Mach Bell

The Hallapalooza Summer Music Festival went swimmingly well Saturday! It was still a hot day, but not quite the scorcher that the original mid-July date became and forced its rescheduling. Like last year’s outdoor summer extravaganza, this event was put together by Red on Red records honcho Justine Covault, who, more than anyone else, has tirelessly kept the local rock scene flourishing especially during a pandemic-racked period with her innovative yet grass roots approach.

Most of the acts booked naturally are Red on Red signings, apart from openers Rolling Nectar (an uplifting soulful psych-rock trio), Mike Fritz Quartet (a jazz combo that brought a nice change of pace to the proceedings) and closers the Day Breakers (blistering blues rockers from Wrentham, MA).

Speedfossil

From the crimson roster were Speedfossil, whose modest, melodic rock set a nice pace for the early part of the festival. Vocalist/guitarist/songwriter Garret Vandermolen writes and sings sweet tunes and the rest of the band (guitarist Dan Jordan, bassist Michael Scotti and drummer Hector Saint Hilaire) provides equal parts punch and elegance.

Cold Expectations

Cold Expectations followed and the trio (vocalist/guitarist Steve Prygoda, bassist/vocalist JoEllen Saunders Yannis and drummer Nancy Delaney) brought their engaging indie-pop jangle with a slight sense of mystery to the fore.

Andrea Gillis

The heat got turned up considerably with powerhouse vocalist Andrea Gillis and her band ripping through a set of her soulful originals like “Leave the Light On” and “About a Girl” and choice covers like her blistering take on J. Geils Band’s “I Don’t Need You No More.”

Justine & the Unclean

After Andrea’s scorcher set came our hostess Justine & the Unclean, bringing her punky classics “Scorpion Bowl to Go,” “Me and Me Against the World” and “Margaritas and Second Hand Smoke” to a modest but very appreciative crowd (after all, this was a rescheduled show so some couldn’t swing the new date). For the last two numbers, Justine brought in not one but two cowbell players, Tiger Bomber Lynda Mandolyn (all the way from Portland, ME!) and Boston rock legend Cowboy Mach Bell! They sure made an already fun set even more entertaining!

Mach Bell

That set the tenor for what was undeniably the highlight of Hallapalooza: the debut performance of Mach’s new band the Mach Bell Experience! Ably supported by guitarist Johnny Press (who did a stupendous job recreating those Joe Perry riffs), bassist Joe Black (former member of ‘70s loco rockers Balloon) and powerhouse drummer Billy “Bam Bam” Woolridge, the Cowboy kicked off his set with Chuck Berry’s “Round and Round” and swaggered through selections from his Thundertrain and Joe Perry Project days, along with cool covers of T. Rex’s “Bang a Gong (Get it On)” and Yardbirds “I’m Not Talking.”

His stage presence was as magnetic and raucous as ever, whether giving a rock lesson with “Walk with Me Sally,” donning a king’s crown during “King of the Kings” or attempting to destroy maracas (unsuccessfully, as it turned out!) after shakin’ them during “Four Guns West!”

Mach Bell Experience

Hard to believe Mach hasn’t played live with a rock band in a decade, but he’s certainly been making the rounds lately with his newfound success as an author for his two memoirs of his prime rocking days, and he finished his set with what he described as a song, an album, a book and his raison d’etre: “Once a Rocker, Always a Rocker!” Way to go, Cowboy!

Andrea Gillis Band

Billy Bam Bam Woolridge - Mach Bell Experience

Cowboy Mach Bell, Justine and Lynda Mandolyn

Joe Black - Mach Bell Experience

Johnny Press - Mach Bell Experience