THE GREG HAWKES UKELELE TRIO,
CASEY DESMOND
The Magic Room, Brighton, MA
4/3/10

As I walk up the stairs I’m thinking, it’s so appropriate that this eclectic presentation is happening in the Magic Room: it’s got a great sound system, overhead projection light show, and intimate setting make it the most unique place to see a performance today. Casey Desmond is a very talented woman; her fantastic voice and superior songwriting are the focal points of her performance, and the great guitar work of Taylor Barefoot and the vibrant vocals of second singer Cassandra Milone make their set sparkle song after song. Melodies in “Hot Bot” and “Chilly Allston” are majestic sounding with somewhat of an orchestral feel behind them; almost like Brahms fronting Queen and/or Genesis. Tonight’s setup: no bass or drums with Casey playing percussion with her left hand on the keyboards ala Ray Manzark is intellectual art rock at its best and the packed room really enjoys this jazzy vibe in a rock ’n’ roll environment.

Headliner Greg Hawkes (the Cars) comes on and performs Beatles, Cars, and original songs with his latest project that includes just three ukeleles! How’s THAT for avant? Hearing “Eleanor Rigby” and “Strawberry Fields Forever” played this way really knocks me out: the psychedelic feeling and spaciness of “Strawberry Fields” captured by only twelve strings is remarkable. And when Duran Duran producer Anthony Resta comes out of the audience and does an improv/spoken word piece that includes his own poetry, and is backed by Greg and Casey, this on-the-spot creativity seems quite appropriate for the night. An intriguing show. A very different drama. (AJ Wachtel)

WALTER SICKERT & THE ARMY OF BROKEN TOYS,
THE STEAMY BOHEMIANS,
ANDY O’FEISH,
DEZRAM THE STRANGE,
TITLER, MARY DOLAN,
and more
Jerkus Circus
AS220, Providence, RI
3/20/10

Jerkus Circus is about 140 minutes in a variety show format with elements of vaudeville, burlesque and carny sideshow performed, this evening, in a jam-packed sidewalk-level room full of uncomfortable fold-out chairs. To highlight: Mary Dolan does a novel turn impersonating a foul-mouthed octogenarian with some tossed-off quips about her own impending death that get some of the biggest laughs of the night. A series of performances by Walter Sickert & the Army of Broken Toys—featuring Americana and roots music, and songs that seem cracked around the edges—are somewhat akin to the Pet Sounds orchestra plopped down into the rough and ready world of E.C. Segar’s Popeye. Solo performer Titler is a man in an evening gown, with a tooth-brush mustache, whose catchy novelty “UFO Song” is the outstanding number of the evening, itself worth the price of admission. Most notable of the carny sideshow acts is Dezrah the Strange, who combines a hoary card trick with a full-fledged psychic surgery. The revolutionary Andy O’Feish does a self-deprecating Jack Benny schtick. Only he does it naked. There are also mock-profound poetry recitals, and plenty of tasteful but tumescence-inducing burlesque numbers. The two hostesses, aka the Steamy Bohemians, keep the evening lively with their schtick which features some cute running gags, one featuring the memorably quotable line “I’ll cut a bitch’. They also perform a series of appealing novelty song numbers, of which the show-closer “Sextown” is the cleverest. I’ve sat through and, on occasion, hosted literally hundreds of these types of shows, and as far as I could tell, a good time was had by all—and certainly by me. (Francis DiMenno)

MR. CURT ENSEMBLE,
BONNIE GORDON,
THEA HOPKINS,
BIRD MANCINI,
ANDY HOLLINGER,
GLENN WILLIAMS,
DOCTOR X
and more
Across Their Universe Record Release Party
Johnny D’s, Somerville, MA
4/13/10

I have great interest in coming to this release party because 22 years ago I put out Boston Does the Beatles, with more than 30 local artists contributing, and I can’t wait to see how this next generation of local artists interpret the Beatles—and I am not disappointed. Nineteen local bands get onstage and tear the club off its foundations. The place has a large crowd of enthusiastic supporters and from the beginning when Doctor X does “Across The Universe” the energy of the club keeps increasing. “Honey Pie” by multi-instrumentalist Glenn Williams on uke, is stunning in a nouveau-vaudevillian way and is typical of some of the B-side hits that were chosen to be interpreted. “Long Long Long,” “Blue Jay Way,” and “Within You Without You” are some of the other lesser-known Beatles compositions that are covered extremely well. I notice that the Beatles songs picked and being performed don’t stick to one era of the Fab Four’s collective career, but are chosen from the early: “You Can't Do That”, the middle: “Eleanor Rigby”, and the end: “Don’t Let Me Down” (done by a red-hot Bird Mancini). And the artists also do these songs in two ways: totally interpreted differently than the original, like Mr. Curt Ensemble’s “Not A Second Time” with that great “no, no, no, no, no, no, no” created by the ever-avante Mr. Curt, to more deliberate straight covers of their songs like “Yesterday” by Margaux. Both types go over great with the cheering people. Thea Hopkin’s acoustic version of “Fixing A Hole” led by her great vocals also is a standout. This night is a lot of fun and I’m grinning from beginning to end from the impressive line-ups I’m watching pay homage to the mop-tops. The only thing missing tonight is Yoko Ono screaming “Give Peace A Chance.” Relying on public transportation causes me to exit early. Apologies to those who came on later. (AJ Wachtel)

THE RICECOOKERS,
HANGOVER BLACK
The Times, Boston, MA
4/2/10

Hangover Black is a familiar sight to me, as a band and a result of too much Guinness. They’re first up and lead singer Ron’s voice, at some times gravelly, at all times loud, leads the charge, with the rest of the band following close behind. The song “Bottle of Whiskey and a Loaded Gun” gives you an idea of what these guys are all about, but there’s a lot more to this mix of rock and punk music than a few too many beers. “Lady Killer Blues” tells a story of love lost that we can all relate to, and the crowd responds, getting within a few feet of the stage and at times joining in with the music. The band recently added a new drummer, and hopefully this will be the last obstacle to a CD, because I’m eager to grab a brew and throw this on.

MICHELLE LEWIS
Church, Boston, MA
3/22/10

ROY SLUDGE TRIO
Atwoods, Cambridge, MA
3/30/10

Refering to himself only as “Roy Sludge” tonight, the singer from the Coachmen sets up with a new band. Roy’s voice is so deep, on some notes the foundation of Atwood’s shakes as Roy’s voice rumbles out of the house PA system. He’s has got a voice so low that he makes Johnny Cash sound like a soprano and it’s awesome. As an added bonus tonight, the band has lap steel virtuoso, Kevin Barry sitting in, which enhances Roy’s traditional country western feel. Normally the Coachmen, Roy’s other band, will feature Jerry Lewis on guitar, who is outstanding and pretty much untouchable in the Stray Cats/Reverend Horton Heat rockabilly idiom but filling in tonight is Duke Levine, who is no slouch himself. While I like the Coachmen with Jerry, it is great to see Duke and Kevin rip up jams in tunes like “Folsom Prison Blues” and the “Nitro Express.” What a fun show—I’m glad I caught it! (Kier Byrnes)

WILLIE ALEXANDER & THE RAZDANS,
FLY AMERO,
SARAH SLIFER & JOHN ROCKWELL,
HOOGLIO BASTISTO,
LINDA AMERO,
THE TIDE,
ALLEN ESTES,
BARBARA & DAVE KOEN
Gloucester High School Auditorium, Gloucester, MA
4/10/10

This is the second night of a benefit to replace the seats of Newell Stadium. After all, the three-time champion Gloucester football team, the Fighting Fishermen, need a functioning stadium to play home games.

Singer/songwriter/guitarist Barbara Koen starts off the night with her husband, Dave, backing her on electric guitar. She swings into KC & the Sunshine Band’s “Get Down Tonight” and offers that the song forced its way out of her guitar. Barbara is a pretty woman who resembles Stevie Nicks with streaks in her hair, flowing red scarf, black dress, and red and black cowboys boots. Her own thoughtful songs contain beautiful swirling melodies and personal lyrics. Her last tune has no name, but it makes her think of Gloucester. It’s about stopping all the rushing around. Oh, and by the way—Barbara can normally be seen rushing around the Dress Code—Gloucester’s favorite second-hand clothing store.

I met Allen Estes at a party last year so I was looking forward to seeing how this ruggedly handsome man is as a performer. I learn from his introduction that he’s been a soap opera star and has co-written songs with Tammy Wynette and Shania Twain. Wooo. He starts playing and… double wooo… we’re talking top of the line delivery here. The guy sings, talks, and plays with clarity and confidence—and it’s all him—nothing put on—no façade. His acoustic guitar is crisp sounding. His voice is clear, manly, and full of emotional range. His songs are all of exceptional quality. “Beautiful Stranger” gets applause before he even starts playing—and afterwards I can see why. He co-wrote a touching song with Frank Tedesco that has become the official song of Gloucester about missing fishermen. He ends with a song written with his son about the universal language of music. It’s a peaceful song with a beautiful message.

The Tide (the Baird brothers Gordon and Jock, and Dave Koen) is up next with mostly Beatle covers done to the T. Excellent singing by all and the boys stay faithful to the feel and arrangements of the fab four. They end with the Stones’ “19^th Nervous Breakdown”—a fun talented group.

Next Linda Amero breaks from her emcee duties to wow the crowd with a spot-on karaoke version of Connie Francis’ “Where the Boys Are,” claiming that that’s what she was all about when she attended this very high school back in the late ’60s.

Linda’s next introduction has me scratchin’ my head trying to understand the background of the next performer. He’s Hooglio Bastisto (Rick Gadbois), a singing comic character—sort of a ragtag Elvis, who is full of jokes in every word that comes out of his foreign mouth. He’s from Flustuania—the first country ever to exist. His guitar is plastered with shreds with what looks like black duct tape. A little tambourine is taped to one of his shoes. He only plays a couple of numbers because the set-up for the songs is his act—talking about his family relationships and the twins he dated. He gets everyone laughing—a good break from the serious music on display tonight.

Then it’s Sarah Slifer and John Rockwell who start with “I Wanna Sing That Rock ’n’ Roll” in a folk style leaning toward Celtic. They have a nice feel—easy going and warm. The two harmonize well together in a relaxed and professional way. Sarah sings sincerely with a pure alto. John physically reminds me of Will Ferrell from Saturday Night Live but there’s no kooky tendencies here. Okay, John does claim to have written a little ditty called “Across the Universe” but I’m sure I’ve heard this tune on a Beatles record. They also cover “What’s So Funny About Peace Love and Understanding.”

The emcee’s brother, Fly Amero, is next, and because I’m an outsider, I question if he got this gig because of the family connection or because he looks like Dennis Hopper. But then I hear that he’s the current guitarist for major hit makers Orleans! He’s a graduate of Gloucester high and makes references to it. After his cover of Van Morrison’s “Into the Mystic” I’m not convinced this guy is all that impressive. By the time he submerges himself into a couple of blues numbers, sounding somewhere between Ray Charles and Duane Allman, I’m totally blown away. Talk about a total turn around of opinion! He plays guitar lefty but leaves it strung for a righty—he plays everything upside-down. Fly adds percussion to the songs by tapping the guitar body and gently ends one song with both his thumbs lightly hammering on the low E string. He later tells me that he was told those are his girl-attracting moves.

Headlining the show tonight is Willie Alexander & the Razdans—another new formation for Willie to let fly in whatever direction it wants. This one is headed towards rock/jazz fusion. The Razdans are father and son sax-blowing duo that easily jumps between improvisation and playing the written parts—depending on what is called for. David “Doc” Vincent is behind the drums driving them like a Billy Cobhan. Willie’s left piano hand holds down the fort with the persistent root notes finely distorting the fat bottom. Willie’s right hand offers the twinkles ala Jerry Lee Lewis, which is a great match for the dueling saxophones. They deliver a little of everything—tunes with lyrics by Vincent Ferrini to the classics “Let’s Go to the Rat” and “Mass Ave.” The new fusion material wins me over the most tonight because it fits the group well.

Gotta mention that Will Hunt does a great job on the sound tonight. And that I hope they raised enough money to replace the bleachers in Newell Stadium. (T Max)

BELLOWS, HOLY SHEET,
DIANA JOY,
WHOREPAINT
AS220, Providence, RI
4/4/10

I waltz into AS220 just as Whorepaint begins their set. The guitarist is Hillary from Sweet Thieves and the singer is from Made In Mexico. I’m not sure who the drummer is but she rules. I believe this is their first show, yet you wouldn’t know it. Trance inducing hypnotic noise rock with Marlene Dietrich’s ghost on the mic. The set ends far too soon. I want more!

Next up is Diana Joy. She plays mostly a solo set, with some kind of pirate joining her for the last two numbers. I’m not sure if the word “songs” would do her justice. With mostly backing tracks via a laptop behind her voice, she brings to mind performance artist singers like Irene Moon, Naomi Elizabeth, Laurie Anderson, and Nina Hagen. Very cool stuff, amazing set.

Holy Sheet tears up the floor next. A drummer, two keyboardists, and a singer dressed in something pulled from the trash writhing around on the floor screaming words you can barely understand. This is Providence, not L.A., hell yeah! This is the scene that defines the city, young, dirty, and loud. Take that, society!

Bellows ends the night not with a wimper, but with a roar. A Lightning Bolt-Hella style drummer joined by a sax player and tuba player create an effects aided cacophony reminiscent of John Zorn’s Naked City or some Sonny Sharrock projects. “Out there” only begins to describe the wonderful rainbow they create in your mind. (Eric Baylies)

THE GILDED SPLINTERS,
SUMMER VILLAINS
Lizard Lounge, Cambridge, MA
3/26/10

The Summer Villains are on stage as I walk into the Lizard Lounge. The crowd is tight but I grab a beer and squeeze in through the crowd and land a fine spot up front. The band launches into a whirlwind set, playing such country-esque ballads as “Let’s Drink,” “There’ll be Time For Crying In Hell,” and my favorite, “You’re Right But Fuck You.” The band, evoking such great chemistry and comeraderie on stage, has no problem taking the audience along for the ride as they mix badass trucking music with eclectic folk rock and good old rock ’n’ roll party music.

The Gilded Splinters waste no time and jump in where the Summer Villains leave off, keeping the party rocking and the spirits high. The music has a Neil Young country vibe and it goes over well with the crowd. A small but lively group of dancers accumulates in front of the stage. There are a few spilled drinks but nobody seems to care. They are entranced by Josh Buckley, lead singer of the Gilded Splinters. He’s got an amazing voice and an arsenal of well-written songs to show it off. The band spurring on the crowd with tight grooves and melodic harmonies is the frosting on the cake. It’s a great night of music and people are feeling it. I’m glad to be here. (Kier Byrnes)

MIND YETI, LA OTRACINA,
GUNSLINGERS,
GHOST BOX ORCHESTRA
Butcher Shop, Allston, MA
4/7/10

This is not exactly the same type of butcher shop I worked at, but if you looked hard enough, you would see the blood was human, not animal. Ghost Box Orchestra opens the party with a terrific set. They are like Sonic Youth at times, but if you listen hard, and I do, you hear lots of other stuff going on, from Leslie West type runs ala “Theme From An Imaginary Western” to psyche, noise, surf, and fado. A really fantastic Boston band to watch for.

Gunslingers play next but I won’t go into detail because they are not local. They are from France and are awesome. Look them up.

La Otracina follows. The drummer-singer used to play in one of my favorite Boston math rock bands, the National Blue. This band is less Rush and Battles and more Blue Cheer and Hawkwind. They rock so hard they made the ceiling sweat. Thank goodness it’s water and not blood. I saw them (and Gunslingers) the night before at AS220 in Providence and it was so good I had to witness it again.

Mind Yeti ends the night with what I think is an all improv set with a fairly big band. Acid Mothers Temple and Can are recalled in my mind. It’s so crowded at this point, I can not tell how many of people are playing in the band, but it seems like a cast of thousands. What a night! This is one of the best shows I have seen in years, and I play or go to about 150 or so a year. (Eric Baylies)