The BGN News Archive

    We had a tough choice Saturday. Did we set the time machine for 1978 or 1968? We set the machine for 1968 and the Velvet Underground with a hope to get to 1978.with the Nervous Eaters, but no go.
   Emerson was showing a film by Andy Warhol from 1968 of the Velvet Underground at the Boston Tea Party. VU played the Tea Party many times and I was at one of them. The medium sized screening room filed up and Steve Nelson, the Tea Party manager for a few years, did an intro. The film was impressionistic, by that I mean it was not a good concert film the sights and sounds were distorted on purpose and because of the limits of the camera. It's a huge gift to have film of this group and club during their prime time. The VU came though in tantalizing snippets. You could hear the classic songs and sounds and realized that yes, they were great live.
   The club could be seen in all its glory. Multiple light shows being shown on all the walls and the ceiling. I had forgotten about the disco style ball above, and this was before disco. There was the hippie dancing that has been recreated in tons of films done here live in the day, amazingly cool. This is a priceless artifact of the Boston rock scene during the late sixties.
   I didn't see myself but I did see Ed Hood the legendary socialite. He hung with Warhol but I'm not sure about the timing. Did Hood know Warhol at this time?
   This all lasted a half hour. To fill up the evening they screened Heddy one of Warhol's early films done in the Factory. A few ideas and willing hangers on as actors and a small camera equal a home film. These early Warhol's are inevitably boring but their ground breaking elements require you sit through a few to understand the era. The cross dressing camp immediately shows you where John Waters got his inspiration. The ambitious amateurism reminds one the Creeper movie.
   I never thought of it but these films show that Warhol did/does influence the culture around us.
   By the time the movie was over it was 10:20pm too late to get to the Royale for the legends of punk. Why was this one of the rare EARLY gigs that started at 7pm? If we only had a real time machine....!

Thursday April 21 at The Rosebud the Port Charles Quintet is back and better than ever with their new guitarist AND they are playing with JJ and Thee Cuban Heels!
    Nancy Neon is puttin' on a new show at The Cantab on Friday, April 29th with Kenne Highland opening at 9 then The Apeshits and Sticky Business whose salute to Bubblegum Music is the poppermost of the uppermost....

    Saturday April 30th & Sunday May 1st is Somerville Open Studios, Noon to 6 PM both days, come see me and my artwork at the Armory, 191 Highland Ave in Somerville

   Also on May 1st is another Marky Mayhem benefit - at All Asia 5-11pm - On the bill are The Hendersons, Girl on Top, Hixx, Syphlloids & special guests - the club debut of preteen sensations, the Hitchikers featuring Andy and Jeffrey Abbott!!
    Saturday May 7th has a great show at Precinct - Marsman presents The Port Charles Quintet and Lyres, that's a great match!!

    The Magic Room has a great line up on Saturday May 21 with James Straight and the Wide Stance, The Cadillac Hearts and The Beach Combovers James Straight is always intense and has a tight band. The Cadillac Hearts with Billy Connors and Rayboy have already recorded some stellar material and promise to be great live and the Combovers have the songs for the summer which should be around the corner.

    Some excellent stuff coming up in June!:
    The Dogmatics, The Neats, Band 19 AND Last Stand are playing a show in support friends who will ride in the Pan Mass Challenge The concert, which will also feature DJs Juli Kryslur and Randi Millman, plus The Painted Lights, Mean Creek and other special guests , it takes place Friday June 10 at 9 at the Paradise - it's 16 bucks and well worth the dough

   Up in Salem at Dodge Street on June 11th: Corolla DeVille, Nervous Eaters and Satin Kittens!

    but in Boston on June 11th The Real Kids are playing at Rich Mirsky's cd release event at The Midway!! This is an afternoon show - 2-6PM and also on the bill are Rich Mirsky and Cum's Chris Brokaw in Heavy Sirip,

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