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The BGN News Archive
The Kids Like You and Me guys did us well on Saturday with an outside show, the Somerville Underground Pop, Arts and Performance Showcase, in Somerville’s Lincoln Park. Unnatural Axe headlined, they also had Mike from Picnic Lunch, INTAC, Fugue State and Children of the Flaming Wheel. It was the perfect weather day in a week of perfect weather days. With the Axe playing we saw some long time standbys like Joannie Lindstrom, John Levy (King of Men), Judy Wilburn, Betsy Buttons, Peter Gates, Mikey Bliss and Arthur Freedman.
We saw three acts. Fugue State, and that’s at thing, was a solo act by Shane Bruno from Western MA. His songs had some clever lyrics. He's punky and art-rocky, his most recent EP is Subtlety's Dead. Check out his Bandcamp page. He covered the Ground Hogs’ “Ship on the Ocean” from Thank God For the Bomb. That arrangement worked well live. He had a funny moment when he thanked everyone for coming and then played a ranting song whose lyrics were “I don’t want to be here.”
Children of the Flaming Wheel had a combination of psych sound and vocals with punk stylings. This is a new band that absolutely captured all the long time punkers that came out for the Axe. Mickey Bliss was going bonkers for them. He said they sounded like the Doors. That was a good call. They had that sixties psych and no bass like the Doors. They had someone playing the Moog that took care of the low end like Ray Manzarek did on organ. The good thing about them is that they co-opted the sixties sound but are not throwbacks. They filtered that sound through current sensibilities. Like one of their lyrics say, “We don’t fit any molds.” Their songs were about life now like “Doom Scroll”, “Ride All Day” (about bike riding), “Condos in Boston” (“Condors don’t like condos”) and “Meme-ing Less.” Guitarists with pedal boards are common but The Flaming Wheels had a singer, Niani, with a pedal board. She said they were used to duplicate their recorded multi-tracked vocals. They sounded more raw and fuzzy live than on their recorded material on Bandcamp but the recordings are well done, feel comfortable and capture some nice tonalities.
Then it was bring on The Unnatural Axe!! As the band set up so did Arthur Freedman. He had his new sleek digital recorder on a tripod. That felt so right. We have Freedman’s recording below. The Axe did some of their faves; "Three Chord Rock", "Man I Don't Wanna Be", "Shopping For a Friend", "Summertime", "Tonight We Fight". They did a few covers: “Truth” by La Peste and "Ain't Nothing To Do" by Dead Boys . They played “Uncle Bill” from Parsons new EP Rhymes with Rock on Rum Bar Records. We were wondering if the band would cover those songs. The highlight was the usual - "They Saved Hitler's Brains" but that's anything but usual no matter how you gauge these things. Then it was "The Creeper"… wow. Not to forget "No Surfing In Dorchester Bay".
It was special seeing the Axe again along with the Axe family group, and old friends, especially in this idyllic setting. It’s been so many years. We never take it for granted. As fans we depend on artists like the Axe to satisfy this need for the punk we love, and we always appreciate people like Chris and Glen of Kids Like You & Me (Photo to the right) for working up these shows that have punk spirit all the way. KLYAM website, Instagram, Facebook.
Daved Hild of the Girls died this week. Many that worked with him and interacted with him on the scene praised him and gave condolences on social media. After all these years and the hundreds of punk bands on the Boston scene, The Girls still stick out as novel. Even with only one single “Jeffery I Hear You”/”Elephant Man” , produced by David Thomas of Pere Ubu, they made a mark. Here's Jeffrey I Hear You Those of us that were lucky saw them live. Later they released a full album released. Roger Miller of MOB collaborated with David Hill in a group named The Farmers. Check out a couple of their songs: “The Fear” and "Happy Baby" It looks like you can still get this limited Farmers record Here’s a YouTube playlist with lots of live Girls recordings.
Also this week Lester Esser passed. He was in Primitive Romance and A Scanner Darkly. Later he became a chef and a personal chef no less!! He'd had some health issues these last few years. He was well respected for his contributions to the Boston music scene! Primitive Romance were post punk, goth and very cool and cutting edge in 1981. They came to Boston from Florida. They had a red flexi disc of “Time to Talk.” Here’s a live video of “Missionary Plan Failed” from 1984 and The Spirit's Still There They disbanded in 1987. Here is A Scanner Darkly's full album This Is The Way on You Tube
Now, The Harvard Film Archive is presenting - Boston Punk Rewound/Unbound. The Arthur Freedman Collection - "To mark the occasion, the Harvard Film Archive and the Loeb Music Library—have partnered to bring you an evening celebrating the bands, venues and wider scene documented in the Freedman collection." The show will have at least two bands playing...we don't have those names yet but will...The show is linked to the 50th Anniversary of the Rat that will include some live performances by artists represented in the collection as well as a video that shows some of the archived material. There it is again!! Proof that the punk experience is authentic history and museum worthy. Like when the BGN and other Boston Fanzines were in the Copy Machine Manifesto Show at the Brooklyn Museum and now Toronto! And they said it was all just noise and we couldn’t play our instruments! There's your lesson - never listen to 'them'. RADIO......... Skybar will have Chris Wagner of Modern Day Idols on his Rising show this Tuesday 9/17. Chris will play some songs live in the studio. Hear the show Tuesday at 8 pm on WMFO 91.5. Afterwards you can hear the show in archive by going to the WMFO schedule page hit The Rising show at 8pm on Tuesday, then hit the ‘archive’ button. PODCASTS......... Elastic Glam had a Marc Bolan Special show this week marking the 47th anniversary of his death on 9/16. There were a few Bolan duets with Cilla Black, David Bowie, Elton John and Ringo Starr.
We never heard the Black Crowes version of “Slider” which was well done. Be sure to catch Kelly Reilly’s version of “Ballroom of Mars”. Sethyspice ends the show with David Bowie’s song about Marc “Lady Stardust”.
Al Quint on Sonic Overload played a set of songs from albums released 40 years ago: Wire’s 154, Gary Numan with The Pleasures Principle, The Slits’ Cut and Siouxsie & the Banshees album Join Hands.
To give a dose of the hardcore that Al played we have two songs below. World Burns to Death does the song “The Sucking of the Missile Cock” that begins and ends with a drop in with some dialog about punk. That is followed by Holding On playing “The Greatest Trick The Devil Ever Played” which came out on Bridge Nine records. Radio Warfare with Tim Livingstone had a lot of familiar tunes this week. It was Rum Bar heavy with current releases The Cheap Cassettes, Richard Duguay, The Amplifier Heads and Joe Jennings’s MVP. He also played The Peewees that we talked about last week and sounded fine in the lineup. There’s plenty of good listening besides that:“You’re A Mess” by the Rhinehearts and Material Issue with “Rene Remains the Same” are both quality pop. A live version of “Soul Shoes” by Graham Parker, The Saints doing “Just Like Fire Would” and The Replacements doing “Can’t Hardly Wait” were tasty flashbacks. Tim doesn’t waste your time; his show is a tight one hour hit. The playlist is on his website
NEW MUSIC/CDs......
Hi oh! New Dogmatics! “Library Girl” is the new single by the Dogs. It steams ahead like the best Dogmatic material. They put a lot of detail in the swift 2:48 tune. There is lust for the sexy Library Girl with her intellectual glasses and hey, she’s reading Infinite Jest by David Foster Wallace!! On Bandcamp the group promises some more singles monthly into 2025. The Dogs are in the same creative tear they were in the early eighties. It’s amazing to see and hear it happen. We have this on our Top Ten songs
Joanie Lindstrom played a new song by Gossip Collar this week on the Late Risers Club. They have a new album out titled Spinning Silk for Parasites. Gossip Collar is the group with Tom and Victoria ex members of Spitzz. The group plays goth and they say ‘darkwave.’ The song “Midnight Ride” and “Hiding Place” the two songs currently streaming on Bandcamp are well done atmospheric goth that hit their mark.
The Fleshtones have a new album ready to drop; It’s Getting Late (…and More Songs About Werewolves) will be released on November 1. Right now they have one song streaming on Bandcamp. “The Consequences” show the group to be in top form with Peter Zaremba wailing it out in the vocals. The recording is lively and pumping. It has a swirly organ and a ripping guitar solo. The lyrics seem to revolve around the frustration of not getting ahead in one’s career. We all know how good the Fleshtones are, don’t we?
The Woggles have a song titled “Top Shelf” out now as a lead up to a new album. The song sounds like a fifties song. The singer wants “everything for my baby to be Top Shelf. The Woggles are going to be at the City Winery on September 24 as part of a 15 city tour.
We loved the song “I’m Alright” by Austrailia’s One More Billy. Their following release is “Spin Man.” It’s a short two minute slab of rock. It’s like “I’m Alright” in the way it builds and the singer lets lose at the end. After some searching, we think a spin man is a lowlife who hangs around and drinks beer. ‘Billy’ in Australian slang means a metal container, like a teapot maybe.
We are getting more and more impressed with One More Billy with every song. Here's another song released two week ago. The group attack is so all out and unrestrained and they just keep it at that level. “Ruby” seems to be about an unattainable woman.
Here’s more from Australia, a short blast of hardcore from Backhand from Sydney. Their new EP is Anger Sick. Four of the five songs are under a minute long. We give you 57 seconds of “We Are The Fucking Problem.” It’s not like this group is holding back on anything.
Here's some good shows coming up .....
September 19, 2024 (Thursday) Legendary Queer-core Pop Rockers Pansy Division, The Fatal Flaw and Gene Dante at Faces in Malden September 19, 2024 (Thursday) Bootleg Dan presents: John Powhida, Tiger Bomb, Rick Barton Band at Blue in Portland, ME September 20, 2024 (Friday) The Path, Gumbskab, Neighborhood Shit, Cooked, Latch at O'Briens September 20, 2024 (Friday) Tiger Bomb, Robin Lane and The Nervous Eaters at Sonia September 20, 2024 (Friday) Bootleg Dan presents: John Hovorka Band, Crow Follow, Connor Storms and his Bouquet, at The Burren 6:15pm show September 21, 2024 (Saturday) The "Rat Reunion" at The Bellforge Art Center with Nervous Eaters and The Dogmatics. This'll be outside and its 3-7PM. Link to tix and updates September 21, 2024 (Saturday) Casket Rats, and You Without Nothing at an outdoor free show at Courthouse Park, Brighton [5PM]
September 22, 2024 (Sunday) Speedfossil 10th Anniversary show. They'll have some past members of Speedfossil joining us for a few songs, as well as sets from The False Positives, Cold Expectations, Stop Calling Me Frank at Tavern At The End of the World. 5-8:30PM show. FB page. September 27, 2024 (Friday) Cosmic Unicornz & Mall Goth Trash at Die With Your Boots On for a pop-up-fashion shopping experience! Shop handmade festival fashion pieces and more! at 9 Church Street in Salem, MA FB page September 27, 2024 (Friday) Ravagers, Midnight Creeps, Miracle Blood, Typhoid Mary - Fete Music Hall, Providence, RI FB page September 28, 2024 (Saturday) Rich Mirsky is on A Crash Course for the Ravers on WMFO 1-4PM. FB page. September 28, 2024 (Saturday) DRAGO 20th Anniversary Show with The Downhauls, Dead Like Death, The Blue Bloods at The Midway = this is a matinee at 3PM. FB page. September 28, 2024 (Saturday) Eddie Japan, Lovina Falls and Roxy and The Crisis at Faces Brewery
September 29, 2024 (Sunday) Supersuckers, Downhauls, TJ Welch and the Wasted and Speedteeth (That's Jesse Meyers and Andy Excuse's new band!!) at Sammy’s Patio - Revere Beach - Facebook page September 29, 2024 (Sunday) The False Positives, Norris The Terrible, Satch Kerans Band, 4-7pm at The Worthen Attic October 3, 2024 (Thursday) Puffer, Rejekts, The Pump, Impulse, and GREM at Sammy's Patio, Revere October 4, 2024 (Friday) Miracle Blood, Bedtime Magic, Sapling at Deep Cuts, Medford, October 4, 2024 (Friday) American Ocelot, Charming Arson, The Lights Out, D-Tension & The Secrets at The Jungle October 4, 2024 (Friday) The Wyld Gooms (CA), Knight Shades (NYC), Tiger Bomb at Geno's in Portland.
October 5, 2024 (Saturday) Music Farm, Happy Little Clouds, Daylillies, Ruby Grove at The Jungle October 5, 2024 (Saturday) Dreadnoughts, Hub City Stompers, the Pourmen at Sammy's Patio Revere FB page October 10, 2024 (Thursday) Davila 666, Las Nubes, Ladrones, Gossip Collar at Deep Cuts, Medford, MA October 10, 2024 (Thursday) The False Positives, The Cynz, Freeloader, at The Burren, October 10 & 11, 2024 (Thursday & Friday) Barrence Whitfield, Liz Proteau and Mach Bell star in Sci Fi Rock Opera “Beasties” World Premiere live on stage w/choral cast and band. Regent Theatre, Arlington 6pm doors, 7pm showtime. October 11, 2024 (Friday) Linnea's Garden, Battlemode, Frogs, Mighty Tortugal at The Jungle October 13, 2024 (Sunday) Falsely Accused, Captain Easy Chord, Johnny Plankton, 4-7pm at The Worthen Attic
October 19, 2024 (Saturday) The Fuzzstival at The Armory: Doug Tuttle, Greg Freeman, Latrell James, Francie Medosch (of Florry), Paper Lady, Prewn, Clifford, War Machine, Corporeal, Pew Pe. October 19, 2024 (Saturday) 5th annual Punktoberfest music and craft beer festival! Full lineup of bands AND breweries coming soon! Save the date…at Thirsty First Lowell. October 24, 2024 (Thursday) Stupidity, Cocktail Slippers and the Wynotts at Alchemy, Providence FB page. October 25, 2024 (Friday) Moving Targets, The Long Wait, Spiller - Middle East Up - Facebook page October 25, 2024 (Friday) Bootleg Dan presents Cocktail Slippers, Stupidity, The Chelsea Curve, DJ Sherman at The Burren
November 1, 2024 (Friday) Coffin Salesman (Record Release!), Motel Black, Saeddyr, Squallie Greenthumb at Faces Malden.
November 8, 2024 (Friday) Boston Punk Rewound/Unbound. The Arthur Freedman Collection - "2024 marks the 50th anniversary of the opening of the Rat, a location that looms large in both the Freedman Collection and in Boston lore. To mark the occasion, the Harvard Film Archive and the Loeb Music Library—who collectively steward the Freedman tapes in the collection—have partnered to bring you an evening celebrating the bands, venues and wider scene documented in the Freedman collection." Read more here!! and see you there!! 7PM at The Harvard Film Archive 24 Quincy Street Cambridge, MA 02138 November 8, 2024 (Friday) Steve Conte, Tiger Bomb at Koto Lowell
November 16, 2024 (Saturday) Kal Marks (Release Show!) Paper Lady, Black Beach at Deep Cuts, Medford November 23, 2024 (Saturday) Hi-End, Duck and Cover, Color Killers at The Square Root November 30, 2024 (Saturday) Midway Matinee of Punk! with WORM, Presidential Disgrace, Screw Cart, Neponset Monestary - at The Midway for a 3PM Matinee!! December 6, 2024 (Friday) Warrior Soul, All Sinners and Speed Teeth at Koto Salem
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.
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Richie thanked the set up having bottled water for the band but bemoaned the
lack of beer cans for his head smashing beer stunt. Chris of KLYAM however
did come up with a beer can and Richie spewed some and fooled around with it.
It's pretty amazing that Arthur Freedman had his tapes and
videos acquired by the Harvard Library’s Archives, Arts, and Special Collections
in 2011. It was the first time that any Boston punk material got archived and
proved that it could be done. Freedman’s collection covers the years 1976
to 2011 and represents 1500 shows.
Hearing the acoustic “Life’s A Gas” with Cilla Black is
as close as we get to going to church. Another sad moment was playing “Walk
on the Wild Side” which was done in memory of bass player Herbie
Flowers. Herbie will live forever for that performance. 
He also did a set marking the 9/11 Anniversary and a song by The Mishaps
who had a band member Jared Marble die this week in an accident.
September 16, 2024 (Monday) John
Cooper Clarke comes again!!! at The City Winery [7:30PM]
September 21, 2024 (Saturday) The
Cynz, Spanking Charlene, Kanak, are at The Parkside Lounge NYC
September 28 & 29, 2024 (Saturday & Sunday)
Worcester Punk Rock Flea Market returns to Hotel Vernon
on check the 
October 5, 2024 (Saturday) Plymouth
Punk Rock HALLOWEEN Market - Over 60 vendors selling Weird Stuff For
Weird People and live music by Diablogato and Saint
James and the Heretics, and there'll be a COSTUME CONTEST and tarot
readings, Mayflower Brewing Company Plymouth - 
October 18, 2024 (Friday) The Fuzzstival
at The Armory: Sweeping Promises, Babybaby Explores, Yhwh Nailgun, Bong
Wish, Balaclava, Mingko, Nurse Joy, Lupo Citta, The Spatulas, Plant Fight
October 26, 2024 (Saturday) Tiger
Bomb, The Cocktail Slippers, Stupidity, Muck & The Mires at The
Bayside Bowl, Portland, ME 
November 9, 2024 (Saturday) Silver
Screams, Black Helicopter and Jay Allen and the Archcriminals
are at The Square Root.
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