DVD Review: GG Allin & the AIDS Brigade, Live in Boston 1989

Text © Robert Barry Francos/FFanzeen, 2010
Images from the Internet

GG Allin & the AIDS Brigade, Live in Boston 1989
Directed by Merle Allin
MVD Visual, 2010
90 minutes, USD $19.95
GGAllin.com
MVDvisual.com

If you don’t know who GG Allin is, well, suffice to say that he is a cult hardcore musician who is simply without boundaries. He was as transgressive as he could be, with no fear of attacking his audience or injuring himself on stage. He made Johnny Rotten look like a nerd, Sid Viscous a schoolboy, Stiv Bators unassuming, and even Keith Moon appear sane. Ironically, his birth name was Jesus Christ Allin. He died of a drug overdose in New York City in June of 1993. I can’t imagine there is any way he could have lived much longer than that.

Back in the late ‘70s and early ‘80s, I started receiving badly recorded demo cassette tapes from GG of his band the Jabbers, when he was living up in New England. I wasn’t quite sure what to think about the music, but the lyrics were blatantly offensive, and obviously meant to be. The songs were not juvenile, like another West Coast cult band, the Angry Samoans (who wrote about saving Hitler’s appendage, rhyming it under a rock; don’t get me wrong, they were a fun band), but rather they were well written, albeit much more angry and violent (yes, I still have them).

Before long, his then band, the Murder Junkies, were banned in many clubs, including their local big town, Boston. Under the name The AIDS Brigade, the band got themselves booked at the Middle East Café in the Boston suburb of Cambridge, and went down to the show dressed in drag, in which they also performed.

The first couple of tracks of the DVD are two sets of rehearsals, one being just GG and his brother Merle, who is also in the band, facing each other in chairs and playing guitars. The second part is a full band rehearsal for 19 minutes, and I must say it’s the best I’ve heard the band sound. They played decent music, for certain, which would deteriorate as the years went on. The last pre-show footage, which lasts a bit too long at 15 minutes, is the make-up application in a crowded room, presumably someone’s house. It’s pretty hard to follow who other than the band is there, and what is being done at any particular moment.

The show itself, on August 27, which is done in full New York Dolls style drag (GG was a big fan), is mounted on the small stage, with GG in the center. Sure they cover all his main songs, such as “Expose Yourselves to Kids,” and my fave of their tunes, “Bite It You Scum,” but it is actually starts relatively sedate. They sound like a great hardcore band, or even mid-‘70s New York Scene style, but as it goes on, GG lifts his skirt and pulls off his panties, exposing himself (as he’s wont to do), and even manages to throw himself on the ground a few times. As GG shows go, this is mild, but the music is the most upfront I’ve seen, and as a musical act, they were impressive, with biting lyrics (pun intended), and smart tunes.

Ah, but the DVD doesn’t end there, and here is where it gets a bit – err – twisted. But first a side-note: from late 1989 to 1991, GG was in prison on an assault charge, and something must have “broke” in there, because of what followed in his life, including extreme substance abuse and the disappearance of any kind of propriety in his performances. I am not sure if Andy Kaufman would applaud or be aghast.

There are two full gigs at over 40 minutes each, presented via a close single camera (by a very brave cameraperson) from May 26 in Seattle and May 27 in Portland, just one month before his death. What is shown is how far to the extreme he had achieved. He performs both gigs naked (with the exception of boots, dog collar and in the second show, gloves), rips up bibles and local newspapers and sets them on fire onstage (using mas lighter fluid), pees and defecates on the stage (and ingests both), sticks multiple items up his bum (including a turkey baster and the microphone), flings the mic stand into the audience, and he punches people and gets pummeled in return. By the end he is bloodied and covered in crap (literally). There is a barrier between the audience and the stage, and while no one in the crowd comes over to the band’s side, GG travels often into the spectators, in one case ripping the tee-shirt off of a woman, and varied times whacking other people on the side of the head if they venture too close.

In the Seattle show, he openly insults Nirvana and Pearl Jam right off. Considering the time period and the location, this took balls, which were right there. The sound was kind of muddy, unfortunately, and the lyrics were mostly impossible to make out (though thanks to the 1989 show, one could have an idea). GG doesn’t just roam the stage, he prowls it… he owns it. Often hitting his head repeatedly with the mic, he growls more than sings, and it’s pretty obvious he’s bloated and not in good health. The club, Under the Rail, first tries to turn off the electricity, and then when they realize that this may cause more trouble than not, it comes back on and the band continues to play, including “Kill the Police,” “I Live to Be Hated,” and “Highest Power.” When all the lights go out, the show ends; GG goes into the audience and starts a near riot when the scene ends.

The second is at The Roseland Theater, where many of the preamble antics continue. GG’s legs are black and blue (could be bruising, or perhaps from shooting up?). The sound is a lot clearer, but it doesn’t help that GG keeps breaking the mics, which are replaced quite often (by a club roadie who does not want to touch the feces covered contraption; at first he just drops it on the floor, but then he brings a towel to wipe it off). At one point, GG climbs up on a very tall bank of monitors, and starts pushing at a neon wall hanging, and you’re left to wonder if it will go crash (I’m not telling).

It’s these later shows that are more representative of his Hated in the Nation documentary, which is where most know him from. Tt’s definitely a self-destructive circus that has attracted fans the likes of World War IX’s Justin Melkmann and SQNS’s Tony Petrozza (who covers “Bite It You Scum”), and I’m certainly glad to have them, but it’s the 1989 Cambridge show that is the find for me, as I had not seen footage of the band from this period. I am pleased at just how good and catchy it is. One would hardly know it was the same band.

GG Allin is not an acquired taste: you either love it or you hate it, period. If you’re squeamish about bodily functions (or bodies, for that matter) in any kind of way, or find objectionable lyrics objectionable, needless to say, avoid this. But if you are a fan, you surely will not be disappointed. RIP, GG, and I hope you have found peace.

Bonus video (not from this DVD):

LYRES: Back to Mono

Text by Bruce Farley Mowat, 1988 Live photos by Robert Barry Francos © FFanzeen, 2010 Album cover image from the Internet The following interview originally appeared in FFanzeen Number 15, which was issued in 1988. I’ve been seeing Lyres a number of times since they formed, and even as late as a couple of years ago at a Nancy Neon sponsored show in the Boston area. MonoMan is still sounding strong, playing hard, and keeping it real in the garage. – RBF Lyres have been around for over eight years, dammit, and they still don’t get the recongiion they should on this continent. This Canadian FFanzeen correspondent caught up with Jeff “MonoMan” Conolly when the band played Chuggies in Hamilton, Ontario, and cornered him in Sloth Kook’s Kave, armed with a vintage Nagra-Kudeleski portable mono reel-to-reel recorder. Recognizing my inherent good tastes (in matters of sound equipment, anyway), he consented to do an interview. The following is the interview that was aired on CFMU-FM. FFanzeen: You have a new LP [Lyres, Lyres], and it has a couple of re-cuts including the Chip Lamey single (“How Do You Know”). Any reason for that? Jeff Conolly: Yeah, that single is like – R.E.M.’s first single, that “Radio Free Europe” on Hiptone, the Cramps’ first two singles, “Human Fly” and “Surfin’ Bird,” on that Vengeance label – go for a lot of money. And Lyres first 45 and some of the Chesterfield Kings’ singles go for a lot of money. There was, like a thousand pressed or whatever, so they go for 20 or 30 Pounds in Europe or England. The song “How Do You Know” was only available on one of those “record collector” type singles. So I figured I’d put it out on a 12” record and that’s why the song was re-recorded. FF: Okay. How about “Busy Man”? Jeff: The new one is “Busy Men.” Originally it was “Busy Man” nine years ago as DMZ, but I just wanted to make more money ‘cause I decided to get greedier. I changed m-a-n to m-e-n so I could cut out some of the publisher people that were grabbing 15 or 20 percent. That was motivated by sheer greed. FF: We should talk about the history of Lyres and DMZ. You’ve been around for what, 10, 12 years now? Jeff: I’m pretty old, but I do aright! I got lots of friends [yuks all around]. We were, like, college students and maybe one guy that used to work at a radio station. There was a big punk explosion in ’75, and we started playing gigs [in Boston]. We had the drummer that left the Modern Lovers for the Cars [David Robinson]; we had him for the whole summer. We gained some notoriety there. We started making records and then we had an album on Sire Records [DMZ] before the Pretenders had an album on there. FF: Did a record on Bomp!, too. Jeff: Yeah, we did that stuff, too. And then at the very end of ’78, everybody kinda split up. It was very quick. It lasted a short period of time. FF: They repackaged some of that early stuff with some other unreleased stuff they dragged out. Did you see any of that? Jeff: Probably not. I didn’t receive any of it. FF: No? Jeff: You kind of have to go out to Los Angeles and go to the warehouse and grab the stuff off the shelves. FF: So, how did Lyres come to be? This would be ’79 now? Jeff: Yeah, January 1, 1979. That was the first Lyres rehearsal. So here we are in 1986, so that’s well over 8 years that we’ve been playing gigs and making records here and there. FF: Who’s in the band now? Jeff: The same guys [on the Lyres, Lyres album]. We have a new bass player since the last time we played here in Hamilton. In fact, the bass player we had last time we played Chugggies quit when we got back home because he didn’t want to sleep on other people’s couches anymore. Well, I like sleeping on people’s couches and in their beds, wherever I’m accepted, as long as it’s, y’know, a virus-free environment. So that’s why were’ back here with a new bass player. FF: He likes couches. Jeff: He’s looking for viruses and anything he can get his ands on, basically. FF: So, the vinyl tally is - Jeff: We’re tallying up big scores. FF: Two LPs, and a compact disc (!). Jeff: No, we have two compact discs (!!). Two albums, two CDs, and four 45s. FF: On the new LP, there’s a Percy Sledge-like reworking of “She Pays the Rent.” What bolt of inspiration provided that? Jeff: This friend of mine that lives in Oslo, Norway, he’s, like, a Pretty Things expert, but, like, y’know, he’s a nice guitarist and he had these bands. His name is Willie B. I don’t say his last name so well [probably unpronounceable on the first attempt – BM]. He sends me over this single and it’s like, him, the male guitarist, and three chicks playing bass, drums, and lead singer. These beautiful Norwegian women with the high cheekbones, perfect shaped breasts, tits, bosoms! So, like, they do this song, “That’s How Strong My Love Is.” And its, like, excellent. It’s great. It’s like Janis Joplin-meets-Oslo, Norway, but it’s a really nice record, okay. The guy sent it over to me for free! So I’m going, “I’m really pissed off about this Nomads bullshit,” so I’m going to do the Norwegian “That’s How Strong My Love Is” by this Willie B. and Three Norwegian revue, and take their songs and slow “She Pays the Rent” to a soul ballad. It was basically people from Norway that gave me the inspiration as a backlash to the Swedish people. FF: What happened with that Nomads’ version of “She Pays the Rent”? Jeff: What happened was bad for everybody because people were comparing both versions and it’s stupid, y’know, ‘cause I wrote the stupid song and I don’t need to be in competition with somebody who’s going to outdo me on my own material. So the Norwegian people just came through, through the mail, and I was able to slap the Swedish people in the face with the help of the Norwegian people, which I thought was really appropriate. FF: A couple of other things from the LP: “Stormy” by the Classics IV? Jeff: The Jesters of Newport, California. FF: Is it corrected? That track is a lot different from what people expect from Lyres. Jeff: Well, I don’t know what they’re gonna expect because as long as Lyres are making records there will be some stuff on the records that people won’t understand. FF: That just gives you more depth. Jeff: It’s probably too much for people to take in. FF: What would you like to be doing in the future? Jeff: Probably take two-three months off from the music business completely, ‘cause there’s plenty of other bands waiting in the wings to pull up the slack, and I figure, let these guys take over for awhile and sit in the hot sand. I’m going to go to the beach and lie in the sun, and just completely forget about the music business. I’m supposed to promote this Lyres, Lyres album, which is an okay record. I like it a lot in certain ways, and I’m supposed to go to Europe to promote it. And then I’m just going to take a vacation. This is, like, one summer that I’m going to enjoy because too many summers have gone where I didn’t have a good time, so I think that’s what ’87 is going to be all about. People just saying, “Fuck this, I’ve had enough of this crap and I’m gonna take a vacation for a while,” I think that’s the theme for ’87, to lay back and take stock of yourself – “Are you taking music too serious?” “Are you concerned by what it all means?” ‘Cause personally, I’ve had enough. I think it’s time to take a big vacation. And if people want money, good, work your ass off for the whole summer, but, y’know, good luck! [Yuks]. Have a good time, I mean, get everybody for every buck they’re worth! That’s what I have to say. FF: Trivial notes: Who’s the woman on the cover of the LP? Jeff: She’s a groupie. Boston-based, but she’s pretty much, y’know, familiar with all kinds of rock stars in all kinds of ways. She’s a nice girl. She’s on the album cover and on the poster. I thought it was quite fitting that she could be the El Producto Cigar Girl of ’87. If you’ve ever seen a package of El Producto cigars, then you’ll understand what the album cover’s about, y'know?

Photo Essay: Road Between NYC and Boston, 2007

Text and photos (c) Robert Barry Francos, 2010

Photos can be enlarged by double-clicking on them.

Book Review: Two Weeks Since My Last Confession, by Kate Genovese

Text © Robert Barry Francos/FFanzeen
Images from the Internet

Two Weeks Since My Last Confession
By Kate Genovese
Mountain Valley Publishing, 2009
368 pages, $17.95
ISBN: 978-1-934940-63-1

But first I digress… The central character of this book, Molly O’Brien, was born on October 19. Not only is that my mom’s birthday, but it’s also the day I started reading this! How much of a portent is that?

The focus of the novel is the large, Boston-based Irish-Catholic O’Brien family, who smacks of a Kennedy political mien. As the siblings grow up from the 1950s through the mid-‘80s, this story pinpoints mostly on three of them: Molly, Susan, and their brother Sean, highlighting their relationships, interaction with each other, the power of their family, and their participation with Catholic Church.

In this, Genovese’s third release, she uses her background in nursing to cover a multitude of sins including a large number of social ills, such as teen pregnancy, prostitution, PTSD, and abuse, such as drug, physical and sexual.

As we meet Molly, it is the late ‘70s and she is in rough shape. She wonders how her life came to this point, and so we begin a flashback to her birth. Growing up, she was one of eight kids, and the one with the strongest will. And yet, her mother’s ferverant religious zeal tears at her and wears her down. She acts out again and again, and a memory of an uncomfortable series of nights at home keeps her out of the house, leading her into more and more trouble. Genovese shows the reader step by step, making us desire to help and yet feel powerless.

This is also a story of its time. The effects of teen pregnancy or spousal abuse then would not have the same effect on a political family now. Also, with the present technology and celebrity family media fixation, there would be less chance for the political head of a family to be able to pull as many strings to keep family laundry more secretive.

While very little of the story takes place within the Church proper, its pull is felt on nearly every page, hence the title. The shunning led through the Church’s influence on its parishioners to unwed mothers through the pressures of confession and supposed forgiveness, is only conceded on the parish’s terms. This is its form of abuse most prevalent throughout these pages.

As a storyteller, Genovese knows how to keep the reader interested in what happens to the people this story revolves around, and in fact, I wouldn’t mind a second book about the rest of the clan that gets more of a peripheral glance. For example, two of the sisters see beyond what troubles Molly, and stand by her. What makes them tick, I wondered, since they were raised by this same intense family?

Despite the good storytelling, there are a few concerns that plagued me. First of all, the ending seems just a little too feel-good and pat. Also, by placing the time of the novel, Genovese avoids HIV/AIDS, though I doubt this was meant intentionally.

My biggest problem with the book though, and I realize this may be nit-picking, is that like many self-published works (it can be bought on-line though, from numerous sources), it needs more solid editing and proofreading, as it’s rife with grammatical errors (for example, the word “seen” is used rather than “scene”). There is also the occasional clumsy sentence structure that could easily be picked up by a dedicated line-editor. The story and author deserve that, especially in this instance, when the narrative is so solid.

I do like that while the abuse is aplenty, much of the physical stuff is left kind of vague, thereby relying more on story than on mere shock value. This seems to give the tale more validity, as life is vague, especially when one looks at memories many years later.

Despite the high drama, there is a good and firm story here that is enjoyable to follow, and I must admit it was enough of a page turner that I kept reading more often than most books I’ve read recently. Definitely a quick and enjoyable read, that makes me want to seek out her other works.

Mary Lou Lord: Who is Mary Lou Lord?

Photos from the Internet

This is the fourth part of a series of articles or interviews that have been published before in magazines that no longer exist. This one was originally published in Oculus Magazine, April/May 1997; an update follows.

Mary Lou Lord: Who is Mary Lou Lord?

Calling Mary Lou Lord at an ungodly hour on a Saturday morning, she was very gracious, even after only a couple hours of sleep. It seems that some strangers had followed her car the night before; then someone called her at 3 a.m. from his cell phone after tracking her number and address from her license plate. After the call, she was up, nervously trying to train Mona, her Pomeranian, “to sound like a German Shepard.” She pondered both puzzled and angrily, “He didn’t even know me!”

After two releases on Seattle’s Kill Rock Stars label (Mary Lou Lords and Martian Saints!), who Mary Lou Lord “is” is about the be upped on the music scene since her recent signing with Work Records. “I got a car and have more time to myself, but nothing feels different – though I feel inspired that this can happen. To be believed in is incredible to me!” And despite a potentially lucrative deal, both spiritually and financially, you can still find her singing in the train stations of Boston for money.

Mary Lou Lord, 1995
Performing in the subways is a very key part of who “is” Mary Lou Lord. She has been doing it for nine years, five days a week, seven hours a day, with approximately 10,000 people hearing her per hour, by her own estimates. Starting off knowing only one song – hoping the train would come quickly – she was forced to then learn two songs. Even at that stage, what kept her apart from most subway musicians was the quality of the songs she covered. Not going for the usual Beatles, To-10, etc., that one hears constantly (“I don’t know ‘American Pie’”), Mary Lou chose more obscure numbers, by the likes of The Bevis Frond, Daniel Johnston, and Jimmy Bruno, as well as “Joni (Mitchell), Nick (Lowe), Neil (Young), and Bob (Dylan),” as she states in one of her own compositions, “His Indie World.” She gained a more eclectic following, even for a subway crowd. People who would stop to talk were music lovers who recognized the tunes. “The difference was I was playing decent songs. They’d say, ‘I know what you’re doing, and it’s a good thing,’ even though I sucked.”

Starting out listening mostly to folk and “progressive” music, Mary Lou realized at some point that she had missed the whole punk movement. By listening to more modern DIY and punk, she realized their connection to folk (“three chords, a little rebellion, a little bit of politics”). From there she kept tracing other bands’ influences until she came to a roots music in itself – rockabilly. What impressed her were the songs. “Fuckin’ good songs rule,” she exclaimed, and then continued, “If it starts out being a song, it will continue being a song.” Turning her back on the electronics of the Progressive rock sound, she acknowledged the burning question, “Where’s the song beneath that sound that will last 20 years?”

Martian Saints!, 1997
The song is, in part, the reason she has covered some relatively underground artists while singing in the underground, as well as having covers-laden releases (for Mary Lou Lords, in total, thirteen songs, of which four are originals). “Others deserve to be heard,” Mary Lou posited. “A song can only have life if it’s listened to.” By listening to her records and then seeking out the originals, as she has done (and still does), a listener could potentially “help me help them.”

After meeting and befriending Kathleen Hanna of Bikini Kill (also on Kill Rock Stars) at The Rat in Boston, Mary Lou headed out to Olympia, Washington, a few years ago, landing a job at the Smithfield Coffee Shop. From there, it was just a mater of time before she was signed on her own merits. On Mary Lou’s first, self-titled Kill Rock Stars release, all but one of the cuts are “a girl and her guitar,” with simple production values, presenting her as most have heard her in the subways. The exception is the opening cut, “Lights Are Changing,” presented with a full band and friend Juliana Hatfield (an “oddball, weirdo, cool chick”).

Got No Shadow, 1998
After a well documented (elsewhere) friendship and feud later (to which she wisely refers, “Who gives a flying fuck?”) Mary Lou found herself back on the east coast.

Her second release, Martian Saints!, is more heavily produced and, consequently, Mary Lou is not totally satisfied with it. Describing it as “too slick” and suffering from “theremin-overload” (“except for my cut, ‘Salem ‘76’”), she expresses, as an example, the Peter Laughner cover of “Cinderella Backstreet” as “too foofy, not gutsy.” She promises the next release, on which she is working, will “make up for it.”

Live: City Sounds, 2001
Her list of associates has been and is pretty astounding, including members of bands as diverse as Helium, the Presidents of the United States, and co-label member Elliott Smith (referred complementarily by Mary Lou as “The absolute shit! He’s fragile in my eyes, and I want to protect him.”). As she heads toward recording her next album, Mary Lou is also happy with her friend and new collaborator, Nick Saloman, of the Bevis Frond, who also joined her on some of the cuts from Martian Saints! Apparently, she had found people who know who is Mary Lou Lord.

Baby Blue, 2004
NOW:
Sad to say, Mona passed away this year (pictures can be seen at MML's Website, listed below). Meanwhile, Mary Lou Lord continues recording and performing/touring, but has never broken past the college radio / indie cult artist stage. While it may not mean riches for her, her audience is a more select, and appreciative group. She still champions Elliott Smith, who committed suicide. Whether she still sings in the subway I don’t know, but it would not surprise me. I keep hoping to run into her down there.

www.myspace.com/maryloulord

CD Reviews: Boston Special

The latest batch of reviews are all from the Boston area, where they know how to support their local bands.

With Karen DeBiasse leading the Boston-based GIRL ON TOP, it shows how a good rocker can range from heavy to light, as with “Cherry Blossoms/Sakura” (girlontop.com ), and still come out…er…on top. This band knows how to wave their axe high and strong (“Air Waves” and “Beat Myself Up”) and yet have a tender side (“Cherry Blossoms”), to just take the first three cuts of this rock-solid CD. The musicians in this band have passed the ingénue stage, and have enough solid experience to get the job done effectively. It makes total sense that there are two Stones covers (in a row!) from their post-Blues period, because they fit in so well here, including a smashing version of “Paint It Black”, which is loyal and yet Girl on Top make it their own, with Karen showing her range by singing in a lower register. The whole recording is catchy enough to get on the radio without selling out, which is a tough thing to do. – RBF/FFanzeen

MACH 5 are named as much for Speed Racer’s car as for lead singer Mach Bell, who fronted the seminal Boston first-wave punk-era band, Thundertrain. And he’s lost none of the power, growl or grit. This new combo has all the earmarks of hook-laden bar rock that would fit in well on the shelf with the NY Dolls and their ilk. Right from the start on "Meet Mach 5" (thundertrain.com/mach5) , they pound you into the floor with “Get It Up”. Bell and the ridiculously monikered (but good songsmith) Dee Stroy wrote this and many of the others. “Deadly Combination” is almost an updated version of Wayne County’s “Max’s Kansas City”, looking at the wasted deaths of the likes of Thunders, Vicious, and Spungen. There are also some interesting covers, including Kirsty McaColl’s “They Don’t Know” (also previously covered by Tracy Ullman, and which seems a bit out of place here), Mose Allison’s total I-IV-V rave-up “If You’re Goin’ to the City”, and Alice Cooper’s “Under My Wheels” also make an appearance. But they’re local Boston boys, and they make it clear with shout outs to “Quincy Girl” and “Kenmore Square”. This CD is a fun flashback of pure rock power. Welcome back, Mach. – RBF/FFanzeen

So, what happens when a bunch of musicians centered in Worchester (for those out of the know, it is pronounced Wooosda), MA, who had previously been in metals bands, get together and decide to go pop? You get some wicked guitars behind a mainstream sound with a solid bottom and soaring vocals. While ALMADA's self title release (almadarock.com) is a little too sterile for my taste, I also believe that they deserve their props. The songs are catchy and I can easily see them right beside bands like My Chemical Romance. Actually, I heard the latest from MCR while getting a haircut this afternoon, and I think Almada blows them outta da water. Just from the strength of this first release, I am amazed I don’t hear them on some radio station, or blasting out of some retail store, bolstered by songs like “Killed By Cuteness,” “Japanese B-Side,” and especially “Radiator”. Note that since this release, Almada have changed their name to the ArkRoyal. – RBF/FFanzeen

The night I received the self-titled CD of PAUL HULTMAN (varulven.com), I was fortunate to see him play at the Kirkland Café in Somerville, MA. Paul used to be in the band The Instagators (yes, that’s how they spell it), and that period along with he rest of the last 20 years (including some demos) are included in this collection of his work. The Instagators parts are solid ‘80s Boston bar band sound that is still accessible (such as the rave-up opening cut, “Where’s the Party”; the closer is the same song in Spanish), thanks in part to producer/label owner Joe Viglione. But I emphatically want to emphasize just how strongly Boston-based Paul’s work is, with lines that include words like “stahka” (stalker). While Hultman did an acoustic set the night I saw him play, his rock playing is melodic and catchy. His voice is unique and feels present and sincere. There are also some interesting choices for covers, like the Jefferson Airplane’s “White Rabbit”, Zep’s “Ramble On”, Berlin’s “Take My Breath Away”, and “Down Town Talk” by Tom Dickey & the Desires (Paul’s pal Jon Macey was a member, as well as leader of FoxPass, who also shared the bill that night). There are lots of Boston staple players here, including Steven Paul Perry (who also mastered the CD), Paul Santo, and Brian “Taz” Durante (who was in the audience at the Kirkland). I’d love to see him play electric some time. – RBF/FFanzeen
Photos I took that night of Paul, Joe V, and FoxPass at the Kirkland: http://entertainment.webshots.com/album/551751987yQzRZK

I liked APPOMATTOX (appmttx.com) the first time I heard their CD, and it just continues to grow with each listen. A power trio from Boston, the band has a way with a song that is punk, melodious, and yet manages to stay wicked edgy. Yeah, they use a shredding guitar, dissonant notes, and sharp vocals, but the songs are memorable and powerful. Not a hint of a bad cut here. At six cuts in a bit less than 20 minutes, I’m looking forward to the whole she-bang. – RBF/FFanzeen