There's been a lot of upset over the closing of The Democracy
Center in Cambridge. For many years now The DC has been one
of the places many local Hardcore and Punk bands have their gigs. It's
also been the home of PaperCut Zine Library. In April
the resident organizations there were told they had 3 months to get
out.
The center has now closed as of July 1. BUT...there have been protests
and talks and even occupation of the building ... but nothing seems
to be working. The org that runs the Center says they are closing for
much needed renovations, but nothing has been done to even begin the
paperwork process for said renos. They also say thaqt "some" of
the residents will be allowed back after renos and the new owner organization will
have a new name.
The Democracy Center is an important place for the local community
- the fear is that it will give in to "corporate greed" and
will no longer be a community center. Where will all those bands have
great, cheap, all ages punk shows going forward?
We were just looking at a random movie the other day. It was Free
Fire from 2017. We were taken aback when the first thing to be
heard on the soundtrack at the very beginning of the film was “Do
the Boob” by the Real Kids. Then we remembered
we talked about the film in the BGN
News back then
The movie is set in 1970's Boston where a group was buying guns for the IRA.
Things go wrong, a shootout starts and that lasts for over an hour for the rest
of the film. It was not shot in Boston. The director has said that he googled
something like “Boston music 1970” to randomly find the Real Kids
song. He never knew the song before.
If you in the mood, you can sing the song with this karaoke
version on YouTube The IMDB
page has some video clips you can check out. You can see the film for $3.99
on Amazon
The Music Museum of New England now has a page on Phil'in'Phlash.
They give him a nice amount of space to tell the story. Phil moved to Chicago
in 1981 and there’s not a big story behind it other than he wanted to
move on with his photographic career. Now he does dog training which he feels
he has a special gift for. The
Philin Phlash page on the Music Museum of New England
John Hovorka (2x4’s and The Turbines) is back in town
(from NYC) and has done a few solo shows. Now, he has the new John Hovorka
Band. It has Steve Donnelly on drums and Tim
Spraque (Crow Follow) on bass. The band will be at the Burren on 9/20
with Crow Follow.
VIDEOS......
Our Noise is a trio whose origins were in NYC. Their self-titled
album was recorded in Florida and Toronto. “Blackmail” is the first
single. At the beginning that simple three note bass riff that circles on itself
grabs the ear. When the fuzzed up guitar dupes the riff it’s a solid hook.
They have some dynamic changes; at one minute they pump it up a bit, at the
three minute mark they get quiet and it gets looser near the end.
They quote a lot of identifying tags for their music and we have to agree that
“post-hardcore, grunge, and 90s alt-rock” all apply.
RADIO......
David Greene on Monday’s Late Risers Club played a
poppy garage rocker that had a long name: “Sudah, Jangan Lagi Kau Jual
Rasa Sedihmu!” by The
Jansen from Bogor, Indonesia. Their album is Durja Bersahaja.
We went to Bandcamp to hear some more. The whole album has the same
energy. The recording is bordering on lo-fi but that adds to the charm.
We liked “Saat Berdamai Dengan Realita” and “Hanya
Ada Kegelapan yang Menunggumu Di Sana.” They get a little Ramones
like in “Keberuntungan Memang Tak Semua Kita Punya.” There’s
a lot more to like too. This is a nice find.
Here’s a link to the album
on Bandcamp and below is the song “Sudah, Jangan Lagi Kau Jual Rasa
Sedihmu!”
Not quite as far as Indonesia The Bug Club are from Wales
and get a good laugh with “Quality Pints” about finding good drinks
as a touring band.
One way they describe themselves as is “Modern-Lovers-meets-Nuggets garage
rock.” They say they follow the three R’s of song writing: repetition,
repetition, repetition.
There's a lot more humor in their write up on their Bandcamp page. Just two
of the songs on their On the Intricate Inner Workings of the System
album are free to listen to now.
To hear David’s whole show go to the WMBR
archive page and hit the Late Risers Show for Monday
7/15.
Brian Young on A Crash Course for the Ravers had Ihe
Stigmatics in this week. They're a hard working group that does steady
gigs. They played a parcel of new songs, but at low volume. Brian Young ended
with their song “American Dream” which is excellent! The Stigmatics
interview is below.
The Stigmatics are with The Thigh Scrapers, Bad Mary
and Double Star this Wedeneday, 7/24, at the Middle East UP
PODCASTS.........
Blowing Smoke has Robin Lane in for the
second time. Steve got Robin to talk about her early songwriting. Some of those
songs have never been released and would be an interesting album.
Robin has a new song “Man Like You” that Steev played at the beginning
of the show and right now that’s the only place we know to hear it. She
and Steev both know the same areas in Los Angeles. So they bounced stories back
and forth. Robin revealed that she is working with Adam Sherman.
They are going to do house shows together.
During the Rock Garden Evolution show (Facebook
page) at the Warehouse XI on July 26 &27 Adam will play songs in Lane’s
group.
Robin has done a lot of work helping vulnerable people including veterans.
She uses her gift for songwriting to help people deal with traumatic issues.
You can find about this at Robin’s
website
The Elastic Glam gave us the glam again this week. They had
a very interesting song with “Three Whale Rock” by Famous
Groupies. That song is about a rock formation in Thailand that looks
like three whales. To get more out of this go
to the video where you will see the formation.
We also enjoyed the groups that are now familiar to us like The Voltz, Mondo
Cozmo and KillerStars. The live “Into My Arms” was a stunning slow
burner by Nick Cave & the Bad Seeds. You get “Pale Blue Eyes”
by the Velvet Underground which is always welcome.
This week’s Sonic Overload had a set that tweaked
our memory cells. It started with Ground Zero doing
“Cybernetic War.”
That electro art rock sound was so late 70's early 80's. The band has
a half hour of experimental
videos on YouTube. There's also an eighteen minute YouTube
post with some of their music which has much better quality sound.
Ground Zero was one of the groups that did Thayer St shows.
Then it was the great The Girls doing “Jeffery, I Hear
You”. That song is unforgettable for those who experienced it back in
the day. Then there was a Willie Loco and the Boom Boom Band
with “Dirty Eddy”. So much of the early scene was Willie. His gigs
were the ones you had to go to. There were some transcendent moments at those
gigs.
Later Al Quint played “Grant Hart” by The
Posies. This song, an appreciation of Husker Du specifically, shows
how much a group can mean to you. You wait for the albums and the songs color
your life. That fanaticism that a lot of us feel (like what we just wrote about
above) comes through in this song.
Sometimes it seems that Nat Freedberg never rests. Too hot
to do anything, says us, while Nat’s been cooking up a new album. This
one is titled Let Yourself Go. Through his career
Nat has played different styles, here he’s solidly in a southern groove
a la Stax/Volt. It’s a tight rhythm punctuated with horns and tasty guitar
fills. The songs are so well in that pocket you can image the stable of Stax/Volt
singers belting them out. Others doing this struggle for authenticity but that’s
no problem here. Listen to “Exception to the Rule” and “Daydreamin’”
and imagine your favorite soul singer or group doing it.
Even as Nat will change his style he always has that gruff voice that stamps
all his work. He’s also brought in his usual quality buds to brings the
songs home. With this style you need that rhythm section to carry the load.
Some of the musicians are – drums: Jim Janota/Chris Anzalone,
bass: Ed Velauskas/Jim Haggarty and guitar - Duke Levine.
“You Really Let Yourself Go” is our pick to click but this is very
much a cohesive album that you should let play through.
Salem Wolves from Providence have created interest in their
ambitious project The Psychotron Speaks, a 12-cut concept album
out now after a prerelease of singles “So Desperate” and “November”.
You have to do your homework to come up to speed with the story/backstory.
There is a website with
info
To be sure the album can be appreciated by just listening. The Salem
Wolves are a perfect group for this project, they play with inherent
drama. They can mine different emotions via excellent arrangements. The group
as a whole has a huge sound that moves nimbly when needed. We like that even
though this is a concept the group doesn’t play theatrically or Broadway.
It always has a deep rock base.
We like the two songs that hit hard and fast – “Can You Relate”
and “Low Card.”
It’s become very familiar to us…Rum Bar Records
finding another righteous rocker. Richard Duguay & The Beautiful
Decline are from the West Coast. Second Prize is the 5 song
EP on Rum Bar. Duguay has a recording studio and has been on some classic recordings
including Guns and Roses and Johnny Thunders. “Running Alone” has
a seventies stlye. With Duguay having a recording studio you know this sounds
great. The guitars have great tone and the arrangement, packed with finesse
and flair, showcases the band as they chime, crunch and punch out a progression.
The pacing is always changing with instruments coming in and dropping out to
create constant interest. It’s quite a piece of work.
This is the one song from the five song EP you can hear on Bandcamp now.
Class are from Tucson, Arizona. They have a new single. “First
to Finish Last” sounds like an early English punk song and we love that.
They even describe themselves as ‘proto punk’. How does a band get
that sound and feel? It seems like magic to us.
Kim Deal of Pixies/Breeders has a new single. “Coast”
sounds different than you might expect. It features horns all through
the song. She has said seeing a wedding band playing “Margarittaville”
inspired the "Coast" and thinking of it as an anti-“Margarittaville”
song does make sense. It’s extremely listenable.
The song was produced by Steve Albini.
Here’s another oddity that comes unexpectedly. Months before she died
in 2023 Melanie (1969 “Lay Down [Candles in the Rain]”)
began recording a cover album of songs by Morrissey, Trent Reznor, the Moody
Blues, Radiohead and Depeche Mode. She also began recording “I Will Walk
You Home” by the Adverts from their second album.
The Melanie recording of the song is aligned with the Adverts recording and
that’s the new version.
This is on Cleopatra
Records. They have also rereleased many of her original albums.
Pansy Division’s ground breaking album
Undressed came out in 1991 on Lookout Records. They were the first
openly gay rock band and proved immediately that writing songs about their world
was easy and natural. The Undressed album is very poppy and witty.
They twist “Rock & Roll High School” into “Rock &
Roll Queer Bar.” “ANTHEM” their statement of intent borrows
heavy from Devo.
You can hear the album on Bandcamp below but that’s not the new remastered
version. You can get the new remastered vinyl version at the Sounds
Radical website
Here's some good shows coming up .....
July 24, 2024 (Wednesday) Sloppy
Seconds, The Queers, The Raging Nathans - at The Middle East Down
July 24, 2024 (Wednesday) Bad Mary,
Double Star, Thigh Scrapers, Stigmatics at The Middle East Up _ FB
page
July 25, 2024 (Thursday) The Hi-End,
Tim McCoy Rock Quartet, J Prozac Band at The Square Root,
July 25-28, 2024Nice Fest
is back! It's got LOADS of bands - this year it's at the Rockwell, and Crystall
Ballroom AND outside at the Grove st parking lot. Too many great bands to list
here but check out their
FB event page and website.
July 26, 2024 (Friday) Carrot
Flowers, Toadpatrol, Bleach The Sky, Ruffian Dick at The Union Tavern
- FB
page
July 26, 2024 (Friday) Here’s a good
All Ages show for North Shore punks. Scumbari, Phagocyte, Trollmilk
and Street Trash. at the VFW in Peabody, MA at 20
Stevens St.The
Facebook page
July 26 & 27, 2024Rock Garden
Showcase with Adam M Sherman, Jennifer Tefft & The Strange,
Robin Lane, Little Billy Lost, Ricky Rat, Smitt E. Smitty, Hummingbird Syndicate,
Crow Follow, Captain Easychord, Satch Kerans Band at Warehouse XI Union
Sq Somerville - check the FB
page for what bands what night
July 27, 2024 (Saturday) The Wynotts,
The Spackles, Tsunami of Sound, Black & Grey at The Midway for a matinee
at 3PMS
July 27, 2024 (Saturday) Honkeyball,
White Dynomite, Welsh Boys, Hammered Saint, Catching Hell at the Middle
East down - 7PM!
July 27, 2024 (Saturday) The Dogmatics,
The Grommets and Kevin Patey’s new party band
The Carnivals at The New World Tavern, Plymouth.
July 27 & 28, 2024 (Sat & Sun)O'Brien's
Annual Blood, Sweat & Beers - July 27:
(3PM Doors) Crowfeeder, DJ Grayskull, Karate Steve, Loudsounds, Morgued,
Northstar The Wanderer, Silver Screams, Viqueen, Voidkeeper, Waelmist
- July 28: 1PM Doors-
Bacterial husk, Coma Hole, Cortez, Dragged By Chains, Eyespressedin, Guhts,
Kind, Miracle Blood, Mollusk, Philip Eno, Shadowcloak and ... Special
Guest - O'Brien's
July 27 & 28, 2024 (Sat & Sun)Worcester
Punk Rock Flea Market at the Hotel Vernon! Market 1 to 7pm, Bands 4PM,
Saturday bands: Ratlord, The Lousekateers, Leatherrax -Sunday
Bands: Jonee Earthquake Band, Bangzz, Dando FeverFacebook
page LOADS of very cool vendors.
July 28, 2024 (Sunday) Matt Burns
Memorial Show with Frank Rowe, Larry Newman, Spike, Captain
Easychord w/Schlemiel, Kenne Highland's Air Force, Classic Ruins, The Reverand
Joseph Fagan and his Deacons of Love, Vogon Poets, Shiny Beasts, Crow Follow
at The Burren 7-10PM FB
page.
July 28, 2024 (Sunday) Linnea's
Garden, the Worst, Mattias, and CJ Honey at State
Park in Kendall Square. Linnea's Garden will be celebrating the release of their
new single, "Cherry"!
FB page
August 2, 2024 (Friday) The Downhauls,
Duck & Cover, C.E. Skidmore, Gossip Collar at Deep Cuts Medford. TICKETS
August 3, 2024 (Saturday) Plymouth
Punk Rock Market - 60+ vendors selling weird stuff for weird people
- Live music, Craft beer and a food truck (or 2), Vinyl records, vintage clothing
and housewares, original art, handmade, jewelry, oddities, and more! Noon to
5PM All ages, FREE EVENT at Mayflower Brewing Company. FB
page
August 3, 2024 (Saturday) BV70!!!
Yup, Bob Voges is turning 70 and wants to celebrate with a
rocking show! So he's got Abbie Barrett, Stars Like Ours, Sapling at
Warehouse XI in Union Sq Somerville. Doors at 7:00, Music 7:30. FB event page.
We love Bob!!!! So be there. FB
event page.
August 3, 2024 (Saturday) Hands
of Spite, The Guilloteenagers, Hixx at The Jungle Matinee Show 4-7PM.
August 3, 2024 (Saturday) Mario Fest 2024
with Blood Lightning, The Humanoids, Black Helicopter, at Notch
Brighton
August 3, 2024 (Saturday) Cheap
Cassettes, Chelsea Curve and Shang Hi Los at The Square
Root - FB
page
August 3, 2024 (Saturday) Mayhem In Manchester!!
with WORM (their 21th Anniversary Show), Street Trash,
WarGraves, Gagger at The Shaksheen Pub - FB
page
August 3, 2024 (Saturday) recycle
your punk/goth wardrobe at theS.W.A.M.P. meet in Salem!
at Notch Brewing Salem 12-4PM - BUT before you go...if you want to recycle your
cool stuff check the Facebook
Event page..for the dates & location for drop off which are BEFORE the
actual event.
August 4, 2024 (Sunday) Giuda,
Midnight Creeps, Hammer & the Nails, Typhoid Mary at Alchemy, Providence,
RI -this is an all ages show!
August 9, 2024 (Friday) Devils
Twins, Anti-Queens, and Oh The Humanity! at Deep Cuts
Medford
August 9, 2024 (Friday) Barrence
Whitfield & Sal Baglio’s Giant Rocket Roll Show!
at The Bull Run in Shirley - FB
page.
August 10, 2024 (Saturday) Bootleg Dan
presents The Midnight Callers, Freeloader, Rattle Bones
at The Burren 6PM show!!
August 11, 2024 (Sunday) Brunt
of It, PWRUP, Sgt Scag, Threat Level Burgundy at The Midway for a 3PM
matinee
August 11, 2024 (Sunday) Scurvy Dog parking Lot Mega Show with Baabes,
White Dynomite, Gossip Collar, Z Boys, Grip Bite & more - 1PM -
2AM FB page.
August 15, 2024 (Thursday) Bootleg Dan
presents John Powhida CD Release Party, Shang Hi Los,
The I Want You, at The Burren 6:15pm show
August 17, 2024 (Saturday)Booze
Cruz'n on tha Harbah- yes on a boat with The Queers, Unnatural
Axe and Stop Calling Me Frank - boat leaves at 4PM
SHARP- Rowes Wharf -
FB page for info and tix
August 17, 2024 (Saturday)Tiger
Bomb and Muck & The Mires at Belfast Harbor Festival
After Party - The Marshall Wharf, Belfast, ME
August 18, 2024 (Sunday) Boston
Punk Rock Trivia at The Armory FB
page
August 18, 2024 (Sunday) Surf at The Midway
with The Electric Heaters, The Nebulas, The Beachcombovers, Kioea
3PM matinee
August 18, 2024 (Sunday) The Peelers,
The Pourmen, The Gobshites at Alchemy in Prov. RI 7PM -FB
page.
August 24, 2024 (Saturday) WRPS-tival with
Dogmatics, Stars Like Ours, Wynotts and more At Rockland High
School - Food and live music in an air conditioned hall. It’s a Scholarship
fundraiser too. Facebook
page
August 25, 2024 (Sunday) Benefit
for Rosie's Place with Neighborhood Shit, Unhinged, No Chain,
Latch, Cold Case at The Midway - this is a 3PM matinee. FB
page
September 6, 2024 (Friday) Bootleg Dan
presents: Sharp Class, Muck and the Mires, The Chelsea Curve
at The Burren - FB
page
September 6, 2024 (Friday) Bootleg Dan
presents: Sharp Class, The Chelsea Curve at Parkside Lounge
NYC
September 7, 2024 (Saturday) Girl
with a Hawk on A Crash Course for the Ravers 1PM on WMFO- FB
page
September 8, 2024 (Sunday) The
Somerville Rock And Roll Yard Sale is in Union Square Somerville https://www.facebook.com/SomervilleRockAndRollYardSale
September 8, 2024 (Sunday) The Lowell Summer
Music Series has Belly playing Boarding House Park: 40 French
St., Tickets
September 14, 2024 (Saturday) Bootleg
Dan presents: The Prime Movers Reunion!! with Thee
Sonomatics at The Burren 7PM show FB
event page.
September 14, 2024 (Saturday) Tiger
Bomb and The Nervous Eaters at Askew Provi RI
September 15, 2024 (Sunday) The
Thigh Scrapers and Va Va Voodoos are at the Worthern
Attic in Lowell
September 16, 2024 (Monday) John
Cooper Clarke comes again!!! at The City Winery [7:30PM]
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: Arthur Alexander Band, The Glimmer Stars, Tiger Bomb
at Blue in Portland, ME
September 20, 2024 (Friday) Tiger
Bomb and The Nervous Eaters at Sonia
September 20, 2024 (Friday) Bootleg Dan
presents: Arthur Alexander Band, The Glimmer Stars, Crow Follow,
at The Burren 6:15pm show
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 29, 2024 (Sunday) Supersuckers,
Downhauls, TJ Welch and the Wasted and XEROFUX (That's
Jesse Meyers and Andy Excuse's new band!!) at Sammy’s Patio - Revere Beach
-
Facebook page
October 25, 2024 (Friday)Moving
Targets, The Long Wait, Spiller - Middle East Up - Facebook
page
October 26, 2024 (Saturday)Tiger
Bomb, The Cocktail Slippers, Stupidity, Muck & The Mires at The
Bayside Bowl, Portland, ME FB
page
CONTACT US AT....misslynbgn@yahoo.comSend us your gig listings, your anything else
you've got!! You want your CD reviewed?? Contact us for that too.
We interviewed David Bash on the week where his International Pop Overthrow is
coming to town. It's some backgroud on the history of the event and of course talk about POP..........
We bring you into the Rat Room at the Hotel Commonwealth.
Jimmy Harlold invited a group of scene veterans. It was a Rat reuion
with lots of stories exchanged. Get to see the room and the people.........
Johnny Angel writes a mystery novel Looking for Lady Dee steeped in Boston punk and Thrills history.
It's no apologys given for the punk lifestyle. ....
It appeared before us like a chimera and it's
still growing...it's the Pipeline 25th Anniversary celebration.
We interview mastermind Bob Dubrow about his background and
search for what motivates him as well as Pipeline history and
the show....
The Boston punk community comes out for a good cause.
Neighborhoods, Upper Crust, Dents, Dogmatics, Roy Sludge Trio, Ed
Moose Savage, Downbeat 5 and Classic Ruins raise some money and
rock the house at......
He's legendary and his surprise birthday party was legendary in turn. Only in your Boston Rock and Roll dreams could you come up with a night like this.......
In a case of reverse outsourcing Carl Biancucci of the Classic Ruins also plays bass in the English group Shotglass Killers.
He tells us about a gig at the 100 Club with a reformed Damned....
The Konks' hypnotic bashing was a smart mindlessness that you got addicted to. They are calling it quits and we'll miss 'em and there's no free clinic out there to help us either...........
Thank god for 110 Instamatics or we wouldn't have a lot of our early Boston punk photos. Kathy Flynn used hers to get some pics of the Rat and The Club and she sent them to us to share with you..........
One of the interesting things in the early days of Boston punk was seeing the attention grow around us. One watershed moment was when we heard that a Time Magazine reporter was going to visit the Rat. We didn't like the resulting article. But you can decide. Take a look at the ....
...
Let's get real. We are all getting older and will die. Do you ever consider how you will be remembered? I'm talking about your tombstone. It's morbid, it's in poor taste, it's .....
Crotch biting...head bleeding...dick jiggling...it's all in Miss Lyn's report (with photos to prove it) from the GG Allin 10 Year Memorial Tour at the Middle East....
Punk started 25 years ago. Did any of us think we would ever make it this far? Probably not, that was punk; nihilistic, "no future!". Here is a place to remember, and give a moment of thought to, those who didn't make it
this far...
The minute she hit the scene she was every male punk's heart throb. She was beautiful. She had a winning personality. She had a ...well...a...glow. That could be my heart talking because I, Blowfish, confess: I too am Judy's love slave. We didn't just love Judy, we worshiped her. So, now all of us members of Judyism have somewhere to meet and offer our prayers of unrequited love.
1977-The Damned were ready to piss on Blowfish and started to undress Miss Lyn! And people seemed to like it!! This interview IS outrageous...for then AND now!