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Local Reaction
State of the art
BY CARLY CARIOLI

Chris Rucker, host of FNX Radio’s Sunday-night New England Product local-music showcase, makes a point of keeping extra copies of CDs by Boston bands on hand to press into the hands of the national touring acts who filter through the station’s studio. A couple months back, he slipped a Cracktorch disc to the members of Injected, whose debut comes out on Island later this month. When Injected came through town again recently on a tour with Fu Manchu, the band had become such devoted fans that they made the Cracktorch fellows sign autographs. Within 24 hours, Cracktorch were fielding calls from a major-label A&R rep who’d been alerted by a member of Injected. Which explains why we think Rucker’s a swell guy: he’s got excellent taste, and he goes the extra mile to translate his enthusiasm into broader exposure for the bands he plays on his show.

There’s no better example of that than Local Reaction, the new 23-band compilation album that Rucker has assembled and for which a marathon 17-band release party is being held this Wednesday at the Middle East. The proceeds from both the disc and the release party will benefit a number of area charities, including the Dana Farber Cancer Institute, Mass Citizens for Children, and the Boston Red Cross. Most of the tracks are unreleased numbers; the few exceptions include Piebald’s "Long Nights" (from their new full-length), Milligram’s out-of-print cover of Black Flag’s "Nervous Breakdown," and Scissorfight’s "Riot on the Village Green" (from their UK-only American Cloven Hoof Blues). The disc will be the debut release for several excellent new bands, including the Lost City Angels and the local supergroup Avoid One Thing (featuring Bosstone Joe Gittleman, Raging Teen Amy Griffin, Darkbuster’s Paul Delano, and the Pilfers’ Dave Karcich). And it’ll mark the final release of street punks the Vigilantes, whose live cover of the Clash’s "Complete Control" closes the disc. Cave In frontman Stephen Brodsky contributes an superb song from his unreleased solo album Static Intellect; Crash and Burn offer a fast-and-furious "Gettin’ All Bad Lieutenant" from their forthcoming album Uglier Every Day; and, yes, Cracktorch storm through an exclusive new track called "Lil’ Baby."

"I just wanted to put together a record that had a lot of different personalities," says Rucker, who gives credit to his sound engineer, Aaron Sullivan, for coming up with the idea for the disc. "It’s all stuff that I’m really into, and I think other people will be as well. It was important to me to represent bands from all fields." Sure enough, Local Reaction pairs indie rock from Mishima USA and the Lot Six alongside indie hip-hop from standouts REKS and Illin’ P — and mod rock from the Damn Personals and the Pills abuts rockabilly by the Raging Teens and moody metal by Extreme/Van Halen singer Gary Cherone’s new outfit Tribe of Judah.

"We put the whole thing together in about three months," Rucker points out. "We’re doing it on our own, there’s no label involved — it’s a total DIY thing. We’ve had help from Curve of the Earth, Mark Thompson at Hydrahead, and the [hip-hop promotion/management agency] MetroConcepts guys. FNX hooked me up with Newbury Comics for distribution. Everyone recorded for free, and almost everyone we asked was excited to do it."

The release party for Local Reaction, with Lost City Angels, Milligram, Pennywheel, the Lot Six, Jaya the Cat, Cracktorch, the Rise Park, Brulee, Mishima USA, Crash and Burn, Stephen Brodsky, Drexel, the Pills, Illin’ P, and special guests, takes place Wednesday at the Middle East upstairs and downstairs, 472-480 Mass Ave in Central Square. It’s 18-plus and $10; call (617) 864-EAST.

Issue Date: February 28 - March 7, 2002
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