February 2006 Volume 2 Issue 2 Blues ● Classical ● Country ● Folk ● Hip Hop ● Jazz ● Rock

pronounced no-mah-so-nah

Lydia Warren

Betterman’s
Rule
Five Central
Milo’s
Syndicate
The Band: “i”
A Curmudgeon’s Guide to Gear • The Recording Songwriter • Strongarm Top 10
 DIZ AD
HERE

RED MILL
GRAPHICS
AD
HERE
2
 Table Of Contents
Strongarm Top 10.................................................. 4
Guest Op-Ed ......................................................... 4
The Buzz .............................................................. 5
Publisher: Rig Painter Productions
Lydia Warren ........................................................ 9
Betterman’s Rule ................................................. 11
Editor: Marc Friedman
Five Central ........................................................ 11
“i”......................................................................... 13 Copy Editors: Stephanie Canelas, Meg Crotty , Amy
Milo’s Syndicate .................................................. 14 Saunders, Jennifer Mottram, Marc Friedman
The Recording Songwriter .................................. 19
Reviews .............................................................. 2? Writers: Ronin, Carla Wheeler, Jillian Locke, Strongarm Radio,
Emmy Cerra , James LeBoeuf, Michelle Kellaway, Carla
Classifieds .......................................................... 25 Wheeler, Adam Savage-Adalman, Steve Friedman, Keven
Upcoming Events ................................................ 30 Pearce, Matthew S. Robinson, Will Briere, Lindsay Harvey,
Stephanie Canelas, Derek Drowne, Danielle Martino

Photography: Steven O'Keefe, Claire Alina Benoist, Dante

Parker

Cover Art: Ward Morgan Logo: Tony C. Antinoro

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NoMaSoNHa
To a cow, tanning has a whole c/o Continental Cobbler
6 W. Broadway
different meaning. Derry, NH 03038
978-258-2606 • friekman@hotmail.com

www.NoMaSoNHa.com
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Repair: guitar/bass cases, leather jackets, boots and shoes

Custom: guitars straps, gig bags, leather pants, vests, etc.

3
 Strongarm Radio Top 10 List
Artist Album Number Of Plays
1. Milo's Syndicate Futility In E Minor 4
2. Burn Me Down The Rough Divide 3
3. Within Choking Range Most People Just Die 3
4. Unearth The Oncoming Storm 2
5. Robby Roadsteamer The Heart Of The Rhino 2
Strongarm Radio 6. All That Remains This Darkened Heart 2
Hosted by Brian and Josh 7. Screams of Erida Burn The World 1
Wednesdays from 8PM – 10PM 8. Beyond the Embrace Insect Song 1
104.9FM WRBB 9. Burn In Silence Pure As Your First Day 1
www.wrbbradio.org www.myspace.com/strongarmradio
email mp3s to strongarmradio@yahoo.com 10. Shadows Fall The Art of Balance 1

Guest Op-Ed
The following is an obit written by Emmy Cerra for her friend and musical confidant. Some might find the content objectionable, but
we at NoMaSoNHa believe in the first amendment and as long as violence and hatred are not advocated, we will publish items at
our discretion.
The Legendary Lady Beque: Musician, Exhibitionist, Bisexual, Inspiration and Friend
by Emmy Cerra
I met her on a blind date one night in Worcester. The first thing I noticed was the angelic shape of her
eyes and her beautiful lips which were underscored by a metal spike in her chin. As soon as I got out to
say hello, I lost myself in the moment and locked my keys in my car. We spent the next hour running
around in the shopping plaza in Worcester looking for someone with a slim jim. We finally found a cop
doing some detailing. He couldn't get the door open but lucky for me, a convicted car thief he busted a
few years earlier happened to walk by the plaza. The cop remembered him by name and volunteered
his services. I got my keys back almost immediately.
I jumped in her car and hung out with her all evening. We went to her place for a long while. She took
me to her bedroom and showed me pictures of all the piercing she’s had done and all the piercings she
did. She was a certified in body piercing and she, herself, was a canvas of ink and metal. Becca was
open and seemed to enjoy showing these pictures even though some were very personal. She had no
shame in sharing everything she was within the next five hours. She was very dark with lots of secrets,
some of which disturbed me for a very long time after we met, and some I had wished I'd never heard.
In her car, I remember her playing her favorite song at the time by a band named Spider or about a spider. I can’t really remem-
ber but what I did remember was her voice when she sang along and the way her eyes widened as she sang it. Made sense, I
found out later she was a musician/vocalist. She had a rainbow steering wheel cover and rainbow seat covers in her car. During
this time in my life I was hardly out and felt slightly ashamed for feeling uncomfortable. I was embarrassed for feeling this way. I
guess I was not comfortable with who or what I was, yet. I asked her if she was a lesbian in which she replied, “no.” She said that
she was bisexual and though it’s but a small piece of who she was, she was proud of it.
Something I admired about her was her unabashed sense of self. She told me that she used to sit on her porch naked and smoke
cigarettes; she would also cut herself from time to time but was learning how to feel without hurting herself. She was tragic and I
was innocent, only two years younger than I but a world apart.
Though she was by far the most tragic woman I’d ever met, she was also the most stunning. We spoke again via e-mail soon
after our date and I told her that she frightened me. She understood too easily, somehow I think she heard this before.
She e-mailed me from time to time. A little over a year ago she e-mailed me a link. There I saw about 50 pictures of her com-
pletely nude except for the beads in her bright red pony-tail dreads and a pair of leather boots. I already knew she was an exhibi-
tionist so this didn't surprise me in the least. She had a beautiful body and killer style and an equally tortured soul.
Because of her I got up the nerve to record my first album, I also have a spectrum on the back of my SUV and I display it with
pride. The last e-mail she sent me, she told me to call her sometime to hang out if I was up to it. Like I said earlier, she scared me.
I didn’t call her but I’d like to think I was getting up the nerve to meet up with her again after
four years of casual e-mails.
Tonight I went to her website to find out what she’s been up to. There I learned her middle name, found out she was married and
that she was buried in her gothic red corset wedding dress. I was reading her obituary. I read that she passed away in her sleep.
Her husband found her face down in her pillow after she had fallen ill earlier that day. I’ve been reading articles for the past hour
and I combed the obituary over and over and still don't know how she died. I guess it doesn’t really matter, all that matters is that
she isn’t here. I feel sorry for those she left behind because her existence brought even more beauty to this world. She loved peo-
ple even though they were the source of so much of her pain. Her spirit was too large to be trapped in the physical world, I guess
now she has been set free.
www.myspace.com/ladybeque

4
Local Artist & Music News
To submit news items to be considered for print, please check spelling and grammar.
Poorly written summaries and press releases will be discarded or returned for revision.
LowellRocks.com Benefit To Be Held
On February 11th At Club 251
Longtime LowellRocks.com personality and editor of NoMa-
SoNHa's "Ask Ronin" Ronin has spent the greater part of last year
secretly plannign a benefit for LowellRocks.com, the area's only
music communtiy webpage. Ronin announced his plans shortly
after January first on the messageboard section of thew webpage
in the following post:
"So many of us have benefited from his efforts that we have de-
cided to band together and put on a LowellRocks.com fundraiser
for operating the site. This event will be held on February 11th at
Club 251 in Billerica. So far we
have potentially six bands committed to playing including
Decadance, The End Result, PCDM, North County Line and
more to be named later. In addition, Stunt Music has agreed to
provide sound and lights for the evening. Dot is
handling the promotions for this event.
All proceeds will be donated to Randy for the continued opera-
tion of this website. More to come but please, mark your calen-
dar for this important event which will contribute to the continued
health and operations of this important website and the Lowell
area music community.
For those of you who own a business, please consider donating
prizes for the event. Please email me at Ron-
inEnt1@comcast.net if interested.
Randy, the co-founder of the site, repsponded by asking how
many Santas there could be.
2nd Annual NE Punk, Goth, and Metal Festival
Seeks Interested Performers
Gluttons for punishment, promoters Anderson Mar and Matthew
Marchesi are ready to do it all over again. The Second Annual
New England Punk, Goth, and Metal Fest (September 30 and
October 1, 2006) is now seeking interested performers.
As in the past, they've selected Festival performers via an audi-
tion process known as "Slaughter House Saturday". Here's the
scoop:
1. Audition s ar e h eld at Ref lect io ns Lou ng e
(www.reflectionslounge.com) in Chelmsford, MA.
2. Your band gets to play an all ages show during the hours of 1-6
PM on a Saturday afternoon. You can sell merchandise.
3. Anderson and Matt give you 50 tickets to pre-sell to your fans
at a discount for your SHS/NEPGM Fest audition. Your fans
get to see 4 bands for $8, saving $2 off the at-the-door admission
price. Bands turn in the ticket sale $ and unused tickets to Mat-
thew Marchesi on the date of their audition.
4. Pick your date from those listed below. Please pick a 1st, 2nd,
and 3rd choice. Audition dates are decided on a first-come,
first-serve basis (this is why they ask you list 2nd and 3rd
choices).
5. Email your choice of date to Admin@nepgmfest.com and CC
Anderson@nepgmfest.com on the email. Please provide your
5
the buzz
mailing address so that they can send you your 50 tickets.
Dates for SHS - NE PGM FEST auditions:
1/21 1/28 2/04 2/11 2/18 2/25 3/04 3/11 3/18 3/25 4/01 4/08 4/15
4/22 4/29 5/06 5/13 5/20 5/27 No Show! Memorial Day Weekend
6/03 6/10 6/17 6/24 7/01 maybe www.nepgmfest.com
Osprey Entertainment Produces 1st Annual Rockathon
On January 7th Sever The Time, After The Ashes, Ill-Conceived,
Under Lying Truth and Heyday played Athol's Liberty Hall the first-
ever Rockathon. The bands played a four hour concert benefiting
Athol's Memorial Hall Revitalization Fund.
The Rockathon, produced by Osprey Entertainment and spon-
sored by Lu's Flower and Gift Shop and 97.3FM WJDF, raised
over $1700 for the Memorial Hall Revitalization Fund "I'm really
thrilled by the way the event turned out," says Memorial Hall Revi-
talization Fund Committee Chair Ethan Stone. "Josh LaMarche
and his entire Osprey Entertainment staff did an awesome job
producing this event.”
Rockathon 2, scheduled for February 18. Tickets go on sale
February 1, 2006. www.atholmemorialhall.com
www.OspreyPresents.com www.ethanstonemusic.com
www.tooltownlive.com www.atholmemorialhall.com
A Coffee House Fund Raiser
For Dorothy Kay-McLaughlin
On Sunday, December 11, local artists Greg Gallo, Judy C, Er-
inn Brown and Northern Edge played a fundraiser for Dorothy
Kay-McLaughlin who will be will be receiving an Intestinal Trans-
plant at Georgetown University Hospital in Washington, D.C.
when a donor match is found. The event was held at St.
Stephen's Church, 74 South Common St. Lynn, MA.
The organizers and musicians are working together with the Na-
tional Transplant Assistance Fund. www.transplantfund.org
American Federation of Musicians
Offers Health Insurance
Local 300 of the AFM, the Merrimack Valley Musicians, now offers
health insurance on an individual basis to musicians who wish to
join. For more info call toll free 866-453-2700 or email
afm300@comcast.net.
Also, the AFM local 300 will be holding it’s annual banquet at
2PM on February 12, 2006 at Princeton Station (formerly Prince-
ton Lounge/Jimmy’s IV). The menu includes Sirloin Steak Tips,
Chicken Parmesan, and Baked Haddock. Current members and
of f i cer s wi l l be i n att endan ce.
Billerica Home of Safe Sex
Club 251 in Billerica played host to LowellRocks.com's Safe Sex
Night on Saturday, January 14th. More than just naughty fun,
Safe Sex Night is designed to promote healthy choices, provide
free condoms for everyone in attendance, and of course, have the
fun and games and mayhem LowellRocks.com events are known
for!
Among the mischievous games planned were Adult Truth or
Dare with "Adult Friendly" prizes. www.lowellrocks.com
the buzz Local Artist & Music News

Central New England Battle of the Beats will be held February Classical
4th at Cinco Nightclub in Nashua. This will be a producers com-
petition complete with a grand prize and an artist page on Jive The Nashua Symphony Coral Society, under
Turkey Records web site. The event is being hosted by the U-N the direction of associate conductor Richard
and UGOD from the Wu-Tang Clan is set to perform. The show A. Larraga, will be performing Orff's Carmina
is 18+ and tickets are $10 in advance and $15 at the door. Burana at Nashua High School North Audito-
rium on Saturday March 25th and on April 8th
Skope Magazine held it's annual holiday bash December 22nd at Pinkerton Academy in Derry. The perform-
at the Middle East in Cambridge. DJ Shyne hosted with Adria, ances will be held at 8pm and tickets range
Pennyred, Cold Duck Complex, and Lovewhip as the headliner. from $10 to $20.
The night was sponsored by Onlinegigs.com and the Alpha Mu-
sic Group and was complete with giveaways including live CDs The Seven Hills Symphony at Umass Medical in Worcester
by Phish and The Black Keys. www.skopemagazine.com played its first concert in the Lazare Cafe in the Blais Pavillion in
Worcester, complete with bake sale. The newly founded orches-
Thumbprint Productions’ Catch the Vibe Live tv show pre- tra was formed to provide an artistic outlet for Umass medical
miered Sunday January 22nd at 8 & 10 PM on Manchester's students and to provide the surrounding community with quality
MCAM TV23! Bands featured include Blue Matter, Soupbone music performances. They hope to add more performances this
Throne, Gray Davies and more. Footage was recorded live at spring.
the Stone Church, the Brick House and Redhook Brewery. An-
other episode was filmed at Milly's Tavern on January 27th and Country
featured Blue Matter, Betterman’s Rule, the Minus Scale, and
Thunderpants Johnson's Hillbilly Orchestra recently played a
Poor Fred.
benefit show for the family of Craig Ryder, who recently suc-
Rebecca Strauss and Susan Wilson, together under the name of cumbed to cancer, at the Gaelic Club.
Melodic Vision, will perform "Soul
Survivor" at Pomroy Hall in Newton
Dance
on February 5. The 90 minute per- Do you like boys, girls, or both? Do you pretend to be straight
formance delves into hope, healing, because it feels right to society?
and survival through projected im- This is what a Dizzy Boi goes
ages combined with music, spoken through everyday. Being lost
word, and live discussion. The night and confused about sexuality
includes an opening reception of needs resolution. Bylli Cray-
wine and cheese and concludes one's new release "Dizzy Boi"
with discussion and dessert. Susan Wilson was featured in sends the message that being
June's Women and Music issue. Rebecca Strauss will be in an happy is all that matters in life
upcoming issue. www.melodicvision.com and to do this you need to be
The Ominous Collective has partnered with The Cambridge yourself. The new release will be
Multicultural Arts Center and Club Passim to present The Unoffi- out February 14th, 2006
cial Paranoiac-Critical Science Fair with music, poetry, dance, (Valentines day) to brighten up
and other "not so easily categorized" performances in celebration those of you who may be
of their first anniversary. The event will be taking place February dizzy.The single will be loaded with dance remixes and a new
9th at the Cambridge multicultural arts center. Megamix of his previous album release. Listen to and download
remixes at www.MusicFreedom.com/BylliCrayone
Radar Recordings held their third annual celebration, "Last
Night on Earth", on New Year's Eve weekend at the Middle East Folk/Singer-Songwriter
upstairs. The celebration featured Constants, Seneca, Caspian, Ian James recently recorded over twenty tracks, some of which
Shore Leave, and the CD of Junius‘ Blood is Bright. can be previewed on www.ianjamesmusic.com.
The celebration later headed North to participate in a showcase You can also hear two of his electronica tracks “Teflon Disco”
at First Night in Burlington, VT. www.radarrecordings.com and “Deeper” on Saturdays at Dark Intentions in Lowell.
Check out Thursdays at Nightclub 245 in Nashua, hosted by Former Somerville native Christopher Williams released a new
Furyus, The U-N, and DJ Dax, who will be spinning everything holiday album, Unbroken Song, this past season which can be
from hip-hop to dance. ordered online. He is touring cross country and recently made
Daryl Silva of The Silva Screen reports that "Second Wind" is stops in Massach us etts and New Ham psh ire.
being filmed in and around NH and MA, and is using local music www.ChristopherW.com
talent. "Second Wind" is based on the life story of a MA quadri-
plegic. Hip Hop
Daryl Silva also produces a music video reality show called The DJ Dax and Phil Da Strangla of the crew known as the U-N are
Silva Slam. www.thesilvascreen.com signing a record deal Killer Groove Productions of NYC
DJ Dax began new residencies at Cinco Nightclub in Nashua

Get Press every Saturday and Dover Soul martini bar in Dover every 2nd
and 4th Friday.

Send your music news Klik Star Productions released Beast With'N Mixtape a twenty
two track mix featuring Sswytch Hope, Coma, Girth, D'Nyle,
to NoMaSoNHa Tempa, Top Dawg, 6ixty 6ix , Free, KonSpira-C, Reckles and
more on January 15th. www.myspace.com/klikstarproductions
friekman@hotmail.com
6
Local Artist & Music News the buzz
Wize, Quincy based MC and member of the U-N, is in the studio Also look out for the new Cookie Cutter Girl comic book, coming
working on his sophomore solo release with DJ Dax that will be soon. www.CookieCutterGirl.com
released through Jive Turkey Productions. Tracks from thhe al-
bum have already gotten airtime on Lowell's 91.5 WUML FM. MTV has licensed Cracktorch's "Tonight the City" for use on
www.Jiveturkeyproductions.com Made and My Super Sweet Sixteen.

MC/Singer Furyus is set to shoot a video for the single 20% off Dipthong was featured on WRBC with Razor Ray on January
his recently released LP Still Standing. 14th. The bands has also placed new songs online at
www.MySpace.com/Dipthong.
Tyngsboro’s MC Crisis is working on his So Crucial Mixtape,
which will be released through V.E.N.O.M. Entertainment and Klik Epic Visions is in the studio recording his first solo release.
Star Productions. The Ethan Stone Band
played a concert on
Rock
January 13th in the
A Simple Complex played with national act Ra on New Year's Theatre at Mount Wa-
Eve at Mark's Rock Club. chusett Community Col-
The band is also planning an early 2006 release of their new lege with all profits from
album. ticket sales going to the
Southeast Mississippi
Betterman's Rule have put up a live recording of "With Our Rural Health Initiative, for
Love", a new song, on www.myspace.com/bettermansrule. relief of Hurricane Katrina
victims. The five piece
Bubingah has thrown in the towel. Their last gig was Friday De-
Ethan Stone Band in-
cember 9th at the Mammoth Rd Club in Dracut. .
cluded Vanessa Gallagher, Adam Bergeron, Chris Goldman and
Burden of Liberty played two shows in two states in one day on more, performing Ethan Stone's original music and popular favor-
December 3rd and they were their final two shows of 2005 The ites. www.ethanstonemusic.com
first show was a fundraiser/benefit for Lee Laurence to assist with
medical expenses in his fight with cancer. Inhale played made their New York City debut at the legendary
CBGBs (Country, Blue grass, Blues for those of you who were
The band will be heading into the studio in January to record
wondering what the name stands for) on December 13th.
their first official demo (consisting of 3 to 4 tunes), complete with
The band also advanced into the semi-final round of the Anthem
vocals, at Process Nucleus Studios in Tilton, NH.
Events Battle of the Bands. The semi-final round set to took place
They plan to launch their own website in the new year and hit the
on January 22nd at The Rack in Boston. We are waiting to hear
stage again by March. www.myspace.com/burdenofliberty
how they did.
Cellblock One has parted ways with their vocalist. The band If the band wasn’t busy enough, they found the time to play Con-
writes, “It seems that the Cellblock One story will be entering a certs4Charity's Third Annual PhilanthropyFest which was held at
new chapter. Our vocalist seems to be M.I.A., so to speak. Com- The Worcester Palladium. www.concerts4charity.org
munication is close to non existent and any attempts are met by www.inhaleband.com
answering machines and locked doors. Why, you might ask. We
don't know. Only B.C. can answer that. The band achieved a lot in Junius will be co-headlining a North American tour with art-metal
2005 and we experienced quite a bit together both good and bad. pioneers Circle Takes the Square beginning in February.
We enjoyed working with B.C. and wish him the best of luck in his Minset X have been locked away
future endeavors. in the recording studio putting the
We, the remaining members still want to come out kick your finishing touches on their new
asses so we've decided to carry on. We're still going back into the album Physics which features 11
studio for further sessions and are still hoping for a Spring ‘06 new songs including "Mr. X", "The
release of our third album, which will undoubtedly bring the Cell- Public Mind", "Atmosphere" and
block One sound to a new level.” www.cellblockone.com "The Chaos Theory". Physics will
be released on February 7th.
Common Thrill’s self titled album is being paired with U2’s How
A number of shows in support of
to Dismantle an Atomic Bomb for sale on Amazon.com. When you
the new release have been lined up and a partial schedule in-
buy “Dismatle” you get Common Thrill for $2 off.
cludes:
Cookie Cutter Girl, being a single superhero, posted a personal 1/12/2006 - The Uptown Tavern, Manchester NH
profile on Match.com. The Girl Power superhero spent several 1/14/2006 - Blackstones, Laconia NH
hours uploading her personal 1/16/2006 - LIVE on the Radio, 99.9 The Eagle
info and photos. After only 1/18/2006 - The SkyBar, Somerville MA
weeks online, Match.com 1/20/2006 - The Spyder Room, Manchester NH
sent her an email stating that
2/04/2006 - The Underground, Bangor ME
her profile had been deleted
2/11/2006 - Blackstones, Laconia NH
for reasons they could not
disclose. Still single and living 2/25/2006 - The Lucky Dog, Worcester MA
a superhero's life of solitude 4/01/2006 - Geno's, Portland ME
and servitude, Cookie Cutter NoMaSoNHa expects great things from this dynamic, inventive
Girl is taking her search di- and progressive band. We look forward to hearing the CD.
rectly to her fans, offering them the opportunity to win a date with www.mind-set.net www.myspace.com/mindsetx
her by entering in the Minarik Guitars sponsored contest on
Cookie Cutter Girl's web site.

7
The Buzz Local Artist & Music News
On Friday, February 3rd, Mongrel will be at Scorz in Nashua, NH Heyday
to play their first hometown show in nearly 8 months.
Mongrel has also
changed its rhythm sec-
tion and now features
Rev on bass and Andre
Dumont (ex-Graveyard
Shyft, ex-Veil) on
drums. They will be re-
cording a 3 song EP in
early February, and will
begin working on their
full length CD in April.
Mongrel was men-
tioned by friend Acey Slade of Trash Light Vision in his latest
monthly column for Metal Edge magazine (20th anniversary
cover) in which he calls us "the hardest working band in Boston".
www.MongrelBand.com Martin. They teamed up with Waltham again at Scorz in Nashua
on December 9th and hosted an "inaugural" New Years Eve bash
at Legends Hall of Fame Grill in Waltham which they promised
After the Ashes would be filled with shenanigans as well as a set by the band.
www.rockforacause.com.
In other band news, they booked themselves a room for the first
annual Six Day Slide New Year's Eve Bonanza.
www.sixdayslide.com www.myspace.com/sixdayslide

Sool will officially release their new album Sooltime sometime in

February however it is for sale on their website.
Sooltime, featuring a whopping 52 tracks, was recorded at Zip-
pah, R-15, and Prudential Tower studios and is being released on
the Sool Recordings label. www.soolmusic.com
The Weisstronauts rolled back into town from their highly-talked-
about tour of the Northeast and Midwest to host two 7th Annual
Holiday Jubilees. They were the "South of the River" Jubilee at
Matt Murphy's Pub in Brookline Village and the "north of the river"
Jubilee at P.A.'s Lounge in Union Square, Somerville, MA.
On Saturday, December 10th, Pondering Judd hosted its first-
ever North Country Christmas Party at Horsefeathers in North
Conway, NH. Cookie Cutter Girl
Pondering Judd ran their week long ad campaign for their latest
release, Lonesome Heart Strangers. It airs throughout the sea-
coast area on various stations (through Comcast).
Saturn Effect invites you to check out their new song
"Correspondence" at www.myspace.com/saturneffect.
Six Day Slide made their AM news debut on Fox 25's Morning
Show last December performing "New Day" before their show the
next night at Merrimack College promoting the third annual Rock
for a Cause fundraiser for VH1's Save the Music Foundation and
also featured local acts Waltham, Pete Kilpatrick, and Todd

Ill-Conceived

8

Lady Sings The Blues: Lydia Warren
L ydia Warren is a musician who transcends her young
age. She is just as at home playing straight blues as
she is fusing the history of the blues with her own style. It is
this personal stamp that helps keep the blues alive for us
all. Lydia and I had a great conversation on the phone that
went something like this:
I really enjoyed Through With Love, your last CDOh
cool! Hey, thanks.
How long have you been playing?
I started playing guitar when I was fourteen, and the band
and I have been together for five years now.
Are you self taught or did you take lessons?
I’d been playing clarinet in the school band, so I had that
going for me. Then I started playing bass when I was like
12 or 13. I actually saw a video of Albert King playing. After
that, I was so taken by him playing that guitar was it. I
traded all of my bass stuff in for a guitar. One of my par-
ents’ friends was a local guitar player [and] taught me for
about a year. He introduced me to a lot of different styles of
blues and rock. He made me use theory flash cards
[laughs] so that helped me out.
So, you had an introduction to music theory?
Well, I never was very good at reading sheet music. I would
kind of listen to what everyone else was doing and jump in.
The school band helped me get accustomed to playing with
9
blues
by James LeBoeuf
www.LydiaWarren.com
other people.
Do you think your lack of reading music hinders you?
I think it is important to know what you’re playing. For in-
stance, this is an E major or E minor chord and such. It de-
pends on the style of music you’re playing. If you’re playing
classical music and you can’t read, you’re probably not go-
ing to be working. In playing blues and rock, you need to
know enough to be able to communicate with other musi-
cians. I just sort of yell out chord changes to the guys in the
band, and they tap tempos on my leg and we get by.
Who are some of your influences?
As far as blues is concerned, definitely Magic Sam, Otis
Rush and Albert King. Magic Sam is probably the biggest. I
was just noticing yesterday as we were finishing up the mix
of our live CD [now available] that we do three cover songs
on the live CD and all three are Magic Sam [laughs]. As far
other types of music, I was raised on a ton of rock. You
know, Led Zeppelin, Hendrix and Peter Frampton, every-
one like that, you know Jeff Beck. So that [rock] is definitely
an influence on what I do. I really love pop music. I am a
sucker for mainstream stuff like Christina Aguilera [and]
Britney Spears. So in the end, I really like everything.
Too many people get lost in saying they are a blues
musician or a jazz musician and they can’t look beyond
the image they feel they have to have. They shut their
ears and it ends up hurting them.

“I never was very good at reading sheet
music. I would kind of listen to what
everyone else was doing and jump in.”
Yeah. I actively go after types of music I don’t know. I have
just recently gotten into Gypsy sort of Slavic ethnic music.other guitar player playing all of the parts that are on the
My band mates looked at me kind of funny, but I gave them
some CDs and they really liked it.
Sure! Why not? Blues is, after all, American folk music.
There is always a correlation between different types of
music somehow.
When you set out to record this disc, did you have it in
mind to stretch the boundaries of the blues?
When I am writing, I don’t really think about anything. I just
write and try to write songs that convey what I am thinking.find new things we can do with the trio. There’s a show that
When we were in the process of making this CD, we were
trying to incorporate whatever we were all listening to at the
moment. So all of the CDs we record tend to be a little bit and every Sunday he has a special guest. I have done it,
more varied than we thought they’d be, which is a good
thing. So we might end up trying to make a CD with really
great guitar or drum sounds, and the music comes out kind
of folky or kind of R&B. So we just go where the music
takes us.
That means the band is letting it happen.Before we go
into making a CD, we spend a couple of weeks in rehears-
als, trying out different beats and tempos and such. We try
out different instruments─an acoustic guitar here, or maybe
throw in some varied styles. We may, for instance, try a
Reggae bridge. We always are experimenting. We let the
audience decide, though. We will take the songs out and
play them differently on different nights.
That’s a good gauge.
Yeah. If they don’t like it, it won’t fly.
Are you signed to a label or are you putting this out on
your own?
We do it all indie — all on our own.
How is that working for you?
It’s good. It’s a way to keep control of all aspects of our mu-
sic. I don’t think there are many [signed] artists who have
total control. There is no one other than ourselves telling us
to cut songs or shorten them up.
How about distribution?
We use CD Baby! online. They are just an amazing com-
pany. They send our music all over the world. Regionally,
we use Newbury Comics. They have been distributing our
last two CDs.
You mentioned that your next CD is going to be a live.
Where was it recorded?
We recorded that in three different places: Paddy’s in
Portsmouth, New Hampshire; The Sea Note in Nantasket
Beach, Mass.; and Theodore’s in Springfield, Mass. Our
bass player has a mobile recording truck and came in and
recorded the shows.
That’s cool. What’s the name of his company?
It is named Curbside Recording (www.curbside-
recording.com). The fact that he has that allowed us to re-
cord a few different shows and pick what we liked. Two
were recorded in August and one was recorded in Septem-
ber. Then we could sit there and pick exactly what we liked.
Has being a young female guitar player helped or hin-
dered you ?
I think the most common reaction we get is “I didn’t expect
that! I didn’t expect you to be that good!” A lot of people
see a poster of a girl with a guitar hanging in a club and
they think like maybe it will be OK. They expect to see an-
record. A lot of people say they are surprised when they
see me playing the parts. I can’t think of much negative
[feedback] except that maybe people think I am the girl-
friend of someone in the band.
Your band is a trio. How do you like that versus a lar-
ger outfit?
I love it. I think that people forget how much you can do
with three people and a voice. We are always pushed to
I do sometimes at the Grog in Newburyport put on by
Parker Wheeler. He assembles a five or six piece band,
and most local musicians play there, people like Chris Fitz
[and] Tony Lynn Washington. That is like my only chance
to play with other instruments. I think that it is fun but I love
coming back to the trio. There is a lot of freedom with the
trio but you have to work a bit harder.
Lydia Warren’s CD, Lydia Warren Band LIVE, is now avail-
able through her website, www.lydiawarren.com.

10
When All Else Fails:
Five Central
T hough fairly new to the Boston music scene, indie rockers
Five Central have experienced tremendous success. Their
appeal lies in strong songwriting and catchy hooks. Vocalist Adam
Jensen mixes angst-ridden lyrics with a lighter acoustic touch,
reaching out to fans across the board. Along with a strong live
show and unerring commitment to promoting their debut EP,
Someone Save The Hero, they’re on their way to making a real
name for themselves.
I had the pleasure of interviewing Jensen and Five Central’s
other founding member, drummer Jeff Cannon. With their charac-
teristically offbeat humor and ever-present modesty, they gave me
a glimpse into the world of Five Central: the girls, the packed con-
certs, the shameless self-promoting, and, above all, the music.
You're actually giving your new EP Someone Save The Hero
away for free at concerts? Adam Jensen [AJ]: We just wanna
get our music out to as many people as possible whatever way
we can, so we just hand them out at shows and hope people will
come back. Usually we just harass them until they take our CD.
How have things changed since you've released a recording?
Jeff Cannon [JC]: Well first, and most importantly, with the re-
lease came the opportunity to get our music out there, not only on
the internet, but also by giving away the CD at our shows. And
second, we’ve been able to get more gigs with this demo, which
11
rock
An interview by Michelle Kellaway Photo by Steven O'Keefe
we still consider a work in progress, but it seems to be doing the
job so far.
AJ: We've gotten a lot bigger fanbase from the recording because
not only can we pass out CDs, but we can post it on the web,
which helps us reach a lot more people than usual. We've also
gotten a lot more fans and mail from farther away, from California
to England to Germany. So it’s definitely helped us broaden our
fan base and it really helps us with picking up chicks [because]
they can’t say we aren’t in a band. It works - just ask my girlfriend.
You guys haven't been playing together all that long - maybe
a year or so, right, and already you've had great success.
How'd you do it?
AJ: Yeah, our current line-up has only been together for less than
a year, but me and Jeff have been playing together as Five Cen-
tral for about two years. So basically we [two] have been playing
for so long that we just flow together and build a foundation for the
song immediately after I write it, then bring in different musicians
from different styles, which has helped add different elements to
the music. We do a lot of promotion and just try to get as many
people as we can to listen to our stuff. I also have awesome
friends who push our music on everyone they know and I guess it
doesn’t hurt to beg people to come to our shows and then hope
they like it when they do.
JC: We’ve definitely had some success, but I think this is just the
beginning and we’re certainly all eager for more. The possibilities the scars I would leave on your one-night stands face” That’s the
are endless, we just have to keep at it and I’m certain the right kind of sh*t that hits home with everyone.
doors will so open up to us. I think the rapid song-writing really JC: Just in hearing our songs you can answer that question, I’d
played a key role in any success for us though. We learned fast say. There’s more of a raw appeal to our music and harder
what songs just weren’t gonna work out and were able to replace grooves. And for anyone who’s been screwed over by a boy-
them in no time at all with new, catchier songs. friend or girlfriend, you can really identify with our music.
What advice do you have for other bands who're trying to Speaking of radio stations, you were recently in the Mix 98.5
gain a following like yours? Battle of the Bands. Can you tell me a bit about that experi-
JC: Best advice I can give is to just be relentless. Don’t rest until ence?
you’ve exhausted all means of getting your music heard. AJ: That was a really cool gig. Anthem Events put on the battle
AJ: Promote, promote, promote until you basically force people of about 60 bands from around New England and we were all
to listen. The music should take care of the rest from there. I competing for the opening spot at MixFest this year. We ended
mean, I even bring a stack of CDs to parties and just pass them up finishing in second because we weren’t a very MixFest style
out. People like free sh*t and they like to feel like they have a band - I swear too much and sing too much about non-pop
connection with a band and their music, [but] don’t be an ass and things. The final night was amazing. We packed the little venue
answer all e-mails. Just get your music in the hands of as many with about 150 people. I have one of my best music memories to
people as you can. Our fans connect with our music because date from the final night when during the middle of “Crash and
they have our screen names, our [phone] number, our e-mail-- Burn” I pulled away from the mic and all you could hear was
anything they want, we give to them. We want them to feel like about 150 people singing the chorus at the top of their lungs. It’s
they can talk to us and tell us what they like and don’t like. I thinka great feeling to hear that many people sing back a song that
the biggest thing I’ve learned from this band is that no venue is you wrote.
too small, no internet site not cool enough, and to just put your JC: The MixFest Battle was a blast. A lot of great bands were
music out there any way you can. there, so not only did we enjoy playing, we really had a good time
A lot of your success can be attributed to your live shows. hanging out and listening to the other bands. It was definitely one
What can fans expect to see? JC: Hardcore nudity. I think of our best shows.
that’s the most important part of any show (laughs). Radio play, a mention on Alternative Addiction's Top Ten
AJ: They can expect us to play our balls off and just an overall Unsigned Bands, a compelling new EP... sounds like all you
good time. We really love playing our music for people and I need now is to get signed. Do you see that in the band's fu-
ture?
“... the biggest thing I’ve learned from this JC: We’re definitely not ruling that out as a possibility, but I think
getting our live shows tighter and getting a more cohesive EP out
band is that no venue is too small, no will be in our future first. We’ve really only just started to get our
internet site not cool enough, and to just act together; the music shows a lot of promise and more impor-
tantly, it’s fun to play! So we’re gonna keep at it and see just how
put your music out there any way you far we can take this thing.
AJ: We actually just signed a temporary three-month manage-
can.” - Adam ment deal with a pretty big management firm, so hopefully some-
thing good will come from that.
hope that’s conveyed in our live shows. However, they can’t ex- How about the near future? Any events coming up for Five
pect to see all that production digital sh*t I see going around now. Central?
We play our instruments and that’s it, no layering and no sugar JC: We’re opening up for Jordan Knight, formerly of the New
on top, just good raw live rock. Also, we have great fans in Bos- Kids On the Block. That should be a fun show.
ton that support us no matter what.
AJ: We've actually been going back into the studio, trying to get
You've also been played on several radio stations in the some new songs down, and I can already tell you that the new
Boston area. What's it like hearing yourself on the radio? EP will blow the old one away. We put a rough mix of one of the
JC: It’s the next best feeling in the world to hearing people you newly-recorded songs, “Calumet St.”, up for play at
don’t even know singing your songs at shows. myspace.com/fivecentral and at fivecentral.com. Other than that
AJ: Well, for me it’s a little different because some of these we’re just gonna be rocking out all over New England, so make
songs I wrote when I was like fifteen, so it’s crazy to hear some- sure [to] check out our website often for the schedule of new
thing I wrote five years ago being played on the radio. It’s kind of shows.
trite, but it’s like, “whoa, this song [that] I wrote in my underwear One last thing, I’ve been wondering... there are only four of
on a piano from the Salvation Army is being played on the radio.” you. Where’s the name “Five Central” come from?
It’s a pretty cool feeling. AJ: It’s actually a really funny/long story... There’s a hospital in
You’ve been compared to musicians like Dave Matthews and my and Jeff’s town where he used to work nights. So one day I
John Mayer. What do you have to offer beyond their was being awesome and the awesome police (a.k.a the police)
sounds? decided I was a little too awesome and that I had to go to the
AJ: It’s really awesome to be compared to those guys. However, hospital. So there’s a wing in the hospital where they bring loud
I think one of my buddies put it best when he said that we sound drunk minors like myself which also happens to be where Jeff
like John Mayer if he was really angry and did a lot of drugs. worked. I was brought in and was belligerently talking about
No, I mean I think we sound like them in the acoustic guitar these songs that I wrote. Jeff overheard me and then realized I
singer/songwriter sense, but as far as song substance, we’re was his old buddy Adam from high school. He then told me that
very different. Our music is a lot more raw and angst-ridden than he played drums and that we should jam, so I gave him my num-
theirs. I've been told our music is more danceable, too, which is ber and we jammed the next week. That wing of the hospital is
funny because I’m usually singing about stuff you wouldn’t want called Five Central. So boys and girls, what’s the lesson here?
to dance to. The best part about Five Central is that you'll see When all else fails, get as drunk as you can and something
our fans dancing to a song like “Shadows and Pillows” where the sweet is bound to happen. www.fivecentral.com
lyrics are "your words sear my skin and rip through my veins like

12

Who Are You?
We Are “i”
S ometimes you see a band live and that performance sticks
with you. That was my experience with the band "i”. I have
seen them perform live at both of their major shows. They very
graciously granted me an interview and invited me out to the Spy-
der Room to see them perform live, once again.
Tell me where you guys met.
Mike: We actually met on the web. They had an ad on
www.NewEnglandRock.com. They were playing in Lewiston, ME,
and I had decided that there was no way I was going to drive that
far, but then they came to me, they were only doing covers that
night, so I didn’t get to hear them, but I got their CD and threw it in
my truck and it was like, “Oh my god!”, national quality, and amaz-
ing vocals. So I decided “Oh yeah, I’ll drive for that!”
Jay: I tried to get that guy (points to Keenan) in the band for a
long time (years) but he was never available. He was doing pro-
jects, but finally we needed a bassist, and looked him back up and
he was available.
Richie: The old band broke up, and dissolved. We discovered that
the thing that was once a band was suddenly no longer a band. It
became another thing. It evolved into a different entity. And we
called it, “I” because every person on the planet is an “I” Every
individual is an I. How many times a day do you say “I’m doing
this, I’m going here?” Then we dropped the capital to lowercase to
keep it humble.
Jay: One more funny and connecting story about how we met. I
actually met Rich before I met either of these two (points to Mike
and Keenan). We were doing a show, at Old Orchard Beach, or
something and we ended up talking. He had just come out of the
studio on another project as well. A few years later we met up
again. (Small world.) We wrote a song together. That’s how we
know if it’s good, we remember it the next day “it’s good.”
How do you keep it tight when the distance between you is
so far?
Well, (laughter) there are a lot of two hour phone calls after prac-
tices. Sometimes the phone will ring at 2 a.m., and it’s Rich going
“I can’t get it out of my head. What did you think of that part when
I was playing this riff?” We try to keep a close communication
13
rock
An interview at the Spyder Room in Manchester, NH
by Carla Wheeler
between us, so everyone is on the same page.
I bought your CD after I saw you play live opening for Chev-
elle, Taproot, and Disturbed at the Tsongas Arena in Lowell.
Richie: That, actually, was our first show together. We had just
come out of the studio after finishing the CD, and we got a call
from Dave Draimen telling us that He’d love to have us on the bill.
We submitted our demo to them at the last possible minute, and
in the end we got chosen to open for them, it was a fantastic ex-
perience.
Mike: The sound for a really big show is incredible. I got behind
the kit and gave a couple of taps on the kit and the whole building
rumbled. It was intense.
Richie: We went out there and we were looking at each other like
“Man I hope we don’t suck”.
I hear you are cutting a new CD soon, care to tell me about
it?
We are on fire right now, and we are writing new material. We are
actually in pre-production for the new CD. We are actually waiting
on Anthony Resta, our producer whose credits include Elton John,
Megadeth, Collective Soul and Nuno Bettoncourt to get back from
the west coast. He’s busy working on a project with other bands.
He is like a 5th member of the band. He is fabulous. He loves
working with us, and we feel the same about him.
We are also working with Robbie Merrill (from Godsmack) now
and he’s been great to the guys in the band. There is talk that we
will be doing some dates with them this spring/summer when the
new Godsmack CD is available. Paul Geary has given us a lot of
help as well. They have told us that we are doing great, and that
we are on the right track.
Are you guys gonna play more clubs?
We play from Portsmouth to Providence. We are going to try to
play as much as we can, and get some more exposure. As much
as we can while we are doing pre-production.
Where else can we expect to see you?
You can hear us from time to time on Rock 101 and the late night
rock shows on other stations.
(Continued on page 24)
 rock A Mountain to Climb: An Interview with Junius
By Michelle Kellaway Photo by Claire Alina Benoist
like venues getting shut down, other bands drop off, shows get
cancelled, etc. We ask people to contact us if they know other
places to play in a town we're visiting. Sometimes we get stuck
playing an 18 or 21+ venue at night, so we'll book a basement or
house show earlier in the day so that anyone who can’t get into
the club show can still see us. We love playing. It’s our job, and
it’s why we’re doing this. Any chance we have to play a show, no
matter how last minute or random it is, we take it if we can.
You've played tons of states, coast to coast. Did you notice
any changes in how people received your music in different
areas?
MR: I think we’ve been fortunate enough to find pockets of really
great, open-minded people in a lot of different areas, which is
awesome. Even in small towns where we least expect it, there
always seems to be a community we relate to and befriend.
This tour you must be playing material from your new EP,
Blood Is Bright. How is this EP different from your last years
release, Forcing Out The Silence?
JM: It's darker.
I can imagine all the chaos going on behind him as guitarist Mike MR: The dynamics within songs are more dramatic. The produc-
Repasch-Nieves types me an apologetic e-mail, “sorry for the tion is a step above that of the first CD. Will Benoit, of the band,
delay things have been hectic.” This is a man that works non-stop. The Constants (www.constantsound.com) recorded both CDs with
Not only is he a member of dark-rock outfit Junius, but also co- improved equipment, and has simply gotten even better in the
manages their label, Radar Recordings. I’m surprised he even years between. We still recorded this in very creative environ-
has the time to sit down to answer my questions. After all, he and ments. The first CD was done mostly in a living room, and this
Junius are halfway through a heavily-booked tour, busy playing one was done partly in a studio built in our friend’s garage, in a
whatever all age venues they can find and distributing their im- cabin in the Poconos in Pennsylvania. I think the improvement is
pressive new EP, Blood Is Bright. I’m grateful that he, alongside evident.
vocalist/guitarist Joe Martinez, found the time to talk. They’re full
Forcing Out the Silence was released to critical acclaim. How
of insight into the behind the scenes work that goes into touring,
do you think Blood Is Bright will be received by critics?
playing, and recording quality music, and into what it means to
take on music as a way of life. JM: I don't want to think about that. It makes my stomach ache.
MR: That’s a pretty difficult question to answer. But, we’ve had a
Right now you're wrapping up your October-December USA really good response to the new songs live, and from people buy-
tour. Any highlights? ing the CD since we started selling it at our shows midway
Mike Repasch-Nieves [MR]: We have several places around the through this tour, so I hope that’s a good sign.
country we always look forward to returning to. Every tour, we try You've had to push back the official release date of the EP to
to balance our itinerary between places where we've already the spring, even though it was all recorded in July. What hap-
made friends who we're excited to see again, and exploring new pened?
territory. This tour was our first time traveling through some of the JM: Technical difficulties, lack of money, lack of time. We wrote
Northern states like Minnesota, the Dakotas, and Montana, which and recorded Blood Is Bright between tours so we had limited
all went surprisingly well. Touring bands tend to bypass those time to get it done and we just couldn't get it together in time for
states because they're logistically hard to tour in, because of long our second tour.
drives, harsh winter weather, etc. However, fans there are hungry MR: The official release date is in 2006 mostly so there’s time to
for good music than other states, since they don't get enough of it. get the word out about it, and publicize it as much as possible
You guys are known for making a special effort to play inde- while maintaining our touring schedule. We're going to sell the CD
pendent, all-age venues, all the way from concert halls to through www.RadarRecordings.com beginning January 31st. Al-
basement shows. How does this affect your fan-base? though, it won't see an official retail release until the Spring.
MR: It’s much more important that we play where people of any What are you offering your fans at concerts in place of the
age can get in than to those where people can drink. We want EP?
everyone to have a good time, of course, but not at the expense MR: We hand pressed a limited number of tour EP's on our last
of anyone being excluded. And on the whole, in a setting where tour, with unreleased tracks on them. Though, we've been selling
there is no bar or liquor sales to compete with. We know that eve- Blood Is Bright at shows since mid-November.
ryone in the room is there primarily there to enjoy the music. That Once the EP is released, what stores could it be found?
is why we're playing in the first place. MR: In the Northeast, our CDs can be found at places like New-
I imagine a lot of your tour planning is last minute, since you bury Comics, and other independent record stores. Anyone can
allow anyone to contact you and set up a show, no matter order our records straight from us through our website,
how small or unexpected. Did this enhance the tour experi- www.RadarRecordings.com. Buying direct from Radar is good for
ence or complicate things? several reasons: you know all of the money is going directly to the
Joe Martinez [JM]: Both. You never know what you're walking artists, and into keeping our community going. We’ll always throw
into, so it can be exciting, but we've learned to expect the worst. in extra things like buttons, posters, and stickers, which you
Hopefully we'll be pleasantly surprised when we roll up to the wouldn’t get from a store anyway.
venue. By the time this interview reaches the public, you'll be half-
MR: I actually start booking each tour about 3 or 4 months in ad- way through your next tour, another coast to coaster along-
vance. But, a lot of things can, and do go wrong at the last minute,
(Continued on page 27)

14
 Milo’s Syndicate: An interview in E-Minor and Lesson in Futility rock
by Adam Savage
I first encountered Milo’s Syndicate on the Baystate Rock board this band is thatcan tell each other to f*ck off and get pissed off-
(www.baystaterock.com) and immediately enjoyed the tunes I something and still feel solid that we're not going anywhere or
heard online. After getting to see the band a few times and getting quitting. There has been the occasional face spitting and ashtray
to know the guys along with the music that is powerful, well writ- dumping over the head but we usually have no problems, except
ten, and memorable while straying from the pack. It’s my opinion for Kevin he’s a dick.
that this is one of the bands to watch who could break out of the Billy: Actually, in Kevin’s defense, it was me who spit in his face,
local circuit and hold their own on the larger national scene. me who dumped the ashtray on his head, and I did start dating
Check them out for yourself at www.milossyndicate.com or Jeff’s ex-girlfriend a month after they broke up. You tell me, who’s
myspace.com/milossyndicate. the dick?
Kevin (guitar): Actually, in Billy’s defense, I had dumped a beer on
How would you describe your sound/style? his head before the “spitting incident” and poked both his eyeballs
Aaron (vocals): I think our band bio handles that question fairly Three Stooges style before the “ashtray incident.” Regardless,
well. We prefer a variety to a pigeonhole. We are a little bit of eve- Aaron’s assessment is an accurate one, I am a dick.
rything, hardcore punk, metal, rock, and straight up jam band. As You just finished recording your new EP, "Futility in E-Minor"
far as our style goes we're a t-shirt and jeans kinda band. I hope - how would you compare it to your prior EP "Russians at the
that's what you meant by style. Village"?
Billy (drums): A punk/hardcore martini, shaken, not stirred, with a Aaron: The cover is a different color and the CD is packaged
metal twist. But most importantly, we’re not shitty at it. And the properly, just kidding. The way I look at it, Russians is a great CD
fact that Aaron called us a “jam band” makes me think that he but it always seemed a little less focused in terms of genre/style.
doesn’t belong in Milo anymore. We may have had a little too much variety then I think. Futility is a
How long has the band been around and what's the origin of more directed effort and a better representation of what to expect
the name? from us live, including change-ups, energy, and heaviness.
Aaron: The band has been around since 99, but started in Colo- What influences drove this cd musically and lyrically?
rado and moved to Aaron: Sick Of It All,
MA in. Blood For Blood,
"Milo's Syndicate" is Killswitch Engage, Hate-
straight from the Jo- breed, and Helmet to
seph Heller book, name a few. Musically we
Catch-22. The char- are pretty much pulling
acter Milo Minder- from the same bag of
binder is the quintes- tricks but we have been a
s enti al c apitali st little more open to every-
American war profi- one’s ideas instead of
teering asshole – being afraid to do this and
preaching equity and that. Pat has written a
duty while robbing good amount of the new
you of everything material and even I took
that’s important and the reigns on one song
making a profit off it and wrote the guitar parts
without a care for the for it. Futility is geared
toll it takes on anyone morea hardcore punk
else. Take a look, it’s audience but we still have
in a book. Although, some weirddiverse shit
we were very close to going on. It's still a rock
being named Mon- album no matter how you
g r el . ( i n t er v i e w er ’s slice it.
band is Mongrel – Kevin: Futility is generally
more of a group effort
www.mongrelband.com < cheap plug) than Russians. Everyone contributed riffs (except our drummer,
You started out with 1 guitarist and now have 2 in the band, who doesn’t know what notes are) and we all arranged together.
how has that change impacted the music, the live show, and It’s the result of a democracy that has gone bad, just like our
the chemistry of the band? beautiful country.
Aaron: We seem to be writing a lotand moremusic than before, Billy: Lyrically, Futility is an indictment of and reflection on the
but we haven't forgotten our roots. American government and it's "leader." We should generally be
Billy: The songs that don’t easily fall into a genre are just as im- ashamed of ourselves for becoming the self-righteous and dis-
portant to us as the straight up shovel-to-the-face hardcore ones. turbingly greedy, compassionless country we appear to be
Aaron: The live show hasn't changed too much except for the fact through our policies. Not every American supports the direction
that we have added the ability to have separateparts at times. It's our country is taking, but so few of us are really voicing that criti-
very cool to be able to pull that shit off live. cism. Futility is a reminder that there are people who are fucking
Billy: Also, Pat can bench press a Mack truck, so he makes up for pissed off about the abuse of power that’s going on right now.
the tough guy look we lost by having such a wimp for a drummer. Where did you record the new cd? Was the process of re-
Aaron: The chemistry of the band is pretty much the same as it cording this EP much different than the prior one?
always was. There were a few power struggles and sniffing of Aaron: We recorded this CD at New Alliance in Boston with Ethan
asses at first but that's just natural. One of the great things about "Aggravated" Dussault again. The process was pretty much the
same except Ethan knew what we were looking for and how to get

15
16
17
 A Curmudgeon’s Guide to Gear
by Steve Friedman of Melville Park Studio, Boston (pictured) (617) 361-6107 melpk@tiac.net
“I’m famous and successful, so what I say must be
true.”
8. “False Consensus” is an effective marketing tool.
That’s when the opinions of a few are blindly repeated
by many, giving the impression that “everyone” agrees.
Also called “The Emperor’s New Clothes” syndrome.
9. Once something becomes inexpensive and common-
place, marketing pressure always shifts in another di-
rection.
10.If I’ve invested in an expensive piece of gear, and
something equivalent comes out at a lower price, I’ll try
to convince you that the cheaper gear sucks.
M usicians, engineers and studio owners are under con-
stant pressure to buy more, and allegedly better,
gear. The pressure comes from colleagues, from advertis-
11."Expert" opinions are often based on a small number of
highly subjective anecdotal experiences in poorly con-
trolled situations. That’s a mouthful, but all it means is
ing, from "gurus" who write articles in audio magazines, that if medical researchers made judgments the way
from clients, and from an inner desire to improve. some audiophiles do, we’d all be dead.
This is not a bad thing. But if you want to spend your
money intelligently, it’s important to realize that, like any The fact is that most audio gear that makes it to the mar-
other business, the audio world has its share of hype, ideo- ketplace today sounds good, regardless of its design, price
logical posturing and self-serving salesmanship. or pedigree. And seemingly competing recording methods
in fact complement each other when used objectively,
Here’s a Top 10 list of things you should keep in mind rather than ideologically. It’s not the gear; it’s how you use
while deciding on your next expenditure: it!
1. Simple myths are more persuasive than complex And remember: What is true, what we think is true, what we
truths. want to be true, and what people say is true, are often four
2. The smaller the difference between competing prod- different things. www.MelvillePark.com
ucts, the more competitive the hype. This is known as
the “Coke/Pepsi” syndrome.
3. People sometimes use gear as a way to distinguish
themselves from the competition, whether or not the
difference really matters.
4. "I’m digital!” “I’m analog!” “I use tubes!”
5. To stay in business, manufacturers must convince you
that what you have isn’t as good as what they’re sell-
ing.
6. Just because better is often more expensive doesn’t
mean that more expensive is always better.
7. “Proof by Intimidation” is an effective marketing tool.

Mention This Ad
Get 20% Off

18
 The Recording Songwriter
Turning the Suck Zone into the Sweet Spot And More!
by Keven Pearce
I n the November issue we looked extensively at the EQ of entire
mixes, zeroing in on needed frequencies and dialing out those
that are extraneous. Today we’re going to look at two of my favor-
ite EQ techniques that will help move you toward mixes that say
“ahh” in a perfectly balanced way. You will find that they can not
only make your recordings better by helping you simplify and clar-
ify your choices, but once you learn to execute them deftly, they
will also save you lots of time.
This first technique is for that puzzling track that you just
don’t know what to do with. The track that has great me-
lodic or rhythmic content that adds to your mix, but it just
doesn’t sound right in a way you can’t begin to describe or
remedy. What do you do? Try this proven trick that I’ve
found useful on numerous occasions. I call this one…
Turning the Suck Zone into the Sweet Spot
Run the track in question through the paragraphic or parametric
equalizer of your choice. Typically I use one of the Waves plug-
ins, such as the Renaissance EQ. Set one of the bands to create
a narrow but substantial boost. This could be 3 to 6 dB or even
more, depending on the situation. We’re not trying to subtly effect
the track here; we’re seriously monkeying with it. As the track
plays back in the mix, slowly sweep the frequency control from
low to high and back again, listening to the change of tone care-
fully. After a couple of passes up and down the spectrum you’ll
find at least one spot that sounds especially bad. Dial in the worst
sound you can. Then, play with the Q (bandwidth) and see how
narrow you can make the boost and still keep the sound at its
worst. When you’re sure you can’t make the track sound any
worse with a single band of EQ boost, you’ve found the “suck
zone.”
Now we’re going to turn the suck zone into the “sweet spot.” I
was going to call it the “The K Spot,” after my sweet self, but I
think I’ll save that one for something really special. Without adjust-
ing the bandwidth or frequency, we’re going to reduce the boost to
zero, returning us to unaltered sound. Now that you’ve experi-
enced the suck zone the original track doesn’t sound so bad does
it? Okay, but that’s not the trick.
Now we want to continue past zero and cut that frequency. How
much do we cut? Regular readers will already know my answer:
The least cut you can make to get the sound you need, of course.
In short, we discovered what we didn’t like about the sound by
boosting it until it was painfully obvious, and then we removed
some of the offending frequencies until the sound was balanced
to our liking. An added bonus is that after going through this rou-
tine a few times your ears will improve and you’ll often be able to
skip the technique because you can “hear” what needs to happen.
This next technique is a quick and accurate way to find the best
settings for an outboard EQ you may have available on your in-
coming track’s signal path. That is, anywhere between your sound
source and the tape or its digital equivalent. I use it for important
tracks that need to sound as natural as possible, such as a lead
vocal or an acoustic guitar that’s going to take up a lot of space in
the mix. It’s worth using if you have a high-end preamp with a
great EQ section or a transparent sounding high-quality stand-
alone equalizer. I call this”pre-EQ-ing” or…
“PreQing” your Preamp
First, record a decent “rehearsal” take of an important track. You
don’t need the whole song, but include at least one verse and
chorus that features the most prominent sections for this voice or
instrument. Use the time to get your mic and preamp settings
19
right. Use no EQ whatsoever. The take doesn’t have to be perfect,
but the general tone should be as good as you can make it with-
out using any EQ. Then spend a few minutes to get it to sit nicely
in the developing mix. Next, bring up a software EQ which has
similar features and qualities as the hardware you’re using and
apply it to that track.
Let’s apply the technique to my equipment as I might typically
use it. Adapt it to your situation and gear as needed. I’m using an
Avalon Vt-737sp preamp, which is designed for broad, non-
surgical EQ. It has two bands of parametric equalization plus high
and low shelving and a high-pass filter. Its mid-frequencies each
have two available bandwidths, wide and very wide. The shelving
frequencies have similar restrictions, as they are limited to four
preset frequencies. Similar features are available on the 4-band
paragraphic “Renaissance Equalizer” from my Waves plug-ins. I’ll
set up my software EQ with similar bandwidths and shelving fre-
quencies and then I’ll tweak the sound as best I can within those
limitations. Though the widths, shape and location of the contours
will not be identical, we want the software EQ to mimic the hard-
ware EQ as closely as possible.
We’ll proceed to EQ a voice, a baritone with more warmth than
edge, as I might typically need to do. I might boost the presence
(5,000 Htz) a dB or so, and scoop the low-mids one or two dB
somewhere below 800 Htz. In addition I might boost the “air”
above 10K a little and I’ll roll off everything below 100 Htz to elimi-
nate any rumble. My general rule is to use less EQ than I think I
need at this stage. Better to have to add to what you’ve done in
the final mix than to have to cancel it out with an opposing EQ.
If you do encounter a situation, which calls for drastic adjust-
ments, this is the most transparent way to make them. Here’s an
example: the full sounding vocalist above, who sounds great on a
folk ballad, is having trouble cutting through a grinding rock mix.
Though Steven Tyler’s edgy rasp would be more suited to the
task, Steven is not available, so you do what you can with what
you’ve got. The settings for the voice in the previous paragraph
are going to have to be exaggerated. You might have to boost the
presence by several dB and cut the low-mid warmth by even
more.
Once I get the sound I am looking for I’ll set the EQ on my pre-
amp to match the settings on my software EQ. Then I’ll turn off
the software EQ and re-record the vocal using the new hardware
EQ settings. Note: Alternatively, we could run a line carrying the
track’s signal out of our recorder and though the EQ section of our
hardware and back into the mix to arrive at these settings, but I
find this method to be quicker and easier with my setup.
Now the new vocal track should sound similar to the old vocal
track that had the software EQ applied. Keep in mind that every
processor, hardware or software based, has its own “sound.” No
EQ is totally “transparent.” If you are not pleased with the sound
you can bypass the hardware EQ altogether and use the software
as needed. In the case of my 737, you’d most likely never know
the vocal was EQed at all.
What we’ve done here is to cut the tweaking of our input EQ
down to one easy and accurate step. This is, if you assess your
options, a great alternative to laying a track, playing with the pre-
amp EQ, recording alternative versions of the track and doing
numerous A/B comparisons that prove time consuming and con-
fusing. And, because we’re using our most transparent hardware
EQ, we’ve kept the artifacts of our tweaking to a minimum. If fur-
ther EQ must be done as the mix progresses, it will most likely be
subtle enough to remain relatively invisible also.
PreQ liberally as needed, but try to minimize your exposure to the
suck zone.
reviews CDs Rated 1 to 5

Blues Quickly changing tones, Sage jazzes into the brassy rhythms of
“Wildflower” before bringing in the strings for the sad and soulful
Guy Davis Legacy shades of “Violet or Blue.” Slithering and snapping through the
Produced by John Platania noiry “Lonely Streets,” Sage continues to amaze at every turn with
Engineered by Milt Costakis At Three Bays Recording Studios her diverse stylistic command. Among the other notable tunes are
15 Song CD Red House Records the Hillel-inspired “Older” and the lively scratch through the clev-
www.guydavis.com www.redhouserecords.com erly , and perhaps appropriately entitled beat poem “Hit Song.”
Performance: 4 Production: 4 Songwriting: 3 Recommend: YES Unfortunately, such a wide array of styles is hard to pigeonhole in
today’s over-categorized music market. However, Sage seems to
Guy Davis has a firm grasp on how to play the blues straight and be above all that- and that’s a good thing! - Matt Robinson
at the same time he puts his own brand on it. Legacy is a fifteen
song CD with a definite country blues feel. Guy’s voice has a Rock/Pop
deep growl that can be bright as a southern day or as dark as the
Mississippi after a flooding rain. The instrumentation is very coun- The Assbags Live 6/4/05 Live At New Direction
try in its sound and line up and features upright bass, mandolin, Performance: 1 Production: 0 Songwriting: 0 Recommend: NO
accordion, and 5 string banjo, which is played by Guy himself the At first glance I must admit I had some high hopes for this disc,
feel is laid back. I especially like Guy’s harmonica playing which is how could I not with an opening track called “Boner On The Bus”?
unique in its high pitch and approach. I figured here is some loud aggressive music I could sink my
The song list is a mix of Davis originals and classic country blues fangs into! Well, it all came to a screeching car-crash. My ear-
numbers. We get “Pay Day” by “Mississppi” John Hurt, Lightnin’ drums responded in pure shock and disbelief, this is one of the
Hopkins “Come Back Baby”, “Drop Down Baby” from “Sleepy” worst CDs to ever grace the plastic. A waste of disc space. Some
John Estes, and an honorable take on Nehemiah “Skip” James’ may say that I don’t get it. Well, the truth is I don’t want to. I could
“Cypress Grove.” There are also a few traditional songs. Songs barely get to track 3 before I wanted my CD player to spit this one
which are so old and historical they have been passed through out of my kitchen window. To make matters worse, the singer was
people to make it to today. The liner notes for the song “Hikin’ jokingly going into Ronnie James Dio’s “Rainbow In The Dark”
Jerry” state “traditional, collected by Zora Neale Houston and while mumbling “Holy Diver”. Dio would not be flattered.
Alan Lomax, with additional words by Ossie Davis.” It is worth I’m all about angst and frustration in music but I can’t find any-
mentioning that Guy’s father is none other than Ossie Davis, the thing to identify with this. If you can get through this CD and your
great character actor. These songs, although covers, bear Guy’s happy hearing it, I suggest you have your ears cleaned out. - Will
deep stamp. Mixed with these are Guy’s own excellent composi- Briere
tions. Among them “I Just Can’t Help Loving You” a tender ballad
featuring Guy’s yearning vocals. Bucky Pizzareli and Frank Vignola Moonglow Hyena
He has a rasp like a metal file but he makes it sound like it is the Who else but super producer Joel Dorn could put together two of
voice of his heart if it had one. “Red Goose” is a straight up hand the past generations' best (and most underrated) guitarists on one
clapping foot stomping porch rocker that shows guy can get it album? Well, even if someone else could, we should all be glad
going all on his own since it is just him on 5-string banjo and vo- that Dorn did. This album is a gentle gem, filled with lovingly-
cals. It is the first song, “Uncle Tom’s Dead”, that nails it for me. crafted renditions of such favorites as "My Ideal," "P.S. I Love
This song is a conversation between an old bluesman and a You," and the enchanting title track. Adding further color to this
young hip hop fan, played respectively by Guy and his son Mar- collection are the hue-y hits "In the Blue of the Evening," Golden
tial. The rhythm section lays a semi-hip hop beat while Guy blows Earrings," and "Deep Purple." "If I had You" drifts along longingly
his harp over it as Martial proclaims “Blues is old fashioned. Rap and "Temptation" adds a bit of Latin spice. Though a bit more time
is what’s happening,” to which Guy replies “Blues is your legacy!” to explore might have allowed these fret-masters to show their
As Guy sings “The blues will be with you until your dying day” you stuff, this is a great album for fans of melody and seamless inter-
believe him. The disc ends up with a great message, “We All play between two accomplished artists. - Matthew S. Robinson
Need More Kindness In This World.”
The recording is perfect, both capturing Guy and his music in the Cellblock One Blind Obedience
right way. When it is the whole ensemble of instruments each has 8 Song CD 2004 www.CellblockOne.com
its own place, when it is Guy singing, playing and stomping his Performance: 4 Production: 4 Songwriting: 4.5 Recommended: YES
feet it sounds like we’re all sitting on the back porch. Buy this disc
and enjoy. - James LeBoeuf There is nothing like putting in a CD for the first time and being
blown away by the extreme beat of the drums accompanied by
the clear, yet powerful riffs of the electric guitar. “Here to Stay” is
Folk/Singer-Songwriter
an awesome song to start this CD off with. Track 2, “Blind Obedi-
Rachael Sage Blistering Sun ence”, really got my head rocking with the flow of the music and
MPress the intense vocals. It’s a great tune with truly amazing guitar riffs.
www.rachaelsage.com With this band the rock doesn’t stop with the catchy beat of “War
Inside my Head” flowing into the strong bass line and kick ass
Though still firmly ensconced in the Lilith Fair realm, award- chorus of “Mixed Perceptions” and right on through until the end
winning songstress Rachael Sage continues to show that she has of the CD. I strongly recommend this CD — and while you’re at it,
a lot more to say and a lot more ways to say it. On her latest CD, see them live. - Lindsay Harvey
The Blistering Sun, Sage takes the heat that is thrown at inde-
pendent female performers and reflects it back with a magnifying Eddy Dyer & The Walking Shoe Revival Self-Titled CD
glass. Opening with the “Cornflake Girl” bounce of “Alright OK,” 12 Song CD That Promising Seadog Media 2004
Sun continues with the appropriately floating sweeps of Performance: 4 Production 5 Songwriting: 4.5 Recommend: YES
“Featherwoman” before digging into the liturgical groove of “93
Eddie Dyer’s Walking Shoe Revival is an impressive collection of
Maidens” – a musical kaddish for the martyrs of Warsaw and their
songs that, for the better part of the CD, stick to a good blues feel,
historic brothers and sisters.

20
CDs Rated 1 to 5 reviews
while not afraid to step outside of the music box to serve up sweet the donkey.
tricks. If you’re ready to dance in a Latin dance club “Chocha Buena”
Mr. Dyer, a Lowell Massachusetts native, is a heartfelt musician may groove the move. “Lover Girl” should be put in a film for a
who wears his guitar on his sleeve. The opener, “Running From laugh, it is a good take on flake pop music with not much to it.
the Rumble”, sets a nice tone for the listener to delve into the “Rock Tumbler” rolls through the washing cycle with some cool
sounds. Dyer starts the song of with a scat style phrase while guitar and the break is nice. The drums give you a nice kick in the
moving you through with an infectious groove throughout. I par- pants. There is a lot for your ears here. The next cut, “Body
ticularly like the drum pattern in this one. Rock”, moves back to the techno but with a nice twist serves up a
“Backyard Breeze” has a nice “porch blues” feel, summer lives mean guitar riffing and a solo that will raise the horns. “Alternate
on all year round in this cut! I’m still trying to figure out who the State” is a trippy house music track that closes out the serious
turtle is? part of the disc—I can hear the collective laughter. The remainder
“American Mess” is a rebel gone wild and it brings Dyer back to of this cohesive effort showcases studio outtakes… what? “Dance
his punk roots. The song displays some depth in charter with a to the left, dance to the right! Do the hokey Pokey already shake
cool Middle Eastern sounding riff in there. It’s a great hard rocking your rump all about!” Don’t take these guys too seriously, just
protest number. The next cut is an instrumental which I found have some fun. - Will Briere
beautiful. There is not much more that comes to mind.
Junius Blood Is Bright (EP)
Track 6 features the first guest appearance and this belongs to Radar Recordings 2006
Ms. Jen Kearney (www.JenKearney.com). It is as if she walked
Performance: 5 Production: 4 Songwriting: 4 Recommended: YES
through the door to say hello, while in retrospect pay homage to
her Poorhouse past with this one and she didn’t even write it! The This sophomore effort by dark rockers Junius shouldn't go un-
solo is very emotional here. heard - it perfectly spans the bridge between the dynamic brood-
“Feel Invisible” has a modern rock angst to it; you may want to ing of the '80s goths and contemplative anguish of contemporary
crank her at maxim volume as suggested on the CD. “Slow as a art-rock. Its greatest appeal lies in the ability to both firmly plant
Glide” features Van Lawton on vocals. I may have been getting roots in the past, adeptly filling the shoes of funereal forefathers
ready to crash while listening to this one, Van’s voice supplied a The Cure and Joy Division, and confidently meshing it with a mod-
nice soft pillow. ern vibe, even occasionally touching on the futuristic spaciness of
The next track with a vocal performance by Nathan Pyritz, “Still bands like Hum. The EP opens with the hazy guitar, subtle, puls-
Onward He Floated”, fits oddly in the ing bass, and driving beats
mix here for me but I still enjoyed it. I
could feel a great deal of sadness
If you would like to that characterize this band.
Ominously chanted vocals
while Dyer sang Laura, Laura, Laura. review CDs coupled with haunting
“Princess Splice” lightens up the walls of sound grasp an
mood here with a playful fun melody. Please send an incredible level of emo-
The Recorder flute stands out here on tional intensity right from
this one! With regards to “Silence In email to me at the beginning. The effect is
The Center Of Town” I can’t fail to papa@hotdayatthezoo.com mesmerizing, but Junius
mention that I loved the ZZ Top A- won’t allow you to merely
hahahaha that sets this tune into gear. or call Marc at be lulled - they lay you
Nice guitar, catchy tune. down only to jerk you
This album is a must listen for the (978) 258-2606 awake, pulling you through
inquisitive music fan who is not spoon (you get to keep them, too) the highs and lows of quiet
fed by the thrills of the day. Eddy Dyer desp eration. Ten sion
uses his music to convey his message. builds and leads to the
His guitar flows throughout giving the listener a compass while on heart of their music: the cathartic climax - at times whispered and
the journey. - Will Briere others screamed - but always poignant and strangely alluring.
Blood Is Bright will stay with you long after your first listen; Junius
Electric Donkey Donkey Manchild puts a choke hold on your heart and never lets go. - Michelle Kel-
Performance: 3.5 Production: 4.5 Songwriting: 3.5 Recommend: YES laway
At first glance you have to be amused at Electric Donkey’s Don- Mascara Spell
key Manchild artwork, it may render some speechless. By the Mr. Fibuli’s Records
time you listen to a track or two it is quite clear that these guys
really don’t want anyone to take them serious. I guess that’s why Chirs Mascara is one of the area’s most dynamic performers.
it’s enjoyable. The Manchild effort is half a musical effort but From Boston Rock Opera to his own variety shows at venues all
mostly brings a good dose of comic relief. The disc opens with a over the Boston area, he is constantly exploring and flexing his
Tasty O’s cereal commercial spoof: I mean who hasn’t had a creative capabilities. On his latest EP, Mascara combines flavors
heaping helping of those O’s, they work good when you can’t af- of The Beatles, David Bowie, Queen, and OhMyGod with his own-
ford Cheerios. musical and spiritual proclivities, sharp production sense, and
Electric Donkey throughout has a take on different styles. The plain and simple great rock. Opening with the heavy sweeps of
title track, “Manchild”, serves some early rock and keep you mov- “Great Divide,” Mascara invites listeners to join him and his band-
ing through a quirky trek with “Personal Space”, a loud Ministry- mates (bassist Chris Girard and drummer Rikki Bates) in a leap of
type tune, the vocal reminds me of “Rocket From the Crypt”. faith. Tumbling through the torqued fun house bounce of
“Thinking About You” starts you on a plane ride, sit relax and “Frostbite,” Mascara then hooks into the temporal bonds of exis-
chew on some Jamaican Jerk reggae served with some cheese- tence in the plaintive ballad “Time is a Lie.” After a brief “pressure
bag synethizers. “Dance” allows you to get your move on with a conversion,” the band lets loose, thankfully secure in the driving
cool percussive beat. There are a number of track that are fla- knowledge that there is “No Afterlife.” Beofr signing off, Mascara
vored with an abundance of techno, if that is your bag you will dig signs his musical name on the heavily dotted lines of “Percy’s

21
reviews CDs Rated 1 to 5

Revenge,” a violent exploration of self that puts a poetic period www.trollrock.com

on the album’s multifaceted mystical message. Performance: 3 Production: 3 Songwriting: 3.5 Recommend: YES
Mascara will release Spell at the Lizard Lounge (1667 Massa-
The Troll sound is derived from late 70s and early to mid 80s
chusetts Avenue, Cambridge) on January 20, 2006. - Matthew S.
rock/metal. Even the song titles sound like they were pulled from
Robinson
the spinal tap vault: “She’s Gotta Have It All”, the opening track,
Gonzalo Silva starts off with a growley bass riff, leading into some mean guitar.
Club Passim, Cambridge, MA Mike Demogenese, lead guitar crawls in & out of mid ‘80s riffs
November 26, 2005 while keeping interesting style. “Nostradamus” screams Iron
Maiden at me since it has a crunchy, flowing rhythm with a signa-
Having reemerged from the subway tunnels, Boston- (by way of ture guitar epic opening that is a staple of metal, with a primal
Berklee) bred busker Gonzalo Silva wowed a sold out Club Pas- scream thrown into the middle of the solo. “Turn Around” is remi-
sim with his four-string serenades. After a short introductory set niscent of a rock stadium ballad… this is a hit or miss cut. “Meant
by long-time sideman Noah Maltsberger - who offered a random To Be Free” opens with a ferocious guitar riff that sets good tone
run of reverberant riffs, including a tricky take on “Autumn meant to set you free. “Demogenese” stands out while “Trigger
Leaves” – Silva ambled onstage to begin what would be a cas- Man” crawls at too slow a pace. “The Feel” is Trigger Man’s
ual, provocative, and impressive improvisational set. counterpart in that it keeps the slow plod with a metal blues feel.
The opening track from his latest CD (appropriately entitled Vocalist Tom Mayo has the ability to bring himself up but he is
Busker) – “Take Me to the Sun” – sparkled in Silva’s sharp eyes, monotone at times and low in the mix. Guitar Animal… I think
and as he laid his husky head voice over such other original they found her in the next track “Crazy Woman”. This is a strong
compositions as the outcast celebration “Gotta Give It Up” and straight ahead rock song. “Beyond The Promise Land” is an at-
the multi-generational anthem “Abundant Lack of Motivation,” his tempt to close the record the way it started -- with the epic metal
fingers fell about the frets in slightly syncopated explorations. tone: some screams mixed with guitar whales drum thunder and
While “Laid” danced along a number of lyrical lines, “Despiertate” bass. If you like metal you might want to give Troll a spin. - Will
presented a beautiful bilingual blues broken by extended arpeg- Briere
gios and “Can’t Go” offered even more energetic angles. The
barred chords and exposed whispers of “Vulnerable” were fol- Live
lowed by the peppier pacings of “Favorite Waitress.” In between Juliana Hatfield at Hot Stove Cool Music
his songs, Silva chatted with the crowd, sharing his views on the
The Paradise, Boston, MA
media and the life of the professional artist. After presenting his
Sunday, January 8, 2006
sole cover, an original and fresh take on The Police’s “So Lonely”
(complete with a slappy island rhythm coda), Silva whet appetites Amidst flying coffee cakes, high spirits, and higher auction bids to
with a preview of his forthcoming album by way of the spiritual benefit dearly departed Sox GM Theo Epstein’s Foundation to Be
“Rescue Me”. With no train to break his stride or to overpower his Named Later, local starlet Juliana Hatfield anchored the sold out
thoughtful lyrics, Silva gave everything he could rolling along late crowd with her true and honest rock. Backed by members of The
into the night. When the ride was over, there was no screeching Gentlemen and joined on occasion by such other local legends
of brakes, but the roar of the crowd was nearly as loud. as Sox stars Lenny Dinardo, Bronson Arroyo, and fellow rocker
- Matthew S. Robinson grrl Jenny Danger, Hatfield opened up with the exposing honky-
toink punder “Givin Myself Away” then revved up into the racy
Chris Trapper Gone Again and rebellious repeater “I’m Gonna Leave You” before sttling
11 Song CD Starlit Records back into the deeper groove of “You Don’t Know.” After a yearn-
www.christrapper.com ing take on the Linda Ronstadt chestnut “When Will I Be Loved?”
Hatfield wrangled up some guest artists for a loose rendition of
“Feel Like Makin’ Love.” The short showcase set finished with a
From award-winning songwriter to star-pushing singer and
Danger-ous duet on the punky “What Can You Do” that got the
soundtrack star, Chris Trapper has conquered many media
crowd roaring and helped show what makes the Boston scene so
worlds. And yet, even from the loftiest heights, the Buffalo-born
strong. - Matthew S. Robinson
Boston boy has never lost sight of where he came from. On his
latest CD, Trapper goes back to an earlier life selling cookies at What I Like About Jew
Boston’s Faneuil Hall. It was there where he met the members of Ryles, Cambridge, MA
the Wolverine Jazz Band, the local quartet who accompany him December 20, 2005
on the new disc, allowing Trapper to combine his northeast style
with their “Nawlins” flavors. With a house filled with more MOTTs than at a High Holiday
Opening with the jaunty jazz bounce of “All Time Favorite,” Gone service, Blender editor Rob Tannenbaum and former Rockapella
Again, continues through a title track reminiscent of the Push frontman Sean Altman returned to the Boston area with their
Stars hit “Everything Shines” before slowing a bit for the brassy religious(?) revue of schmaltzy songs and musical mishegas.
ballad “Nowhere.” The twinkling guitar-driven ballad “Jukebox Brought to the raised stage by The Romantics – whose retro
Lights” and the mournful reeds of “Away We Go” continue the theme song set the musical tone for much of the show – the dy-
mellow vibe that allows Trapper’s poetic prowess to shine namic Jew-o offered Yiddish lessons for the uninitiated amongst
through even more. such fan favorites as the Matzoh Ball- flavored kosher Rat Pack
The beat comes back for the Paul Simon meets Jack Johnson swinger “Hot Jewish Chicks,” the Brit Pop/Punk crucifier “Jews
hometown tribute “Boston Girl,” the oom-pah jangle of “Meant to for Jesus,” and the somewhat dated (but still fun and timely) pad-
Be,” and the peppy production values of “Party at the Ander- ded knee bouncer “Hanukah with Monica.” Dealing with anit-
sons.” Looking back to prior hits and inspirations, Trapper’s new Semitic myths and other foibles of Judaism, the pair dipped into
album also suggests an eye towards a musical future where sub- their debut CD Unorthodox with the “Brady Bunch”-esuqe hysteri-
stance and style can unite. - Matt Robinson cal history “They Tried to Kill Us (We Survived, Let’s Eat),” the
pro-dating song “JDate” and the scathing anti-dating song “I’m
Troll Self-titled CD

22
CDs Rated 1 to 5
Better Looking (Than the Guy You’re Going Out With).” In be-
tween Tannenbaum and Altman’s rhythmic religious rants, token
“shishka” Carla Ulbrich rhymed “Smith-Corona” while offering
equally funny but differently themed songs about too much infor-
mation, too little rear-end, and scatological copyrights, and locally-
born show stealer Eric Schwartz lauded his Ziade “Moishe the
Kid” and bewailed his “Jesus Envy” before turning the tables to
the Left by asking those who are Right to “Keep Your Jesus.” Af-
ter a theatrical interpretation of the unkindest cut called “A Little
off the Top” (featuring Schwartz and Sean’s operatic wife Inna
Dukach), the WILAJ team paid tribute to the legendary Joey
Ramone (z’l) with a niggun-y cover of “Sedated” before calling
their musical guests back on stage to ring bells for the timely
closer “Rudoplh the Hook-Nosed Reindeer.” Though some mem-
bers of the audience may have been mildly offended, none left
without a smile. www.WhatILikeAboutJew.com - Matthew S. Rob-
inson
Friday the 13th with Wretched Asylum
Milly’s Tavern, Manchester, NH
Friday, January 13, 2006
Friday the 13th is usually a day for macabre, fear, and chaos.
What better band to bring along all three is Wretched Asylum?
The show was held at Milly’s Tavern in Manchester, NH. The club
couldn’t handle the monstrosities this band brought with them this
cold and dark evening.
Mist and fog filled the stage before the opening song, “Wrapped in
Sheets of Blood”. The fans knew they were in for a real live horror
show when the five monstrous figures hit the stage and all hell
broke loose.
Frontman Phil Smolinsky appeared to be the doctor of this clan
of inpatients. Covered in black blood he leads them with deep and
raspy growls while stabbing his audience in the face with his high
pitch and Dani Filth-like screams. Inpatients Michael Todd and
Norm Mclean tore up the stage with their evil and powerful guitar
riffs. Michael Todd’s fast pace guitar licks sound as through there
bellowing up from the crevices of hell. Norm’s intense and rhyth-
mic guitar patterns stand alone throughout the morbid ambience
taking the music down a path of its own.
The heart raging thumps through the floor by bassist, Ryan Mix
add a punch that throws this slaughterhouse together. Ryan was
just recently was committed to the Asylum. He adds a whole dif-
ferent dimension of insanity to the band’s aura. The driving blood
that pumps through the veins of this malicious music is delivered
by Brandon Lee. His industrial edge over the sound sends shivers
up the listener’s spine. His intense double bass and phenomenal
foot work bring the forces of evil that shadows over the band.
23
reviews
The theatrics consists of freshly sacrificed blood that covers the
ghostly inpatient uniforms. The vulgarity of the lead singer gyrat-
ing in front of a fan’s face while spiting blood was only the begin-
ning of this energy filled performance. Blood drooled from the
mouths of each inmate as they chugged away. Brandon Lee mas-
turbated with his drum sticks as blood dripped from them causing
the club owner to react with pure horror. He was getting nauseous
with all the blood splattered everywhere. He couldn’t handle the
madness this band brings. He made them cut their set and leave.
Fans of Wretched Asylum were furious and started causing there
own trouble. Wiping blood all over the walls in the building and
shouting obscenities to the sound guy and club owner. Phil took
the lead once again and demanded the respect this band de-
serves. The sound guy with a scared shiver in his tone begged
the band to stop this horrific show and leave. The band had no
choice but to wrap up the show and call it a masterpiece of terror.
– Stephanie Canelas
Paulo Bettencourt and OK Panic (featuring Markus Cherone)
The Gardner Music Hall, Gardner, MA
October 29, 2005
On Rocktober 29, 2005, 99.9 The Eagle threw any inhibitions out
the door and brought the most intense concert Gardner has ever
seen to the Gardner Music Hall since The Eagle has been hosting
bands that fit The Eagle's classic rock format like The Installers
featuring J. Geils, or Clutch Grabwell. The concerts are always
free to Eagle listeners and everybody always has a great time.
This time around the bands featured direct descendants of Rock
‘n Roll royalty. Their energy and fresh sound raised some of the
spirits at the former synagogue now lovingly renamed The Gard-
ner Music Hall. First to hit the stage, after many years off from
performing was the pixie dust throwing Paulo Bettencourt, brother
to legendary guitar wizard Nuno Bettencourt. Some members of
Paulo’s dedicated fan base in attendance had flown in from Kan-
sas, Virginia, and North Carolina just to see Paulo’s historic re-
emergence to the stage.
The last time Bettencourt performed live was on a world tour in
support of his brother Nuno's album, Schizophonic. Granted the
intimate setting at The Gardner Music Hall was a bit smaller than
he was used to, however Bettencourt held the crowd in the palm
of his hand throughout his forty minute set. Playing songs off his
latest release, "Me," Paul and his band stormed through songs
like "She Cries," I'm So Sorry, and "Always." His band took a song
out of the Flesh (a national band that Paul fronted with OK
Panic's Markus Cherone in the 1990's) catalogue and the fans
lost control.
As Bettencourt left the stage and Boston newcomers Full Tilt,
who were also celebrating the release of their latest CD, took
reviews
charge. They tore through an emotional 40 minute acoustic set
that got the Music Hall on its feet and rushing the stage. Full Tilt
ended the night by going electric and showing everyone in atten-
dance what the band is really capable of.
At 9 p.m OK Panic somberly approached the stage to the
sounds of classical music. The band is fronted by Markus Cher-
24
CDs Rated 1 to 5
one, the younger brother of Extreme and Van Halen vocalist,
Gary Cherone. Markus lit up the stage to the point of never being
compared to his elder brother's success again. Markus' vocal abil-
ity, his staggering guitar playing and Ok Panic’s catchy tunes left
the crowd anxious for more and proved that Markus can indeed,
hold his own.
The entire audience was invited to an after show party at The
Williams Restaurant and it appeared that most of the audience
came. The highlight of the night was when Markus and Paulo took
to the stage at The Williams Restaurant. They used the gear of
the house band, South Street, to play an impromptu Flesh reun-
ion of sorts. Cherone and Bettencourt performed two covers and
humbly thanked the audience and the band for letting them play.
- Derek Drowne
Books
Music Lust by Nic Harcourt
Sasquatch Books $16.95
As one of the nation’s most trusted and respected musical taste
makers, Australian import Nic Harcourt of public radio station’s
KCRW’s “Morning Becomes Eclectic” has launched the careers of
such contemporary stars as Norah Jones, Coldplay, and many
others. Who better, then, to guide aficionados and neophytes
through the wonderful wilds of the music world?
In his new book, Music Lust, Harcourt offers a wide-ranging (and
thankfully cross-referenced) series of lists and essays on topics
ranging from Afro-Beat to Frank Zappa. Along the way, he dis-
cusses some of the best (and worst) band names, albums, and
musical combinations ever created. From big bands to
singer/songwriters, Harcourt turns his educated but not overly
erudite ear to nearly every genre imaginable, revealing interesting
reflections and refractions at every turn. Want to know more
about bands from Ireland? It’s here! How about groups named
after foods? Yep! And did you know that Hunt and Tony Sales
from David Bowie’s band Tin Machine are the sons of Soupy
Sales? Well you do now!
Written in an easy to understand style that only a true music
lover (or is that “luster”) could compose, Music Lust is a great
reference and a great read. - Matt Robinson
(We Are “i” continued from page 13)
What do you attribute your success together to?
Everything we have done, we did ourselves. Our CD we paid for
entirely ourselves. We didn’t want anyone else telling us what
we could and couldn’t play. It’s our music. We all contribute to
the band, and we love playing together. We all keep each other
entertained.
How do you see yourselves?
We do not see ourselves as just a “local band.” We are a na-
tional band. We want to put on shows that will blow you away.
How do you plan to get more exposure?
Jay: We really just need a support system of people who will talk
about our music and who will support us in our efforts to make
fantastic music together. We need to network, and have people
like you who enjoy our sound, and who have the ability to tell
others about it.
Richie: When we brought our demo to Rock 101, the labels
starting asking for more. They told us to “stretch your genre.” So
we are trying to put out the best possible music we can. We
want the listener to hear it and go, “Wow these guys are great,
who are they?” To answer that question. “We are I.”
Thanks so much to NoMaSoNha for granting us this interview,
and thanks to the fans who help to keep the dream alive. We will
see you this summer hopefully. Thanks again. www.wearei.com

FREE Musicians’ Classifieds
Nomasonha
c/o Continental Cobbler
6 W. Broadway
Derry, NH 03038
friekman@hotmail.com
Your ad here. Don’t forget area codes with phone #s.
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V.O.C - Victims of Circumstance Heavy
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Drummer Available
Experienced Drummer available for fill-in
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Also available to give musician referrals for
any instrument. Contact Joe "J.D." Foster
at (978)413-9631 or JDMusic73@aol.com.
Musician classifieds
are FREE!
(subject to editing for space)
Drummer Wanted
Eternal Embrace, an established metal
band with an eclectic sound, based in
southern NH, seeks a drummer. Must have for mandolin lessons. Call for rates. email
good sense of rhythm and dynamics, be
able to play double bass, groove at slower
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influences include: My Dying Bride, Katato-
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25
Guitarist Available
Rhythm guitarist from SO.NH available for
2-3 gigs a mnonth. Looking for a no pres-
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fine. Plenty of experience/Equipment and
all that good stuff. Hit me with an e-nmail if
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ested in. Oh, I have plenty of vocal ability
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Guitarist Wanted
Still Sinking is on the search for another
guitarist. We're a rock band with various
influences. We're open to new ideas, song
writing and influences. ww.stillsinking.com
t-bone@stillsinking.com (978) 973-1543
PRODUCT OR SERVICES
Honor System: List your products and ser-
vices for free, just send us $10 for any
money you get v and under and 10% of
any sales over $100. Send checks to Marc
Friedman d.b.a. NoMaSoNHa. Address on
p. 3 of this issue.
R&B/Hip Hop/Soul Singer-Songwriter-
Producer Available for booking &
available to write & sing hooks.
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www.myspace.com/shaymuse
Mandolin Lessons: Have you ever wanted
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Greetings from the
Boston Bluegrass Union
T
he Boston Bluegrass Union presents the 21st Joe Val
Bluegrass Festival, Presidents Day Weekend, February 17 –
19, 2006, at the Sheraton Framingham, Framingham, MA.
Everyone's favorite winter festival returns with a full weekend of
bluegrass entertainment, including top national and regional
bands, a multitude of workshops and education opportunities, a
bluegrass film festival, and 'round the clock picking. All this and
more without leaky tarps, mosquitoes or sunburn worries!
Established in 1985, the festival honors the legacy of the late Joe
Val, a pioneer of bluegrass in the Northeast. The 21st edition of
the festival bearing his name continues the great tradition of
performances by Mountain Heart, The Claire Lynch Band, The
Grascals, Dale Ann Bradley, Dry Branch Fire Squad, The
Kruger Brothers, James King Band, Dan Paisley & The
Southern Grass, Bluegrass Gospel Project, The
This year, with its first ever Heritage Award, the Boston
Bluegrass Union pays special tribute to Benjamin "Tex" Logan,
the individual most responsible for the Northeast's great bluegrass
tradition. In 1952, Logan encouraged the Lilly Brothers and Don
Stover to relocate from Clear Creek, West Virginia to the Boston
area to perform on local radio and in area clubs. As the
Confederate Mountaineers with Logon on fiddle, and later as the
Lilly Brothers and Don Stover, they introduced Southern mountain
string band music to New England. Their performances were of
the highest caliber and established an unmatched standard for
which we are ever grateful. As such, Tex Logan can aptly be
considered as the Father of Bluegrass in the Northeast.
The BBU takes education to heart and the festival will host
education opportunities for students of all ages. Pete Wernick's
Bluegrass Jam Camp leads off the festival (Wednesday night
through Friday) and The Bluegrass Master Class Day kicks off
the festival on Friday with daylong classes with members of The
Claire Lynch Band. Separate admission is required for these
activities.
Now in its fourth year, the BBU's Joe Val Academy for Kids is a
free, intensive three-day program that teaches children (ages 5 -
17) how to play, sing and perform bluegrass music. A dedicated
staff of instructors will teach fiddle, guitar, banjo, mandolin,
harmony singing and even a little history to the next generation of
bluegrass pickers. In addition, throughout the weekend, there will
be over thirty workshops that examine the instrument and vocal
techniques unique to bluegrass as well as the music's history and
culture. The Sheraton Framingham is conveniently located just 18
miles west of Boston, directly adjacent to the Mass Pike and Rt. 9.
At this time, all hotel rooms are sold out at the Sheraton, but are
rooms available right around the corner at the Marriott
Residence Inn. Patrons should call 508-370-0001 to reserve a
room for the festival. We also strongly encourage early ticket
purchases as the festival has sold out in past years.
Ticket Prices:
Weekend Pass - Adult $70 and Youth
(16 and under) $25
Single Day ticket prices
Friday - Adult $15 and Youth $5
Sunday - Adult $20 and Youth $10
Due to demand, there will be no
Saturday Only tickets sold
Children under 12 free all weekend.
www.bbu.org/jvhome.htm.
26
( Junius continued from page 14)
side thrash-rockers Circle Takes the Square. How do you
envision that tour? Is it the same as this one?
JM: We've never toured extensively with another band. We are
excited that our first time is with these guys. I saw Circle play 3 or
4 years ago to virtually no one. To see these guys steadily getting
bigger is really inspiring. Needless to say, we're excited.
MR: We’ve been friends with them for a long time. Our drummer,
Dana, used to be in a band with Kathy, Circle's bassist. They have
an awesome underground following of open minded music listen-
ers. We’re also excited because we’re hitting some places new to
us, and some places we’ve been that they’ve never been. We’ll all
be making a lot of new friends.
Unlike a lot of local bands, you're lucky enough to be signed
up to a label, Radar Recordings and having it co-managed by
your guitarist, Mike Repasch-Nieves. What would your lives
be like without the support of a label?
JM: We’re definitely lucky to be associated with Radar, but just to
clarify it's more of a community of like minded independent artists
working toward a common goal, rather than the typical corporate
label. We do not get financial help from Radar; we pay for every-
thing ourselves via touring [and] working. If you're not touring and
supporting yourself then you're not going to make it. And to all
those bands out there who think you need a label for financial
support—you DO NOT! What you do need is someone with some
know-how to get your album out to the public—this is where Ra-
dar comes in.
Radar's brain is comprised of Mike Repasch-Nieves and Will Be-
noit (from *The Constants*). They write e-mails, send out pack-
ages, bitch about music, drink some tequila, send more packages,
type more e-mails, and so on and so forth. Seriously though, they
work constantly—while we're on tour, on a break, recording,
sleeping... Basically, we’re lucky [to] have people like Mike and
Will who are constantly coming up with new ways to promote our
bands, and making sure Radar stays on the right path. Without
the support of Radar, we’d have a much bigger mountain to climb.
MR: Radar is definitely more of a community than a label including
the bands Constants, Seneca, and Baby Boy H. We have no out-
side funding whatsoever. Every dollar we make goes right back
into keeping it going. We try to operate based on our own ide-
als. We do all of our own promotion and most of our own book-
ing. It makes trying to succeed a lot more challenging, but also
more rewarding because we build very personal relationships with
everyone we work with, based on shared ideals, common beliefs,
and or an overall love of music. It’s the way it should be, and it’s a
limitation I don’t mind having.
What's up for Junius once the January-February tour ends?
Any plans to get back in the studio to record a full length al-
bum?
MR: We’re doing a lot more touring in 2006. We plan on taking
time to write more between tours since we’re shooting to record a
full-length later in the year. We have songs in various stages of
development for it, but we’re going to need a lot of time to keep
working on them. Music is our full-time job, so touring, writing, and
recording are the only things that matter.
Expose Your Band
To 4000 People
A Month
1/4 page ad space
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27
(Milo’s Syndicate continued from page 15)
it. We managed to get the recording and mix pulled off in two
days. Ethan is the man and a great guy to work with as well. Not
only is he a top notch engineer who can fulfill a tall order like
recording and mixing in two days for 6 songs, but, he also
knows the best eatery's in the area. That is something I am par-
ticularly fond of him for and he has a sweet beard which makes
me very jealous.
When will the new cd be coming out?
Aaron: Hopefully the mastering and duplicating will be done
within the month but I'm not officially announcing that or any-
thing.Zampiello over at New Alliance East is masteringfor us he
did the last one as well and is a fucking wizard/cool dude and
he's had it somewhat rough in terms of getting it done. The Boyl-
ston St.Museum whereAlliance Studio, New Alliance East and
about 90+ bands call "home", is being renovated and everyone
in the building is moving to a different location in Central
Square, so it's kind of slowed the process up a bit. Right now, I'd
say late Jan/early Feb release.
Your bassist Jeff seems like a nice enough guy, why is he
so hated??
Aaron: I hate Jeff because he pulls in the chicks, like this one
broad he's banging on the side (sorry Kate). She'sfucking hot. I
mean, why can't I get girls like that? Let's just go to the next
person.
Billy: Jeff speaks seven languages, holds advance degrees in
genetics, philosophy and engineering has a personal fortune
worth millions, and he owns a jet pack. He wasn’t actually born
from a mother, but rather leapt from a wound in Chuck Norris’s
skull received while performing a stunt during the filming of
“Braddock:Missing in Action III” he was fully grown, in complete
ninja attire, with nun chucks awhirl. Once, he sat two tables
away from Will Smith at an IHOP in Denver. How could you not
hate a guy like that? He’s done it all…
What's the plan of attack for Milo's Syndicate in 2006?
Aaron: We're approaching things a little differently than before.
Last year we were pretty much playing any show that came up,
and the result was a lot more stress on the band time-wise and
we couldn’t give our best at each show. So we might be playing
a little less often, but we're hoping to do more All Ages stuff this
year. Those shows seem to be a little more fun than the 21+
shows. If anyone needs a hardcore punk band for an all ages
show, hit us up at milossyndicate@yahoo.com. We’re also going
to be shopping around for labels a lot more aggressively with
this CD. There has to be a home for Milo somewhere, right?
Get Press
Send your music news to NoMaSoNHa
friekman@hotmail.com
 Scenemaker: Gary Chena of The Chit Chat Lounge
by James LeBeouf
Name: Gary Chena

Scene asset: The Chit Chat Lounge

Summary of asset: The Chit Chat Lounge is a family run business. Started by
Gary’s farther in 1959. Gary Chena: “He wanted me to take it over in 1970 and I
tried it but wanted to be more involved in getting my own music out there. My far-
ther developed Alzhiemers so my sister and nephew took over. Around 1996 I got
more involved. I re-built the stage in the back room and put in a decent P.A and
put up a website. I thought build a stage and they will come. I am a big believer in
Open Mic nights. That’s where you can really see what a performer can do. I also
have the ability to offer bands that play here audio and video recordings of their gigs. I have a splitter snake that runs
into a separate control room. I can edit it if the band likes also. I am looking to have bands that can bring in good solid
crowds. We have two floors. Fridays feature acoustic music and Sunday is jazz night..”

Role: Owner / Manager / Guru

How you got involved? As Gary said this is family business that he got involved
with after trying out his niche in a music career.

Best experience: “It is really hard to say. I really like watching a band have a
good night and hearing them sound good. I pride myself in helping bands to have
those good nights I have been playing my whole life and I know firsthand that
nothing beats having a good night and putting on a good show for your friends.
On the other hand there is nothing worse than having a bad night.”

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29
 Upcoming Events for February/March 2006
If you would like information on how to get your shows listed in NoMaSoNHa or if you would like to
sign up for the upcoming events weekly email mailing, please contact Danielle Martino, Editor Of
Upcoming Events, at Goddessmoonchant@yahoo.com or call Marc at (978) 258-2606.
2/01/06 Wednesday
Demiurge (Metal)
Sky Bar 518 Somerville Ave. Somerville, MA
8PM 21+ $7 www.myspace.com/demiurge666
Open Mic Night hosted by Bernie Frenette
Williams Restaurant
184 Pearson Blvd. Gardner, MA
9PM 21+ No Cover berniejam@yahoo.com
2/02/06 Thursday
Battle Of The Bands
co-sponsored by NoMaSoNHa
Characters Pub 246 Central St. Gardner, MA
8PM 21+ $5 www.characterspub.com
DJ Hype (Hip Hop)
The Drop Zone 10 Fisk Ave. Greenfield, MA 10
Fisk Ave.Greenfield, MA
9PM 18+ djhype@hotmail.com
Singer/Songwriter Showcase
hosted by Heidi-Jo Hanson
Featured artist: Jaded Mandolin
McNally’s Grill and Pub
88 Sergeant Rd. Westminster, MA
8PM 21+ No Cover mamajogo@aol.com
2/03/06 Friday
DJ Hype (Hip Hop)
The Drop Zone 10 Fisk Ave. Greenfield, MA 10
9PM 18+ djhype@hotmail.com
Moonstruck (Acoustic)
McNally's Grill & Pub
88 Sergeant Rd. Westminster, MA
8PM 21+ www.heidi-johanson.com
Skulltoboggan, Skin & more bands TBA.
The Atrium 1 Exchange Place Worcester, MA
6PM 18+ $10 www.atriumnightclub.com
2/04/06 Saturday
DJ Hype (Hip Hop)
The Drop Zone 10 Fisk Ave. Greenfield, MA
9PM 18+ djhype@hotmail.com
Skulltoboggan, Blackout Frenzy, Skin, &
Change Of System
Rox's Country Club 124 Main St. Oxford, MA
8PM 21+ $5 www.roxscountryclub.com
NOMASONHA NEEDS YOU!
We are looking for:
• CD Reviewers
• Hip-hop writers
• Classical writers
• Sales Reps
friekman@hotmail.com
2/07/06 Tuesday Jah Spirit (Reggae)
Character’s Pub 246 Central St. Gardner, MA
Acoustic Tuesday’s (Open Stage) 9PM 21+ www.jahspirit.com
hosted by Bernie Frenette
Character’s Pub 246 Central St. Gardner, MA Rusty Cadillacs (Rock)
9PM 21+ No Cover www.characterspub.com Chen Yang Li
520 South St. Bow, NH 520 South St. Bow, NH
2/08/06 Wednesday 9PM 21+ No Cover www.rustycadillacs.com
Demiurge, Heretic Hybrid Skulltoboggan (Groove Metal) Floss,
Brick House 2 Orchard St. Dover, NH Whiskey Chapel, & Sweet Eve
7:30PM 21+ $3 www.doverbrickhouse.com Cats/KC's Tap 530 Broadway Pawtucket, RI
8:30PM 21+ $5 www.kcstap.com
Open Mic Night (Open Stage)
hosted by Bernie Frenette
2/11/06 Saturday
Williams Restaurant
184 Pearson Blvd. Gardner, MA DJ Hype (Hip Hop)
9PM 21+ No Cover berniejam@yahoo.com The Drop Zone 10 Fisk Ave. Greenfield, MA
9PM 18+ djhype@hotmail.com
2/09/06 Thursday
Heidi-Jo Hanson (Acoustic/Rock)
CSN BOSTON SHOWCASE presents The Western Brick House
Vykki Vox Band (Soul/Rock) 2 Orchard St. Dover, NH
Benefit for Music in Schools 8PM 21+ www.heidi-johanson.com
Johnny D's Uptown
17 Holland St. Somerville, MA Skulltoboggan, Change Of System & more
8:30PM 21+ (unless accompanied by adult Club De Niro 4 Spring Lane Taunton, MA
w/reservations) www.VykkiVox.com
6PM All Ages www.clubdeniro.com
vvb@vykkivox.com 617-776-2004
DJ Hype (Hip Hop) Vykki Vox Band (Soul/Rock)
The Drop Zone 10 Fisk Ave. Greenfield, MA The Grog 13 Middle St. Newburyport, MA
9PM 18+ djhype@hotmail.com 9PM 21+ 978-465-8008
Freighttrain (Psychedelic Rock) 2/14/06 Tuesday
The Blackburn Tavern
2 Main St. Gloucester, MA Acoustic Tuesday’s (Open Stage)
9PM 21+ No Cover www.blackburntavern.net hosted by Bernie Frenette
Character’s Pub 246 Central St. Gardner, MA
Singer/Songwriter Showcase 9PM 21+ No Cover www.characterspub.com
hosted by Heidi-Jo Hanson
Featured artist: Jeff Root 2/15/06 Wednesday
McNally’s Grill and Pub
88 Sergeant Rd. Westminster, MA Open Mic Night (Open Stage)
8PM 21+ No Cover mamajogo@aol.com hosted by Bernie Frenette
Williams Restaurant
The Unofficial Paranoiac-Critical Science Fair with 184 Pearson Blvd. Gardner, MA
Optic Rose (Dark), The Glass Set (Indie), 9PM 21+ No Cover berniejam@yahoo.com
Specimen 37 (Prog Rock), Seven Sunless Days
(Dark), Thylacine (Dark), What Time Is It Mr 2/16/06 Thursday
Fox? (Melodic), Lucretia's Daggers (Goth), &
more.
DJ Hype (Hip Hop)
Cambridge Multicultural Arts Center
The Drop Zone 10 Fisk Ave. Greenfield, MA
41 Second St. Cambridge, MA
9PM 18+ djhype@hotmail.com
7PM All Ages www.ominouscollective.net
Singer/Songwriter Showcase
2/10/06 Friday
hosted by Heidi-Jo Hanson
DJ Hype (Hip Hop) Featured artist: The 50 Ways
The Drop Zone 10 Fisk Ave. Greenfield, MA McNally’s Grill and Pub
9PM 18+ djhype@hotmail.com 88 Sergeant Rd. Westminster, MA
8PM 21+ No Cover mamajogo@aol.com
2/17/06 Friday
Skulltoboggan, Bottlefight, Change Of Sys-
tem, Jesus Knevil, & One-Less
The Compound
281 Lunenburg St. Fitchburg, MA
8:30PM 21+ $5 www.thecompoundrocks.com
DJ Hype (Hip Hop)
The Drop Zone 10 Fisk Ave. Greenfield, MA
9PM 18+ djhype@hotmail.com
Rusty Cadillacs (Rock)
Slammers 547 Donald St. Bedford, NH
9PM 21+ No Cover www.rustycadillacs.com
2/18/06 Saturday
DJ Hype (Hip Hop)
The Drop Zone 10 Fisk Ave. Greenfield, MA
9PM 18+ djhype@hotmail.com
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Rusty Cadillacs (Rock)
Slammers 547 Donald St. Bedford, NH
9PM 21+ No Cover www.rustycadillacs.com
2/21/06 Tuesday
Acoustic Tuesday’s (Open Stage)
hosted by Bernie Frenette
Character’s Pub 246 Central St. Gardner, MA
9PM 21+ No Cover www.characterspub.com
2/22/06 Wednesday
Open Mic Night (Open Stage)
hosted by Bernie Frenette
Williams Restaurant
184 Pearson Blvd. Gardner, MA
9PM 21+ No Cover berniejam@yahoo.com
2/23/06 Thursday
DJ Hype (Hip Hop)
The Drop Zone 10 Fisk Ave. Greenfield, MA
9PM 18+ djhype@hotmail.com
Singer/Songwriter Showcase
hosted by Heidi-Jo Hanson
Featured artist: Jeremy Steinbring
McNally’s Grill and Pub
88 Sergeant Rd. Westminster, MA
8PM 21+ No Cover mamajogo@aol.com
2/24/06 Friday
DJ Hype (Hip Hop)
The Drop Zone 10 Fisk Ave. Greenfield, MA
9PM 18+ djhype@hotmail.com
2/25/06 Saturday
Demiurge (Metal)
Merrimack River Feline Rescue Society Benefit
Station 319 2 Main St. Somersworth, NH
All Day, All Ages $10
www.myspace.com/demiurge666
Skulltoboggan, City Of A Drowning Man
& Trumel
Fishtown Artspace
50 Maplewood Ave. Gloucester, MA
7PM All Ages $5 www.artspace.org
DJ Hype (Hip Hop)
The Drop Zone 10 Fisk Ave. Greenfield, MA
9PM 18+ djhype@hotmail.com
Heidi-Jo Hanson (Acoustic/Rock)
The Upper Deck
Pine Ridge Snow Park
377 Stetson Rd. Barre, MA
9PM 21+ www.heidi-johanson.com
Jah Spirit (Reggae)
Partner's Pub 970 South St. Fitchburg, MA
10PM 21+ www.jahspirit.com
2/28/06 Tuesday
Acoustic Tuesday’s (Open Stage)
hosted by Bernie Frenette
Character’s Pub 246 Central St. Gardner, MA
9PM 21+ No Cover www.characterspub.com
3/01/06 Wednesday
Open Mic Night (Open Stage)
hosted by Bernie Frenette
Williams Restaurant
184 Pearson Blvd. Gardner, MA
9PM 21+ No Cover berniejam@yahoo.com
 3/02/06 Thursday
DJ Hype (Hip Hop)
The Drop Zone 10 Fisk Ave. Greenfield, MA
9PM 18+ djhype@hotmail.com
Singer/Songwriter Showcase
hosted by Heidi-Jo Hanson
Featured artist:
Marjorie Thompson & Mo Suagr
McNally’s Grill and Pub
88 Sergeant Rd. Westminster, MA
8PM 21+ No Cover mamajogo@aol.com
3/03/06 Friday
Dirtnap Entertainment
presents: G*Spawt Birthday Bash
Skulltoboggan, Southern Bastard Church,
& more TBA
Ralph's Chadwick Square Diner
148 Grove St. Worcester, MA
8:30PM 21+ $5 www.ralphsdiner.net
DJ Hype (Hip Hop)
The Drop Zone 10 Fisk Ave. Greenfield, MA
9PM 18+ djhype@hotmail.com
3/04/06 Saturday
DJ Hype (Hip Hop)
The Drop Zone 10 Fisk Ave. Greenfield, MA
9PM 18+ djhype@hotmail.com
NEPGM Fest Slaugter House Satuday
Skulltoboggan, Inhale, Thru The Walls,
& more
Reflections Lounge
67 Parkhurst Rd. Chelmsford, MA
1PM All Ages $8 Adv. TIX $10 Door
www.reflectionslounge.com
3/07/06 Tuesday
Acoustic Tuesday’s (Open Stage)
hosted by Bernie Frenette
Character’s Pub 246 Central St. Gardner, MA
9PM 21+ No Cover www.characterspub.com
3/08/06 Wednesday
Skulltoboggan, Whiskey Chapel & more
The Lucky Dog Music Hall
89 Green St. Worcester, MA
8:30PM 21+ No Cover www.luckydogmusic.com
Open Mic Night (Open Stage)
hosted by Bernie Frenette
Williams Restaurant
184 Pearson Blvd. Gardner, MA
9PM 21+ No Cover berniejam@yahoo.com
3/09/06 Thursday
DJ Hype (Hip Hop)
The Drop Zone 10 Fisk Ave. Greenfield, MA
9PM 18+ djhype@hotmail.com
NOMASONHA
Needs a Sales Rep
20% Commission
friekman@hotmail.com
Singer/Songwriter Showcase
hosted by Heidi-Jo Hanson
Featured artist: Mark Fisher
McNally’s Grill and Pub
88 Sergeant Rd. Westminster, MA
8PM 21+ No Cover mamajogo@aol.com
3/10/06 Friday
DJ Hype (Hip Hop)
The Drop Zone 10 Fisk Ave. Greenfield, MA
9PM 18+ djhype@hotmail.com
Heidi-Jo Hanson (Acoustic/Rock)
Southside Grill Margarita Factory West Broad-
way Gardner, MA
9:30PM 21+ www.heidi-johanson.com
Rusty Cadillacs (Rock)
Slammers 547 Donald St. Bedford, NH
9PM 21+ No Cover www.rustycadillacs.com
3/11/06 Saturday
DJ Hype (Hip Hop)
The Drop Zone 10 Fisk Ave. Greenfield, MA
9PM 18+ djhype@hotmail.com
If you would like to review CDs
email papa@hotdayatthezoo.com
Or call (978) 258-2606
(you get to keep them, too)
Rusty Cadillacs (Rock)
Slammers 547 Donald St. Bedford, NH
9PM 21+ No Cover www.rustycadillacs.com
3/14/06 Tuesday
Acoustic Tuesday’s (Open Stage)
hosted by Bernie Frenette
Character’s Pub 246 Central St. Gardner, MA
9PM 21+ No Cover www.characterspub.com
3/15/06 Wednesday
Open Mic Night (Open Stage)
hosted by Bernie Frenette
Williams Restaurant
184 Pearson Blvd. Gardner, MA
9PM 21+ No Cover berniejam@yahoo.com
3/16/06 Thursday
DJ Hype (Hip Hop)
The Drop Zone 10 Fisk Ave. Greenfield, MA
9PM 18+ djhype@hotmail.com
Singer/Songwriter Showcase
hosted by Heidi-Jo Hanson
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Featured artist: Judd Caswell
McNally’s Grill and Pub
88 Sergeant Rd. Westminster, MA
8PM 21+ No Cover mamajogo@aol.com
3/17/06 Friday
DJ Hype (Hip Hop)
The Drop Zone 10 Fisk Ave. Greenfield, MA
9PM 18+ djhype@hotmail.com
Heidi-Jo Hanson (Acoustic/Rock)
P.A.C.C/Polish American Country Club
Gardner, MA 8PM 21+ mamajogo@aol.com
3/18/06 Saturday
DJ Hype (Hip Hop)
The Drop Zone 10 Fisk Ave. Greenfield, MA
9PM 18+ djhype@hotmail.com
Moonstruck (Acoustic)
McNally's Grill & Pub
88 Sergeant Rd. Westminster, MA
8PM 21+
3/21/06 Tuesday
Acoustic Tuesday’s (Open Stage)
hosted by Bernie Frenette
Character’s Pub 246 Central St. Gardner, MA
9PM 21+ No Cover www.characterspub.com
3/22/06 Wednesday
Open Mic Night (Open Stage)
hosted by Bernie Frenette
Williams Restaurant
184 Pearson Blvd. Gardner, MA
9PM 21+ No Cover berniejam@yahoo.com
3/23/06 Thursday
DJ Hype (Hip Hop)
The Drop Zone 10 Fisk Ave. Greenfield, MA
9PM 18+ djhype@hotmail.com
Singer/Songwriter Showcase
hosted by Heidi-Jo Hanson
Featured artist: Dave Gaudet
McNally’s Grill and Pub
88 Sergeant Rd. Westminster, MA
8PM 21+ No Cover mamajogo@aol.com
3/24/06 Friday
DJ Hype (Hip Hop)
The Drop Zone 10 Fisk Ave. Greenfield, MA
9PM 18+ djhype@hotmail.com
Skulltoboggan & more TBA
Cats/KC's Tap 530 Broadway Pawtucket, RI
8:30PM 21+ $5 www.kcstap.com 401-722-0150
Rusty Cadillacs (Rock)
Chen Yang Li 520 South St. Bow, NH
9PM 21+ No Cover www.rustycadillacs.com
3/25/06 Saturday
DJ Hype (Hip Hop)
The Drop Zone 10 Fisk Ave. Greenfield, MA
9PM 18+ djhype@hotmail.com
Heidi-Jo Hanson (Acoustic/Rock)
The Upper Deck Pine Ridge Snow Park 377
Stetson Rd. Barre, MA
9PM 21+ www.heidi-johanson.com
Skulltoboggan (Groove Metal) & more
Rox's Country Club 124 Main St. Oxford, MA
8PM 21+ $5 www.roxscountryclub.com
3/28/06 Tuesday
Acoustic Tuesday’s (Open Stage)
hosted by Bernie Frenette
Character’s Pub 246 Central St. Gardner, MA
9PM 21+ No Cover www.characterspub.com
3/29/06 Wednesday
Open Mic Night (Open Stage)
hosted by Bernie Frenette
Williams Restaurant
184 Pearson Blvd. Gardner, MA
9PM 21+ No Cover berniejam@yahoo.com
3/30/06 Thursday
DJ Hype (Hip Hop)
The Drop Zone 10 Fisk Ave. Greenfield, MA
9PM 18+ djhype@hotmail.com
Singer/Songwriter Showcase
hosted by Heidi-Jo Hanson
Featured artist: Lucy Martinez
McNally’s Grill and Pub
88 Sergeant Rd. Westminster, MA
8PM 21+ No Cover mamajogo@aol.com
3/31/06 Friday
Skulltoboggan, Whiskey Chapel,
Bottlefight, & Distraught
Characters Pub 246 Central St. Gardner, MA
8:30PM 21+ $5 www.characterspub.com
DJ Hype (Hip Hop)
The Drop Zone 10 Fisk Ave. Greenfield, MA
9PM 18+ djhype@hotmail.com
Rusty Cadillacs (Rock)
Slammers 547 Donald St. Bedford, NH
9PM 21+ No Cover www.rustycadillacs.com
 february listings
friday 3rd evenspeak
friday 10th jah spirit
friday 17th chris fitz
friday 24th third stone
tuesdays: acoustic open mic with bernie fredette. all are
welcome to come in and play or just relax
saturdays: the areas hottest DJ
sundays: the best karaoke show where everyone is a rock star.

Expose Yourself to
4000 People A Month
Businesses: You can have this 1/2
page ad space for only $175

Bands and Musicians: You can have this 1/2 page

ad space for only $100
That’s only $25/person for a 4 piece band!

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