The Delta Generators, Central Massachusetts blues band led by singer Craig Rawding, won the regional competition of the International Blues Challenge. That means they nabbed a spot in the national music-off of the Challenge, which happens in Memphis the first week of February.
For us locals, Jan. 2 at Gilrein's will be the last chance to catch the quartet before it heads west to compete for notoriety, bucks and contracts.
Also, The Delta Generators record, Devil in the Rhythm, was nominated for Best Blues Album in the Independent Music Awards, with judges that include Roger Daltrey, Peter Gabriel and Buddy Guy. There is a public voting portion for that: www.independentmusicawards.com.
Visit www.myspace.com/deltagenerators.
Friday, December 26, 2008
Tuesday, December 23, 2008
Club notes, Dec. 23
Tomorrow's Christmas Eve, and if you're like me, you've got family and friends to hang out with and presents to exchange. But if you are headed out, you could try karaoke at Ralph's.
Tomorrow night, many of you will be looking for something to do after the Christmas Day festivities. There's Sips at the Ship, which is an open reading at the Hotel Vernon and it's a special Christmas show with The Flock at the Lucky Dog.
On Friday, The Hurricane Horns (Steve Lefebrve and Pete Levesque among the fantastic brass squad) are joining Duncan Arsenault and Brooks Milgate at the Dive Bar; there's a benefit show for Dominic Mallary at London Billiards with Pit Fall, Bad Habit, Last Lights and more; Reveille Reborn is at the Palladium; The BYOB (Bring Your Own Blues, which is a strange name given that they're the ones bringing the blues, I think) plays at Greendale's; Hoodrat leads a Christmas hangover party at Ralph's; The Breakfast jams at Mill Street Brews in Southbridge; Jason James is playing out at the Wheelock Inn in Millbury; Bill McCarthy's strumming and picking tunes at the Galway Bay; and Mocha Java's partying at the Blue Plate in Holden for a Day After Christmas party with Jon Short opening.
Saturday, Four Year Strong, Set Your Goals, A Loss For Words and more play downstairs at The Palladium; Uncle Billy's Smokehouse is rocking Greendale's; The Alchemystics open for Mass Elite at Tammany Hall; Soulstice is out at Partner’s in Fitchburg; Torbin Harding sings at The Q; Chris Reddy sings at the Grafton Inn; The Rectangle Club joins The Sift and Shane Hall (who is the lead singer of The Rectangle Club) at Ralph's; Hell's House Band is at the Lucky Dog; Jennifer Lee plays her originals, and covers, with her full band at the Whistle Stop in Oxford; John Cate does his folk rock originals at Vincent’s; The Cosby Sweaters do their '80s thing at the Galway Bay; and Art Beatz spins at the new Industrial lounge called The Boiler Room at 70 Winter St.
Other stuff going on around town:
Linda Dagnello’s paintings hang at ARTSWorcester through Jan. 10. That exhibit is called Silent Conversations. Pop Euphoria, which is a great exhibit of pop art from around the world, is also at ARTSWorcester through mid January. The Worcester Art Museum just unveiled Watercolor-Bodycolor, which a collection that is seldom seen at the museum because it is so sensitive to light. The collection is a historical survey from around the world painted with water-based pigments.
On Sunday, The Poet’s Asylum meets at Jumpin Juice and Java on Chandler Street. This week’s feature is the Mighty Mike McGee. McGee is an international spoken word artist, writer, performer, slam poet and comic who has performed in thousands of venues throughout North America.
Interviews coming up on WCUW: Listen to a chat with Rob Orciuch and Steve Sullivan from Mocha Java on Wednesday, Dec. 24, on WCUW 91.3 FM.
Tomorrow night, many of you will be looking for something to do after the Christmas Day festivities. There's Sips at the Ship, which is an open reading at the Hotel Vernon and it's a special Christmas show with The Flock at the Lucky Dog.
On Friday, The Hurricane Horns (Steve Lefebrve and Pete Levesque among the fantastic brass squad) are joining Duncan Arsenault and Brooks Milgate at the Dive Bar; there's a benefit show for Dominic Mallary at London Billiards with Pit Fall, Bad Habit, Last Lights and more; Reveille Reborn is at the Palladium; The BYOB (Bring Your Own Blues, which is a strange name given that they're the ones bringing the blues, I think) plays at Greendale's; Hoodrat leads a Christmas hangover party at Ralph's; The Breakfast jams at Mill Street Brews in Southbridge; Jason James is playing out at the Wheelock Inn in Millbury; Bill McCarthy's strumming and picking tunes at the Galway Bay; and Mocha Java's partying at the Blue Plate in Holden for a Day After Christmas party with Jon Short opening.
Saturday, Four Year Strong, Set Your Goals, A Loss For Words and more play downstairs at The Palladium; Uncle Billy's Smokehouse is rocking Greendale's; The Alchemystics open for Mass Elite at Tammany Hall; Soulstice is out at Partner’s in Fitchburg; Torbin Harding sings at The Q; Chris Reddy sings at the Grafton Inn; The Rectangle Club joins The Sift and Shane Hall (who is the lead singer of The Rectangle Club) at Ralph's; Hell's House Band is at the Lucky Dog; Jennifer Lee plays her originals, and covers, with her full band at the Whistle Stop in Oxford; John Cate does his folk rock originals at Vincent’s; The Cosby Sweaters do their '80s thing at the Galway Bay; and Art Beatz spins at the new Industrial lounge called The Boiler Room at 70 Winter St.
Other stuff going on around town:
Linda Dagnello’s paintings hang at ARTSWorcester through Jan. 10. That exhibit is called Silent Conversations. Pop Euphoria, which is a great exhibit of pop art from around the world, is also at ARTSWorcester through mid January. The Worcester Art Museum just unveiled Watercolor-Bodycolor, which a collection that is seldom seen at the museum because it is so sensitive to light. The collection is a historical survey from around the world painted with water-based pigments.
On Sunday, The Poet’s Asylum meets at Jumpin Juice and Java on Chandler Street. This week’s feature is the Mighty Mike McGee. McGee is an international spoken word artist, writer, performer, slam poet and comic who has performed in thousands of venues throughout North America.
Interviews coming up on WCUW: Listen to a chat with Rob Orciuch and Steve Sullivan from Mocha Java on Wednesday, Dec. 24, on WCUW 91.3 FM.
"Groupie": A Talk With The Rectangle Club
This is the first of a regular installment called "Groupie," which is a series of random questions with a local artist or band.
Formed early in 2005, the Massachusetts band The Rectangle Club is a quartet that blends blues, rock, punk and folk. Led by singer/guitarist Shane Hall, the band – after a change from the original – also includes Austin Magnant on bass and vocals, Brian Delsignore on percussion and Jon Grey on guitars.
The Rectangle Club performs mostly originals, but also has a knack for pulling out obscure tunes and making them their own on stage. Their original material explores the negatives and positives of the human condition, from the rejection of a universal moral definite on “Enemy” from its upcoming debut called The Songs of Own Munee to calling into the question the nature of romance in “Dodo.” “This is the kind of rock and roll that seeks to get your brain working just as hard as your body.”
The band stems from a project Hall had started with close friend Owen Monet, writing folk songs, and figuring they could “rock them up a little and get a backing band.” After Monet could not finish the album, it had to be finished without him. “The album will have a book, which will explain these things,” says Hall. “A novella, if you will, where each track corresponds with a chapter in the book written in memoir style.”
Original guitarist Steve Brown-Boone recently left for Arizona, and Grey is currently working out the tunes. The show this Saturday will be done as a three-piece in the meantime, to let the public know The Rectangle Club is still alive.
“I like to describe The Rectangle Club as Guns ‘n’ Roses for the thinking man,” says Hall, “or if Leonard Cohen was a huge Led Zeppelin fan, perhaps. We pack a lot of influences into what we do – lots of blues, early rockabilly, ‘70s rock, early rock, a little bit of punk, some hip-hop even – I rapped for many years under the monikers ‘Jezuz’ and ‘MessiahCarey.’ People who come to our shows tend to make note of our energy as the high point of their evening.”
Weekly Shuffle: Christmas song bombardment is at an all time high. Everyone’s ready to crack. Has the Rectangle Club ever recorded a Christmas tune?
SH: I really personally despise Christmas songs, save maybe the big choral stuff that just sounds so epic. But Austin mentioned “Happy Christmas (War is Over)” and I have to say that it would be really a sadly appropriate song for the moment.
WS: You can go back in time 30 years. Who would you jam with?
SH: Brian Eno. There’s nothing quite like the way he approached music as an art and I’d love to see what madness we could come up with. If he wasn’t into it, I’d seek out Leonard Cohen and we’d make a rock album.
AM: John Lennon and/or John Paul Jones. John Lennon to jam with and John Paul Jones to share licks and ideas with.
SB-B: In no particular order: Mark Knopfler, Eddie Van Halen, Dave Mustaine, Gary Rossington, Alan Collins, Joe Walsh, George Thorogood, Ritchie Blackmore, Randy Rhoads, Toni Iommi, Jake Lee, Jeff Baxter, Johnny Winter, Stevie Ray and Jimmy Page.
BD: Pink Floyd, pre and post-Sid, and The Beatles.
WS: Official band food?
SH: We all worship the altar of Thai….Mango in Milford is definitely our spot. People can feel free to email us recommendations. I’m somewhat obsessed with Asian food.
WS: Is there an activity the whole band enjoys together outside of playing music?
SH: Ha ha. Mom-jokes for the win. Besides, I like to watch everyone moan and groan (like your mother) and slowly leave when I put in my Golden Girls Season 2 DVD during breaks.
WS: Five years from now you will be….?
SH: Playing lounge songs in some Cheesy Hotel ™ in Vegas somewhere. Tip your waitress, and hey, how about those dancers, ladies and gentlemen? Don’t forget, we’ll be here all week bringing you the soothing sounds of molten chaos.
The Rectangle Club plays with The Sift, as well as a solo set by Shane Hall, at Ralph’s on Saturday.
Formed early in 2005, the Massachusetts band The Rectangle Club is a quartet that blends blues, rock, punk and folk. Led by singer/guitarist Shane Hall, the band – after a change from the original – also includes Austin Magnant on bass and vocals, Brian Delsignore on percussion and Jon Grey on guitars.
The Rectangle Club performs mostly originals, but also has a knack for pulling out obscure tunes and making them their own on stage. Their original material explores the negatives and positives of the human condition, from the rejection of a universal moral definite on “Enemy” from its upcoming debut called The Songs of Own Munee to calling into the question the nature of romance in “Dodo.” “This is the kind of rock and roll that seeks to get your brain working just as hard as your body.”
The band stems from a project Hall had started with close friend Owen Monet, writing folk songs, and figuring they could “rock them up a little and get a backing band.” After Monet could not finish the album, it had to be finished without him. “The album will have a book, which will explain these things,” says Hall. “A novella, if you will, where each track corresponds with a chapter in the book written in memoir style.”
Original guitarist Steve Brown-Boone recently left for Arizona, and Grey is currently working out the tunes. The show this Saturday will be done as a three-piece in the meantime, to let the public know The Rectangle Club is still alive.
“I like to describe The Rectangle Club as Guns ‘n’ Roses for the thinking man,” says Hall, “or if Leonard Cohen was a huge Led Zeppelin fan, perhaps. We pack a lot of influences into what we do – lots of blues, early rockabilly, ‘70s rock, early rock, a little bit of punk, some hip-hop even – I rapped for many years under the monikers ‘Jezuz’ and ‘MessiahCarey.’ People who come to our shows tend to make note of our energy as the high point of their evening.”
Weekly Shuffle: Christmas song bombardment is at an all time high. Everyone’s ready to crack. Has the Rectangle Club ever recorded a Christmas tune?
SH: I really personally despise Christmas songs, save maybe the big choral stuff that just sounds so epic. But Austin mentioned “Happy Christmas (War is Over)” and I have to say that it would be really a sadly appropriate song for the moment.
WS: You can go back in time 30 years. Who would you jam with?
SH: Brian Eno. There’s nothing quite like the way he approached music as an art and I’d love to see what madness we could come up with. If he wasn’t into it, I’d seek out Leonard Cohen and we’d make a rock album.
AM: John Lennon and/or John Paul Jones. John Lennon to jam with and John Paul Jones to share licks and ideas with.
SB-B: In no particular order: Mark Knopfler, Eddie Van Halen, Dave Mustaine, Gary Rossington, Alan Collins, Joe Walsh, George Thorogood, Ritchie Blackmore, Randy Rhoads, Toni Iommi, Jake Lee, Jeff Baxter, Johnny Winter, Stevie Ray and Jimmy Page.
BD: Pink Floyd, pre and post-Sid, and The Beatles.
WS: Official band food?
SH: We all worship the altar of Thai….Mango in Milford is definitely our spot. People can feel free to email us recommendations. I’m somewhat obsessed with Asian food.
WS: Is there an activity the whole band enjoys together outside of playing music?
SH: Ha ha. Mom-jokes for the win. Besides, I like to watch everyone moan and groan (like your mother) and slowly leave when I put in my Golden Girls Season 2 DVD during breaks.
WS: Five years from now you will be….?
SH: Playing lounge songs in some Cheesy Hotel ™ in Vegas somewhere. Tip your waitress, and hey, how about those dancers, ladies and gentlemen? Don’t forget, we’ll be here all week bringing you the soothing sounds of molten chaos.
The Rectangle Club plays with The Sift, as well as a solo set by Shane Hall, at Ralph’s on Saturday.
Wednesday, December 17, 2008
In the Studio With New Pilot
In terms of coverage, it's always been hard when nasty people are making great music, or wonderful people are making crappy music. Either way, you're reluctant to cover them.
It's always a relief when nice guys make good music. New Pilot, a quartet based in Southbridge and East Brookfield, joined the Weekly Shuffle on Wednesday, Dec. 17, at WCUW, fielding questions about their band, and playing a few tunes as well. This pop-rock band with killer hooks and vocals features Johnny Wheeler (keys, vocals), Sean McKinstry (rhythm guitar and vocals), Kevin Outland (lead guitar), Matt Soper (bass) and Seth Loconto (drums), who joined recently and is well known as frontman for Gutta.
Together for three years, New Pilot's got three main songwriters, and is presently working on a debut. "We're trying to do it ourselves right now because we're really poor," says Outland. "It's been a really slow process but we're pretty excited with the little progress we've made so far."
New Pilot plays a show this Saturday, December 20th at Mill Street Brews in Southbridge with the Flock of Assholes.
Visit www.myspace.com/pilot_the_band, and you can also find 'em on facebook.
It's always a relief when nice guys make good music. New Pilot, a quartet based in Southbridge and East Brookfield, joined the Weekly Shuffle on Wednesday, Dec. 17, at WCUW, fielding questions about their band, and playing a few tunes as well. This pop-rock band with killer hooks and vocals features Johnny Wheeler (keys, vocals), Sean McKinstry (rhythm guitar and vocals), Kevin Outland (lead guitar), Matt Soper (bass) and Seth Loconto (drums), who joined recently and is well known as frontman for Gutta.
Together for three years, New Pilot's got three main songwriters, and is presently working on a debut. "We're trying to do it ourselves right now because we're really poor," says Outland. "It's been a really slow process but we're pretty excited with the little progress we've made so far."
New Pilot plays a show this Saturday, December 20th at Mill Street Brews in Southbridge with the Flock of Assholes.
Visit www.myspace.com/pilot_the_band, and you can also find 'em on facebook.
Weekly Shuffle on WCUW 91.3
The Weekly Shuffle is an Arts and Entertainment show that airs every Wednesday at noon on WCUW, 91.3 FM, and also streams on www.wcuw.org.
The show is a mix of commentary, local music, interviews with local artists, promoters, musicians, athletes and more. Also includes a rundown of the upcoming events and activities in the area for the coming week.
If interested in being a guest, email Carsena882@aol.com.
Also, mail discs to PO Box 310, Auburn, MA 01501. Once a month, this show features "random cuts" out of the Arsenault archives. No matter how old, send it on in for a spin.
The show is a mix of commentary, local music, interviews with local artists, promoters, musicians, athletes and more. Also includes a rundown of the upcoming events and activities in the area for the coming week.
If interested in being a guest, email Carsena882@aol.com.
Also, mail discs to PO Box 310, Auburn, MA 01501. Once a month, this show features "random cuts" out of the Arsenault archives. No matter how old, send it on in for a spin.
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