MARCH IS ONLINE-ONLY

Rita: Welcome to our annual March online-only issue. We all know the importance of the Internet in business today, so our March issue pays homage to that idea. Lolita: Being a print media business gives us the edge over other online-only media businesses because we get to be where computers aren’t. You can find the Noise in clubs, record stores, recording studios, rehearsal spaces, cool clothing stores, cafes, restaurants, and sometimes even in the bottom of a birdcage or litter box. Rita: There was one time I went to a party and saw issues of the Noise torn to shreds on the floor. Lolita: I remember that. Seems someone didn’t like the review they got in that issue. Rita: You’ve got to have thick skin to be in this business of show. Lolita: That’s why New England musicians have an edge on musicians from warmer climates—they already have thick skin living through New England winters. So anyway, I went out and asked local rockers what helped them get through the long cold New England winters—and I asked this question without Rita’s permission. Rita: Why would you go behind my back like that? Lolita: Who made up the rule that every question asked had to get your approval? Rita: I did. Lolita: How come I didn’t get a say in it? Rita: You didn’t come to the meeting.

NEW ENGLAND WINTERS
Lolita: I miss one meeting and I end up with no say. I’ll have to make up my own meeting. But never mind that, hey Liz—I almost didn’t recognize you covered up like a polar bear—please tell me what helps you get through New England winters. LIZ BORDEN (Liz Borden Band/ Lizzie Borden & the Axes): The only thing that gets me through the winter is thinking about Memorial Day weekend and heading to the Cape. By February I am going crazy. I also try to keep myself busy and plan at least one trip to someplace warm. When all else fails, I have a drink. *** SETH BAILIN (the Sinbusters): Always think, "Well, it could be colder." *** KEN FIELD (Revolutionary Snake Ensemble/Birdsongs of the Mesozoic/Agachiko): New England summers. *** SHAUN WOLF WORTIS (Mardi Gras/ Gato Malo): Pickup football! As T Max has been party to, I organize a group of intrepid fellows who gather each and every Sunday morning to play in any and every weather condition: blizzards, ice-storms, many feet of snow, frigid cold, solid ice. The fun of the game aside, it's a serious high to conquer whatever nature throws at us. Absolutely gets me through the winter. *** LINDA VIENS (Angeline): Many cups of hot tea with milk and sugar, snuggling up with a good book, Burdick's dark hot chocolate with whipped cream, bundled up walks in the snow, crystalline night skies. *** MONIQUE ORTIZ (A.K.A.C.O.D.): I'm all done with the winters of the northeast, which is why I'm moving to Austin this year. *** Erik Lindgren (Birdsongs of the Mesozoic/Arf Arf Records): Skiing in Vermont—just returned from a two-day trek doing cross-country and hitting the slopes at Okemo. *** CORIN ASHLEY (Corin Ashley & the New Lows): This winter has been greatly enhanced by two new instruments that have kept my fingers warm and busy. I bought a Wurlitzer electric piano on Craigslist and got my buddy Jay to tweak it and, well, let's just say there's been a lot of Supertramp going down at the Ashley house. I also got an old ’60s Hofner Senator bass like Stu Sutcliffe played and that has really reactivated my bass playing. It makes plaster fall from my ceiling. *** CASEY DESMOND (Casey Desmond): ProTools, and never leaving my studio EVER. *** BILLY CARL MANCINI (Bird Mancini): The best cure for the winter blues is to leave! I was lucky enough to spend time in the Caribbean during past winters. All ailments and bad vibes melt away as you're served Coronas and piña coladas on white sands. Not to mention the half naked women parading around. Oops, I mentioned it... *** CHUCK U. ROSINA (WMBR/ WMFO): We are lucky enough to have a fireplace in our living room. Keep plenty of wood handy as we cuddle by the crackling of the fire. Very pleasant, indeed. *** DAVID KIRKDORFFER (UNDO/ The Blank Attack): A bottle of Chartreuse always helps. And when things get really difficult, reading the political rants on the Noise Board reminds me how lucky I am to be alive in such a generous and giving society. *** TONY SAVARINO (Black Fortress of Opium/ Garvy J,/ Montgomerys): Going to see Kevin Barry at Atwoods on Tuesday nights; taking a guitar lesson from Chris Cote where I learned the symetric assholian mode; doing gigs with the very talented Jenee Halstead; recording the new Black Fortress of Opium CD with Ajda and Brian Vigilone! *** ALLAN SHEINFELD (Roy Sludge): Booze, booze, Netflix, booze, weed, booze and booze. *** PETER RINNIG (QRST's): Lots and lots of skiing with my family and friends. Nashoba Valley is the best! Exercise, fresh air and drinks at 4:00 p.m—nothing can be better. *** MR. CURT (Mr. C. Ensemble): Chained to academic servitude (school bus driving), it's been just homegrown perseverance for over thirty years. A few well-timed vacations and holidays through December to March also do the trick. Once upon a time, it was an active nightlife... now we're more sedentary. Personally, an evening cocktail immediately following work always works its magic. Then another extraordinary meal with Ms. D. kitty snugglin', and either some tunes or TV. Early to bed and then early to rise. Day-in, day-out, waiting for spring! *** SAMMY MIAMI (Houndstone): One pickaxe, two tennis rackets, three shovels, four ice scrapers, five snow tires and six twenty five pound sand bags. *** MARK BRYANT (Plimro Records): Drinking moderate amounts of liquor at TBones Roadhouse in Plymouth and counting the days ’til Jazzfest and getting the hell out of here. *** JIM COUNTRYMAN (Lovewhip/ Erin Harpe & the Delta Swingers): Long, strenuous laps around our practice space coupled with far off adventures under a heated blanket with Empress Erin! As well as a new found love for whiskey and acoustic blues. *** WALTER SICKERT (Walter Sickert & the Army of Broken Toys) : A cuddle puddle of circus freaks, corset ladies, naked poets and hot silver smoke otherwise known as band practice! *** ERIC BAYLIES (Bad Motherfucker/ Baylies Band): I get through the cold New England winters in two ways. One is by seeing great Providence and Boston bands. The other is by touring as much as I can in the warm states. *** AJDA THE TURKISH QUEEN (Black Fortress of Opium): Snuggling with a handsome Italian guitarist! *** WILL DAILEY (Will Dailey): Hot toddies. *** KEN LAFLER (the Weisstronauts): I grew up near Buffalo, so... Lolita: So?… are you trying to say you were raised by a buffalo family? Or that you know buffalo in the Biblical sense? Or you were a hunter and wore buffalo skins to keep you warm in the winter? Ken: I was raised by a Buffalo family, that’s true. And yes, I knew buffalo in the Biblical sense (went to church every Sunday). But I’ve never worn a buffalo skin while hunting. What I should have said was that I’m from Buffalo. Do we have winter in New England? I hadn't noticed... Lolita: Once the last snow is gone, it’s like winter never happened.

NEWS & LONGHAIRED SINGERS
Rita: Lolita, sometimes your sense of geography scares me. Lolita: It’s not my fault that I get a cryptic answer that set my imagination racing. Maybe I’m slow in geography but I’m pretty clever when it comes to boys. Rita: Speaking of boys, I have a date tonight with a tall longhaired singer. Lolita: Well, have fun. I’ll miss you at the meeting? Rita: What meeting? Lolita: Don’t worry, it’s nothing. Don’t you have some news to read? Rita: Why, yes I do. Here now the news… Rounder Records (Burlington, MA) signed American legend, songwriter, actor, and social activist, WILLIE NELSON. *** HAVE NOTS have just signed with Paper and Plastick records. The label will be re-releasing the band’s first album, Serf City USA, on vinyl in the spring and a new full release is expected by fall. *** KAREN DeBIASSE (Girl on Top) has created her first film, What on Earth is Happening? with MARK PASSIO. *** ROGER MILLER teaches a course at RISD called Thweck. It's a sound design course, that teaches you how to alter sound to create amazing out of context sound environments. *** Wachtelligence is the name of AJ WACHTEL’s column on bostonblues.com. Lolita: Is that pronounced “what intelligence?” *** ERIC SCHMIDER changed the name of his band from MOLLYCODDLE to THE ONE SMITH. *** PIEBALD is getting together, but they’re not calling it a reunion. It’s to celebrate the re-release of their out-of-print catalog. Piebald: First Ten Years is a three-volume set with two discs in each volume. Rise Records plans to release volume one in April, volume two in May, and volume three in June. Here’s a new way to get your music out to the public—write and produce a song for the release of a book! That’s what THADDEUS HOGARTH did for MICHAEL PALMER’s The Last Surgeon. *** The Real School of Music is a membership-based music education and performing arts community, headquartered in Burlington, MA. It recently merged with Allegro School of Music in Stoneham, MA. *** "White Dress," a new song from KERMIT’S FINGER is featured in the trailer for movie by Bill Doherty Jr. called Love Hurts. *** *** Episode 17 of Quiet Desperation is online and our favorite supporting actor, comedian SEAN SULLIVAN, continues to show the true spirit of the warped personalities on the Noise Board as the character Chippa. Lolita: In efforts to clean up the Noise Board, we’re taking the trash out—all unruly characters with no sense of common decency are being banned from the board. Chippa—for those comments you made about ROB POTYLO (Robby Roadsteamer)—we’re sorry to say, you’re banned from the Noise Board.

ST. PATTY WACK

Lolita: Well, without Chippa on the Noise Board it might be a bearable place for me to play. I’ll be hanging out there for a while. Rita, why don’t you come up with a question to ask our musical friends? I’m tired of being the one who always has to stand out in front of a club gathering answers. Rita: Okay. What’s the big deal? Let’s see. March 17 is Saint Patty’s Day. I’m going to see the GOBSHITES. I need to find out some more information about this little known saint that has a holiday all to himself. Hey Dave, tell me something personal about St. Patrick. You know, something that not everyone would know. Like, we all know he was an Irish leprechaun—give me something else. DAVE TREE (SuperPower/ DrugWar/ Tree): St. Pat isn't Irish—he is English. He was captured in an Irish raid and brought back to Ireland where he had vision of Jesus while tending sheep, and converted to Christianity. Proof positive that he didn't bring it to Ireland, it was already there, probably out of Egypt. St. Pat escaped Ireland to Italy consecrated a Bishop by Pope Celestine. Returned to Ireland in 432 during the reign of high king Laoghaire where he performed miracles such as turning himself and his followers into deer to avoid an ambush by Celtic druids. He tried to convert his old master Miliuc but the old pagan lit his house on fire and then entered it to be immolated in flames rather than be converted to a new faith by his old swineherd. *** BOB GOBRON (Shakyfoot): Not a lot of people know this but St. Pat's last name was "McGroin." I heard this, bra! *** KIER BYRNES (Three Day Threshold): While I love St. Paddy’s Day, I hate scally caps. I look like a tool in ’em. Cowboy hats are good enough for me. My favorite part about St. Pat’s is relearning all the Irish traditionals I used to listen to as a kid. Lolita: No Kier, what do you know about St. Patty? Lolita: No, Kier—tell me something personal about St. Patrick, not something about St. Patty's Day. Kier: I see. The question didn't make that much sense to me. Sorry. I never knew the saint personally. *** SLIMEDOG (the Noise): I know this is probably not unique but on St. Patrick’s Day as a child my mother would dress me in a leprechaun outfit but for some reason I confused Easter and Halloween with the day and dressed in my green suit with pointy shoes. I would go from house to house with an Easter basket hoping to collect candy from my neighbors. Needless to say I was unsuccessful and the local bullies would throw rocks and hit me with sticks until I headed home, crying and sobbing, where my mother would soothe me with corned beef cabbage flavored candy. *** ERIC SCHMIDER (the One Smith/ Mollycoddle): Well, being Jewish, I don't know about this St. Pat's thing, but I have it from a very good source, Matt Burwell (Irish drummer extraordinaire for the Pills, Corin Ashley, and Daniel Cage) that St. Pat had a penchant for playing paddy cake with young boys way before it was in vogue in Ireland and Boston. I hope I don't get in trouble for saying this. Lolita: Rita, where are the rest of your answers? Rita: It got really cold outside and I only lasted ten minutes. That’s all the answers I got. Besides I had to get ready for my date.

MUSICAL CHAIRS

Lolita: Okay, while Rita gets ready for her first date of the year, I’ll update you on the movement of local musicians in bands. And if your band has added or subtracted a member, please get in touch with us (write This e-mail address is being protected from spam bots, you need JavaScript enabled to view it ) and we’ll report it. In a word play on A.K.A.C.O.D., ROGER MILLER, MONIQUE ORTIZ, and LARRY DERSH equal AKA MOD! It’s unsure how many gigs they will take on. *** WITCH has a live video online—in which drummer MARIO RUBALCABA (Earthless) is sitting in for J. MASCIS. *** THE BLANK ATTACK includes DAVID KIRKDOFFER (UNDO/ Super-Cannes) on guitar, JON WOBESKY (Reverand Glasseye/ Womb to Tomb) on bass, ADAM CRARY (Specimen 37) on vocals, and DAVE ROSS (Girl on Top) on drums. *** THE J. GEILS BAND seems to be back in action. The band played six shows in 2009 and one so far in 2010 where PETER WOLF called it the "last" Geils show, but added "never say never." *** MATT RHODES and ANNA PRICE (the Silver Lining) have a new duo called the RHODEDENDRONS. *** CHARLIE SILVA has left SHAKYFOOT to drum full time with NO ROOM TO BREATHE. *** JASON MATTHEWS (Electrik Blue/the Kozmik Truth) is the new drummer for SHAKYFOOT. *** DUPPY CONQUERORS is a Bob Marley tribute band consisting of CURTIS KING on vocals, MARK FERRANTI on bass, JONAS KAHM and TIM HUGHES on guitar, SARAH MENDELSOHN on drums, CAROL NAMKOONG on keys, JEFF ROBINSON on sax/ keys, JOHN FRAZEE on trumpet, and JOE STEWART on trombone. *** MIKE GENT (the Figgs) is playing with a solo band called RAPID SHAVE. Rapid Shave consists of JOHN POWHIDA. Lolita: I noticed that John Powhida is playing with almost everyone I know. Rita: Oh crap. I didn’t think he’d tell you. Lolita: Tell me what? You mean your long-haired singer date is with JPo?!

OBAMA GOOD OBAMA BAD

Rita: I have to run right now—don’t want to be late for my date. Lolita: But what about the third Question of the Month? Rita: Here, I wrote it all down on this napkin. Will you post it into our column? I really have to run. Lolita: Well, ’bye Rita. Have fun with MY old boyfriend. Now that Rita is gone, I’m going to hold a meeting for Our Eyes on You (that’s the name of this column, in case you forgot). Those in favor of letting Lolita make up all future Questions of the Month say aye. Aye. All opposed… Well, now that that is settled, let see what Rita wrote on this dirty napkin. Okay, her handwriting is really bad. I think it says, Obama—best or worst action taken since being sworn in as president. Here are the answers she scribbled down. JOEL SIMCHES (Count Zero/ Joe Turner & the Seven Levels/ Axemunkee): Obama had a meeting with Republicans to discuss partisanship and moving forward. While he didn't use the opportunity to bash his opposition, he confronted their rhetoric, answered their questions and was so successful in calling them out on their partisan bullshit that FNC cut their feed! *** KAREN DeBIASSE (Girl On Top): It's all bad. Obama, and any president, is just a puppet, which makes the presidency of the United States a lie—so how can we trust anything? *** MIKE LOCE (the Noise/ the DoubleNecks): Here are a few of the best things I believe President Obama has done: shaking stuff up by remaining solid, not apologizing for holding fast to a pre-set plan when the choppy waters of American media chaos crest around him; talking to younger people in real sentences, not word phrases busting at the seams with maladjusted agendas; and continuing to smoke and play basketball. Then again, he’s only been in a year and a half so let’s see how it goes. *** TIM MUNGENAST (Tim Mungenast & His Preexisting Conditions): The worst thing Obama has done, or at least the worst thing he's done that nobody is talking about, is making Admiral Dennis Blair our intel chief. This man aided and covered up the Indonesian military's mass murder of Timorese civilians and then lied to Congress about it. Obama also kept Bush's boy William Gates, the guy who sold Saddam Hussein poison gas during the Reagan years. Think about THAT one for a second. If Reagan was evil for letting Gates do that, then what does that make Obama, whom I reluctantly voted for? (I wanted to vote for Ron Paul but I was afraid that act of protest would hand the de-facto presidency to Palin, whose Indian name is Shoots Wolves From Helicopters.) *** SHAWN MARQUIS (Circle Circle Star): Claim that he isn't accepting contributions from lobbyists for his campaign, then hiring Teal Baker from the Podesta Group as a high-level director of his efforts. *** IAN KENNEDY (Reverse): Worst thing: hiring Summers and Geithner instead of Stiglitz and Krugman. Oh yeah, and the torture. *** FRANK ROWE (Classic Ruins): The best thing he’s done was to replace George Bush. Lolita: Now, that I can relate to. People forget so quickly.

ALL GOIN’ OUT TOGETHER

Lolita: Rita, you’re back from your date very early. What happened? Rita: Well, there must have been some kind of mix up in our communication. JPo showed up with his girlfriend. He thought it was just a get-together and anyone could come. Lolita: Don’t let it get you down. Here… come out with me. In fact, come out with me all month. Here’s our itinerary: Every Wednesday night in March at the Midway, CHANDLER TRAVIS PHILHARMONIC is in residency. *** JENNY DEE & THE DEELINGQUENTS release their CD at T.T. the Bear’s on Friday, 3/5. *** On that same night at Club Bohemia (downstairs at the Cantab) we’re aiming to see GIANT TARGET. *** Saturday, 3/6, has BEFORE THE CRASH at Uncle Eddie’s in Salisbury Beach. *** THE GOBSHITES are part of the South Boston St. Patty’s Day Parade on Sunday, 3/14, at 1:00 pm. *** On Thursday, 3/18, the Get Up Git Down presents Beat Train Sound System’s CD release party with a special appearance by the Notorious P.U.S.S.Y. Galore Fly Girls at Zuzu. *** Same night APOLLO SUNSHINE return to play the Paradise. *** Hardcore fans will be out to see RAZORS IN THE NIGHT play the Middle East upstairs as part of Boston Rules, OK 2010, on Saturday 3/20. *** On that same night disco fans will flood Johnny D’s to shake it to BOOTY VORTEX. *** THE GRAB BROTHERS release their CD at Hennessy's Hooleys on Thursday, 3/25. *** On Saturday, 3/27, a bunch of Harmonix (makers of Guitar Hero/Rock Band/ Beatles Rock Band) bands play the Middle East Downstairs. *** Looking ahead to April, the Cantab has two nights for the Rat Reunion, Friday and Saturday 4/2 and 4/3. Rita: Well, thanks Lolita for being so nice to me. You’re the best half-sister I ever had. Lolita: Well, if our father didn’t fall in love with both of our twin-sister mothers, you’d never be able to say that. Rita: I never thought that was true. I think he thought they were both the same person. They were pulling one of their twin jokes on him.

RIP: HOWARD ZINN (87) died of a heart attack while swimming laps on 2/27/10. Boston University historian, political activist, and author of the best seller A People’s History of the United States. Here are his words: “No pitifully small picket line, no poorly attended meeting, no tossing out of an idea to an audience and even to an individual, should be scorned as insignificant. The power of a bold idea uttered publicly in defiance of dominant opinion cannot be easily measured. Those special people who speak out in such a way as to shake up not only the self-assurance of their enemies but the complacency of their friends are precious catalysts for change.”