The BGN News Archive

The Billy Borgioli Tribute at Cusine en Locale Nancy Neon singing with Glider. L to R. Yukiko Fujii, Nancy, Cal, Linda Viens, AL Schmel

   It was the Ride the Surf album release party for Today Junior at the Middle East up. From listening online I didn’t think the bill was in tune with the group.
   The Club was on the full side and the audience was there to have a good party and gave the Fantastic Liars a good reception. They were more on the mainstream side of things.
   Still when Today Junior started to pump out their off kilter version of a surf style the crowd followed them and reacted vocally and with some frantic dancing up front. Monday can be rockin', I’ve found out.

Today Junior

   They played some material from their first album as well as the new one and even added some brand new songs. No problem with songwriting with these guys. Every time I see them they get a little better and tonight followed that trend. You got a sense of their unity in the attack and for the first time I caught more of the bass which is big plus on the recorded material. There seemed to be more back up vocals and they added a lot to the set.
   There’s no CD or vinyl for Ride the Surf, it’s digital only, at least for now.

Fuzzfest at the Middle East The Mystery Lights

   What to make of the rise of psychedelic music again? The sixties are back with a vengeance. Look at the photo above - couldn't that be from 1967? The Fuzzfest is now several years in and is now three days at the Middle East. I hit the Thursday night. This was being run by Illegally Blind and they have had constantly good bills and they know how to put on a psych show. They have four light machines plus some projections from cameras. It’s a wrap around light show. A waft of sweet marihuana hits the air. We have gone from no smoking indoors to smoking pot indoors. OK. I went to the Boston Tea Party in the 60’s and this gig looks and smells like one of those.

Fuzzfest at the Middle East Herbcraft

   Herbcraft from Portland, ME is a trio; a drummer, bass and a guitarist (who dabbled on organ for a while). They did something very different: the whole set was just one song. The composition went through a half dozen sections or movements but it was one piece. It was the real deal. No seams showed as they traversed the ins and outs of the song. There were dynamic changes and rhythmic variety to hold interest. I was carried away with it. How does a group playing today get to this point? Don’t know, but pretty amazing. There is no slam dancing or head bangin' just frenzied hippie dancing.

Fuzzfest at the Middle East The Mystery Lights

   The light show during the set was as good as anything I used to see in the 60's. It was the same for the next group The Mystery Lights from NYC. They had a different slant than Herbcraft, they took inspiration from the garage psych groups like the 13th Floor Elevators. Their songs were more traditional like three and four minutes. Where Herbcraft were trippy, Mystery Lights were full of energy. The lead singer jumped around like crazy. Check out Flower In My Hair, Demons In My Head where you can hear the Roky Ericson influence. 21 and Counting sounds like the Seeds.
   It seemed like the club was sold out. The place got very hot. I was sweating big time. I had seen the next group - Beware the Dangers of a Ghost Scorpion two weeks ago so I decided to call it a night.
   Outside Joseph Sater one of the brothers who own the Middle East was circulating a petition to allow them to take over the TT the Bear’s space. Vanyaland has more particulars. I imagine that could be approved.

L to R: Jon Macey, Amy, Oedipus and John Felice

   The Tribute to Billy Borgioli at the Cuisine en Locale was a big success. It was a gathering of people who knew and cared for Billy and it was a concert that typified the music Billy loved and played. The people and the music seemed to be in perfect balance. It was a joy to be in a get together with such a warm feeling. Cuisine en Locale was the comfortable venue for something like this. We put in 5 hours out of the six that it ran.
   There was so much going on and so much to show we have a separate page for the show.

Nervous Eaters

The Boston Tattoo Convention is coming up in August 21 & 22 and lots of local bands like Diablogato, OC45, The Sprained Ankles and The Beantown Boozehounds are playing, you can buy tix and check the skedge here.

Muck and the Mires tour Japan from Sept 4 to 12!!!

Stephen Mindich and David Bieber are talking about getting The Boston Phoenix past issues preserved digitally on line. Not easy evidently, but we would love to have access to those Read about it on the Columbia Journalism Review.

TT's is closed but you can catch the TT's Stage Backdrop preserved at The Verb Hotel in their soon to be opened Japanese Tavern Hojoko. Read about it here. Currently:"the banner faces outward, just off Boylston Street and towards Jerry Remy’s"

Willie Alexander created a Billy Borgioli Tribute Video...watch it here.

Here are some shows coming up ....

August 14 (Friday) at The Midway are The Connection, The Above, Fireking & Special guest to be announced...watch for updates on the FB event page

August 22 (Saturday) Memphis Rockabilly Band is at the Marshfield Fair. check out the particulars here

August 22 (Saturday) White Pages, Far Corners, TRiPLE THiCK Life Partners and Andy California are at The Midway

August 23 (Sunday) Night Slice is having a party at The Midway 4-8 PM...It's a CD Release, Moving and Birthday party all rolled into one great afternoon! Check the FB event page here.

August 29 (Saturday) The Ten Foot Polecats are gonna be on A Crash Course for the Ravers with Brian Young and Mike Stewart on WMFO 91.5 - that's 1PM- 4PM.

August 29 (Saturday) GG Allin's Birthday Celebration with The Jabbers, The Cryptics, jonee earthquake band and the Meat Depressed. It's at the The Shaskeen Pub, 909 Elm St. Manchester, NH and it is Free FB page here

August 31 (Monday) The Fake Boys, Petty Morals, BDSX, Spectre Hawk and The broken glass kids at Opus Underground Salem.

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

September 3 (Thursday) Wormwood (mem of Doomriders), Mountain God (NY), Conclave (ex Warhorse), and Livver are at O'Briens

The following three gigs are great one's- what a SHAME they are all happening on the same night!! Damn!!

September 12 (Saturday) Real Kids at The Midway along with State of the Union and Stop Calling Me Frank.

September 12 (Saturday) Lyres are at The Middle East up along with Little War Twins and Hudson K

September 12 (Saturday) Barrence Whitfield & The Savages are at the Brighton Music Hall

September 17 (Thursday) at The Oberon this should be an amazing experience: Endation has put together a special show "The Chimera" explores musical and artistic dichotomies. Act I features the raw, intense, melodic force of two-piece Endation accompanied by movement and dance. Act II brings the audience into the dreamy, experimental world of Bent Knee as visual artists create pieces inspired by the band in real time. The Chimera invites the audience to seek their own interpretations in the disparate pieces that form one singular evening of performance. Buy tix here. Get more info on the FB event page.

September 12 (Saturday) Sham 69 and The Welsh Boys are at Middle East up.

September 18 (Friday) Livver, Tenafly Vipers, Dead Cats Dead Rats and Profit Margin are at Koto in Salem, MA

September 18 (Friday)- 21 (Sunday) Mark Lind has his annual Boston's Burning shows lined up at The Midway for these days so far they have Duck & Cover The Drax, The Warning Shots, Warn The Duke, The Skeleton Beats, Iron Chin ....more to come!!

September 19 (Saturday) Pop Gun along with Fireking, Classic Ruins and 138 are at Koto in Salem, MA

September 26 (Saturday) Continental (ft. Rick Bar ton), The Nervous Eaters, and The Charms are doing a Matinee show (doors at 1) at the Middle East Up.

October 8-11 The Third Annual Rat Beach Party WILL happen - at the C Note on Nantasket Beach -- October 8th-11th. Check the FB page for updates.

October 17 (Saturday) As part of Crash Safely 2015 a Benefit for MS at The Midway are The Sprained Ankles, The Dents, Muck & the Mires, Phil Aiken Army, Gymnasium

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

Fuzzfest - The Mystery Lights

Today Junior