s society.
The fast and tightly wound music is a good fit for the cutting criticism.
The artwork and animation by Felipe Guarche Da Silva is striking. The graphics
flicker by extremely fast which adds to the urgency of the message.
Rebuilder has a video for their song “Hanging
On A Telephone, Part II” that incorporates scenes from one of
their Sinclair shows (video is above left). You see the audience, the
band rehearsing and singer Sal Ellington going down
into the audience and giving out hugs. What a wonderful moment that
is. The video is well done and we give a shout out to DWJ
Creative (Duncan Wilder Johnson) who is responsible for it.
“Hanging On A Telephone, Part II” is the first cut on their Local
Support album. Here that
is on Bandcamp
Sal Ellington was on the Powered By Rock
podcast in late October (see above right). Sal was very open about his
personal issues. Many of those are in his songs and he discusses that,
such as suicidal feelings. Sal talks about alcohol and its effect with
the band and how they had to deal with that. When Sal talks about the
band it always comes around to real life issues, or “grown up
problems” as they tagged them.
Sal shows how he couches his dark lyrics in a bright sounding song. Punk rock
helped him by allowing him to hear others singing of the emotions he was feeling.
That gave him the green light to do it himself. Sal also tells you what a “Disco
Loadout” is.
Brad Hallen the bass player of the Nervous Eaters
has a long history as an artist. He also does some teaching about the
history of the bass. Here we have him speaking about four bass players from
the sixties that influenced him; James Jamerson, Tommy Cogbill, David Hood and
Donald ‘Duck’ Dunn.
This is a chance to hear and learn how the bass moves and shapes a song. When
Brad plays the bass in the video with the song in the background it’s
like an acoustic X-ray. It’s a way to hear a song from the bass player
point of view that you just don’t get otherwise. The video is instructive,
informative and interesting.
There’s a lot on Brad’s website https://bradhallen.com/index.html
to check out.
Hearing The Tearaways do one of their pop tunes brightens
up our day. Let it do that for you by taking in this vid of “Easier Done
Than Said” from their latest album And
For Our Next Trick on Rumbar.
This is the kick we used to get in the sixties listening to the radio. Now
you have to go searching to get the fix…and here it is.
RADIO......
A song by Sex Mex from San Antonio, TX got our ears on Ron’s
Monday Late Risers Club show. “Max’s Mom” sounds
typically punky at the beginning, but they have some synth in the mix which
is usually verboten with us. Here it works. The song’s lyrics outline
a reverse of the “Stacy’s Mom” scenario. Here there is inappropriate
behavior by the mother and it’s not treated in a jokey manner.
There is a riff in the chorus that sounds like the Dictators’ “Who
Will Save Rock and Roll” but here it’s done with the synth.
To hear Ron’s Monday LRC show go to the WMBR
archive page hit the LRC show for Monday 20/23.
PODCASTS.........
It was Threefer Madness on the Elastic Glam show
this week. Three songs by T.Rex to start. That’s three
times better than ever for us. We were happy to get three songs by Maneskin
and Racey to get a better idea of what those groups are about.
Racey covers John Fred and the Texas Playboys’ “Judy
in Disguise” from 1967. That was a good choice of cover.
It’s after Thanksgiving and the Christmas song season. Elastic
Glam gets in on it with Sweet doing “Let
It Snow”, they do up the middle instrumental break with tandem
guitars. They close out the show with the Bowie/Crosby duo crooning
“Little Drummer Boy”.
NEW MUSIC/CDs......
Captain Easychord has been a presence on the scene for a few
years. He’s in a few groups like the Kenne Highland Airforce
and Glider. He’s always filling in on other groups. When
not doing that, he will be at the shows and taking photos and doing some reports
for the BGN.
Now, he has a digital single of his own on Rock Garden Records. ”Rain
On My Parade” is an old style moody ballad. It has falling rain sound
effects at the beginning and end. The Captain even describes it as “yacht
rock” on the Bandcamp page.
Rock Garden Records have an ambitious schedule of releases coming up. The Captain
says he has a ‘boatload of incredible tunes” ready himself.
We have featured The Beaters Band from Italy. One of the things
they do is to take old songs and punk them up a bit. They have good taste in
the covers too.
Now their latest album; Volume Three is being released
in the US on Outlook Records. Highlights are “When You Walk In The Room,”“Be
My Baby” and “I Only Want To Be With You."
Dave Herlihy and Alan Petitti from O
Positive have done a version of the Lemon Pipers “Green Tamborine.”
The arrangement is very close to the original and we don’t think that’s
easy. It’s not plain instruments plunking along. There are all sorts of
tones to copy. At the same time you can tell it’s a new recording because
it sounds crisper with better fidelity. O Postive (and Three
Colors) are playing the Paradise on January 19. Check the gig listings
by scrolling down.
We have featured Surfin’ Kitty Xmas, a Canadian
collection of Christmas surf tunes, for a few years. Now there's Surfin’
Kitty Xmas#4!!
The groups all serve up sterling reverbed surf. They make it all sound new
again. It’s not surf covers, these are original songs and arrangements
of seasonal favorites.
Another positive thing is that ALL the money goes to the Pinetree Stables/Cat
Sanctuary in Grand Bahamas which spays, neuters, vets and feeds all the abandoned
cats on the island.
This song, “Shut Me Down” by The Lolas is just
a fine pop song and performance (that drumming!). Seems like magic to us that
some people can get together and knock out something like this. The magic of
music!!
The Lolas are from Alabama.
Here's some good shows coming up .....
November 27, 2023 (Monday)Dark
Rain, Authentic Dissent, Rawstrum, Gavriloprincip at The Midway
November 27, 2023 (Monday)WARMACHINE,
Main Era, Kill Devil Hills at The Silhouette
November 27, 2023 (Monday)Spotlights,
Girih, Lesotho at Garage B - Brighton (atmospheric post-metal)
November 30, 2023 (Thursday)Answerman,
Field Day, Invisible Rays at Notch Brewing Brighton
December 1, 2023 (Friday) JJ Gonson
is having a Gallery Talk along side her photo exhibit at Event Them
Galley in Meford from 6-9PM.She will talk about her experience shooting bands
and her history with touring and photography. Merch will be available, FB
page
December 1, 2023 (Friday) The
Imposers, WLKRZ, Hambone Skinny are at Koto Salem - show starts at
9PM
December 1, 2 & 3 2023 (Saturday) Triple
B Records presents The FINAL America’s Hardcore Fest with Negative
Approach, Slapshot, Mindforce, Gridiron, Fury, Shipwreck, Spy, COA, Restraining
Order, Buried Alive, Adrienne, Best Wishes, C4, Combust, Missing Link, Wild
Side, Wreckage, Vantage Point, and more TBA.
December 2, 2023 (Saturday) SMALL
MART Holiday Market at the Crystal Ballroom from 11AM - 4PM on Dec
2nd for a curated market featuring 40+ of all our favorite local artisans, vintage,
makers and more!
FB Page - and RSVP on Eventbrite
here ... (tickets not needed for entry)
December 2, 2023 (Saturday) The
Hammer Party, Black Helicopter, Spiller, George James T Maze at The
Midway
December 2, 2023 (Saturday) Glowbox’s
10th anniversary! along with Tad Overbaugh & the Late Arrivals
and Sunshine Riot at The Square Root.
December 2, 2023 (Saturday) The
Swelltune Records Holiday Shindig with the Rock-A-Sonics!
- 8pm All Ages Faces Malden
December 2, 2023 (Saturday) Buffalo
Tom at The Paradise
December 2, 2023 (Saturday) Hammered
Saint at Parkside Lounge NYC
December 3, 2023 (Sunday) The Hassle
Christmas Flea and Art Market is at the Cambridge Community Center
(on Callender St off Western Ave). Facebook
page.
December 3, 2023 (Sunday) Triple B Records
Presents : Americas Hardcore Fest Day 2 with Negative
Approach, Slapshot, Spy, Restraining Order, Wild Side, Grand Scheme, C4, Vantage
Point, All Ages, $30 Advance / $35 Day of Show, 5pm Middle East Down
December 3, 2023 (Sunday) The
Chelsea Curve, State of the Union, DJ Sherman at The Worthen Attic
December 7, 2023 (Thursday) Ue
At The Buoy, Stop Calling Me Frank, The Gypsy Moths at Notch Brewery
Brighton 7-10PM. FB
page
December 8, 2023 (Friday) Heavy
Holiday Party at New Alliance Studios - Rong and Miracle
Blood will be playing...7-11PM
check the FB page for updates on the artists showing
December 8, 2023 (Friday) Girl
With A Hawk CD Release Party, Cold Expectations, USM, at The Burren
December 8, 2023 (Friday) AxeMunkee
and friends at The Square Root
December 8, 2023 (Friday) Huck
2, Gretchen Shae and The Middle Eight and Key of Caustic
at Koto Underground, Salem
December 9, 2023 (Saturday)Video Drop Party with Va Va Voodoos,
Connor Storms, Crow Follow at The Square Root
December 10, 2023 (Sunday) Back
Porch Carousel rocks The Plough & Stars for the holiday season
- 4PM show - FB page.
December 10, 2023 (Sunday)Mad
Painter, Church Puppets, Galaxy Cake at The Worthen Attic
December 14, 2023 (Thursday) Modern
Day Idols, Autumn Hollow at Notch Brewing Brighton
December 15, 2023 (Friday) Sheer
Terror, Nothing But Enemies, American War Machine, ICU, Rejekts, Clearance
at The Middle east Up FB
page
December 15, 2023 (Friday) Actor|Observer, Sleep Spirit, girih, Empty Halls at
The Shaksheen Pub, Manchester, NH - 7PM doors. FB
page.
December 16, 2023 (Saturday)SMART
MART Holiday MarketDeep Cuts in Medford Square from
12PM - 5PM for a market featuring a curated selection of local artisans, vintage,
records sellers, makers and crafters! RSVP on Eventbrite
for a free ticket (tickets not needed for entry) and here's the FB
page.
December 16, 2023 (Saturday)Light
of Day Records and Indie617 present a rockin' night
to benefit The Cancer Care Equity Center at Dana-Farber with Muck and
the Mires, Vapors of Morphine, The Chelsea Curve, Muzzins, The Ray Liriano Experience,
Uncivil Servants and Henry Santoro will be MCing the
event! 6pm, at the Crystal Ballroom Tickets start at $25 with various tiers
of support. All proceeds go to Dana Farber Cancer Care Equity Center. TIX
HERE
December 16, 2023 (Saturday)Massa
Nera, Infant Island, New Forms at The Democracy Center - all ages -
portion of proceeds will be donated to Youth On Fire Harvard Square.
December 16, 2023 (Saturday)Jittery
Jack & Amy Griffin Record Release Party with Deke Dickerson,
Pledge Pins - 7pm All Ages Faces Malden
December 16, 2023 (Saturday)Abysmal Depths Productions is proud to bring
you this Toys For Tots benefit holiday show. Bring a donations
of an unwrapped toy to be donated to the Toys For Tots program - Bands: Loser
Birds, Rocket Gods, The Woods, D-Coy, Artificial Extinction at Porters
Pub in Rockland (South Shore near Brockton) Facebook
event page.
December 16, 2023 (Saturday)Mach
Bell Experience with Wicked Theory - 7pm Magic Room,
83 Morse Rd. Bldg. #5, Norwood MA
TIX HERE
December 17, 2023 (Sunday)Slimedog's
Drag Puppet Punk Xmas Show (with poetry & free pizza)! Featuring...
Kermit's Finger, Grimly Pleased, The Jacklights, Charmed & Strange,
The Instamatics, plus poetry from Jake Tringali! FB
page
December 17, 2023 (Sunday)Stars
Like Ours, The Magic City, Roxy And The Crisis at The Jungle - Early
show 4-7PM
December 18, 2023 (Monday)Johnnie
& The Foodmasters, The Wailin Milfs, Delons at The Silhouette
December 23, 2023 (Saturday)LAST
MINUTE GIFT SHOPPING at Small Mart Holiday Market at The Crystal Ballroom
at Somerville Theatre 11-4 - The vendors have been carefully chosen and their
goods are unique and small batch......FB
page
December 27, 2023 (Wednesday)Bike
Thrasher, Miracle Blood, Neck Dive at Faces Malden
December 28, 2023 (Thursday)Shiverlane
and Freeloader at Notch Brewing Brighton
December 29, 2023 (Friday)Tree,
They Will Be Done, Inverter at Alchemy, Provi.
December 30, 2023 (Saturday) The
Manglers at The Square Root
January 8, 2023 (Monday)OrangePeelMystic,
Scove Cone, Blazers Over Turtlenecks at The Silhouette
January 11, 2023 (Thursday)Punk
Rock Karaoke with members of (Bad Religion, Circle Jerks The
Dickies, Pennywise, Goldfinger) Pick a song, they give you the lyrics.They
call your name and voila! you are the singer in a punk rock band backed by the
finest hand picked side men.Simple...there will be a sign up sheet at venue
- The Middle East Down. We
went to one in 2015 and it was loads of fun!!
January 14, 2023 (Sunday)Chris
Brokaw's new band Lupo Sita with Hidden Fountain
and Pledge Pins at O’Brien’s
January 26, 2023 (Friday)Hooligan
Holiday Night 1 - Suited and Booted with DJ Boss Hooligan,
Stress The White Boy, DJ Ruben Doc Marten Soundsystem
January 27, 2023 (Saturday)Hooligan
Holiday Night 2 - The Templars, Battle Ruins, Merauder, Violent
Way, Powerhouse at The Paradise
February 10, 2023 (Saturday) Gretchen
Shae & The Middle Eight, Ex-Hyena, Looking Glass War at Faces Malden
February 10, 2023 (Saturday) The
Dreadnoughts, Mickey Rickshaw, The McGunks at Askew in Provi, RI
March 2, 2023 (Saturday) Negative
FX, Wrecking Crew. Wound Man, Savage Heads, Please Die, Eye Witness
at The Middle East Down - all ages 1PM matinee show
CONTACT US AT....misslynbgn@yahoo.comSend us your gig listings,
your anything else you've got!! You want your CD reviewed?? Contact us
for that too.
We interviewed David Bash on the week where his International Pop Overthrow is
coming to town. It's some backgroud on the history of the event and of course talk about POP..........
We bring you into the Rat Room at the Hotel Commonwealth.
Jimmy Harlold invited a group of scene veterans. It was a Rat reuion
with lots of stories exchanged. Get to see the room and the people.........
Johnny Angel writes a mystery novel Looking for Lady Dee steeped in Boston punk and Thrills history.
It's no apologys given for the punk lifestyle. ....
It appeared before us like a chimera and it's
still growing...it's the Pipeline 25th Anniversary celebration.
We interview mastermind Bob Dubrow about his background and
search for what motivates him as well as Pipeline history and
the show....
The Boston punk community comes out for a good cause.
Neighborhoods, Upper Crust, Dents, Dogmatics, Roy Sludge Trio, Ed
Moose Savage, Downbeat 5 and Classic Ruins raise some money and
rock the house at......
He's legendary and his surprise birthday party was legendary in turn. Only in your Boston Rock and Roll dreams could you come up with a night like this.......
In a case of reverse outsourcing Carl Biancucci of the Classic Ruins also plays bass in the English group Shotglass Killers.
He tells us about a gig at the 100 Club with a reformed Damned....
The Konks' hypnotic bashing was a smart mindlessness that you got addicted to. They are calling it quits and we'll miss 'em and there's no free clinic out there to help us either...........
Thank god for 110 Instamatics or we wouldn't have a lot of our early Boston punk photos. Kathy Flynn used hers to get some pics of the Rat and The Club and she sent them to us to share with you..........
One of the interesting things in the early days of Boston punk was seeing the attention grow around us. One watershed moment was when we heard that a Time Magazine reporter was going to visit the Rat. We didn't like the resulting article. But you can decide. Take a look at the ....
...
Let's get real. We are all getting older and will die. Do you ever consider how you will be remembered? I'm talking about your tombstone. It's morbid, it's in poor taste, it's .....
Crotch biting...head bleeding...dick jiggling...it's all in Miss Lyn's report (with photos to prove it) from the GG Allin 10 Year Memorial Tour at the Middle East....
Punk started 25 years ago. Did any of us think we would ever make it this far? Probably not, that was punk; nihilistic, "no future!". Here is a place to remember, and give a moment of thought to, those who didn't make it
this far...
The minute she hit the scene she was every male punk's heart throb. She was beautiful. She had a winning personality. She had a ...well...a...glow. That could be my heart talking because I, Blowfish, confess: I too am Judy's love slave. We didn't just love Judy, we worshiped her. So, now all of us members of Judyism have somewhere to meet and offer our prayers of unrequited love.
1977-The Damned were ready to piss on Blowfish and started to undress Miss Lyn! And people seemed to like it!! This interview IS outrageous...for then AND now!