Fred Pineau - Little Billy Lost

Spring has sprung, and with a spring in my step I attended a bill at Midway Cafe that I knew would be a winner. Navigating the gnarly roads leading to Washington St in JP where the esteemed night spot is located is never a pleasant experience (especially with Mass Ave/Newbury St block closed to traffic, forcing a detour through Riverway), but in the end was very much worth it.

The four bands performing tonight brought their polished musicianship and boundless rock energy to the fore. The common denominator was the melodic twists and turns that their songs all possessed in spades. And the different angles that each of them approached.

Lonely Leesa & the Lost Cowboys

The openers, Lonely Leesa & the Lost Cowboys has a decidedly country-leaning flavor but also pulls some convincing rock punch. Leesa Coyne looked fetching in her cowgirl hat as she serenaded the crowd with her beguiling songs and her Lost Cowboys provided pleasant but potent backing. Notable was lead guitarist Chad Raleigh who played soaring, affecting lines and keyboardist David Lieb’s Wurlitzer/Rhodes flavored fills that instantly transports you back to ‘70s era mellow rock. But make no mistake, just as you think you have them pegged as slowpokey throwbacks, those Cowboys will lasso you some unexpected edge!

The Shang Hi-Los

Following up was one of Rum Bar’s prized signings The Shang Hi-Los. Like Lonely Leesa, they have a female-fronted vocalist and a penchant for ‘70s style melodies (they’ve covered such me-decade classics as "Saturday in the Park" and "Love Is Like Oxygen") but up the ante considerably with spunky power pop elan. Lead vocalist/guitarist Jen D’Angora possesses a vocal and visual charm that gets spectacular backing with lead guitarist Dan Kopko, bassist Lee Harrington and drummer Chuck Ferreira, who also does double duty drumming for the Lost Cowboys. All are veterans of well known local rock bands from Jenny Dee and the Delinquents, Watts, the Neighborhoods and Downbeat 5. Each brings something to the table distinct but separate from their previous incarnations.

Modern Day Idols

After being Shang-Hi-Lo'ed, we got to see Modern Day Idols. This time around, an all-boy band - in the best way! Chris Wagner, lead vocalist and guitarist for this band, brought an indie pop sensibility to his songs and his sweet, yearning vocals, along with his cohorts (guitarist Tony Savarino, bassist Tommy Lada and drummer Stephen Hart) got my toes tapping to their songs "Goodbye Boston", "Almost Glad to See You" and "Maybe Tonight". May they continue to get Idolized for many more shows!

Little Billy Lost

Finally, headliners Little Billy Lost brought the night home with a banger set! The members all have significant pedigrees and colorful history in Boston rock scene. Guitarist/vocalist Fred Pineau was in The Atlantics, guitarist Jim Melanson, bassist Patrick Moynihan and Detroit transplant/drummer Smitt E Smitty was in Figures on a Beach, Fireking and has his own band the Feztones. Together they combined their own muscular, rugged but melodic rousers like "Dancing with the Devil You Know" with prior classics like the Atlantics’ "Lonelyhearts".

James Melanson - Little Billy Lost

It was a certainly a night well spent and quite a memorable gathering! But in more ways than anticipated. A recent relaxation of masking mandates by the CDC and club management, based on recent, drastic declining cases, terribly backfired on this event. Within days afterwards, there was an outbreak of Covid infections among many attendees, including yours truly, as well as some of the performers. It was an all-too stiff reminder that we are still not out of the woods yet with this two-year ordeal. Fortunately, all the cases seemed to be mild, thanks to vaccinations. Due to my affliction, this review is overdue and my next review will have wait awhile longer. Be safe everyone!

Lonely Leesa

Chris Wagner - Modern Day Idols

Jen - Shang Hi-Los

Patrick Moynihan - Little Billy Lost

Smitt E. Smitty - Little Billy Lost