MAY 2007

Rita: It’s May, and while T MAX (The Noise) fights a war against a war, we’re left to hold the fort down. Lolita: So we don’t have to promote hisdreamers wanted myspace page anymore. Rita: Yep, no need to mention “End War Now.” By the way, you look great in your camo fatigues. Lolita: Thanks, but I think the camouflage design adds ten pounds. Rita: I don’t think it’s the uniform. It’s more likely the ten Pabst Blue Ribbons you knocked back last night. Lolita: Hey, I was celebrating Mothers’ Day a little early. Rita: That makes sense, since it’s a little early to be calling you a mother. Maybe you’ll get pregnant while asking the Question of the Month. Lolita: What’s the question? Rita: Something about Mother’s Day.

MOTHER MAY I?

Lolita: Mother may I? Rita: Yes you may—ask Boston rockers to tell you something about their moms. Lolita: Okay, there’s Duncan hanging a poster, I’ll grab him first… DUNCAN WILDER JOHNSON (Destruct-o-thon): My mom is a painter. She went to Mass Art and then went to the Ruskin School at Oxford. She still paints but has a day gig doing print production where she listens to a steady diet of Aretha Franklin and Tchaikovsky. *** MICHAEL BLOOM (Tim Mungenast & His Pre-Existing Conditions): My mom could’ve been Woody Allen’s mom—except, back in the ’70s, she had a job programming computers, in assembly language no less. And I’m enough of a geek that I think that’s exceptionally cool. *** MIKE LANGLIE (Twink): Some of my earliest and best memories are of making milk carton trains with my mom while humming Turkey in the Straw. *** KAREN DeBIASSE (Girl On Top): Of course my mother is like most mothers—a saint. She has not had an easy life. Getting married at 17 and raising four kids with no money is never easy. Her husband, my dad, is a great man but a workaholic. Though seventy years old in a month, she is still beautiful and still working hard for a living with all the pains of growing old this is never easy. She is an every day churchgoer, a good listener, and my best friend. *** JOE KOWALSKI (Onlyone/ Larry Banilow): My mom played me a Barry Manilow record when I was about four years old—“One Voice” was the song; I still remember. I asked who was singing with him, and my mom pointed out that it was all Barry, done via overdubbing. And thus, the need for me to chase these twin magics of music and recording and understand both were born. Thanks, Mom, and Happy Mother’s Day! *** SAMMY MIAMI (Shööt The Möön): I actually have two wonderful loving mothers, Karen and Linda. My biological mother “Karen” was the first female to ever work as a bar back at The Rat. She was a single mother who slung cases at Thundertrain shows to support her baby Miami. My father’s second wife “Linda” became my mother by default, but always treated me as her own. It was on her bright yellow beanbag that I learned how to play the acoustic guitar. Both my mom’s are tops. No wonder I love both blondes and brunettes! Happy Mother’s Day! Lolita: Was that a direct hit on Rita and me? *** MR. CURT (Mr. Curt Ensemble):Since Helen passed away a few years ago, I find her remembered presence helps me achieve a stronger grip on this road to graceland. When I was younger she instilled the balance of ethics and manners with a creative, optimistic outlook. She helped me understand social mores and artistic fulfillment. She was insatiably eager for more learning; she loved to read and listen to music; she was devoted to family and friends. Though she may have seen a different route for me, she was proud of all I accomplished. Quite a woman—what a mother! *** DENNY MAFFEO (Plasma Factory): She’s the best, always there when you need her, an awesome cook, and my family and I still go to her place for Sunday dinners. It’s the best meal of the week, because I do the cooking the rest of the time. *** VALERIE KAHN-DORATO (Killer Circus Pups): My mom improved the world every day. She did it without fanfare, and she did it with humor and love. She embodied the idea that one person can make a real difference in the world, and every person who came into her orbit knew it; they knew her wisdom, kindness, and empathy. My mom appreciated every day, and ended every conversation with a heartfelt, “I love you.” But few knew she’d also laugh her ass off watching, “South Park” and the sound of her laughter is what I miss the most. *** GENE JOHNSTON (Splint): My mom has always supported my brother and me in our music hopes and endeavors. Every day after school (since grade school) I would come home and mercilessly blare my guitar amp for hours. My brother would then either join me or practice his drums for several more hours. Mom still listens to our CDs and brags about her rock boys. She even attends our shows to the day. God bless her and her support because when you’re addicted to chasing your big rock dreams, you need all the support you can get. *** LIZ LINDER (Liz Linder Photography): My mother is short, sharp and still quite cute. We call her Detective Linder for her super-sleuthing abilities (you’d never know from looking at her). *** PETER C. JOHNSON (Peter C. Johnson): After several years of dementia during which she often didn’t recognize me, my mother looked straight up at me, said, “Peter, get your teeth cleaned,” and died. *** DANIEL ELLIS (Kid:Nap:Kin): My mother is an amazing woman. I owe her credit for my affinity for music. My earliest memories are lying in my crib as a baby and hearing an angel’s voice sing me to sleep every night. She once told me that she dated a blonde guitar player named Tom Petty in Los Angeles. She all of a sudden remembered a few years ago that she had seen Janis Joplin in concert, and was sure it was a great time. I love my mom. She instilled the love of music in me, I couldn’t ask for more. Screw Flanders. *** STEPHIE PEEKA (Stephie Peeka & The SeeKing 7): My mum is my biggest supporter. She bashes the shite out of anyone who has a negative or ignorant thing to say about the music. Sweet as can be to my bandmates though, and enjoys telling them how good we sound! Happy Mother’s Day Mum, you are a gem! Lolita: Stephie, you better get good reviews in The Noise because I don’t want your mom to come over here and trash the office.

ROCK NEWS

Rita: The office is already a mess. Trashing it wouldn’t make a big difference. There could very well be important files under the piles of broken CDs, stained coffee mugs, and dirty socks. Lolita: That’s not dirty socks. That’s Linty and Flee-C—a couple of sock puppets that have been hanging around the office lately. They’re trying to break into the business. Rita: Like we don’t have enough human wanna-be rock stars around here already. Maybe we can send the foot apparel over to Lexi. Lolita: But why would we do that? Rita: ’Cause LEXI KAHN’s lowbudgetsuperhero.com has gone from a PR and booking entity to an online local music ’zine. It’s a new source for bands (and sock puppets?) to gather praise. Good luck Lexi. *** FRANK STROM’s comic book titled Delusions of Vicky, featuring what looks like VIKKI SIXX (x-Sugabomb), gets a test-market premier (courtesy of Engine Comics) in May at the Bristol Comic Book Convention in Bristol, England. *** JOHN POWHIDA (The Rudds) is leaving his voice in many places. Besides being the solo voice in the chorus of “End War Now,” J. Po can be heard on both PETER WOLF’s, andTHE CLICK 5’s, next release.*** RAY FERNANDES (Triple B Recording Studios/ The Atlantics) is releasing a compilation called The History of Boston Rock...“Here and Now.” The CD release party is on Thursday and Friday, 5/24 and 5/25, at the Baseball Tavern. *** When you play the Skybar, they offer your band multi-camera videos of your live set—mixed and finished by the time you’re loading out. Talk to MATTHEW MARCHESI ( This e-mail address is being protected from spam bots, you need JavaScript enabled to view it ) about it. *** MIKE DELEHANTY ( This e-mail address is being protected from spam bots, you need JavaScript enabled to view it ) has taken over booking Harpers Ferry. DAN MILMAN left on good terms and is focusing on his rock ’n’ roll cruises. *** The Kirkland closing days will be Saturday and Sunday 5/26-5/27, noon to 1:00 am. Bring some food to the old-fashioned soul food thrown down to go with the 35-cent wings and free rice and side dishes. *** Whats Up magazine celebrated their ten-year anniversary in April at the Middle East with THREE DAY THRESHOLD leading the way. *** The Linwood closed (for renovations?). LIZ BORDEN BAND headlined the on the final night—Saturday, 4/6. *** NAMI-Mass, The National Alliance on Mental Illness, is reaching out to band members to participate in their march on Saturday, 5/19 that starts in Artisani Park, Brighton (Soldiers Field Rd. near WGBH). Check in time is 9:00 am, the walk is at 11:00 am. Contact Stephany Melton at 781-938-4048. *** BRITT LIGHTNING (Jaded) picked up a Jackson Guitars endorsement and is interviewed on Jackson’s website. Lolita: I smell a centerfold. *** Guitar tech nerds might be interested to know that ROGER MILLER (Mission of Burma) uses a Vacu-Fuzz unit for the solo in “End War Now.” *** MIKE LANGLIE (Twink) titled his latest toy piano band album Ice Cream Truckin’ and ended up designing the spring window display for the Magpie ice cream shop (416 Highland Ave., Davis Square, Somerville). *** UPPER CRUST is shooting a secret video in New York. What are these French Revolutionists up to now? An ambush on Bush? *** On their way down to gigs in Washington, D.C. and New Orleans, REVOLUTIONARY SNAKE ENSEMBLE performed for the travelers on the Amtrak Crescent train. They’ll be back to play at the Regattabar in Harvard Square on Wednesday, 5/30, for a special early show at 7:30 pm. *** “The Mole” from THE BAGS’ Night of the Corn People appears in the movie Air Guitar Nation (coming to the Brattle). *** The lease for Tape Complex is running out in June 2007. That’s when the business will shift up to Fleetwood Duplication in Lynn. Still plenty of time before they close to take advantage of their last-minute CD duplication deals. *** KETMAN passed on digital recording and recorded their upcoming yet-to-be-titled CD straight to 2-inch 24-track tape with ETHAN DUSSALT at New Alliance. *** JONATHAN WYNER (M-Works)has mastered over 4,000 CDs and has run in ten marathons, finishing under three hours seven of those times. Rita: Running and mastering that much must build a lot of character.

FACIAL CHARACTER

Lolita: Yes, there are a lot of characters in the Boston music scene. Rita: Lolita, go ask people to tell you whose face in the local music scene has the most character? Lolita: Okay, in the words of a young AIMEE MANN—“give me your face.” GLENNWOOD (The Noise): I’ll go with the maestro, Rick Berlin. His face is full of kindness, wisdom, a wicked sense of humor—experience but not world-weariness. He looks a bit like the author Samuel Beckett (Waiting for Godot), who was also one cool dude. *** RODRIGO VAN STOLI (Noble Rot/Bang Camaro): I know he’s in one of my bands, but I have to say that would be Doz (Bang Camaro/TGN). He’s got that “hair all over the face/evil grin” thing going, and I’ve never seen one bad picture of the dude. I don’t think anyone has. The bizarre thing is that he looks like that all the time. *** CHANDLER TRAVIS (Chandler Travis Philharmonic): Mine; avarice. Lolita: Okay, I had to look up “avarice”—so if you’re like me and didn’t know, the word means “an excessive desire for wealth or gain.” Yeah, I guess that fits Chandler perfectly. When he wears his pajamas on stage it’s such a giveaway. *** KAREN BARNICLE (Barnicle): Rob McCaffrey, the drummer of Aberdeen City, has a dope set of sideburns and a sweet ’stache. It is unforgettable. *** CLAY N. FERNO (Wild Zero): Dick Tate’s (Middle East/ Prime Movers) visage has nobility, hope, and he is the pillar of consummate professionalism. The man has a “firing tie,” for cripes’ sake! *** LARISSA MAESTRO (Larissa Maestro): Without question, Dennis Brennan. One of the key elements to his character is his hair. It’s unbelievable. I’m not sure that I’ve ever seen anyone with cooler hair that close up before. I’m convinced that it’s the source of his power, and one day, I’ll steal it and make it mine—though it wouldn’t look nearly as good on me. Let him keep his hair, no one can hold a candle to him. Dennis Brennan is the man. *** PETE WEISS (Weisstronauts/ Verdant Studio): There can’t be just one... Stephen Fredette’s raised eyebrow... Rick Berlin’s devilish twinkle... Pete Sutton’s “gettin’ shit done” near-sneer... Ken Lafler’s general Duchovny-ness... *** TIM MUNGENAST (Tim Mungenast & His Preexisting Conditions): Geez, I’m not sure how to answer that one without making any enemies! Can I talk about the Power of Dung instead? Lolita: Tim you make it sound like facial character is something bad. *** WALTER SICKERT (Walter Sickert & The Army of Broken Toys): The face of performance artist/musician Mort has loads of character. His black gas mask always looks so shiny and pretty, and the fact that I have never seen his face without it, adds to my enjoyment. What’s underneath? Does he have a face? Is his skin made out of course twine or sweet jelly? *** FRANK ROWE (Classic Ruins) For me, hands down, it’s got to be my erstwhile roommate Howie Ferguson (Mickey Clean/ Real Kids/ Lyres/ Barrence Whitfield & Savages/ Mickey Bliss Combo) Combination deer-caught-in-the-headlights, Capt. Jack Sparrow, Hannibal Lechter, seen-it-all Ernest Hemingway, and Jerry Lewis. *** SHAUN WOLF WORTIS (Gato Malo/ Plastic Cheese Band): Al Janik! It’s his button nose. *** SCOTT MATALON (Monolith): T Max—you can tell by the look in his eye that he has seen it all. Lolita: That’s age rings from the early 1900s. *** MARTY WHITE (Mr. Curt Ensemble): Mr.Curt’s face, and who doesn’t love that face. I’m not brown-nosing the boss and I’m sure that anyone who knows Mr. Curt knows he is a man of integrity, honesty, and loyalty. If Mr. Curt has befriended you, you know that you have a good friend and you are a lucky person. *** KAREN ZANES (The Freeways): Athough he is no longer physically with us, I keeping thinking of Mark Sandman. Not only did he have a ruggedly handsome face, but there was a strong spiritual light behind his eyes. I can remember vividly the first time I encountered that face. I walked into the Plough one chilly night to catch Ray Corvair. Sandman, who was sitting off to the side, looked straight at me and flashed the warmest, most electric smile. Needless to say, I melted on the spot. Lolita: Mark Sandman (Morphine) was a cool gentleman with a lot of character. His presence can still be felt at Hi-n-Dry, the studio he worked out of. That’s where “End War Now” racked up 59 tracks to break a studio record for a single song.

MUSICAL CHAIRS

Rita: Keeping up on the records, let’s continue taking notes of the movement of musicians from band to band in a little dance we call Musical Chairs. BO BARRINGER and MATT GRABER are now permanent players in MASCARA. *** JON SHRIBER is no longer playing bass for THE DOOM BUGGIES. *** CARL BIANCUCCI (Classic Ruins) is playing bass in THE DOOM BUGGIES. *** MARGARET GARRET (Mr. Airplane Man) and JOHN HAYDON are in a band called LOVELETTER. *** Photographer and guitarist KELLY DAVIDSON has joined up with LIZ BORDEN BAND. *** DEE STROY (Mach 5) is now playing with BOILERMAKER. *** WILLIE ALEXANDER, JIM DOHERTY, and STEPHEN SILBERT can now collectively be called FISHEYE BROTHERS. *** BLEU, MIKE VIOLA, and DUCKY CARLISLE are working together in a new project called THE MAJOR LABELS. *** VOODOO SCREW MACHINE has added drummer AVI GUNTHER. *** SARAH KORVAL is looking to rebuild OKAY THURSDAY with all new members. *** JABE BEYER (JABE) is heading south to Nashville to pursue solicited songwriting opportunities. *** PURE FICTION has their last gig planned for Saturday, 6/30, at The Middle East. *** FURVIS has changed their name to THE DEAD TREES. *** DAVE AARONOFF’s latest band consists of MATT B (drums), ERIC SCHMIDER (guitar), JOE KLUMPUS (bass), TIM OBETZ (pedal steel) and FRAN BETLYON (vocals). *** BRIAN VIGLIONE (Dresden Dolls) and PAUL DILLEY (Reverend Glasseye) will be performing with HUMANWINE on their upcoming Fighting Naked spring tour. *** DAVE TREE (Superpower) heads up BLOW YOUR FACE OUT, a J. GEILS cover band. Blow skips the pop hits and delivers the blues. Lolita: Dave also creates jarring anti-war artwork.

WAR, HUUH,WHAT IS IT GOOD FOR?

Rita: FRANK (Classic Ruins) ROWE’s son JAMES ROWE, who was once pictured in diapers in our 1985 pictorial publication Rock Jocks, is now a U.S. Marines combat infantry rifleman who does four combat patrols a day in al-Rubat, the triangle of death, in Iraq. We pray that James will return as healthy as he was when he left. Lolita, go ask everyone how they feel about this war. Lolita: I hope my camo fatigues won’t give anyone the wrong impression. Should I change into my Civil War uniform? No Pete, that’s not the Question of the Month, it’s “What should be done about the war in Iraq?” PETE CASSANI (The Peasants): Leave Iraq! What meathead had the idea of invading them in the first place? We are the Redcoats in this situation. Did they attack us? No. Were they threatening to invade America? No. We invaded them. We are the bully. They have every right to kill every American on their soil. The sooner we leave, the sooner it stops. Iraq is a moron’s sideshow. It’s had its play. Another idiotic chapter in America’s arrogant, power-hungry history. Congratulations meatheads! You’ve done it again. Now get the hell out! Peace! *** JOHN BEAUDETTE (Destroy Babylon): The first thing that needs to be done is a change in the White House; President Bush has shown only incompetence in dealing with the war, among many other issues, as well as a complete disregard for the American people’s desire to change the course in Iraq. There are more than enough reasons to impeach Bush AND Cheney, and it needs to happen immediately. Can we really afford to wait until January 2009? *** MINH T. LUONG (Dopamine Records): Being a refugee from Vietnam, I know first hand that the terrors of war. I would like to see U.S. troops out of Iraq and Afghanistan by the end of the year, and the prisoners, who are being denied their human rights, released from Guantanamo immediately. I would like to see provisions for Iraqi refugees who have been forced to flee their homes due to this illegal conflict. And I want a personal apology from the Bush administration for sending my friends and family members to fight for an unjust and unwinnable war. *** LIZ BORDEN (Liz Borden Band/ Bang Chicks): We should get out. We cannot fix Iraq. You can’t take thousands of years of one way of thinking and change it to how our government thinks it should be. Our government lied to get us over there, they lie to keep us there, and they continue to lie to cover up how badly they have messed up this war. I have noticed lately the news has been very minimal about the war. I think they are trying to keep a low profile or it is just old news right now and that is sad. Americans have forgotten how to protest. I think we are afraid to go out and voice our opinions and we need to do that. The 1960s and 1970s had some great peace movements. That is where we, the musicians can make a difference. Music reaches a lot of people. I end every set with the Ten Years After song, “I’d Love to Change the World.” I do change some of the words to make it more fitting to today but the last line is “stop the war.” That song worked then and it works now. *** CHUCK U. ROSINA (WMFO): What should be done about the war in Iraq is really not that difficult. Pack up our guns, tanks, and troops, and bring them home. Support our troops by allowing them to return to their families and their lives here. We were lied to getting into this mess (weapons of mass destruction), lied to when we were told “mission accomplished,” and lied to about bringing democracy to Iraq. If it’s about democracy, ask the Iraqis what they want. They want us to leave. And we want us to leave. The only obstacle is the Bush administration. Impeachment now! *** KEN FIELD (Revolutionary Snake Ensemble, Birdsongs of the Mesozoic): There are no good options for cleaning up the total mess that Bush/Cheney/Rumsfield and the neo-cons have made of Iraq; only less bad options. Bush would like to stretch out the U.S. involvement in Iraq past the end of his presidency so that he and the Republicans can blame the messy endgame on his successor, who is likely to be a Democrat (we hope!). He should not be allowed to do so. Despite the bad option of withdrawing U.S. troops, and likely resultant all-out civil war, it is less bad than continuing to lose lives and pour billions of dollars down a path that shows absolutely no evidence for future success. *** DAVID KIRKDORFFER (UNDO): We need to break the cycle of active violence and fanatical participation in the building of Iraqi society: I propose we give all children under the age of 18 free GameCubes, Xboxes and PlayStations. Also, we need to teach older Iraqis men how to play banjo and women how to grow pot. Finally, we need to give all Iraqis free ice cream! These bold initiatives would do much to bring peace to Iraq. Lolita: As silly as that sounds, it could be the most intelligent method to achieve peace that I’ve ever heard. With the money we spend on one F/A-22 Raptor we could supply enough GameCubes, Xboxes, PlayStations, banjos, and ice cream to last them for the next ten years. One jet for ten years of peace—sounds like a good use of taxpayers’ money.

CLUBLAND

Rita: Notice that Lolita didn’t say anything about supplying pot seeds—could she be skimming off the top? Lolita: I would never think of skimming off the top of our tax revenues? Here are some great places to spend money where our government wouldn’t think of spending. Support local music. BEATLE JUICE does their tribute to the late BRAD DELP, In My Life… A Concert for Brad, using special guest vocalists at the Regent Theatre (in Arlington) on Thursday, 5/3, and Friday, 5/4. *** The Polka Party gets polkin' at the Abbey on Saturday, 5/5. *** Same night LIZ BORDEN BAND lizzes the Skybar. *** THE ALLSTONIANS play the Kirkland on Friday. 5/11. *** HOORAY FOR EARTH rocks Great Scott on Saturday, 5/12. *** THALIA ZEDEK is part of LADY OF SPAIN's residency at PA's Lounge on Sunday, 5/13. *** Same night BARNICLE is at the Middle East. *** On Thursday, 5/17, ANDREA GILLIS gets them dancing at Johnny D’s new Flashback series. *** Same night VOODOO SCREW MACHINE returns to the Abbey, and promises more blood on the ceiling. *** On Friday, 5/18, at the Middle East Downstairs, ROBBIE ROADSTEAMER headlines a benefit for Douglas: The Movie. *** Then on Saturday, 5/19, WALK THE LINE BAND, a Johnny Cash tribute band from New Bedford, plays the Abbey. *** Over at the Midway, the legendary PREACHER JACK takes the stage on Friday, 5/25. *** Saturday, 6/26, has HARRIS at the Middle East. *** HRT, the band with their own reality TV show (Rocker Moms on Slice TV), plays at T.T.’s on Friday, 6/1. *** Same night around the corner at the Middle East, COUNT ZERO is back in action. *** On Saturday, 6/9, LAURA WILSON celebrates 15 years of Bats in the Belfry (WMBR 88.1 fm, Monday 8:00-10:00pm) at the Skybar with DREAMCHILD headlining. Lolita: As WFNX’s New England Product radio promotion says, you can actually meet the members of these bands and have sex with them. That alone is worth the price of admission to any of these shows. Rita: It’s good to take care of your physical desires, but also take the time to connect with your community and let your voice be heard. Tell our government what you believe should be done about this war. AND DON’T STOP SHOUTING UNTIL THEY HEAR YOU. Lolita: I think Rita owns shares in Peace Logic.

Lolita: Is everybody ready to rumble?  Rita: Not really. Lolita: What? Rita: My boyfriend and I broke up and I’m not really in the mood to rumble. Lolita: Well, you can sit at home and sulk or you can go out to the clubs…  Rita: And sulk? Sorry I’d rather sulk in private. Just leave me alone.  Lolita: Okay, well, I guess I’ll be writing most of the column by myself this month.  I wonder if I can get T Max to make my name a little bigger in the heading. Okay, let’s see, we usually start off by coming up with a Question of the Month. How ’bout, “How do you react when your relationship falls apart?” No, that sounds too personal.  Then how about, “Do you sulk at home or do you go out to the clubs to sulk?” No, that just sounds lame. Rita, come on, give me some help. Rita: Ask them for a story about the Rumble.

Rita: Welcome to The Noise’s first online-only issue. Lolita: We’ll be back to stain your hands with ink and provide your birdcages with inexpensive wall-to-wall carpeting in April. But for now, peer into the glowing box and learn a little more about the people who play rock in New England. Rita: Lolita, do you have any ideas for the Question of the Month? Lolita: When people don’t know what to say they usually talk about the weather. Rita: That’s not a bad idea. Put on your sparkly pink coat and get outside and ask everyone: “What’s your take on global warming?” Lolita: But it’s freezing out. Rita: Just think, without global warming, it would be colder out there…

Lolita : From the looks of it, '007 already appears to be a year of action. The Noise is taking a step into the future. The March issue of The Noise will be online-only. So on 3/1/07 look online instead of on the magazine racks. Rita : And by the spring The Noise websites will be overhauled to represent the technical state of the art. Just wait 'til our readers can respond to reviews right on the site. Lolita : But we're getting ahead of ourselves. This issue (February 2007) gushes about the Boston music scene. We've got the 2006 poll results, The Noise writers's Top Ten lists for 2006, and Rita and I will focus on the best who, what, and where of the Boston music scene. Rita : To show you what we mean, Lolita is going to ask our first Question of the Month—“Who is your favorite Boston musician?” CORIN ASHLEY (Corin Ashley): I have a lot of favorites, but Russell Chudnowski is undoubtedly the finest guitar player in town. I'm not actually one for guitar heroes, but he's mine. His playing is so tasteful and exciting—it always has the vibe of someone with immense skill just winging it and skating by with ease. Plus, he likes my voice, so I'm naturally inclined to think he has great taste. *** WILLIE ALEXANDER (… & the Boom Boom Band): David Minehan is my answer. If ya gotta ask why… oh what did Fats Waller say? *** KEN CMAR (Wonderdrug Records): Bill Damon (vocalist for Toxic Narcotic/Mouth Sewn Shut). Bill rules. Not only has he fronted Toxic Narcotic for the past 15-plus years, he somehow manages to also sing for Mouth Sewn Shut and run his record label, Rodent Popsicle records—which puts out about 10 releases a year. Bill's got a very distinctive vocal style and he's a great lyricist as well. One listen to the classic Toxic song “Asshole” and you'll know what I mean! *** MONIQUE ORTIZ (A.K.A.C.O.D.): My favorite Boston musician is drummer Jerome Deupree... hands down. I've never played with anyone that is so versatile, dynamic, fun to play with, and can retell a story a hundred times without changing a single detail. He's not only one of the best drummers in Boston , but probably the world... and did I mention he's just a damn nice guy? *** JOEY BOY (Red Invasion): Chaz Mathews, solo artist and former singer/ guitarist for The Dimestore Halos. This guy has been writing some of the best punk/ powerpop/ rock 'n' roll songs in Boston for the past 10 years. There are too many should-be anthems to list in The Halos catalog and his solo album (despite the lack of a backing band) is filled with gems. The Halos, in my humble opinion, is the most under-rated Boston punk band from the entire '90s/ early '00s. They didn't deal with the scene well, but the songs were always top notch. Chaz is still writing music and I hope he never stops. *** TIM CASEY (Low Budget Records): Phil Kaplan—for “That's Why We Fight” and “Everybody Lies,” from the upcoming Live at the Midway DVD. *** COREY BUCKINGHAM ( Rock City Guitars/ Topheavy): Gino Caira is one of the best rock guitarists to ever play in Boston . He has the charisma as a frontman vocalist/ guitarist that most of us will never have. His live performances always seem effortless. His newest album, G.C. Sinner, showcases his amazing playing, vocals, taste, and style. A truly underrated member of the Boston rock scene! *** NICK BLAKEY (The In Out): There was this schizophrenic and semi-homeless guy Rick who played the most incredible free jazz on saxophone down on Huntington Avenue near the YMCA and in Harvard Square in the early 1990s. He got his sax stolen, so he switched to trumpet. Then he got his teeth kicked in, so he started to play blues harp. One of the few times I spoke with him, he told me he was really into the Dave Clark Five. I haven't seen him around since the late '90s, and sadly I don't think he ever recorded anything, but he inspired me greatly. *** NANCY NEON ( The Noise ): Jeff Conolly has been my fave since seeing DMZ in 1976. Hearing him play in 2000 inspired me to move to Boston , hoping to work with him. His version of “I Confess” inspired me anew—“August is the time to start a Lyres residency!” The slow version of “She Pays The Rent” on Some Lyres displays Conolly's soulful vocals. While On Fyre is my all time fave album, some of Conolly's most energized playing and singing is on The Early Years. Because his voice and Vox organ have rocked exponentially harder in recent months, performance is where Conolly truly rules. *** MR. CURT (Mr. Curt Ensemble): It would too unfair to list a singular fave person because I totally believe in the totality and diversity offered by this fine city through the past four decades, which I have been privy to. But I will offer Jonathan Richman & the Modern Lovers, as a symbol of all that was and could be. Their first album is pure classic and a grand template for all that followed. Plus, as a bonus, he's still creating music. Bravo! *** MIKE RIVARD (Club d'Elf): Mark Sandman—even though he's been dead for seven years, I still feel Mark's influence, and sadly, I don't think that anyone has come along to fill his shoes since his passing. He was such an incredible force and had such a singular vision, as well as the skills of a renaissance man with which to bring the vision into reality. He heard a sound in his head, and invented instruments with which to make that sound come to life, like other mavericks before him had done, such as Harry Partch. And he schooled a whole generation of musicians in his sometimes vivid, sometimes noirish approach, which was minimal but detailed and rich. The fullest realization of his aesthetic was the final Morphine album, The Night. Check it out if you have not already. Lolita : In fact, any Morphine album is worth checking out.