The BGN News Archive

The BGN on Blowing Smoke with Twisted Rico.

OK self-promotion is not one of our strong suits but we must!!

We're on Blowing Smoke with Twisted Rico this week. Steev kept the focus mostly on the early days, and by early days we mean 1974 to 1980. Those were exciting and life changing years for us. We found a home in punk and never looked back. Punk formed around us and the landscape of rock shifted. The mainstream rejected us and we made our own scene and system. We talk about how that happened in Boston.

The bands for the 2024 Rock and Roll Rumble have been announced. There’s familiar names and then like always some bands you have to get up to speed with.

We were glad to see Wire Lines, Shiverlane, Looking Glass War, Cold Expectations and Sunshine Riot in there because we’ve featured them in the BGN. Having Trailer Swift in the Rumble will get that name thrown around. We’ll see if that gets some attention.

The other bands are: Robotic Hawks, Twig, Lovina Falls, CE Skidmore & The Damn Fine Band, Other Brother Darryl, Shotgun Waltz, The Ghouls, bikethrasher, Magic City, Mammothor, Condition Baker, Gut Health, Never Gonna Make It, JATK, RoseR, The Roland High Life, Type 66 and Ruby Grove.

There’s probably a lot of bands you don’t know. Anngelle Wood has that covered: Go to her Rumble Class of 2024 page

We've included below, the podcast where she plays all 24 bands. You can see the playlist here. Anngelle gives a tip if you want to be in the Rumble – interact with Boston Emissions. That means send your new music, send her your gig information, send group news and generally interact with the show.

Nick Cave & The Bad Seeds' upcoming album Wild God, is due out on August 30. The title song, “Wild God” , is released now. It has dramatic story telling lyrics, like many Cave tunes. It takes about 3 minutes for the 5 minute song to pick up its threads and move to a higher level. Hear it on YouTube

You can find out some more info see the list of song titles for the album on the Brooklyn Vegan website.

Cave writes about the album in his Red Hand Files. And on Nick Cave . com he says: “I hope the album has the effect on listeners that it’s had on me. It bursts out of the speaker, and I get swept up with it. It’s a complicated record, but it’s also deeply and joyously infectious. There is never a masterplan when we make a record. The records rather reflect back the emotional state of the writers and musicians who played them. Listening to this, I don’t know, it seems we’re happy.” Nick Cave

Open Culture has an article on the song “Smells Like Teen Spirit.” It has an animated video narrated by T Bone Burnett on how the phrase ‘smells like teen spirit’ happened to be written on Kurt Cobain’s wall. It can only be seen on the site so you’ll have to go there.

The story involves Kathleen Hanna from Bikini Kill and there’s a video of her telling the story from her point of view. (There's more news about her below)

And while we’re at it, what about hearing “Smells Like Teen Spirit” in Classical Latin? Yup, it’s been done. The music is Medieval ‘bardcore’ style. See the video below right. This is also from the Open Culture site

There's a big two day metal show going on at the VFW Post 1011 in Peabody next week!!

It’s March 16 and 17 and the music starts at 7pm. They have a bunch of vendors too, including The Creepy Doll Lady!

The line up is March 16th: Pathogenic, Graveborn, JudgeXJudy, TFR, Aborted Bong Rip, No Hope.

March 17th: Throw, Scalp the Pioneer, Ravager, Alchemy, Set the bar low, Rithiya Khiev.

The details are on the show’s Facebook page

VIDEOS.....

Stow Kelner was a member of The Way-Outs back in 1980. he sent us a very cool video! It's the Way-Outs' ‘guerrilla tour’ of Harvard Square. We have that above. The two other members were Tony Alluralde and Wynne Evans.

In the video you get to see the Out of Town Ticket Agency in the middle of the intersection among other things. The main point of interest for us is that Rita Ratt, who, at the time, was the girlfriend of the video maker David Colburn. She's in the video for a short time near the beginning.

In the credits Rita is listed as Winky. It’s a mind bender to see her after all this time!! The video is a little shaky and blurry but there she is and we get such a shot of joy to see her.

The Way-Outs actually made it to Paris and played in the Metro there. “Everyone hated us,” admits Stow.

The surprise of the week was Spiller. This new group formed in 2023 have members of Jerry’s Kids, Gang Green, Underball and Green Magnet School. So, do you think the music is hard-hitting?

With some humble self-depreciation they peg themselves as dadpunk, but when your dad was in Jerry’s Kids that means they are still going to blast your ears out.

The video for the song “Sparkler” has a lot of shots of Allston. They go down Harvard Ave around Mr. Music. That’s nice to see. We talk about their four song EP below in the New Music section.

The movie Punk Singer is on YouTube. Due to the content they will not allow the film to be embeded here. You we have to go to YouTube to view. This is the movie about Kathleen Hanna of Bikini Kill. Early on Kathleen was involved in art and women’s empowerment and rights were the main subject matter. Being in a punk band happened fast and that was so perfect a platform for Hanna. You get to see Hanna in action and that is wild. We keep flashing to Poly Styrene but her name is never mentioned as an influence.

It’s all about her career and feminism until an undiagnosed illness disrupted her life. Her long time struggle with Lyme disease is heart wrenching. This is a very well done documentary well worth watching.

Boris the Sprinkler let the cat out of the bag. Rum Bar Records will release their album Boris Gets a Clue by this summer. They made a video of it. The lyrics of the whole album are about the players in the game of Clue: Mrs. Peacock, Mrs. White, Mister Green. Miss Scarlet, Professor Plum and Colonel Mustard.

RADIO......

On Ron’s Late Risers club this week he played a version of "Bridgeport Lathe" that we hadn’t heard before by Eirk Nervous.

On Bandcamp it is named “Bridgeport Lather” but Erik has it spelled correctly on an earlier release.

The 2 x 4’s “Bridgeport Lathe” is a whole genre unto itself. It’s machine shop rock.

Joe Harvard tried it as an odd country tune in his Country Eastern album. Howie Ferguson (Real Kids) and Brother Cleve are on that recording.

Boston group Bent Shapes did a version in 2014. We saw them perform it many times live back then.

Here is the Bent Shapes version.

Here’s the original

Ben on Tuesdays Late Risers played “Just Then” by Dead Years from Germany. It's five minutes long so it has time to slowly build and capture a mood. The whole album, Night Thoughts, has a goth feel to it. We also like “The Separator,”“Worlds Collide” and the title track “Night Thoughts.”

Ben also played “Rock Bottom” by local group Trash Rabbit. The song is about their original bass player who died.

It shows them at a house show which is common now for most new groups. This is the best video we have seen that gives an all-round idea of what a new band’s dynamic is, what it thinks and how it operates.

Ben’s whole show was all new punk. To hear that go to the WMBR archive page and hit the Late Risers Club show for Tuesday 3/5.

PODCASTS.........

It was another week of our favorite Elastic Glam Breakfast show with its mix of new/old, local/international and hits/obscurity and it all flows seamlessly. We loved hearing Wizzard’s “Ball Park Incident” and Bobbie McGee’s “Rock and Roll People” both from 1973. To top it off what about Sweet with the always welcome “Ballroom Blitz”?

Violet Palms’ “All This Joy Has Made You Dull” was a new and interesting song. Sethyspice also slips in the locals, this week with Tell, and Girl With a Hawk.

Wormtown Underground Radio from Worcester is an online program and part of Wurn.net.

The latest show, which is hosted on Mixcloud, has a theme of ‘compilation of music from compilations of records.’ As DJ LB Worm says, most of the punk compilations he plays in the show are only on vinyl. Those compilations were mainstays of college radio for decades. Things like Let’s Breed, Claws Compilation, Throbbing Lobster, Mass Ave, Best of the Boston Beat WCOZ (with host Leslie Parmenter), Prehistoric Wormtown, They Came From Planet Mental, Boston Bootleg III and Live at the Rat. ,

He does throw in some new Rum Bar material that’s on CD, like the Dogmatics, Richie Parsons' Rhymes with Rock, Stop Calling Me Frank,

LB played a set for Mojo Nixon RIP. He started with a live song recorded in 1990 on Worcester’s WBRU. Then a set for JJ Rassler with The Odds, DMZ, Queers, Downbeat 5 and Cuban Heels which was a reminder of the amazing garage rock Rassler has made.

He played a set of 60’s Boston rock as he points out that Orpheus were from Worcester even though they were lumped in the Bosstown Sound. There is so much more in this packed three hour show.

NEW MUSIC/CDs......

It’s been over a year since the The Shang Hi Los' album Aces Eights & Heartbreaks came out. Their new song “Op-Operator” is a welcome reminder of how satisfying and well done their pop song artistry is. The song hits so many pleasure buttons it’s hard to stop and dissect the magic.
We don’t know how Dan Kopko came to inhabit this retro pop rock world but it’s been fruitful for him. In “Op-Operator” we have the record store scenario and the reference to phone operators, gee remember those? The song is so immediately catchy with background vocals that sweeten it even more. The chorus sung by Jen D’Angora brings in another boss melody that sticks in your head, if you have room.
Gee, how much can you expect from a simple bouncy tune? The recording gives all the instruments a hefty presence. The drums slowly work their way into the song as it builds. At the 1:40 mark it starts to add accents that is another feature to listen for. We have it on our Top Ten Songs

The video comes out on March 20th and features Stereo Jack’s!!

The Shang Hi Los are at Faces Brewery in Malden on April 5 with Diablogato and Hammered Saint- Scroll down to the Gig Listings for more info.

Buffalo Tom are back and are at the top of their game. “New Girl Singing” is gorgeous wistful rock. We love these new songs from the group. They are guiding their renewed band life with well chosen gigs and now these quality new songs.

The Cocktail Slippers from Norway made a splash when they hit Boston last year. (Check out John Keegan's coverage of their show in November) Now they have a single “I Still Dream You.” They're on Little Steven’s Wicked Cool records and this song was written and arranged by Little Steven. It shows his influence. It’s ornate pop with some Springsteen type arrangement (organ) that creeps in.

It starts with some 12 string action and some bells. At the two minute mark things ramp up. It has that Phil Spectorish feel to the song.

Rum Bar has put out the album Sleepwaker by Toni Marsico. Toni was in the Cruzados, thus Rum Bar gets to put out a Best of Cruzados album. The flow of Rum Bar albums is daunting, and that’s good problem to have.

In the mid-eighties punk had morphed into alternative rock. College stations added more sounds to their playlists. One facet was some southwestern sounds like Los Lobos, Rank and File and Cruzados.

This Best of collection is a reminder of how the Cruzados was kicking ass back then. All the songs are pushing energy as if to rock was the thing above all. The guitars are a big draw. Their tone cuts like a knife. There’s generous reverb on them so it has surf overtones.

Tito Larriva from the group brought the song “After Dark” to From Dusk to Dawn. The early version of the song is a bit less sultry but that feeling crops up in a few other songs on this collection too.

Lou was so right to get this material out there again. This is primo material and it will remind people of their contribution to the southwestern sounds.

Here's some good shows coming up .....

March 11, 2024 (Monday) Hands Of Spite, Lobo Hombre, Abel Blood at The Silhouette

March 13, 2024 (Wednesday) The Drowns, Michael Kane & The Morning Afters at Deep Cuts Medford

March 14, 2024 (Thursday) Gnarnia, Baabes, Dogwalker at AS220 Providence RI

March 15, 2024 (Friday) The Dogmatics: A Dogumentary showing and The Dogmatics playing live at The Regent Theater (Tickets!) FB page.

March 15, 2024 (Friday) The Shirts and Shoes record release show with The Roscoes, WLKRZ - 8pm All Ages Faces Malden

March 15, 2024 (Friday) Miracle Blood, The Freqs, Psychic Weight, Billy at Deep Cuts, Medford - FB page

March 16, 2024 (Saturday) Ravagers, The Downhauls, Loretta at O'Brien's

March 16, 2024 (Saturday) Jerry’s Got Jokes, High & Dry, The Martians, Dear Maryanne at The Midway

March 16, 2024 (Saturday) Kids Like You and Me presents: Johnnie & The Foodmasters Party! Boston's wildest, weirdest oldies cover band is throwing a party at The Lilypad. Special guests - Electric Street Queens and Jarsch - 7-10PM FB page

March 16, 2024 (Saturday) Micah Schnabel (of Two Cow Garage), Little Low, Matt Murphy - 7pm All Ages Faces Malden MA

March 16, 2024 (Saturday) The F.U.’s, Rockin’ Bob’s Punk Band, FAST Tracks, Never Gonna Make It at the MAGIC ROOM, 18+, 7pm Doors

March 16, 2024 (Saturday) 13th Annual Joe Zippo Fund & Scholarship show with Mephiskapheles, Mamadou, The Riki Rocksteady All-Stars (appearing as a trio this show) with DJ sets by Breaux Silcio of Residency Records. At Salem Old Town Hall -7-11PM FB page

March 16, 2024 (Saturday) Ravagers, The Downhauls, Loretta at O'Brien's

March 16, 2024 (Saturday) Junkyard, Casket Rats,Diablogato - Koto Lowell

March 16, 2024 (Saturday) Jittery Jack, The Soapbox Saints at Nick-a-Nee's, Providence

March 16 & 17, 2024 (Saturday & Sunday) March Madness in Peabody! March 16th: Pathogenic, Graveborn, JudgeXJud,y TFR, Aborted Bong Rip, No Hope March 17th: Throw, Scalp the Pioneer, Ravager, Alchemy, Set the bar low, Rithiya Khiev check the FB page for more info

March 18, 2024 (Monday) Follow Thru, Working Poor, Fake Feelings, Jobber at O'Brien's

March 20, 2024 (Wednesday) Chinese Telephones, Constant Insult, Cigarette Camp & Blame It On Whitman at Faces Malden

March 21, 2024 (Thursday) Bootleg Dan presents Marc Valentine, Girl with a Hawk, The Stigmatics at The Music Room in Yarmouth

March 21, 2024 (Thursday) Barrence Whitfield & The Savages and Tiger Bomb at SPACE, 538 Congress St. Portland, ME - FB page

March 22, 2024 (Friday) Bootleg Dan presents Marc Valentine, The Chelsea Curve, Little Billy Lost, Special Guest DJ Sherman at The Burren

March 22, 2024 (Friday) PWRUP, Blame It On Malice, Pink Slip - 8pm All Ages Faces Malden MA

March 22, 2024 (Friday) Hammered Saint, The Fake Boys, Deacon Bill, WLKRZ at Koto Lowell

March 23, 2024 (Saturday) Wrath of the Selkie, Your Friends in Hell, Thou Merciless Graves, Coffin Salesman, Squalie Greenthumb - The Rockwell, Somerville

March 23, 2024 (Saturday) Miracle Blood, The Freqs, Psychic Weight, Billy - Deep Cuts Medford

March 23, 2024 (Saturday) Worcester Punk Rock Flea Market returns to Hotel Vernon - Noon - 7PM - FB page

March 23, 2024 (Saturday) Teen Mortgage, Death Lens, Zip-Tie Handcuffs at Deep Cuts Medford

March 23, 2024 (Saturday) Junius, Mission To Sleep, Juniper Youth - 8pm All Ages Faces Malden MA

March 23, 2024 (Saturday) 13th annual fund raising event for The Joe Zippo Fund & Scholarship with Mephiskapheles, Mamadou, The Riki Rocksteady All-Stars and DJ sets by Breaux Silcio of Residency Records at Salem Old Town Hall - FB page.

March 23, 2024 (Saturday) Sundrifter (Release show), Swamphead, Cortez at Deep Cuts Malden

March 23, 2024 (Saturday) Andrea Gillis, Stars Like Ours at the Lizard Lounge!

March 24, 2024 (Sunday) Teen Mortgage, Death Lens, Zip Tie Handcuffs at Deep Cuts Medford. Music at 8PM

March 24, 2024 (Sunday) Matt Burns Memorial Show at Worthen Attic, Lowell, MA- Larry Newman, Frank Rowe, Spike, Captain Easychord, Captain and Schlemiel, Kenne Highland's Air Force, Classic Ruins, The Reverand Joseph Fagan and his Deacons

March 25, 2024 (Monday) Tripsitter, Today Junior, Big Brute at The Silhouette

March 28, 2024 (Thursday) Grip Bite, Bad Idea USA, Silver Screams at AS220 in Providence RI

March 29, 2024 (Friday) Bootleg Dan presents Satch Kerans Band with Hasbro and Fandango (both from NYC) at The Square Root

March 29, 2024 (Friday) Kate Clover, Brad Marino at The Middle East Up

March 30, 2024 (Saturday) Degenerates of Punk, Super Beef, Follow Thru, First Pick at The Midway for a 3PM matinee

March 30, 2024 (Saturday) Girth Control, Bad Idea USA, Leisure Boys - 8pm All Ages Faces Malden MA

April 2, 2024 (Tuesday) One Fall, High and Dry, Massive Nightmares at Notch Brewing Brighton

April 3, 2024 (Wednesday) The Koffin Kats, The Queers, Muck & The Mires, Sourpunch at Sonia - 7:30PM All ages show! FB page

April 3, 2024 (Wednesday) Crash Cadet, Sly Fang, Answerman at The Silhouette Lounge

April 3, 2024 (Wednesday) Smirk, Valley Gals, Gossip Collar at Deep Cuts Medford

April 5, 2024 (Friday) Hammered Saint, Diablogato, Shang Hi Los at Faces, Malden - FB page. Tickets

April 6, 2024 (Saturday) Bootleg Dan Blast!! with Densityblackcat (NYC), The False Positives, Hi-End, Stop Calling Frank, DJ Sherman spinning at The Warehouse XI in Union Square Somerville (right by the Jungle)

April 6, 2024 (Saturday) River City Rebels, Nick & The Adversaries, Cuidado - 8pm All Ages Faces Malden MA

April 6, 2024 (Saturday) Huck 2 and Island of Alaska at The Jungle Somerville.

April 8, 2024 (Monday) Tatooine Punk Scene, Tine Wine, See You At Rogers at The Silhouette Lounge

April 10, 2024 (Wednesday) Guided by Voices, Cul de Sac, Kids, Blatant Doom Trip - Warehouse XI, Union Sq Somerville

April 12, 2024 (Friday) Beware the Dangers of a Ghost Scorpion, Children of the Flaming Wheel, Pink Lids at Faces Malden

April 12, 2024 (Friday) Mini Beast, Major Stars, Rope Trick, The Endorphins at The Rockwell Somerville

April 13, 2024 (Saturday) Waldemar, Labrador, Sue Bell - 8pm All Ages Faces Malden MA

April 13, 2024 (Saturday) Children of the Flaming Wheel, Electric Street Queens, Orange Whip, Christian Kids -8PM at The Midway FB page

April 14, 2024 (Sunday) Martin/Morell/Fredette with Mike Weidenfeller and John Hovorka at The Midway - 3PM matinee show

April 15, 2024 (Monday) Rockin Bob Punk Band, Some Kind of Nightmare, Super Beef at Koto Salem.

April 14, 2024 (Sunday) Plymouth Punk Rock Market Returns to Weymouth at Barrel House Z - Noon - 4PM. FB page.

April 16, 2024 (Tuesday) Mallcops, Invisible Rays, Luddites, Modern Faces at Notch Brewing Brighton

April 19, 2024 (Friday) Wreckless Wreck Chords presents Spring Stampede With WORM, C.O.B., Witches Tears, The Woods, Jobber at The C Note, Hull - FB page

April 19, 2024 (Friday) Quattracenta, Thalia Zedek Band, Rip Room - at The Midway - 9:30 show.

April 20, 2024 (Saturday) The Downhauls, Tim McCoy Rock Quartet, The Steamies (w Tim & Ron of Chelsea Curve), Jay Allen & The Archcriminals at The Midway for a 3PM matinee

April 20, 2024 (Saturday) Wreckless Wreck Chords Presents WORM, Dirty Walter And the SmellTones, Pint Killers, Mitch Kramer, C.O.B. at The C Note, Hull - FB page

April 20, 2024 (Saturday) Hard in the Head II with The F.U.'s, Cuidado, The Modern faces, Couch Sex, at the Gerry 5 VFA Marblehead, MA

April 20, 2024 (Saturday) The Long Wait, Sonic Bomb, Tj Welch And The Wasted at Thirsty First Lowell

April 20, 2024 (Saturday) Mach Bell (MBE), The Cynz (Record Release Party), Muck and the Mires, The Hi-End. at The Square Root, Roslindale Sq.

April 22, 2024 (Monday) Hopeless Otis, Bad Idea USA, K.C.U.F, Latch at The Silhouette Lounge

April 23, 2024 (Tuesday) Score Cone, Galaxy Cake, Blazers Over Turtlenecks at Notch Brewing Brighton

April 27, 2024 (Saturday) The Crank-Tones at The Midway for a 3PM Matinee

April 27, 2024 (Saturday) Cran, Battery March, Hammered Saint, Rejekts, The Minor Inconveniences - Cambridge Community Center all ages [6PM]

May 4, 2024 (Saturday) The Lights Out, Gretchen Shae & The Middle Eight, Brain K & The Parkway at Faces Malden

May 5, 2024 (Sunday) The Chisel, Home Front at The Middle East All Ages 7PM doors. ,

May 11, 2024 (Saturday) Johnny Plankton & TSMS, Hands Of Spite, FastTracks, Richard Mirsky & A.M.P at The Midway for a 3PM matinee

May 16, 2024 (Thursday) The Dead Boys, Nervous Eaters, The Plimsouls at Sonia this is a 7PM show.

May 16, 2024 (Thursday) Helmet and Cro-Mags at The Middle East All Ages 6PM doors. FB page

May 17, 2024 (Friday) Worshipper, Sundrifter, Earthlore at Koto Salem

May 18, 2024 (Saturday) DnA's Evolution, Trading Tombstones. The Spackles, The Mighty Suicide Squirrels at The Midway for a 3 PM matinee

May 18, 2024 (Saturday) Joan Jett covers night with Andrea Gillis & Friends, CE Skidmore & Friends, Brooke Feinberg & Friends At faces malden

May 18, 2024 (Saturday) Mach Bell Experience (MBE), David Hull and the Dirty Angels. Magic Room, Norwood MA

June 1, 2024 (Saturday) Plymouth Punk Rock Market - Noon- 5PM - FB page

June 1, 2024 (Saturday) The Wynotts, The Black Cheers, Spillers at New World Tavern Plymouth.

May 17, 2024 (Friday) Sharp Class are back! Also on the bill The Chelsea Curve and Muck & The Mires - at The Burren FB page

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.