Rumblings

Boston's battle of the bands marches on

Cellars by Starlight by Brett Milano

When you look at the state of modern-rock radio -- and I mean most of it, not just WBCN -- it's a wonder that the station is still having the Rumble at all. There was a lot more local music on the radio when 'BCN first launched the local battle of the bands 20 years ago, before corporate ownership and focus groups conspired to make sure that every city's frequency sounds pretty much the same. With Howard Stern becoming the role model for at least half the male jocks out there (and 'BCN having grabbed the Stern franchise for this market), rock radio is increasingly pitched at an audience that can't legally go to clubs yet -- and would probably rather go to Hooters anyway.

So even if the Rumble has outlasted its era, the event remains crucial to the local scene. It's too bad this year's preliminaries got moved to the upstairs room of the Middle East, a space far too small for the crowds that turned up. This was likely done as a face-saving device after last year's downstairs prelims drew smaller audiences, but at least those people could move. This year the upstairs shows were a sweatbox for all concerned. Even the downstairs room was packed when the semifinals came around, a sign that it's time to move the entire event back down.

That said, the final is tonight (Thursday), and the Vic Firecracker Trio are going to win -- or at least they will if there's any justice. The Trio were dark-horse winners in Saturday's prelims, up against an art/experimental band (close runners-up Lockgroove), a ska band (Big D and the Kids' Table) and a rockabilly band (the Racketeers). They were the only traditional alterna-rockers in the bunch. They also brought the night's loudest cheering section, out-shouting the crazed teens who showed up for Big D. Vic frontman Bob Logan even got an ovation for spitting beer across the stage.

That response was ironic, because Vic made the subtlest music of the night. Their first number opened with a tense, Burma-esque chord progression that took its time resolving into a song. Elsewhere they played it deep and moody, with yearning falsetto vocals and just enough power-trio muscle to serve the mood. The lyrics weren't often up front, but a convincing sense of emotional struggle came through, a struggle resolved by the band's louder moments. Even the finale was a funky big-chord number instead of a flat-out rocker. But it got the job done.

Tonight Vic Firecracker are up against the Ghost of Tony Gold, and if it's going to be a battle between real emotion and collegiate yuks, I'll choose the former every time. I tried hard to like the Ghost of Tony Gold, who were to my ears the only real turnoff in the semis. They've got great influences (glitter-era Bowie, T. Rex), a unique line-up (rock three-piece plus synth and cello), much respect from the Linwood/Club Bohemia crowd, and a nifty in-joke name besides (the real-life Tony Gold is the ghostwriter of many celebrity biographies). But they come off way too smug, and the strongest feeling they put across is "Aren't we being clever?" Once you get past the cutesy-poo song angles and lyrics ("Crush My Creampuff," "Giant Squid"), you've got the camped-up vocals, the trendy cocktail-jazz overtones, and the synthesized blurps to deal with. Not that the whole thing fell flat -- the closing "Deep Night" was pure Gary Glitter. But it still missed the point that glitter rock is supposed to, well, rock.

It was also a good week for Rumble mythology. There still hasn't been a wild-card band make the final, and this year again the nightly winners were skewed toward the two bands who came on last. The old Rumble winner's "curse" has been partly lifted by the last two winners: both Trona and the Amazing Royal Crowns are doing quite well. Now if only we could find out what became of 1995 winners Doc Hopper.

As for this year's non-winners, even with competition from innovative outfits like the Wicked Farleys and Lockgroove, those proud rockabilly throwbacks the Racketeers played the best set of the semifinals -- hopped-up on wild energy, heavy on memorable songs, and fun as hell, outclassing the Rumble-winning set that the Amazing Royal Crowns offered last year. The Racketeers play rockabilly in strict '50s style, but they make a strong case that the music doesn't need any updating with sharp material ("Jeez Louise," "Out for Kicks," and "Bowling Alley Bop" are good enough to be real '50s covers), great instrumental chops (though they still haven't figured out how to mike their acoustic rhythm-guitarist), and a stylish frontman in Dana Stewart. (Stewart uses the word "daddy-o" in conversation, plays stand-up drums, and works up a sweat without ruining his hair.) Bassist Spike Katz broke a string during the first number -- no small feat on an upright bass -- but managed to play the rest of the set with three. Also, they were the only band out of eight who thought to mention Frank Sinatra during their set.

Lockgroove were without doubt the loudest band in the semis, and one of the more dramatic. Their opening number, which flailed at one chord for its first three minutes, was a real jaw dropper. Despite their name, Lockgroove are more about extreme dynamics than mechanical repetition. They've got a bit of Love & Rockets' sinister swagger and Spacemen 3's trippy sensibility, but only if you zero in on the last 30 seconds of those bands' songs, when things start to get freaky. A new song, "Take Your Time" (performed solo by singer/guitarist Ryan Rex), was an appealing, straight-ahead rock ballad. And it gave you a false sense of security so that their closing number -- with a fierce percussion jam -- could mess with it.

The Wicked Farleys were one of the week's revelations. They're what you might call a "meets" band, as in "Captain Beefheart meets Dave Grohl" or "the Meat Puppets meet Rush." The Farleys' prog-rock influences are hard to miss, especially since the members jokingly introduced themselves as "Fripp and the Fripptones," referring to King Crimson's leader. But that's only part of the story. The band combine a firebrand, prog-influenced, technically dazzling rhythm section with fairly concise songs and a propulsive guitar frontline. The two guitarists chugged away at rhythm chords, keeping solos to a minimum -- no Robert Fripp influence there. The blend of rock songwriting with bass/drum cacophony isn't completely untried (fIREHOSE did something similar in their heyday), but it's largely unexplored territory.

There are two schools of thought on Tugboat Annie. Either you think they're really good or you think they sound a lot like Buffalo Tom. I believe these two opinions aren't mutually exclusive. Tugboat Annie are one of the more capable hard-edged pop outfits in town, with strong writing, expressive delivery, and powerful guitar sound. But yeah, they do sound a lot like Buffalo Tom's mid-period, intense-ballad phase. "Vendetta" had the structure of a Bill Janovitz song (brooding build in the verse, big unleashing in the chorus) and a similar melodic sense. Tugboat Annie overplayed the ballad card in their semifinal set; another rocker or two would have been welcome.

The American Measles did their semifinal set in Kiss make-up, which came across as a valiant "going down with the ship" gesture by a band who knew they weren't going to win. If ever a outfit sent mixed signals, the Measles are it. Are they a joke band? They sure don't sound like one, sporting a three-piece, punk/pop sound, a good sense of songcraft, and a charismatic lead singer/guitarist (Julie Chadwick, alias Chad from WFNX) who shrieks out her lyrics in grown-up riot grrrl style. As long as the sense of humor is kept extra-musical, it works fine -- during their prelim set, Chadwick asked whether she could get any extra points for going on stage with PMS. (As a judge that night, I awarded her one.) Unfortunately, the jokes infest most of the lyrics, and Chadwick's intensity doesn't jibe with the silly sentiments of "God Took My Bike" or "Parade of the Diaper People." My advice: drop the gags, have some faith in your musical ability, and show a little more feeling.

Big D & the Kids' Table are the first post-Bosstones ska band I've seen in town who actually sound like the Bosstones. But even in their Rat days the Bosstones were never quite as chaotic as this high-school-aged band, who must have brought their whole home room along -- I counted 15 people on stage. They weren't great, but they were so damn exuberant that you had to give them the benefit of the doubt, even if the hyper-hardcore rhythm section didn't quite mesh with the ska horns, and the best song was a severely trashed-up version of Pearl Jam's "Jeremy." It is good to see that the tradition of deflating over-serious songs by doing ska versions is alive and well.

MURPHYS LIVE

Despite break-up rumors that appeared in these pages last week, the Dropkick Murphys are alive and well, though with a new singer, ex-Bruisers frontman Al Barr, taking over for the departed Mike McColgan. "Mike wasn't into the touring aspect of being in a band, being away from home six to nine months a year," explains bassist Ken Casey. "The rest of us couldn't see walking away from such great opportunities. A lot of people wanted to take over, but we've all been Bruisers fans for a long time, and it's good for both bands. We needed a singer, and he was the only original member of the Bruisers trying to hold the thing together. So instead of losing two bands, Boston gets a better version of one."

Barr's arrival doesn't mean that the Murphys' punk/Celtic mix will be getting closer to traditional hardcore. "I love Al's voice, but even I was a little apprehensive that he wouldn't be able to get that Shane MacGowan thing. But that was a piece of cake." So the Murphys are about to record a four-song EP, Curse of a Fallen Soul, that will include two Celtic tracks (the title song and "Ballad of Finn MacCool") and two punk numbers, "Going Strong" and "On the Attack."

COMING UP

Tonight (Thursday) it's Serum and Godboy upstairs at the Middle East, Papas Fritas at T.T. the Bear's Place, Autobaby and Gel at the Linwood, and Young Neal & the Vipers at the House of Blues . . . Tomorrow (Friday), guitar legend Link Wray hits the downstairs at the Middle East with the Strangemen opening, Jules Verdone and Count Zero are upstairs, and the Johnny Black Trio are at Mama Kin . . . On Saturday, ska fans can choose between Skavoovie & the Epitones at the Middle East and the Hi Hats at T.T's; former Clapton/Muddy Waters harmonica man Jerry Portnoy is at the House of Blues, Texas zydeco master Li'l Brian is at Johnny D's, and Slide play the Lizard Lounge . . . New Orleans low-lifers Royal Fingerbowl, whose set last Sunday was one of the week's highlights, continue their Sunday residency at the Middle East this weekend. Also on Sunday, the Ray Corvair Trio are back to ride the waves at the Plough & Stars . . . Monday brings mandolin master Jimmy Ryan's eclectic Wooden Leg to Charlie's Tap . . . And on Tuesday it's Either/Orchestra leader Russ Gershon and his "Intimate Ensemble" at the Middle East.