{"id":927,"date":"2020-04-07T04:46:50","date_gmt":"2020-04-07T04:46:50","guid":{"rendered":"http:\/\/joeviglione.com\/?page_id=927"},"modified":"2020-04-27T02:39:56","modified_gmt":"2020-04-27T02:39:56","slug":"malden-observer-articles","status":"publish","type":"page","link":"https:\/\/joeviglione.com\/?page_id=927","title":{"rendered":"Malden Observer Articles"},"content":{"rendered":"\n

Joe Viglione’s reviews and interviews in the Malden Observer https:\/\/maldenentertainmenthotline.blogspot.com\/<\/a> <\/p>\n\n\n\n

Rest in Peace Preacher Jack Coughlin <\/p>\n\n\n\n

Date of birth<\/a>: February 12, 1942<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Full name<\/a>: John Lincoln Coughlin <\/p>\n\n\n\n

<\/p>\n\n\n\n

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Henry Hornstein Courtesy Photo
Preacher Jack in 1998 sans long hair<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n\n\n\n

My Malden Observer  interview\/ article on Preacher Jack<\/p>\n\n\n\n

https:\/\/malden.wickedlocal.com\/x392062497\/-Just-a-closer-walk-with-Preacher-Jack<\/a>
By Joe Viglione \/ recordreview2001@yahoo.com<\/a>
Posted Sep 5, 2008 at 12:01 AM
Updated Sep 5, 2008 at 5:16 AM<\/p>\n\n\n\n

For those who love the unique piano sound heard on the soundtrack to the Tom Cruise\/Sydney Pollack movie \u201cThe Firm,\u201d the hard-working piano man from Malden offers that style of ivory tickling and so much more.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u201cPreacher Jack\u201d (a.k.a. Jack Coughlin), commands the stage like an evangelist explaining his \u201creligion\u201d of rock and blues with a raw, distinctive voice that cuts through better than Jimmy Swaggart or Jerry Falwell could ever hope to \u2014 probably because when The Preacher dives in to \u201cJust A Closer Walk With Thee,\u201d resplendent in Gospel overtones and backing vocalists, you believe him \u2014 and understand he believes in what he\u2019S singing and playing.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

The Malden Observer caught a performance by Jack on May 8, 2008 at Club Bohemia, the downstairs of the Cantab Lounge in Central Square, Cambridge.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

It\u2019s a dark den of sin in need of redemption that Preacher Jack lovingly provides as he bangs away on his traveling keyboard. Offstage, he\u2019s a very personable \u2014 and quite reserved \u2014 individual, pleasant and engaging.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Here\u2019s a bit of background that the Boston-area legend provided us.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Observer: How long have you lived in Malden?<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Preacher Jack: I was born in Malden Feb. 12, 1942 and lived there until the late 1970s. I moved to Salem, Mass., and have resided at the Lafayette Hotel on Washington Street ever since<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Observer: Did you first start playing music in Malden in school?<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Preacher Jack: Yes. I was influenced at an early age by my mother, who was a runner up on the Major Bowes Radio Show in 1939, and my father, who was an amateur vocalist with a sort of baritone type range. My brother is also a singer with great success.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Malden Observer: What were your first bands?<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Preacher Jack: Well, my first band could be considered Malden\u2019s first garage band \u2014 we were called \u201cThe Jupitors\u201d (sometimes called Jack and the Jupitors) in 1956 with boyhood pals Irving Fineberg on Guitar (self taught, I may add) and Charlie Peavy (later to work at his family\u2019s business \u201cPeavy\u2019s Speed Shop\u201d on Main Street) on drums.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Malden Observer: What were your first live gigs?<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Preacher Jack: We played gymnasiums, the YMCA, churches, private parties, lots of clubs that are long gone from the North Shore, and later on worked with Arnie Woo Woo Ginsberg at his famous \u201cSock Hops\u201d in Saugus on Route 1.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Malden Observer: How did the Rounder album come about?<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Preacher Jack: George Thorogood spotted me at the Shipwreck Lounge on Revere Beach, took a liking to me, and brought me to the attention of Ken Irwin at Rounder. We recorded two albums for Rounder with the Delaware Destroyers and Sleepy LaBeef as my backup band(s).<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Malden Observer: What was \u201cthe demo that got the deal\u201d with Rounder Records?<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Preacher Jack: Well, George liked the Luke The Drifter (Hanks Williams alter ego) pieces I was doing and Ken was also a huge Hank fan so I think it was the C & W part of my rep that won the folks at Rounder over.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Malden Observer: Let\u2019s talk about your new disc, \u201cTales From Life\u2019s Other Side.\u201d What about the double entendre title?<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Preacher Jack: It is actually \u201cPictures From Life\u2019s Other Side,\u201d a play on the Hank Williams song \u201cA Pix From Lifes other side.\u201d Peter (Levine), my manager, and Lady Eleanor (Ramsey) came up with the title. We sat around, listened to the diverse selections on the disc and thought a lot of these songs are snapshots of people\u2019s lives, not necessarily my life, combined with my love of Hank we thought it would be a nice companion title for these tales.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Malden Observer: When did you start developing this album?<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Preacher Jack: It is a combination of two sessions, one in 1982 with Dick Berwun at his home studio in Lexington and another done in 1996 at Sound Technique in Boston, which was financed by Gary Cherone of Extreme. When Bill Hunt from Cow Island Music approached us about signing me we had the material just sitting around, so it all came about quickly last year. We released on Feb. 12 of this year and it has been a wonderful relationship with Bill at Cow Island.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

The MySpace http:\/\/myspace.com\/thepreacherjack is <\/a>full of information on Preacher Jack, including a 10-minute YouTube video posted on the front page.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Jack\u2019s in great voice and the deep piano sounds resonate through the computer as he dips into more gospel: \u201cPreacher Jack is at your service.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Over a dozen gigs are booked through Oct. 25, including key ones at The Beehive (beehiveboston.com) located at 541 Tremont St. in Boston (617-423-0069) Sept. 10 at 8 p.m., and The Pawtucket Film Festival, 175 Main Street, Pawtucket, R.I., on Sept. 14 at 8 p.m. (www.mirrorimage.com\/mi\/film.html).<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Check out http:\/\/www.myspace.com\/thepreacherjack for <\/a>more dates or go on to You Tube and put in the name \u201cPreacher Jack\u201d to watch the videos that are getting thousands of hits, taped live at Dodge Street, Sandy\u2019s Jazz & Blues and other venues.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

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Henry Hornstein Courtesy Photo
Preacher Jack in 1998 sans long hair<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n\n\n\n

Photo: Joe Viglione with Norman Greenbaum – Spirit in the Sky See my huge story on Norman – The Spirit Continues https:\/\/malden.wickedlocal.com\/x776494384\/The-Spirit-continues-The-Observer-revisits-an-interview-with-Norman-Greenbaum<\/a> <\/p>\n\n\n\n

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Malden Entertainment Hotline
By Joe Viglione \/ recordreview2001@yahoo.com
Posted Jul 24, 2009 at 12:01 AM
https:\/\/malden.wickedlocal.com\/article\/20090724\/news\/307249396?template=ampart<\/a>
Updated Jul 24, 2009 at 7:00 PM Air Traffic Controller with Malden brothers Rich & Dave Munro is performing this Friday, July 24 at TT The Bears place on 10 Brookline St., Central Square, Cambridge. 
Air Traffic Controller with Malden brothers Rich & Dave Munro is performing this Friday, July 24 at TT The Bears place on 10 Brookline St., Central Square, Cambridge. The show runs from 8:30 p.m. to midnight, and is a record release party for the band Bleu. Count Zero and Hooray for Earth are also on the bill. The Observer<\/em> will be doing a full story on Air Traffic Controller when the CD, The One, is (finally) released!
Band members include KevMannDude, Don Head and Steve Scott. The title track is poppy, jangly and really fun and is up on their MySpace at www.myspace.com\/airtrafficcontrollermusic. Also on Friday, July 31, the MATV Barbecue will be held from 6-8:30 p.m.
“It’s the opening of our photo retrospective of 20 years of MATV providing Community Media to Malden,” Ron Cox told the Observer<\/em>. “There will be raffles, prizes, and entertainment. Malden’s own Lauren Bateman will be performing, as will guitarist\/singer Mike Johnson, who is also a professor at Berklee College of Music.”
The public is invited but you must R.S.V.P. at 781-321-6400, as the station wants to know how many people will attend in advance for proper seating. Bateman will also appear on Doug Mascott’s legendary 25-year-old local music show, The Trax Of The Town, on Sunday, Aug. 2, 10:15 a.m., on 91.7 FM WMWM Salem. She is getting ready to record some new music at Newbury Media in Wilmington, where the Jefferson Airplane’s Marty Balin recorded in 2008, a studio that has gold and platinum albums for film soundtrack work, New Kids On The Block, Marky Mark, etc. <\/figcaption><\/figure>\n\n\n\n

The Spirit Continues: Norman Greenbaum talks to Joe Viglione https:\/\/malden.wickedlocal.com\/x776494384\/The-Spirit-continues-The-Observer-revisits-an-interview-with-Norman-Greenbaum<\/a> a THREE PART STORY <\/p>\n\n\n\n


The ‘Spirit’ continues: The Observer revisits an interview with …malden.wickedlocal.com \u203a The-Spirit-continues-The-Observer-revisits-a…<\/a>Dec 19, 2008 – As stated earlier in the saga of Norman Greenbaum<\/em>, Malden native and singer\/songwriter … By Joe Viglione<\/em> \/ recordreview2001@yahoo.com …Missing: cache<\/s> \u200e| Must include: cache<\/a>
Spirit of Malden, ‘spirit in the sky’:Former Malden resident …malden.wickedlocal.com \u203a Spirit-of-Malden-spirit-in-the-sky-Former-…<\/a><\/a><\/p>\n\n\n\n

Dec 4, 2008 – By Joe Viglione<\/em> \/ Correspondent … Norman Greenbaum<\/em> has done the same with spiritinthesky.com, where you can find CDs and actually reach …Missing\n\n<\/p>\n\n\n\n

<\/p>\n\n\n\n

ADAM EZRA GROUP Malden Resident Josh Gordon Interview By Joe Viglione \/ recordreview2001@yahoo.com<\/strong>Posted Sep 18, 2009 at 12:01 AMUpdated Sep 18, 2009 at 6:16 PM    https:\/\/www.wickedlocal.com\/article\/20090918\/NEWS\/309189316<\/a> <\/p>\n\n\n\n

Driving up Route 95 to the ocean on Saturday night, Labor Day weekend 2009, and off the exit to the road to Salisbury Beach, it was hard not to notice the big yellow neon sign that read, \u201cAdam Ezra Group,\u201d followed by another glowing post with the group\u2019s name in lights as you headed onto Broadway and the beach area.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

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Driving up Route 95 to the ocean on Saturday night, Labor Day weekend 2009, and off the exit to the road to Salisbury Beach, it was hard not to notice the big yellow neon sign that read, \u201cAdam Ezra Group,\u201d followed by another glowing post with the group\u2019s name in lights as you headed onto Broadway and the beach area.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

And rock the beach this group did with frontman Adam Ezra on guitar and vocals, Malden\u2019s own Josh Gold on keyboards, Robin Vincent Soper on bass and the mysterious \u201cTurtle\u201d on percussion.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Interested?<\/strong>
Adam Ezra Group will be at the Mercury Lounge in New York on the Friday, Sept. 25 before they come back this way for the Calling Planet Earth Festival in Rhode Island on Saturday, Sept. 26 and Sunday, Sept. 27. For more details visit myspace.com\/adamezra<\/a>.
<\/td><\/tr><\/tbody><\/table><\/figure>\n\n\n\n

There was quite a crowd as the band played many titles from their myspace.com\/adamezra page, and when a tune like \u201cBasement Song\u201d has 27,784 spins you know there\u2019s something special happening with this hard-working touring ensemble.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Live on the ocean\u2019s edge \u2014 quite literally as the fellows were on a stage with canopy that was directly on the main entrance to the water \u2014 Ezra\u2019s appearance coincided with the reinvention of Salisbury Beach, a conscious effort by the town and its business community to bring to the area year-round entertainment. And why not? The town\u2019s official Web site notes that the area, located \u201cabout 45 miles north of Boston on what is commonly known as the North Shore, is home to 7,800 year-round residents, many of whom work in local shops and businesses.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n

So as Adam Ezra performed tunes like \u201cWestern Man\u201d (with 32,627 plays on the MySpace as of this writing), I looked around and took \u201cinventory\u201d (to quote a line from the song) of Joe\u2019s Playland and the exquisite club, The Upper Deck, which overlooks Broadway, the beach and the live entertainment staging area. If you were on the second floor at The Upper Deck you\u2019d have a superb view of Adam Ezra Group…many a folk artist having performed on the deck itself during summer days at the beach.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

The night was perfect for an outdoor rock concert, the percussive sounds and driving keyboards of the musicians like a contemporary Doobie Brothers meets Steely Dan, only with a bit more of an uptempo folksy punch. The group might not appreciate that summation, Dan Fogelberg-gone-hip in the new millennium with talented side mates helping bring the message across, but it is an honest assessment and is meant to be high praise for this hard working and more than competent crew.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

The Adam Ezra group is at its best when it is experimental and though \u201cHome Again Soon\u201d borrows much from The Beatles\u2019 keyboards on \u201cI Am The Walrus\u201d and even more from the melody of Christine McVie\u2019s lost classic \u201cWish You Were Here\u201d (from Fleetwood Mac\u2019s Mirage disc), it veers off in the right places and has that superior pop elegance that this ensemble is so capable of. With over 175,000 spins of eight songs on the MySpace it is obvious they have the potential to reach a wide audience beyond the underground and smack dab onto the mainstream.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

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Rob Soper, left, and Adam Ezra of the Adam Ezra Group, rock the stage.<\/em> <\/figcaption><\/figure>\n\n\n\n

So the Observer thought we\u2019d catch up with the local boy making good, keyboardist Josh Gold, with the pertinent questions to fill in the gaps.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Malden Observer:<\/strong> When did you move to Malden?<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Josh Gold: <\/strong>I moved to Malden about five years ago, just before the Red Sox won the World Series. You might say that my fianc\u00e9 and I were actually indirectly responsible for the Sox winning that year. On her \u201clucky birthday\u201d before that season started we decided we\u2019d end the curse and created a ritual that involved us walking around the outside of the park nine times (nine players, Ted Williams #9). There was also wine involved, and bagels, anyhow, it worked.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

MO: <\/strong>When did you join Adam Ezra Group?<\/p>\n\n\n\n

JG: <\/strong>I started playing with Adam not long after that. We\u2019re long lost cousins and hadn\u2019t connected much since we were three or four or so. Turtle (the percussionist), who was already playing with Adam at the time, wanted to add keys to the group, (Adam didn\u2019t want to), and he found my info randomly online. He passed it along to Adam who said, \u201cI have a cousin named Josh Gold, wonder if it\u2019s the same guy.\u201d Anyhow, Adam sent me this long, detailed (and meandering, much like this response) e-mail about his music, and many trials and tribulations later, here we are.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

MO: <\/strong>What groups were you in before joining Adam?<\/p>\n\n\n\n

JG:<\/strong> Before I played with Adam, I was with the band Wheat. That band was signed on the Aware \/ Columbia label and we did tours with Liz Phair, Okgo, and The Counting Crows. We were supposed to play Lollapalooza the year it got canceled. I was in the airport heading home from the last date of a tour when I first talked to Adam about playing with him.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Before Wheat, I was in a band called Soulwork, a pop soul, groove band. I also played in a trance fusion group called Nikulydin, and I used to live in New Orleans where I played in a group called Honeypot with \u201cMean\u201d Willie Green from the Neville Brothers and Kofi Baker (Cream drummer Ginger Bakers son). I\u2019ve been lucky; every one of these groups was made up of amazing musicians. That\u2019s how I\u2019ve learned to play, from playing with them.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

MO: <\/strong>Does the group play Honey Fitz, Number 9 Ale House and other Malden venues? The Library (they have concerts upstairs), or the access channel, MATV?<\/p>\n\n\n\n

JG: <\/strong>So far the only Malden venue we\u2019ve played in has been my basement. When we\u2019re around Boston, we play at venues like the Paradise, the Middle East, and the Roxy. Our next Boston show will be an all ages event at the Paradise on Saturday, Jan. 16. Till then, we\u2019re touring around the country, trying to build this thing up one show at a time. I\u2019d love to play an event in Malden someday. We\u2019ll have to make that happen; and we\u2019d love to do something with MATV too.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

MO:<\/strong> How did you personally like the Salisbury Beach event and the fireworks after the show?<\/p>\n\n\n\n

JG:<\/strong> Salisbury was fun. A bit of a departure from our normal event(s), right on the beach, outdoors. Not the same \u201csweaty club\u201d vibe that we\u2019re used to, but I liked it. We did have a beautiful night for it.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Chasing Amy: A talk with Malden pop star Amy Famiglietti <\/p>\n\n\n\n

By Joe Viglione \/ recordreview2001@yahoo.com<\/strong>Posted Nov 17, 2008 at 12:01 AMUpdated Nov 17, 2008 at 5:17 PM\n\n<\/p>\n\n\n\n

https:\/\/www.metrowestdailynews.com\/article\/20081117\/News\/311179398<\/a><\/p>\n\n\n\n

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inger, dancer, choreographer and recording artist Amy Famiglietti is a life-long Malden resident and owns The Dance Studio in Medford.<\/em> Article by Joe Viglione<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n\n\n\n

By Joe Viglione \/ recordreview2001@yahoo.com<\/strong>Posted Nov 17, 2008 at 12:01 AMUpdated Nov 17, 2008 at 5:17 PM   <\/p>\n\n\n\n

The eloquent \u201cBroken,\u201d from the debut album of the same name, perhaps best displays local pop singer Amy Famiglietti\u2019s dynamic voice. The Observer asked Famiglietti about her life in Malden and where she\u2019s taking her music \u2014 and where it is taking her.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Amy Famiglietti\u2019s MySpace opened on April 14, 2005, and the driving \u201cSlipped Away\u201d \u2014 a bit of The Cars meets The Go Go\u2019s \u2014 has already received 5,133 plays. There\u2019s also a lovely ballad, \u201cHear Me,\u201d closing in on 1,000 spins.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

But it\u2019s the eloquent \u201cBroken,\u201d from the debut album of the same name, that perhaps best displays Famiglietti\u2019s dynamic voice, alongside charging heavy rock with traces of Janice Robinson\u2019s excellent soul stirrings swirling through the mix. With 15,205 spins, it speaks to the rising pop star\u2019s growing audience.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

The Observer asked Famiglietti about her life in Malden and where she\u2019s taking her music \u2014 and where it is taking her.*** MO: Amy, when and where were you born?<\/p>\n\n\n\n

AF: I was born on June 30, 1986 right here in Malden and I\u2019ve lived here ever since!MO: When did you first start singing?<\/p>\n\n\n\n

AF: I\u2019ve been singing, dancing, and performing since I could walk and talk! I was always putting on shows in my kitchen with my karaoke microphone and toy guitar. I started taking voice lessons and recording when I was in eighth grade, and that\u2019s when I really decided to take my passion and try to make it a career.MO: Who were some of your early influences?<\/p>\n\n\n\n

AF: I loved the Spice Girls and Britney Spears. When both musical acts came out I think they really showed that young women could create great music and really make a mark on the entertainment industry. I also love Kelly Clarkson and think her voice and music is amazing!<\/p>\n\n\n\n

ON THE WEB:
Hear Amy at MySpace<\/a>
See Amy on YouTube<\/a><\/strong><\/em>MO: Who do you appreciate these days?<\/p>\n\n\n\n

AF: I listen to a little bit of everything. I own The Dance Studio [located at 3163 Mystic Valley Parkway in Medford] now so I\u2019m always listening to Hannah Montana and \u201cHigh School Musical\u201d for my kids, but I love all kinds of music, from rock to pop to hip-hop. I actually love listening to the Cirque Du Soleil soundtracks right now. There is some great music there!<\/p>\n\n\n\n

MO: You\u2019ve got an amazing resume as a dancer, choreographer and singer. Who helped you develop these skills?<\/p>\n\n\n\n

AF: I don\u2019t know where I got the singing, but I was put into dancing when I was 5 and have been dancing ever since. I majored in dance education in college while continuing to write and record music. I\u2019ve always loved to perform and plan and organize performances, which is where my love for choreographing comes in. I love to create and be able to see my creations come to life whether it by in music or dance!<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Amy graduated from Bridgewater State College in December, 2007. While in college she also ran her business and continued with singing, writing and recording.<\/em><\/p>\n\n\n\n

MO: As Paula Abdul worked closely with Janet Jackson, have you been working with other name artists?<\/p>\n\n\n\n

AF: I think it\u2019s a lot of fun to work and perform alongside other artists. I have done a few shows with some pretty awesome performers such as Jada, a group signed to Motown\/Universal Records from Boston, Jessie Daniels [a Christian rock artist out of New York], and I\u2019ve written a few songs to perform with Andrew Sterner, who is an amazing producer and guitarist from Malden. I\u2019ve also been honored to open for Jesse McCartney and Toby Lightman.MO: How did you get to work with Red Sox player Bronson Arroyo?<\/p>\n\n\n\n

AF: I performed at the Merry Matty\u2019s Kissmas Breakfast for Kiss 108 FM a few years ago and Bronson Arroyo performed as well as Jesse McCartney and Alyson Stoner [\u201cCamp Rock\u201d and \u201cCheaper by the Dozen\u201d]. It was such a fun show!<\/p>\n\n\n\n

MO: YouTube has footage of your work with the Special Olympics \u2014 how did that come about?<\/p>\n\n\n\n

AF: I worked as my own manager so I would seek out different venues or festivals that were looking for entertainment. I\u2019ve been doing the winter and summer Olympics for about four years now. I love performing for the Special Olympics. The athletes are great and always get really into the performance, which makes it great for me on stage. The more energy the audience gives the better!MO: Where did you record the album?<\/p>\n\n\n\n

AF: I recorded the album at Bristol Studios in Boston with Ric Poulin and Chris Billias.MO: Who is performing with you on it?<\/p>\n\n\n\n

AF: I wrote and co-produced every song. We brought a few of the employees from Bristol on board to add some guitar tracks, but other than that it\u2019s just me!MO: How did the songs come together?<\/p>\n\n\n\n

AF: I would write the songs and come up with the melody and work with my producers to put together the style and overall feel for the music. I never realized how much work goes into recording and creating a song. It\u2019s literally a 10- to 12-hour process and that doesn\u2019t take into consideration writing the song! It\u2019s such a great feeling when it comes together just right though, and the fans really like what you\u2019ve worked so hard to create.MO: Anything else you\u2019d like to say to the people of Malden?<\/p>\n\n\n\n

AF: I was born and raised in Malden and love this city! Thanks so much for giving me the opportunity and teaching me to create and perform.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Gaining control of the airways: MTV finds Malden area band<\/p>\n\n\n\n

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Hugh McGowan, Dave Munro, Rich Munro, Kay Manndude and Steve Scott Gaining control of the airways: MTV finds Malden area band By Joe Viglione \/ recordreview2001@yahoo.com Posted Aug 28, 2009 at 12:01 AM Updated Aug 28, 2009 at 8:31 PM

Let me go out on a limb and call Air Traffic Controller Malden\u2019s premiere pop ensemble. The city that brought the world the exquisite hard-rock of Extreme, the hardcore of Ravage, the pure rock and roll of Charlie Farren and the timeless hit \u201cSpirit in the Sky\u201d from Norman Greenbaum, along with so many others, has something truly remarkable in the band which features the Munro brothers \u2014 Dave and Rich \u2014 along with KevMannDude, Steve Scott and Hugh McGowan.
Let me go out on a limb and call Air Traffic Controller Malden\u2019s premiere pop ensemble. The city that brought the world the exquisite hard-rock of Extreme, the hardcore of Ravage, the pure rock and roll of Charlie Farren and the timeless hit \u201cSpirit in the Sky\u201d from Norman Greenbaum, along with so many others, has something truly remarkable in the band which features the Munro brothers \u2014 Dave and Rich \u2014 along with KevMannDude, Steve Scott and Hugh McGowan.
I first caught a show by Dave and Rich at Avenue C when their brother, Jeff Munro, was running open mic nights there. Jeff has since moved those shows to the No. 9 Ale House at 118 Ferry St. and, along with his duties at Arlington Studio \u2014 the public access studio in Arlington \u2014 he\u2019s an important support for the visionary work of Rich and Dave.
All of the artists that have appeared in the various columns I\u2019ve written for the Observer<\/em> are important \u2014 and the quality of the music coming out of this city is extraordinary, there\u2019s no doubt about that. So when this critic says that the Munro brothers have something very special, it is said after much deliberation. Listen to the music from Air Traffic Controller\u2019s upcoming album, \u201cThe One,\u201d on their MySpace page at www.airtrafficcontrollermusic.com<\/a>, which had a total of 50,436 spins at the time if this publication.

The song \u201cCan\u2019t Let Go\u201d has close to 12,000 spins, \u201cThe Road,\u201d \u201cBad Axe MI\u201d and \u201cThe One\u201d all entertain, \u201cThe One\u201d with its fast-moving Beatle-esque guitar lines, but not drenched in Beatles, veering off into the power pop bands like The Raspberries had so much fun with on Top 40 radio.

This past Thursday, August 27, Air Traffic Controller was a finalist at Six Flags of New England in Agawam for the MTV Best Breakout Boston Artist, VMA Finals.

On Saturday evening, Aug. 29, the band is playing at The Loft at Tommy Doyle\u2019s in Harvard Square, Cambridge. This is the original House of Blues which is rocking in the new millennium with a different perspective.

The Observer<\/em> asked Dave Munro to talk about the band in more detail:

Malden Observer:<\/strong> Where are all the guys from?

Dave Munro:<\/strong> Mostly Malden. KevMann, Richie, and I are from Malden. Steve lives in Allston conveniently near The Great Scott, which is an awesome place to play, and Hugh rules Somerville.


MO:<\/strong> When did the band form…and how?

DM:<\/strong> I became a songwriter while away in the Navy as an air traffic controller, sending 4-track demos home to my friends and family. As soon as I finished my enlistment, my brother Rich and I decided to build our own recording studio. I kept on writing and we recorded dozens of demos, and started playing out with friends, including bassist KevMannDude, who was in another Malden band with Rich at the time called iij.

After a couple years of collaborating with important players like lead guitarist Donhead (Don Schulze of Malden\u2019s own BMR Music Shop), multi-instrumentalist Michael Maloney (a young and extraordinary singer-songwriter of Medford), and rock scientist Randy Rock (Randall Creasi of Somerville), the group shrunk back down to the three of us \u2014 Rich, KevMann, and me. Our band recently acquired special powers when meeting keyboardist and multi-instrumentalist Steve Scott (Wellesley High School music teacher), and lead guitarist Hugh McGowan (singer-songwriter of Somerville\u2019s Burren music scene).

Rich, Kev, and I saw Hugh play guitar at a reunion show for one of our favorite band\u2019s called Bad Axe. We were invited to open that show because we have a song called Bad Axe, MI in honor of the band. Hugh had been sitting in on lead guitar for them, and the three of us were just in awe of him. So to sum it up, the band was formed by my brother Rich and I, we convinced Kev to join when recording with Bleu started, then we completed the group with our new friends, Steve and Hugh.

MO:<\/strong> Are the songs on the new album a full band collaboration? Who writes them? Who arranges them?

DM:<\/strong> Although I wrote the songs and Bleu had everything to do with the arrangements, I insisted that the recordings were a collaborative effort among the whole band. Everyone participated in so many ways. Although Rich is the drummer, and Kev is the bassist, after recording their parts, they both played some guitar and sang backups on the album. There were plenty of gang vocals, claps, and stomps to get everyone involved as well.

MO:<\/strong> How far back does the repertoire go, or is this all new material?


DM:<\/strong> I must\u2019ve showed Bleu at least 50 songs that I\u2019d written over the years; he picked the ones he wanted to produce, probably 20 or so, some dating back to my Navy days, but the 12 that we settled on were mostly written within the past few years.

MO:<\/strong> How about the recordings? Are they a collection of work from years past, or is this all brand new?

DM:<\/strong> They\u2019re all new, but we did use a couple old vocal and acoustic tracks from the demos. It\u2019s funny how sometimes you can\u2019t quite reproduce the beauty that is captured in the first take. I stood in the vocal booth for hours trying to get as comfortable as I was when I recorded in my bedroom. I even tried taking my pants off, but that didn\u2019t help, so we just used the original demo vocals on the first song and the last one on the album.

At our busiest session, we recorded eight songs in just a few days, which I never thought was possible, especially for the immense production we were undertaking. Some of these songs have string arrangements, and although the album has plenty of intimate moments, there are no songs here that were recorded the easy way. Bleu made it clear that he\u2019s the opposite of simple when it comes to making records.

MO:<\/strong> How did you meet Bleu?

DM:<\/strong> I was doing some ATC training in Oklahoma and I wrote a song for my girlfriend back home called \u201cTest 1,2.\u201d I sent the song to my friend, who was a pop fanatic like me. He reached out to Bleu online, asking him if he was interested. Bleu answered with an astounding, \u201cYes, let\u2019s record that; in fact, let\u2019s do that other song you have too.\u201d I drove home cross-country doing pre-production with Bleu on the phone. It was very exciting.

MO: <\/strong>Who produced the songs on your MySpace page?


DM:<\/strong> The music was produced by Boston-gone-Hollywood power-pop producer\/recording artist, Bleu (nee William James McAuley III, a local musician in the group The Major Labels), and engineered by Ducky Carlisle at Ice Station Zebra overlooking Wright\u2019s Pond in Medford. Ice Station Zebra is Ducky\u2019s house-studio, not to be confused with a home-studio, I mean this house is a studio; no family room, that\u2019s a drum room. There are microphones everywhere, going up the stairs, there was even a song recorded in the kitchen. The album is catching on like wildfire while still approaching it\u2019s 2009 release date.

MO:<\/strong> How did the MTV gig come about?

DM:<\/strong> There is a new music discovering phenomenon online called Ourstage.com, where bands can submit their music and it is judged by the public in different categories. We\u2019ve earned lots of awards nationwide just by posting stuff and leaving it in the hands of listeners.


Last fall, Radio 929 WBOS chose us to play at Boston\u2019s Harpoon Octoberfest in front of more than 7,000 people. For the MTV VMA thing, over 160 Boston area bands entered, and we were voted into the Top 20 by the general public. Then MTV handpicked the top three to perform at Six Flags, where they choose the Best Breakout Boston Artist. The other two bands competing are very good, Twin Berlin and Gentlemen Hall.

MO:<\/strong> Have you recorded a video at any of the access stations? Malden or Arlington?

DM:<\/strong> Arlington Cable has started what will become the first nationally broadcasted cable access talk show. It\u2019s called The Steve Katsos Show, and I had the honor of playing on their very first show. The performance can be found on YouTube at www.youtube.com\/watch?v=UM1hItwzc6Y<\/a>.

Since then, the show has drawn in some great local talent including my faves, Casey Sullivan and Sarah Borges.


MO:<\/strong> What song is getting the most airplay on Pandora, WFNX, WBCN, etc.?

DM:<\/strong> I know it\u2019s clich\u00e9 to say this, but this album has something for everyone. The radio response is proof; no matter what format is, we have a song for that. This wasn\u2019t done intentionally.

Pandora has worked wonders for our fan base. By comparing us to great acts like Ryan Adams, The Delta Spirit, Joshua Radin, and The Jayhawks, people all over the world are contacting us about getting the album. The Pandora favorite is our song, \u201cTest 1,2,\u201d which started it all, really.

WFNX and the Boston Phoenix are consistently putting our song, \u201cCan\u2019t Let Go\u201d in their Top 5, and playing it on New England Product, which airs every Sunday evening. WBOS, after choosing us to play Harpoonfest, made \u201cCan\u2019t Let Go\u201d their song of the week.

WBCN, God rest it\u2019s terrestrial soul, was very good to us as well. They regularly played \u201cYou Think You Know,\u201d which is our most rockin\u2019 song on the album, it\u2019s also the song that got MTV\u2019s attention.

MO:<\/strong> With WBCN going HD will your airplay carry over to WZLX (which has picked up the local music show), and will Sam Kopper at HD WBCN be playing local music?

DM:<\/strong> I\u2019m still mourning the death of WBCN, I haven\u2019t looked into many alternatives. 104.1 became Mix 98.5, and Mix is now doing Sports Radio. What is happening here? I was driving home from rehearsal when the switch actually happened live in the middle of the night. WBCN played a Pink Floyd song, followed by a very long period of pure static noise. We all got a little choked up; it was like someone was killed. WBCN was Boston\u2019s pride, they broke U2 in the states \u2014 how could they ever go away? I don\u2019t get it. And you say WZLX is picking up the local music show? Isn\u2019t ZLX a classic rock station? How can you be classic and play stuff that\u2019s new and local? The audience is going to be very confused and probably switch over to Oldies 103 which is pretty much what I\u2019ve resorted to these days.


MO:<\/strong> When will the CD see the light of day?

DM:<\/strong> We plan to officially release it this fall. Stay tuned.

MO:<\/strong> Will you have a record release party in Malden?

DM:<\/strong> I would love to, maybe at the No.9 Ale House. Oh, maybe Thanksgiving Eve in homecoming fashion. Nick Stone, the owner of Ale House has already mentioned putting something together. Keep an eye on the Web site at www.airtrafficcontrollermusic.com<\/a>.

MO:<\/strong> Anything else Air Traffic Controller would like to tell our readers?

DM:<\/strong> Give us a try, and if you like it, please tell someone about Air Traffic Controller. Start with www.airtrafficcontrollermusic.com<\/a>, it will lead you to Myspace, and Facebook, which, at the moment, is one of our best tools for letting people know what\u2019s happening, like this Saturday\u2019s show at The Loft, for instance. Come see us and pick up a CD at the show.

Joe Viglione can be reached at RecordReview2001@yahoo.com<\/a>.<\/em> <\/figcaption><\/figure>\n\n\n\n
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Joe Viglione Interviews Joey Voices https:\/\/www.wickedlocal.com\/article\/20100211\/NEWS\/302119028<\/a> <\/p>\n\n\n\n

By Joe Viglione \/ recordreview2001@yahoo.com<\/strong>Posted Feb 11, 2010 at 12:01 AMUpdated Feb 11, 2010 at 11:23 AM   <\/p>\n\n\n\n

I started Joey Voices back in 2001 and for two years pieced together the show that I wanted to take on the road across America for corporate and private events. I got my first big corporate show in January of 2005 with Aflac in Indiana, and it was a great experience for me.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

One day up at Doug Mascott\u2019s legendary Trax Of The Town local radio show on 91.7 WMWM Salem State I found recordings by Joey Voices. There was a Malden return address on the envelope so I asked Doug about this artist who resides at joeyvoices.com, myspace.com\/joeyvoices and facebook.com\/joey.voices. Anyone with the phone number 1-866-SEE JOEY has enough intrigue to make a story mandatory, so the Malden Observer<\/em> decided to make Joey Voices part of our interview series:
<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Malden Observer: <\/strong>How long have you lived in Malden?
<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Joey Voices:<\/strong> 37 years
<\/p>\n\n\n\n

MO:<\/strong> When did you start your career as \u201cJoey Voices?\u201d
<\/p>\n\n\n\n

JV:<\/strong> I started Joey Voices back in 2001 and for two years pieced together the show that I wanted to take on the road across America for corporate and private events. I got my first big corporate show in January of 2005 with Aflac in Indiana, and it was a great experience for me.
<\/p>\n\n\n\n

MO:<\/strong> What was the inspiration for this endeavor?
<\/p>\n\n\n\n

JV:<\/strong> I would do impressions of singers at my friend\/neighbor\/dentist\u2019s office (Dr. Mark Gianatassio in Melrose) for his patients, and he told me I reminded him of Danny Gans out in Las Vegas. I had never heard of Gans before Mark mentioned his name. So I went out and saw him perform, and knew instantly that I could do that. So I put my own act together and continue to build on it.
<\/p>\n\n\n\n

MO:<\/strong> The late Brad Delp of the band \u201cBoston\u201d was amazing in being able to replicate the voices of John, Paul, George and Ringo, not to mention his own identifiable voice as the sound behind \u201cMore Than A Feeling\u201d and other hits. Do you have a \u201csecret sauce\u201d or formula in your mind that enables you to copy sounds as dissimilar as Cher, Frank Sinatra, Joe Cocker and Michael Jackson?
<\/p>\n\n\n\n

JV:<\/strong> No formula. I\u2019ve just been mimicking the radio since I was a little kid. So it comes natural to me to imitate voices. I can\u2019t do everybody\u2019s voice, but I have a pretty good arsenal that I continue to build upon.
<\/p>\n\n\n\n

MO:<\/strong> How many gigs do you think you\u2019ve performed in the past decade or so?
<\/p>\n\n\n\n

JV:<\/strong>:I don\u2019t know, maybe upwards of 1,000?
<\/p>\n\n\n\n

MO:<\/strong> Is there any character you really enjoy more than others?
<\/p>\n\n\n\n

JV:<\/strong> Michael McDonald (former lead singer of the Doobie Brothers).
<\/p>\n\n\n\n

MO:<\/strong> How often do you play in the Malden area?
<\/p>\n\n\n\n

JV:<\/strong> As often as I can. I love Malden and my fellow Maldonians. They are my base and spread the word about me faster than anybody else ever could. I\u2019m grateful for this town. My family has been here since 1943 when my dad came here from South Boston at 6 years old. His name was attorney Thomas P. Noone of Maplewood Square for 30 years. He was the best friend I ever had, and I still have a hole in my heart since he passed in September 2006.
<\/p>\n\n\n\n

MO:<\/strong> Have you released official CDs or DVDs of your work?
<\/p>\n\n\n\n

JV:<\/strong> I released an Italian-American parody song on CD of the Irish song \u201cDanny Boy\u201d (I\u2019m Irish by the way), called \u201cTony Boy, the Italian Danny Boy,\u201d that my fans seem to love ($5.50 at JoeyVoices.com). I also write country songs (50 over the last five months) and will eventually release an original country CD. I also have Joey Voices T-shirts.
<\/p>\n\n\n\n

MO:<\/strong> What two or three gigs stand out in your mind as extraordinary personal experiences for you?
<\/p>\n\n\n\n

JV:<\/strong> I have four.
<\/p>\n\n\n\n

1. Being asked back in 2008 to be the headliner act at the National American Legion annual banquet dinner to honor the living and dead American heroes from around the country, of WWII, Korean, Vietnam and Gulf wars.
<\/p>\n\n\n\n

2. Back in 2004 I got the opportunity to open for crooner Al Martino (\u201cSpanish Eyes,\u201d \u201cDaddy\u2019s Little Girl\u201d and played Johnny Fontane in the Godfather I) before he died this past year. He told me I look like actor Robert Mitchum. I said, \u201cHe\u2019s Dead!\u201d He laughed. Martino told me to take every gig I can get, big and small, because I\u2019ll be using my voice, and you never know who\u2019s going to be in the audience. He told me that\u2019s how he got discovered. Best advice I ever got in this business so far. He even showed up early before his show to see me perform and sent his body guard right over to me as I was waiting to take the stage, to tell me he was watching. What a sweet spirit he had and may God rest his soul.
<\/p>\n\n\n\n

3. When I opened for 80\u2032s band Bad Company at the Hard Rock Caf\u00e9 in Boston, in 2007.
<\/p>\n\n\n\n

4. Homeland Security\u2019s Christmas party in NYC back in 2006 (great audience).
<\/p>\n\n\n\n

MO:<\/strong> Have you appeared on MATV and, if so, on which programs?
<\/p>\n\n\n\n

JV:<\/strong> I was supposed to appear with Malden Good Guys \u201cColonel\u201d Pete Levine and \u201cThe Samaritan\u201d Mike Cherone (Bread of Life) on their new MATV show, which got derailed due to technical difficulties. I\u2019m still waiting for a call back to tape that show. I love those guys.
<\/p>\n\n\n\n

MO: <\/strong>Have you performed at the Malden Public Library?
<\/p>\n\n\n\n

JV:<\/strong> Veteran\u2019s Advocate John Webster (who is a veteran himself if I\u2019m not mistaken) asked me to come perform Lee Greenwood\u2019s \u201cGod Bless the USA\u201d to honor the WWII Vets, of which my neighbor and one of the biggest supporters of my show, Joe Croken Sr. was in attendance. That was one of the biggest honors of my life, next to performing at the National American Legion.
<\/p>\n\n\n\n

MO: <\/strong>Anything else you\u2019d like to say to readers of the Malden Observer<\/em>?
<\/p>\n\n\n\n

JV:<\/strong> Yes, here\u2019s something I\u2019d like people to know. I have been a Born Again Christian for 10 years now, am in my third year of Theological Seminary\/Bible College at ACTS Seminary down in Plymouth, am so eternally grateful to Jesus for saving my life and to have fans that love my talent enough to pay money to see me perform, and hire me for their events. If anybody out there is having or planning a private or corporate event, and would like something different as entertainment to make it a memorable one, call Joey Voices at 781-589-7777.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

If you want to see a video preview of my show, and purchase tickets to one of my upcoming public appearances, log onto JoeyVoices.com. Thank you for your continued support and may continue to God Bless \u201cWe the People.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Joey Voices will be performing live on Saturday, April 18 at the Georgetown Club in Georgetown. It\u2019s a dinner and a show.<\/em><\/p>\n\n\n\n

<\/p>\n\n\n\n

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http:\/\/tabloidbaby.blogspot.com\/2010\/02\/joey-voices-is-another-next-danny-gans.html<\/a> <\/figcaption><\/figure>\n\n\n\n

Joey Voices is another next Danny Gans<\/h3>\n\n\n\n



In shying away from investigating the life and death of Las Vegas superstar Danny Gans<\/a>, members news media, both local and national, hide behind the argument that “no one outside of Las Vegas ever heard of him.”

If that is indeed the case, why then are so many aspiring entertainers in so many different parts of the country inspired by Danny Gans’ work or aspiring to take his place in the show business pantheon?<\/em>

In the months since Danny Gans’ tragic death on May 1st, we’ve shined the spotlight on musical impressionists like Rick A. Ludwig<\/a> and Larry G Jones<\/a>, Paul Tanner<\/a> and Frank Caliendo<\/a>, all of whom cite Danny Gans as The Man they can only try to equal. Now we can add to that list the name of Joey Voices<\/a> of Malden, Massachusetts.

<\/a>
Like Danny Gans, Joey Voices (aka Joey Noone) is a corporate entertainer and a man of many voices, from Joe Cocker to Michael McDonald to Cher to Dave Matthews to Frank Sinatra to Michael Jackson. Not only that, he is a self-described “Proud, Baptized, Born Again Believer in Jesus Christ”- and, as it turns out, was inspired by Danny Gans to follow his dream.

Joe Viglione found out when he interviewed Mr. Voices in The Malden Observer<\/a>:

<\/a>Malden Observer<\/strong>: How long have you lived in Malden?

Joey Voices<\/strong>: 37 years

MO<\/strong>: When did you start your career as \u201cJoey Voices?\u201d

JV<\/strong>: I started Joey Voices back in 2001 and for two years pieced together the show that I wanted to take on the road across America for corporate and private events. I got my first big corporate show in January of 2005 with Aflac in Indiana, and it was a great experience for me.

MO<\/strong>: What was the inspiration for this endeavor?

JV: I would do impressions of singers at my friend\/neighbor\/dentist\u2019s office (Dr. Mark Gianatassio in Melrose) for his patients, and he told me I reminded him of Danny Gans out in Las Vegas. I had never heard of Gans before Mark mentioned his name. So I went out and saw him perform, and knew instantly that I could do that. So I put my own act together and continue to build on it.<\/em><\/strong>

Find more about Joey Voices at JoeyVoices.com<\/a>.<\/h4>\n\n\n\n

<\/p>\n\n\n\n

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Entertainment Hotline: Malden musicians take over YouTube
By Joe Viglione \/ recordreview2001@yahoo.com
Posted May 20, 2010 at 12:01 AM
Updated May 20, 2010 at 8:21 PM
Malden\ufffds Gary Cherone, second from left, and his Extreme band mates Kevin Figueiredo, Nuno Bettencourt and Pat Badger.\u25b2

https:\/\/www.wickedlocal.com\/article\/20100520\/news\/305209160?template=ampart<\/a>
Slip Kid is the opening track from British rock group The Who\u2019s 1975 release The Who By Numbers, but it is also the name of a Malden-based Who tribute band. Featuring Jeff Calder on keyboards, Extreme\u2019s Gary Cherone on vocals, Mark Cherone on guitar\/vocals, Paul Mangone on bass\/vocals and Dana Spellman on drums.
Slip Kid is the opening track from British rock group The Who’s 1975 release The Who By Numbers, but it is also the name of a Malden-based Who tribute band. Featuring Jeff Calder on keyboards, Extreme’s Gary Cherone on vocals, Mark Cherone on guitar\/vocals, Paul Mangone on bass\/vocals and Dana Spellman on drums. They performed at The Hard Rock Cafe in Boston on May 7, and this month’s Hotline is exploring Malden area people\/musicians finding their way on YouTube.
Who Tribute band Slip Kid rule on YouTube \u2014 a performance of the song “5:15” at the now-defunct Tequlias nightclub in Danvers taped on Feb. 2, 2007 is up there, varying degrees of quality follow the tapes that get uploaded, but that’s part of the charm.
Malden artists’ migrating to this space on the Web is very much something to be proud of. In addition to going to Slip Kid’s MySpace, there’s the home base of slipkidband.com which leads you directly to a rendition of “The Real Me” performed at the Hard Rock Cafe in Boston on Dec. 23, 2007.
The beauty of this is that when you look at the right hand side of the page performances of songs like “Eminence Front,” “Baba O’Reilly” (now there’s a tough song to conquer and an adventurous pick), “Won’t Get Fooled Again,” “Pinball Wizard” and “My Generation” all are ready to rock you. Keep in mind that lead singer Cherone appeared with Queen and Black Sabbath’s Tony Iommi at the Freddie Mercury Tribute, and over 173,000 people have viewed it. The hunt on YouTube gets even more complex as you add in “Tribe Of Judah Cherone” to find the music video from that group’s “Thanks for Nothing” as well as “Exit Elvis (the flaws of non contradiction),” the title track of Cherone’s Tribe Of Judah CD. That’s just the audio with a black screen and the title of the song and band name for the visual.


The labyrinth of Gary Cherone videos spin on and on with Extreme, Van Halen and Jesus Christ Superstar clips, which we will cover when we do a profile on Slip Kid, the band. John Baglio’s Tribal Wisdom have “99 Octane” and “Number One Contender” up on YouTube \u2014 that’s James Forbes and John Baglio from Malden and their legendary group.
An interesting meeting of the minds is when Joey Voices joins Tribal Wisdom for a truly authentic Joe Cocker take on “With A Little Help From My Friends.” Joey Voices does it with the shirt and mannerisms that Cocker would convey onstage \u2014 its a truly revealing tape. This takes us into Joey Voices-land on YouTube, which is another spiral of tape. “Young Girl” by Gary Puckett has a line that Puckett never sang: “Young girl\/get out of my mind\/if I touch you I’ll be doing time.” How Puckett’s original version ever got on the radio is the question, but Voices has no problem pointing things out in his up-front manner. He gets into more trouble that way. As with Cherone, there are stacks of Joey Voices YouTube videos lined up on the right hand side of the page, including stand-up comedy.
And we haven’t scratched the surface yet. If you put in the name “Charlie Farren” into YouTube, pages and pages come up, from the Warner Brothers recording artist Farrenheit to Charlie Farren solo and a cool medley of songs from Farren’s Joe Perry Project days, as well as some of the actual Perry\/Farren collaboration finding its way to this site.
Needless to say you can spend five lifetimes sifting through all the Norman Greenbaum videos and covers on YouTube. There are no links in this article because it would be maddening \u2014 just go to YouTube and put in the name “Norman Greenbaum” or “Charlie Farren” or “Amy Famiglietti” or “Lauren Bateman,” or any of the artists mentioned in this column. <\/figcaption><\/figure>\n\n\n\n
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Review Text<\/strong>Article By Joe Viglione \/ Arts correspondent GateHouse News Service
https:\/\/www.fye.com\/emmy-cerra—tinderbox-pid.4136477240.html<\/a>
also on Walmart https:\/\/www.walmart.com\/ip\/Tinderbox\/268789423<\/a>
Emmy Cerra’s Tinderbox CD is a beautifully packaged, eco-friendly collection of 11 songs from the Malden artist’s Tapcut label. The Malden Observer caught up with Cerra earlier this week to chat about her past, and latest, musical endeavors: Malden Observer: Who came up with the Jimi Hendrix-styled cover of “a guitar on fire”? Emmy Cerra: I love the symbolism of fire and other raw elements. I try to work it into most of the art that relates to my music. When me and my friend Merlyn sat down to begin the CD design I brought him photos that I really love. Turns out that the image was available so we purchased the image to use as the cover. It was such a happy surprise. MO: When did you start writing songs? EC: My Mother wrote poetry for as long as I can remember. Also since I was a child, my grandmother used to pull out the Casio keyboard and sing for us, and I remember how happy she was as she did this. I combined the idea and began writing lyrics and simple songs when I was a kid. My family has always been open to self-expression so it is nice to merge these tools and use them as an outlet to materialize thoughts and emotions. MO: Do you have any formal training or are you self-taught? EC: I have had very little training, but have a lot of guts and drive. I began working when I was 13 and finally saved up enough money to buy a guitar. I took lessons at a shop that shut down after I had just a few lessons. I took the chord charts I was given and surfed the Internet for more and more until it got to the point that I could play a song on the guitar after listening to it on the radio. That evolved into going back to my roots of combining original lyrics and music. MO: How did you develop your sound? EC: Creating my own sound has been a journey and ever changing. My first album was all about getting away from old tape recorders and was just me and my guitar without any other instruments for the most part. As the years go on I learn more and more about production and meet incredibly talented people and get inspired to learn new techniques. For instance, I saw a flamenco show a few years ago and fell in love with this style. I know that those folks have dedicated their whole lives to perfect the art but that inspired me to learn more about finger picking methods, and I sought someone out who could introduce me to the basics. I believe broadening my understanding of different techniques has made a big difference in my sound. It’s truly a collection of inspiration from other musicians. MO: How did you decide to open the disc with “Bite the hand?” EC: “Bite the hand” was the first song I wrote after the first album and it’s also the most familiar to fans, as I have played it during shows before the album was released. This song is also the biggest contrast from the previous album, which lead to this decision. MO: Track 7, “Salteens,” has a great hook and would be my choice for a CD single, what’s it about? EC: I wrote this song for my oldest friend. We met in Wilmington when we were 8 and have been friends since, so the song is reminiscent of being young and crazy. The title “Salteens” is directly related to one of my fondest memories together that still makes me laugh. There was a corner store we would always walk to. We’d buy Butter-Rum Life Savers and Cool Ranch Doritos every time. One night it was raining so hard that we couldn’t go to the store but we found some Saltines in the cabinet. We stuffed our faces with them, and she sneezed a big salty cracker cloud – so after stumbling on this discovery we stuffed our face with crackers, sang songs and blew around so much cracker dust, it took days to clean up. MO: The packaging on the album is terrific – I love how the cover is a fold-out in three sections – who designed this and how did you come up with the concept? EC: My friend Merlyn Caswell-Mackey designed the layout of the album, and I’m really lucky to know such

WALMART VERSION Article By Joe Viglione \/ Arts correspondent GateHouse News Service Emmy Cerra’s Tinderbox CD is a beautifully packaged, eco-friendly collection of 11 songs from the Malden artist’s Tapcut label. The Malden Observer caught up with Cerra earlier this week to chat about her past, and latest, musical endeavors: Malden Observer: Who came up with the Jimi Hendrix-styled cover of quot;a guitar on firequot;? Emmy Cerra: I love the symbolism of fire and other raw elements. I try to work it into most of the art that relates to my music. When me and my friend Merlyn sat down to begin the CD design I brought him photos that I really love. Turns out that the image was available so we purchased the image to use as the cover. It was such a happy surprise. MO: When did you start writing songs? EC: My Mother wrote poetry for as long as I can remember. Also since I was a child, my grandmother used to pull out the Casio keyboard and sing for us, and I remember how happy she was as she did this. I combined the idea and began writing lyrics and simple songs when I was a kid. My family has always been open to self-expression so it is nice to merge these tools and use them as an outlet to materialize thoughts and emotions. MO: Do you have any formal training or are you self-taught? EC: I have had very little training, but have a lot of guts and drive. I began working when I was 13 and finally saved up enough money to buy a guitar. I took lessons at a shop that shut down after I had just a few lessons. I took the chord charts I was given and surfed the Internet for more and more until it got to the point that I could play a song on the guitar after listening to it on the radio. That evolved into going back to my roots of combining original lyrics and music. MO: How did you develop your sound? EC: Creating my own sound has been a journey and ever changing. My first album was all about getting away from old tape recorders and was just me and my guitar without any other instruments for the most part. As the years go on I learn more and more about production and meet incredibly talented people and get inspired to learn new techniques. For instance, I saw a flamenco show a few years ago and fell in love with this style. I know that those folks have dedicated their whole lives to perfect the art but that inspired me to learn more about finger picking methods, and I sought someone out who could introduce me to the basics. I believe broadening my understanding of different techniques has made a big difference in my sound. It’s truly a collection of inspiration from other musicians. MO: How did you decide to open the disc with quot;Bite the hand?quot; EC: quot;Bite the handquot; was the first song I wrote after the first album and it’s also the most familiar to fans, as I have played it during shows before the album was released. This song is also the biggest contrast from the previous album, which lead to this decision. MO: Track 7, quot;Salteens,quot; has a great hook and would be my choice for a CD single, what’s it about? EC: I wrote this song for my oldest friend. We met in Wilmington when we were 8 and have been friends since, so the song is reminiscent of being young and crazy. The title quot;Salteensquot; is directly related to one of my fondest memories together that still makes me laugh. There was a corner store we would always walk to. We’d buy Butter-Rum Life Savers and Cool Ranch Doritos every time. One night it was raining so hard that we couldn’t go to the store but we found some Saltines inTinderbox <\/figcaption><\/figure>\n\n\n\n

Peter Levine story on Norman Greenbaum: Peter Levine puts Malden Mayor Gary Christenson and yours truly in the same paragraph! Of course we knew all the words. Cathy Leblanc with Dave and Ethel Haskell singing loud and proud. Attorney John Tormey doing the \u201cNew York Shuffle.\u201d Paul and Lisa Hammersley with mile wide smiles. Councilor (Ryan) O\u2019Malley and Councilor (Craig) Spadafora, in a kumbaya moment, shoulder to shoulder singing in two-part harmony. I made that one up. But both loving the special moment, nonetheless. Paul Sieswerda and his pops, who graduated with Normie, fist pumping to the fuzz toned guitar drenched classic. Joe Viglione capturing all the fun for his blog. The first couple of Malden, Maryanne Smith and Donna Denoncourt, shaking their money makers like it ain\u2019t nobody\u2019s business. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

Postscript 8: I went home overjoyed to have shared this night with Norman Greenbaum and the Malden community. Thank you Normie for the fun you brought into our, at times Groundhog Day lives, on this cool night in October of 2019. A happy city, one spirit, for this brief moment at least. Music, art, community and our love for Norman Greenbaum. Kindly raise your hands if you agree.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Peter Levine is a longtime Malden resident and contributor to the Malden Observer. He can be reached at PeteL39@aol.com<\/a> for comments, compliments, complaints or criticisms.<\/em><\/p>\n\n\n\n

https:\/\/www.patriotledger.com\/news\/20191029\/malden-musings-norman-greenbaum—spirit-in-square<\/a> <\/p>\n\n\n\n

Hotline Music and Sports https:\/\/malden.wickedlocal.com\/article\/20110331\/NEWS\/303319342<\/a> <\/p>\n\n\n\n

Local Artists Take the Stage by Joe Viglione https:\/\/www.wickedlocal.com\/x190609060\/Malden-Entertainment-Hotline-Local-artists-take-the-stage<\/a> <\/p>\n\n\n\n


‘Spirit in the Sky’ Norman Greenbaum visits Live on Tape …www.wickedlocal.com \u203a article \u203a NEWS<\/a>Aug 12, 2009 – Local music promoter and Malden Observer correspondent Joe Viglione<\/em> invited him to stop by the MATV studio where he taped this segment …
‘Spirit in the Sky’ Norman Greenbaum visits Live on Tape – News …malden.wickedlocal.com \u203a article \u203a NEWS<\/a>Local music promoter and Malden Observer correspondent Joe Viglione<\/em> invited him to stop by the MATV studio where he taped this segment with Live on Tape’s …\n\n<\/p>\n\n\n\n

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RIDAY, JANUARY 29, 2010
Charlie Farren

Charlie Farren Solo – singer of Balloon, Joe Perry Project, Farrenheit https:\/\/malden.wickedlocal.com\/x453209817\/Charlie-Farren-s-rock-roll-journey<\/a>
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Written by Joe Viglione
Monday, 14 September 2009 19:07
See also a review on this site: https:\/\/web.tunecore.com\/music\/charliefarren<\/a>
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Photo courtesy of Charlie Farren<\/a>
Send this article around via this TinyURL link:
http:\/\/tinyurl.com\/charliefarrensolo<\/a><\/strong>
Charlie’s biography on AllMusic.com<\/a>
Review on AMG
Charlie Farren writes, arranges, and produces a sound totally different from the onslaught of his previous groups, the Enemy, Balloon<\/a>, the Joe Perry Project<\/a>, and Farrenheit<\/a>. Few hard rockers would take the David Crosby<\/a> route, and though some of the lyrics come from the heavy metal\/hard rock spectrum, there is no denying Farren can find pretty melodies and tunes that, in the past, would be surrounded by volume and high energy. Some of the compositions are downright dazzling in their creation of mood — Read more here:<\/a>
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Charlie Farren in Malden Transcript
A dazzling array of voices from Malden have been heard on the radio over the years. From Norman Greenbaum’s<\/a> “Spirit In The Sky” to Gary Cherone<\/a> and Extreme’s “More Than Words,” the city of Malden has enjoyed its piece of the Top 40 radio pie.
Charlie Farren has also lit up the airwaves with his unique and appealing style \u2014 when on MTV with his own band Farrenheit, released on Warner Brothers Records, or as lead singer of what may have been the hardest rocking version of The Joe Perry Project.
When Steve Tyler<\/a> and Joe Perry<\/a> walked away from their partnership in Aerosmith<\/a>, Tyler carried on with two other guitarists and a harder edge while Joe Perry created a more blues-based group.
The Best of the Joe Perry Project: The Music Still Does The Talking<\/a>
Review on AMG:<\/a>
The third singer, and the voice on Perry’s second Columbia album, was Malden’s own Charlie Farren<\/a>, and the hits from that disc, “East Coast\/West Coast” and “Listen To The Rock”, both composed by Farren, became signature tunes of the Joe Perry band.
Charlie Farren was involved in the composition of 60 percent of the 1981 “I’ve Got The Rock ‘n’ Rolls Again” album, actually making him the logical extension of Joe Perry’s<\/a> “artistic side” of the toxic twins (the press description of Tyler\/Perry’s volatile relationship), Charlie Farren replacing Steve Tyler<\/a> as voice and co-author.
The good news for Perry fans? Charlie isn\u2019t actually toxic.
This writer has written pages upon pages of reviews of Charlie’s work since the 1980s, and if readers want to check out the AllMusic.com site and put “Charlie Farren” in the search, they’ll find an extensive biography and many critiques of his recordings.
For this article, we’ve decided on an interview with Mr. Farren.
Live At Club Passim 9-20-03<\/a>
Though Charlie Farren<\/a> as a solo artist was represented on only three CDs prior to this live disc, the songwriter has amassed a huge catalog of songs with the variety of rock groups he has fronted, from Balloon to the Joe Perry Project<\/a> and, of course, Farrenheit.
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Malden Observer: You were born in Whidden Hospital in Everett, August 27, 1953. Did your family live in Everett or Malden at the time?
Charlie Farren: My parents were both from Everett, but moved to Malden before I was born. My dad’s family immigrated to Everett via Ellis Island from Northern Ireland (Belfast). To offer a little historical perspective, at the time of his coming to America (1927), ‘Irish Need Not Apply’ signs were common, and anti-Irish discrimination (particularly Northern Irish) was open in schools, in municipal government, and in society in the Boston area \u2014 which had very Brahmin and Anglophile roots.

Joe V: How much time did you spend in Malden?
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Charile F: Malden was my home base really until I started traveling with my first professional band, Live Lobster. Once I started touring, I still returned to Malden when I was home, at least until well into the Balloon years. (Charlie formed a harder rocking band which played original music and named it “Balloon”).
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World Gone Wild 2002<\/a>
On the front cover of Charlie Farren’s<\/a> second solo album away from Farrenheit, the singer\/guitarist takes a pair of scissors to locks of his hair above the left eye. The image of being his own barber has lots in common with this project, where he has Bob Enik on lead guitar for one song only. That song, “Get a Life,” sounds like the singer is saying “Caroline” for the hook (it’s the title “Get a Life”), a cool rock & roll jaunt where the listener has to turn the focus up.

JV: Were you aware of Norman Greenbaum, Preacher Jack and other Malden artists when you lived in the city?<\/strong>
CF: I didn’t know Preacher Jack; in fact, I just met him about a year ago when he opened a show I did. I was aware of Norman but never met him. He was the only real recording musician any of my Malden friends knew of, so we were pretty impressed. In those days getting into the music business was a complete mystery to us!

JV: Please take us through the first bands you were in, and what cities they were based in.
CF: The first band had three different names: the Ancient Mariners, White Knights<\/a>, and the Internationals. They only did one or two gigs, so the names were a reflection of whatever the members thought was cool at the time. These were really little-kid bands: four-chord bands where we’d all plug guitars and mics into the same amp!
Four Letter Word 2003<\/a>
Hearing the jazz of “Minds Made Up,” it is hard to picture Charlie Farren<\/a> as the hard rocking lead singer of the Joe Perry Project<\/a>, and his own band, Farrenheit<\/a>. One of the most prolific members of the Boston music community, Farren continues the work initiated on Deja Blue in 1999 and continued throughout 2002’s World Gone Wild. Perhaps appearing on the band Boston’s Corporate America disc (also from 2002) was enough hard rock for Farren in this turn of the century as he concentrates on folk\/pop and explores lyrical imagery on this release.
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JV: What about Blue Willow, your group with Billy Christie on drums, and Henry Peterson on bass?<\/strong>
CF: This was my high school band. We were good, but not among the more popular bands even in my high school, and didn’t know enough songs to actually play a gig, which was usually a dance. We did win the star of show award in the high school variety show one year though, playing as a trio we did an original song called ‘UNITE!’ My friend, Scott Kingsly, ran a light show, complete with home-made, motor driven ‘strobe lights’ and overhead projector petri-dish displays! We may have won because of Scott. It was a thrill though, and it was the night that I caught the bug for performing.

JV: And then there was Live Lobster.
<\/strong>CF: Live Lobster was the first professional band I was in. It was five-piece; I was the singer and did not play guitar. Ken Kalayjian and Bob Kilbashian were the guitarists, Bob Sutton on drums, Joe Bourke on Bass\u2026they all sang. This is where I really learned how to sing. We played in every club from Philly to Maine to Syracuse, the whole Northeast. We’d play four to seven nights a week for 40 – 45 weeks a year, and we did that for two or three years \u2014 maybe 1973 to 75 or longer. We’d have to carry our own PA and lights, as no clubs had them in those days, and we’d have to play four to six sets a night. The big club in Boston was The Kenmore Club and they had a downstairs room called K-K-K-Katy’s that held about 800 people, and that booking was for two weeks at a time, seven nights a week, six sets per night, except Sunday was seven sets! I learned how to be a rock and roller in those days boy. K-K-K-Katy\u2019s had some great acts play there: The New York Dolls<\/a>, Aerosmith<\/a>, up and coming acts like Johanna Wild, Bozo Rock Opera, ITMB, Rick Berlin’s<\/a> Orch. Luna, etc. It’s curious that The Rat is most often written about as the definer of the Boston scene. That room was cool, but not the only good room, and a lot smaller.
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JV: That’s a good observation, Charlie. The Rat was opened when Barry & The Remains moved from a Boston University hall across the street to The Rathskellar basement. But K-K-K-Katy’s, part of a three-club complex that, you noted, was called The Kenmore Club, had a big impact on the scene for many years. What happened after Live Lobster?<\/strong>
CF: Ken and I left Live Lobster to form Balloon<\/a>. It was a scary move because Lobster was popular and we were earning our living touring. But although we weren’t really a ‘cover’ band (we were more of a rock band, more like the Black Crowes<\/a> doing a Faces song than a cover band doing Four Seasons) we weren’t doing originals. We went to see Aerosmith<\/a> at Katy’s and again in Revere at a place called ‘Scarborough Fair’, and thought, \u2018I can do this!\u2019 So we started developing an all original repertoire and began to really catch on. Loud and heavy! We started to try to establish ourselves as a one or two set act, and began filling places like The Club, The Rat, Jasper\u2019s in Somerville, and eventually started headlining and filling The Channel (1,400 capacity). We had a couple of songs on area radio that really fueled that success. The first was ‘East Coast, West Coast’ and the second was ‘Listen To The Rock’, which was on the top ten at both WBCN and WCOZ for 11 weeks. We had a live broadcast from The Channel, that was aired in its entirety on WCOZ. We began performing regionally and traveling to NYC regularly. Atlantic took an interest in the band, and Ahmet Ertegun took an interest in my songwriting. Ironically, Ahmet liked the songs that I wrote that the band didn’t play. Balloon\u2019s rise, and Atlantic’s interest, was interrupted by my joining up with Joe (Perry of Aerosmith) in 1980.

JV: So tell us about Joe Perry Project.
<\/strong>CF: It was a big thrill to meet and work with Joe, and an eye-opener to really peak behind the show-biz curtain and see how things worked. Don Law was managing Joe at the time, and Don had a great team of very professional, experienced, seasoned folks. I was very impressed with Don and his team, and very impressed with Joe’s band. Dave Hull<\/a> is just the greatest, and Ron Stewert was such an accomplished professional drummer, we recorded the record in a matter of a few weeks. I was surprised by Joe’s approach. Aerosmith’s calling card, besides the big guitar riffs, is great grooves and clever, punchy, precisely-played arrangements. So I was expecting that. Joe had those big riffs alright, but he was much more in the moment, much more raw and edgy. He wanted to make a punk-rock record, more Clash or Sex Pistols. So we mapped out some songs, set up on stage at The Opera House, and roared through them as tape rolled (The Record Plant mobile unit). We were writing lyrics on paper taped to the floor and just were ripping through and keeping first takes. I thought it was fun, and we ended up with a pretty cranked-sounding record. So Joe wanted something completely different than either Aerosmith or the first JPP record. To this day, so many people write to me saying that record is in their personal top ten. It’s almost an underground gem. Folks still call out some of those songs at my shows. Farrenheit still does ‘East Coast, West Coast’, ‘Listen To The Rock’, and ‘I’ve Got The Rock & Rolls Again’. South Station Blues was another favorite of mine, and I still play that from time to time in my solo shows. Joe was also very open to co-writing, which I thought to be generous. We co-wrote four songs on that record, and we also did two of mine, two of David’s, and two of Joe’s. That was a great band, and it would have developed into an really powerful unit, but it became clear that Aerosmith was not over, they were only on hold. And Dave and I saw that writing on the wall, so we made a move and started our own band.

JV: Which you called \u2018The Enemy.\u2019
<\/strong>CF: Dave and I started looking for a new lineup and format that would work. Allen Devine<\/a> came in to play guitar, a great writer and guitarist, and he reminded me of a cross between George Harrison<\/a> and Jeff Beck<\/a>. Alan has his own band and still making great, original music \u2014 a real artist. But soon we pulled most of the Balloon guys back because so much was already in place with those relationships: Ken Kalayjian on lead guitar, Dave Hull on bass, Bob Sutton on Drums, and we added Paul Curran on keys. We were instantly very popular regionally, packing clubs around New England, and doing opening slots for larger bands like Aerosmith<\/a>, The Smithereens<\/a>, Blue Oyster Cult<\/a>, Twisted Sister<\/a>, Joe Cocker<\/a>, etc. We had a regional radio hit with ‘America Rocks.\u2019 The Enemy did a live concert in the street in Worcester that was aired on TV38 and simlucast on WAAF.

JV: What about the Atlantic Records connection, Aziz Goksel and Ahmet Ertegun?<\/strong>
CF: After a couple of years, we reconnected with Atlantic and Ahmet. Ahmet came out to see the band, and came several times to hang with me in my apartment where I had my studio, just to talk and listen to records and songs I’d written. He was very high on my songs and singing, but felt that The Enemy was good, but not unique enough to be interesting. Dance music was popular at the time and a five-piece rock band was not on Atlantic’s must-have list. He signed me to Atlantic to write and develop my songs. Ironically, that’s really what I do in my solo show; the music that caught Ahmet’s ear is well-represented in my later solo CD Deja Blue. He loved the stuff but felt he couldn’t get radio to play it, urging me to keep writing and waiting for the right time. I was impatient, and both Dave and I were itching to get back on the road, so I asked for, and was graciously allowed, to leave Atlantic to pursue a new rock band. Looking back it seems silly to not take the advice of someone like Ahmet \u2014 he well may have been right! But leaving at that time gave David and I a chance to take advantage of a new opportunity that was to present itself.

JV: Which takes us to Farrenheit.
<\/strong>CF: Leaving Atlantic got me out of ‘writing and waiting’, which can be trying, and back into action mode. When The Enemy did the WAAF\/TV38 simulcast show the opening act was Steve Cataldo from The Nervous Eaters<\/a> and his new band The Reflectors<\/a>. I had always been a big fan of Steve’s and made sure to catch his set. The band was great. Dave and I watched the show, and Steve’s drummer, Muzz, really caught our attention; we thought this might be our guy. I was also impressed with Derick Dyer who was playing Sax\/Keys\/Vocals. Derick later joined us in LA where we recorded the Farrenheit record. After recruiting Muzz, we experimented with some backup singers and had Derick on Sax for a while, but we really liked the way we sounded as a trio. I hadn’t been playing guitar on stage for very long, but was starting to develop a fuller style and we agreed to try to go as a trio. But I needed to make money, and had been invited to perform with a jam band for a very limited number of shows. The lineup changed over time, but it was a great, fun bunch of terrific musicians, and one of those relationships connected Farrenheit with Warner Brothers and fast-tracked our Warners deal.
We played at The Channel, and I managed to get my new trio, Farrenheit, to be the opener. It would be our first gig. It was a sold-out room, and in the audience was Roger’s friend and Foghat manager, Tony Outeda, who approached us after the show and said he wanted to sign us to Warner Brothers. Dave and I looked at each other and said, OK, look dude, we’ve been around and know that’s not how it works . . so we didn’t believe him. He showed up about two weeks later at a Farrenheit show at Bunrattys with a small recorder in his hand, and again told us he wanted to bring us in to Warners, but we were skeptical. A few days later I get a call from Russ Thyrette with Tony on a conference line. Russ basically said ‘Tony’s the real deal, we want you at Warners, and we want Tony to manage you.’ As they say in the music business, boom.
Originally published in The Malden Observer, Thu Oct 02, 2008, 04:19 PM EDT
Charlie Farren\u2019s rock & roll journey<\/a>
By Joe Viglione \/ recordreview2001[@}yahoo.com


And for those of you who wondered what happen to one of Charlie’s predecessors in the Joe Perry Project<\/a>, Ralph Mormon, he went on to sing lead with Savoy Brown<\/a> for their Rock & Roll Warriors CD<\/a>
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FARRENHEIT<\/a> 1987 (Warner Brothers)
Charlie Farren was lead singer of the Joe Perry Project six years prior to the release of this Keith Olsen<\/a>-produced record. It is arena rock, make no doubt about that, but it is great arena rock. Farren is a tremendous singer, frontman, and songwriter. He’s appeared on Bad Company’s Fame & Fortune disc as well as The Heat by Nona Hendrix<\/a>, but the industry has failed to give him his due. Read more here:<\/a>

FARRENHEIT Raise The Roof 1999<\/a>
The title track says it all: “Raise the Roof” is a rock & roll anthem and the follow-up to the Warner Brothers debut Farrenheit<\/a> by Charlie Farren’s trio. The 1987 Warner’s release was produced by Keith Olsen, and this is most likely the material the band was preparing but never got to release.
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The third installment of the Farrenheit<\/a> trilogy is as consistent as anything the former lead singer for the Joe Perry Project has released. Greasetown and its predecessor, Raise the Roof, are Charlie Farren’s musical statements, post the Warner Brothers debut produced by Keith Olsen, Farrenheit. “Signal in the Noise,” track eight, epitomizes what Farren is all about; a voice superior to Eddie Money<\/a>, Mickey Thomas<\/a>, Steve Perry<\/a>, and so many other major stars, the industry still hasn’t found a way to get this sound to the masses. Read more here:<\/a>

Release: 2004 Recording 9\/11\/03The Boston area power trio Farrenheit<\/a> has a very distinctive sound live, not the sweeping onslaught of Cream or the unbridled fury of the early Grand Funk Railroad<\/a>. The two-thirds of this group who were half of the Joe Perry Project in the early 1980s — singer\/guitarist Charlie Farren and bassist David Hull — have an interesting high end, hard rock punch that is topped off by John Muzzy’s treble-tuned drums. The upper timbre rhythm section tension could be accurately described by the liner notes to Live Yardbirds Featuring Jimmy Page<\/a> — was the phrase “twin piledrivers” — leaving the mid-range up to Farren whose guitar adds the grunge bottom to the disc, the very appreciative crowd also bringing a sort of mid-range to the table. Read full article here:<\/a>
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ALBUMS CHARLIE APPEARS ON
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Ive Got The Rock & Rolls Again<\/a>
Aerosmith Pandora’s Box<\/a>
Peter Wolf Long Line<\/a>
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Last Updated on Tuesday, 15 September 2009 03:58

http:\/\/storiesmbm.blogspot.com\/2010\/01\/charlie-farren.html<\/a>
Posted by joeviglione <\/a>at 1:23 PM<\/abbr><\/a> 

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Malden Entertainment Hotline https:\/\/malden.wickedlocal.com\/article\/20100226\/news\/302269332<\/a><\/p>\n\n\n\n

Charlie Farren’s Rock & Roll Journay https:\/\/malden.wickedlocal.com\/x453209817\/Charlie-Farren-s-rock-roll-journey<\/a><\/p>\n\n\n\n

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https:\/\/www.wickedlocal.com\/article\/20100107\/NEWS\/301079041<\/a> FarrenHeit sister rising: Local talent dabbles in art, illustration, music and storytelling

By Joe Viglione \/ recordreview2001@yahoo.com<\/strong>Posted Jan 7, 2010 at 12:01 AMUpdated Jan 7, 2010 at 7:20 AM
   
In October 2008 the Malden Observer covered local talent Charlie Farren\u2019s life and musical journey. Once in awhile Charlie\u2019s audiences are surprised to find one of his sisters, Robin, from the highly musical Farren family, appearing with him onstage.
In October 2008 the Malden Observer <\/em>covered local talent Charlie Farren\u2019s life and musical journey. Once in awhile Charlie\u2019s audiences are surprised to find one of his sisters, Robin, from the highly musical Farren family, appearing with him onstage.
Robin H. Farren, a resident of Malden, is a graphic artist, painter, illustrator, professional musician and songwriter. In the 1990s she released a 7 song CD entitled \u201cCharmed Existence\u201d which received local airplay on access TV and on Morgan Huke\u2019s Folk \u2018n\u2019 Good Music program on 91.5 FM WMFO.
Songs like \u201cLive Forever,\u201d \u201cMan Fell Into The Moon\u201d and \u201cOne Of Many\u201d feature smart pop leanings, crisp guitars and the secret ingredient \u2014 Robin\u2019s distinctive voice. And it\u2019s not that they share the same first name, but this Farren\u2019s group would fit perfectly on a bill with former Warner Brothers artist Robin Lane and The Chartbusters, Lane being the daughter of Kenny Lane, Dean Martin\u2019s pianist who wrote Martin\u2019s 1964 #1 hit \u201cEverybody Loves Somebody.\u201d That their music runs along parallel lines is a compliment to both musicians.
The Malden Observer<\/em> recently sat down with Robin for a chat:
Malden Observer: Robin, what are you currently involved in?<\/strong>
Robin H. Farren:<\/strong> Music is something that is starting to bubble up again, now that my kids are more self-sufficient, but I\u2019m not in a band right now. In fact, I just recently declined a regular gig because it would take too much time away from my family. Plus, I\u2019m moving away from the wall of sound thing. I enjoy the occasional side-gigs like the one I did with Kimberly Dahme this summer.
Indie-Quirk, Jazzy Torch\/Blues, Celtic\/Funk, crossover Country\/Folk… I like songs where you can hear every word and inflection. I look forward to making music with my husband and other friends that reflects where I am now (as opposed to where I was before). One thing I\u2019ve always admired about my brother Charlie is that although he isn\u2019t afraid of revisiting his past sounds and successes for fun and fans, he never stops writing new music.
MO: When did you start your career in music?<\/strong>
RHF: <\/strong>I have always been a singer, and as a kid, my sisters and brother and I used to do 4-part harmonies while we were doing the dishes. Singing and harmonies always came naturally to me. I started singing in bands a couple of years after college. I was too shy to sing publicly much before that (aside from 4th of July at the park for a silver dollar when I was a kid).


Here is my music career in a nutshell:
First \u2014 Lead singer in original band with Allen Devine and Pete Cristofono called \u201cThe Harrisons\u201d
Second \u2014 BU singer in \u201cAl Halliday & the Hurricanes.\u201d Original shows in Boston, and 50\/50-original\/cover outside of the city and all over New England. That band\u2019s roster: Al Halliday, Jon Finn, Rob Norris, Chuck Fisher, Dennis Calnan & Steve Thorsen. (We just played Jimmy\u2019s big 50 Year Anniversary gig at The Beachcomber (Nostalgia) this past summer as a one time reunion thing with the old line-up and a couple of other guys.)
Third \u2014 BU singer in FarrenHeit. That incarnation featuring Charlie, David Hull, and Muzzy, plus Robert Holmes (from \u2019til Tuesday) on lead guitar, and me and Charles Colello on BU vocals. I did a bunch of jazzy acoustic gigs with Charlie, too. I stayed with Charlie through the FarrenHeit and into the FARREN incarnation, which featured Charlie, Muzz, me, Philip Bynoe (later with Steve Vai) on bass, and Igor\/Ivan Khoroshev (later with YES) on keys.
Fourth: Lead singer (and co\/songwriter with Michael) in original band with Michael Haag (guitar), John Styklunas (bass), and Elaine Harris (drums) (from Trip Shakespeare). We went by the name Robin Farren or Robin H. Farren. We made one CD (Charmed Existence) that sold a bunch on MP3.com, and some of the songs got picked up to be used on U.S. and International TV.
Now \u2014 My kids are older (9 and 11), and I have started to dabble in music again. I am learning to play the piano and hope to start writing again now that I have 10 minutes to rub together. This summer I sang BU in Kimberly Dahme\u2019s band for a gig at the Capitol Center for the Arts in Concord, N.H. (Gary Pihl and Jeff Neal \u2014 also of the band Boston \u2014 played in her band too. Kimberly is the bass player in the band Boston, but has a thriving solo career as well.)
MO: How long have you lived in Malden?<\/strong>


RHF: <\/strong>I have only ever lived in three houses. I grew up in Malden. In my mid-to-late 20s, I had an apartment in Everett for five or six years, then (although I searched all over) I moved back to Malden when my husband and I bought a house in 1994. We\u2019ve been here 15 years now, and we love it. Malden is getting better and better. I love the ethnic and cultural diversity, the new public schools, and how beautiful the city is becoming. I love that the first gay marriage in the whole country was performed in Malden. I love that the arts community is growing, and that we have every different kind of restaurant you can think of (except Thai… we need a Thai place). I\u2019m not planning on leaving any time soon. My mother still lives here, and she came in 1950.
MO: Malden has wonderful resources for artists \u2014 MATV, the library, this newspaper, clubs and so on and so forth. Have you put your art and\/or music on display in any local venues?<\/strong>
RHF: <\/strong>Some of my work was displayed at the Malden Windows Art Project in 2008. That was fun, and I\u2019ll probably get more involved in the Malden art scene in the future. It is really blossoming. I\u2019ve gone to a few of the exhibits when SandT\u2019s had her artspaceat16 studio. She has made great strides in reviving the arts community here.

Evolving talents<\/strong>
MO: <\/strong>Your life seems pretty full and the Web sites provide a glimpse into your activities (RobinHFarren.com<\/a> and TheSistersFarren.com<\/a>):
RHF: <\/strong>I really do keep evolving. Every time I update my Web site, I blow past it in no time flat. Currently, RobinHFarren.com is my main site. That site features illustration, caricatures and graphic design, and will be showing more and more animation work. One of my real passions is animation, and I am beginning to delve more into Flash animation. You can see a couple of examples on the front page of my site at the bottom. I work from my home studio on a contract or commission basis.
When my two boys were little, I used to make up songs to teach them things. I think children learn thing more quickly and remember better when lessons are put to song. I have a ton of songs. Maybe I\u2019ll make a kid\u2019s CD sometime. Anyway, one of the songs I wrote was to teach my boys the days of the week. My sister Sheila was both an elementary teacher and a high school art teacher, and she suggested we write children\u2019s books together. We thought we\u2019d start with the days of the week song, and called it Work-A-Day Week, combining the days of the week with different careers. At an education conference, Sheila happened to bump into a senior editor for Scarecrow Education (now Rowman & Littlefield Publishing Group), and he loved the idea. With very little effort, our first book idea was published by a reputable house. We were flattered when (after seeing our portfolios) they let us illustrate it as well. Sheila did the borders, and I did the main illustrations on these pieces. We were thrilled to get a ringing endorsement from Norman Bridwell (of Clifford the Big Red Dog fame).


We share writing and illustration credit because we both contributed to the creation of the book. Scarecrow also published a companion piece of worksheets and games (black-line masters). We were flying high. We were being sold on Amazon.com; we each went to kindergarten and first grade classes in our areas reading to children and selling books at school fairs. Then we realized that when you publish, if you really want to sell, you have to push, push, push. Go around to bookstores and schools, and sell your work. Since we are both artists, and not into the sales as much, we let it fade away and both decided to focus more on illustration than writing. I may change my mind at a later date.
You can still purchase both of the Work-A-Day Week books through Amazon.com or directly from Rowman & Littlefield, rowmaneducation.com, or from me directly. We keep our site, TheSistersFarren.com, alive because the books are still for sale, and we still get lots of hits on that site, but we aren\u2019t planning on adding to it.

MO: Are the three children on the front page the Farren siblings?<\/strong>
RHF: <\/strong>Actually, the two boys are mine (the blonde is Dexter Haag, the brunette is Jasper Haag), and the little girl is my niece WenQi Starble \u2014 all from about six years ago.
MO: When did you start drawing or creating artwork?<\/strong>
RHF:<\/strong> I have been drawing and painting for as long as I can remember. My father was an artist and sculptor as well. He was the featured exhibit at the Malden Public Library once. And my mother taught me to draw, too. I won my first citywide award for art when I was in kindergarten.
MO: When did you decide to go commercial with it?<\/strong>


RHF:<\/strong> In college there is always that period of purism when you dream of doing fine art and painting. I didn\u2019t spend too long there. I have always admired the masters, but also great illustrators like Norman Rockwell, and never looked at them as something less than \u201cfine artists.\u201d I can see beauty in all forms of art, and most can be fulfilling. So since I also like to pay rent, eat and have insurance, I got into graphics right after college. I started designing type (fonts) for Compugraphic, and ended up as the World Wide Creative Director for my division of AGFA Corp in Wilmington.
Although I was an art major in college, they didn\u2019t have the software or hardware that they do now, so I am pretty much self-taught. I am a total Mac-addict and design almost exclusively on the computer. The cool thing is, they keep coming up with better and more interesting ways of creating art digitally. There is always something new to learn and experiment with. Now that computer animation is more accessible to the lone wolf, I hope to do more with that, too.
MO: Are there other Farren relatives involved in music, painting or writing?<\/strong>
RHF: <\/strong>My sister Sheila Farren Billings sings and plays the guitar, piano and banjo, and is an impressive watercolorist. She has been enjoying a very lively business selling both commissioned and non-commissioned paintings in the North Shore area and Boston. One of my nieces is currently an art major in college, her brother is in his high school band, and their sister has a lovely voice. My sister Teresa is also talented, but has chosen to focus on dance and exercise rather than art and music. Her eldest daughter is a gifted musician and plays the cello and piano, and her youngest daughter is a violinist. My niece Zhongmei is also an artist and writer and published her first book at 14. My husband is a guitarist, and his side of the family is extremely musical and artistic as well, and two of his brothers are musicians. Our niece in Arizona is an artist, and her mother is a wonderful singer.
Both of my boys are creative, which is very fun for me. They both experiment with various instruments and art medias. Right now, Jasper is focusing on the drums and guitar, while Dexter is enjoying the piano and singing. Dexter draws constantly, and Jasper loves painting. Actually, they are my creations of which I am most proud.
MO: Will there be a new Robin Farren CD of contemporary music anytime soon?<\/strong>
RHF: <\/strong>Nothing in the works, but I\u2019ll keep you informed.


MO: Anything else you\u2019d like to say to readers of the Malden Observer?<\/strong>
RHF: <\/strong>I think it is marvelous when everyone supports their local artists \u2014 whether s\/he is an painter, musician, chef, gardener, mechanic or carpenter. There is great skill and creativity at work here, and it behooves all of us to support each other. I\u2019m excited that the community of artists is beginning to grow and thrive in Malden, and I\u2019m delighted to be considered a part of it.
Robin H. Farren can be contacted at robin@worldjukebox.com<\/a>, and samples of her work can be found at RobinHFarren.com<\/a>. <\/figcaption><\/figure>\n\n\n\n
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 How about Joe \u201cThe Count\u201d Viglione? I know he and Norman go back a little. Norm\u2019s email pal Joanne Settemio would love to be there but she had prior commitments. Michael Goldman! I know you were but a youngster in 1960 but try to make a trip back to Malden on the 16th and show a fellow \u201clantsman\u201d a little love! Come one come all! Show Norman how much we adore him. https:\/\/malden.wickedlocal.com\/news\/20190917\/malden-musings-norman-greenbaum-back-in-malden-oct-16th<\/a> eter Levine is a longtime Malden resident and contributor to the Malden Observer. He can be reached at PeteL39@aol.com<\/a> for comments, compliments, complaints or criticisms.<\/em> <\/p>\n\n\n\n

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EXTREME – MetroWest Daily News – article by Joe Viglione https:\/\/www.metrowestdailynews.com\/article\/20081027\/NEWS\/310279436<\/a> <\/h1>\n\n\n\n

By Joe Viglione \/ recordreview2001@yahoo.com<\/strong>Posted Oct 27, 2008 at 12:01 AMUpdated Oct 27, 2008 at 1:25 PM   <\/p>\n\n\n\n

Extreme\u2019s \u201cSaudades de Rock,\u201d is an intense and powerful presentation \u2014 and solid proof that the hard-rocking Malden\/Medford area band, featuring Gary Cherone, guitarist Nuno Bettencourt, bassist Pat Badger and drummer Kevin Figueiredo, has an on-target message. It\u2019s a true rebirth.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Extreme\u2019s \u201cSaudades de Rock,\u201d is an intense and powerful presentation \u2014 and solid proof that the hard-rocking Malden\/Medford area band, featuring Gary Cherone, guitarist Nuno Bettencourt, bassist Pat Badger and drummer Kevin Figueiredo, has an on-target message. It\u2019s a true rebirth.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Issued on Ernie Boch Jr.\u2019s Open E Records, the CD starts off with the one-two punch of \u201cStar\u201d and \u201cComfortably Dumb,\u201d the former utilizing Queen\u2019s trademark style along with Bettencourt firing off some serious Marilyn Manson guitar licks (directly from Manson\u2019s near-hit \u201cThe Dope Show\u201d). The second track, \u201cComfortably Dumb,\u201d is clearly a knock at the second single from Pink Floyd\u2019s 1979 double disc, \u201cThe Wall.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Malden native Cherone, 47, is still a highly underrated vocalist, despite singing lead for Van Halen, one of the most important hard rock bands in music history, in the late \u201990s, as well as a guest stint fronting Queen (with Tony Iommi from Black Sabbath on guitar). Cherone\u2019s voice can do a number of amazing things, moving through uncharted territory here on \u201cSaudades de Rock.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u201cLearn To Love\u201d has him giving a not-so subliminal tribute to the great Paul Rodgers (who is now actually fronting Queen), though this Bad Company-influenced track is far more funky in nature than anything that venerable British band put on plastic.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

A neo-Western, \u201cTake Us Alive\u201d reflects Aerosmith\u2019s penchant for blending films from the old West with a bit of skiffle rock. The Aerosmith theme continues on \u201cRun,\u201d sounding as if \u201cWalk This Way\u201d somehow got merged into ballad form rather than the rap hit it became when Run-D.M.C. added their talents to it.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u201cLast Hour,\u201d track 6, underscores just how well Bettencourt and Cherone fuse their extraordinary guitar\/voice\/songwriting abilities, a nice trifecta of talent.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Not to be lost in this equation is the stunning production work, something missing from the band\u2019s 1989 self-titled debut on A&M Records. Bettencourt knows how to place all the instruments so that the bass and drums can be heard but not seen, blending everything in a mix that allows the nuances of each element to flow in and out, the way a good rock production should. \u201cFlower Man\u201d keeps up the intensity with snarls and chugs, and is a great album track, though not a standout.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Looking for a \u2018More Than Words\u2019<\/strong>
<\/p>\n\n\n\n

The otherwise well-paced disc could have used a bit of a guitar ballad at this point, and with \u201cMore Than Words\u201d finding airplay on, of all places, WPLM Plymouth along with Elton John and Air Supply, let\u2019s face it, there\u2019s still a huge audience waiting to hear Extreme come out with a new pop ballad classic.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

The subtly explosive \u201cKing Of The Ladies\u201d is quintessential Extreme, Revere Beach rock gone mainstream … only a Freddy \u201cBoom Boom\u201d Cannon cameo appearance (or sample) is missing from this tour-de-force to make it complete.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Track 9 is a stunningly beautiful piano ballad entitled \u201cGhost.\u201d It takes the best elements of Supertramp\u2019s 1979 hit \u201cGoodbye Stranger\u201d and fuses it with latter-day Beach Boys.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Perhaps \u201cthe ghosts\u201d that are \u201cin my head\u201d Cherone is singing about are past songs that he heard on the radio. \u201cGhost\u201d sounds like a 2008 extension of The Who\u2019s sketchy \u201cQuadrophenia\u201d album. Cherone doubles as the lead singer of \u201cSlip Kid,\u201d a Who tribute band, and these soulful stirrings are what Roger Daltrey, unfortunately, has moved away from as the Who\u2019s singer relies more on histrionics and past glories.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Song 10, \u201cSlide,\u201d is more for the Extreme die-hard, a good musical exercise for the fan base, walking guitars that dabble in funk and semi-rap straight from Prince\u2019s textbook of sound. Bettencourt\u2019s guitars are tasteful and explore different avenues alongside the band\u2019s so very tight sequence of movements (and the aforementioned great production work), a stunning combination that make this set of recordings \u201cextreme-ly\u201d special.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Track 11, \u201cInterface,\u201d brings in Beatle-esque flavors on the acoustic guitars, a very appealing pop ballad with glorious hooks and majestic sounds imprinted on the lead guitar tracks. OK, they\u2019ve taken \u201cMore Than Words\u201d and have gone more nouveau-lounge with it.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Going Wilson<\/strong>
<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Track 12, \u201cSunrise\u201d features more Beach Boys harmonies, like something out of \u201cBrian Wilson Presents Smile,\u201d until bristling Bettencourt riffs take over with Cherone\u2019s voice finding yet another persona. Dipped in early British blues, it twists into another direction with the instrumental interlude three minutes in, the band straddling the border of jazz territory but never falling over the edge.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

The final selection, \u201cPeace (Saudade),\u201d is as elegant a closing track as you are going to get. Where the equally lengthy \u201cIII Who Cares?,\u201d which closed out \u201cIII Sides To Every Story,\u201d wandered all over the map until the wonderful last minute, this last song on \u201cSaudades De Rock\u201d works from start to finish \u2014 showing that Extreme has matured in its ability, as a group, to achieve something artistically striking as well as commercially viable. It is as on-target as \u201cMore Than Words\u201d and deserves a better fate than \u201cExit Elvis,\u201d Cherone\u2019s side project with Tribe of Judah released in 2002.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

The verdict: Had Eddie Van Halen recruited both Nuno Bettencourt and Gary Cherone for Van Halen III in 1998, 10 years earlier, and had they all come up with something this polished, Van Halen would have successfully flown into the new millennium and the world would have more of this intense music to admire. On its own, \u201cSaudades de Rock\u201d stands now as the best album recorded by Extreme to date.
Joe Viglione is a Boston-based rock journalist and critic.<\/em><\/p>\n\n\n\n

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ATUNGA https:\/\/malden.wickedlocal.com\/article\/20110526\/NEWS\/305269313<\/a> <\/p>\n\n\n\n

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https:\/\/www.wickedlocal.com\/article\/20100513\/NEWS\/305139018<\/a> <\/p>\n\n\n\n

\n\t\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\tBy \n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\tJoe Viglione \/ recordreview2001@yahoo.com\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\n\t\t\t\t\t\n\t\t\t\t\t\n\t\t\t\t\t\n\t\t\t\t\t\n\t\t\t\t\t\n\t\t\t\t\t\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\tPosted May 13, 2010 at 12:01 AM\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\tUpdated May 13, 2010 at 1:20 PM\n\t\t\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\n\t\t\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\n\t\t\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\n\t\t\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\n\t\t\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\n\t\t\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\n\t\t\t\t\t\n\t\t\n\t\t\t\t\t\n\t\t\t\t\t\t<\/p>\n\n\n\n

But did you know there was a Malden \nresident who managed to run up on stage with the Fab Four that day? Do \nyou wonder if the guy made it out of there alive? Well, former Malden \nresident John Lubinski is alive and well and living in Las Vegas.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Are you one of the lucky individuals who went to Suffolk Downs racetrack in Revere on August 18, 1966?<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Did\n you hear longtime North Shore resident Bobby Hebb (now back in \nNashville) sing his immortal classic, \u201cSunny,\u201d along with \u201cCrazy Baby,\u201d \nVan McCoy\u2019s \u201cFor You,\u201d a cover of Darlene Love\u2019s \u201cGood Good Lovin,\u201d and \nthe classic \u201cGot My Mojo Working\u201d backed up by Boston\u2019s very own Barry \nTashian & The Remains?<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Perhaps you\u2019ve read Tashian\u2019s book, \u201cTicket To Ride: The Extraordinary Diary of The Beatles\u2019 Last Tour\u201d (Dowling Press, 1997)?<\/p>\n\n\n\n

If\n you were there on that magical point in history, you probably heard the\n Beatles perform songs like Chuck Berry\u2019s 1957 hit, \u201cRock & Roll \nMusic,\u201d or Lennon\/McCartney classics like \u201cDay Tripper,\u201d \u201cBaby\u2019s In \nBlack,\u201d \u201cI Feel Fine,\u201d \u201cPaperback Writer,\u201d \u201cNowhere Man\u201d and more.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

But\n did you know there was a Malden resident who managed to run up on stage\n with the Fab Four that day? Do you wonder if the guy made it out of \nthere alive? Well, former Malden resident John Lubinski is alive and \nwell and living in Las Vegas. The Observer has an exclusive interview \nwith the Maldonian whose out-of-order activity way back when has made \nhim a rather notorious footnote in Boston area Beatles lore.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

A \nlocal daily newspaper article of the 1966 Suffolk Downs event leaves the\n readers hanging on the outcome of the daring young man who jumped the \nstage…it says he was handed \u201d…into the clutches of six Boston \npolicemen.\u201d
<\/p>\n\n\n\n


Close call <\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u201cIt\n caused a little bit of a riot where a lot of people were running for \nthe stage or trying to get up there,\u201d said Lubinski. \u201cI ended up getting\n away. They put me in a police car, and I got out the other door. They \nwere kind of distracted …trying to stop the other people. I got out \nthe door, ran to the fence, hopped over, wandered back into the crowd \nand got away.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n

The aforementioned newspaper article referenced \nabove is reprinted in the book \u201cTicket To Ride: The Extraordinary Diary \nof the Beatles Last Tour\u201d with additional information from Judith Sims, \neditor of TeenSet magazine. On Page 56 of Ticket To Ride Sims\u2019 article \nnotes, \u201cIn Boston, a second young man made it to the stage; he first \ninformed one of the English disc jockeys that he had managed to get past\n the barriers and guards to the stage area…\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Lubinski recalled that that was Kenny Everett, the pirate \nradio on-air personality. \u201cKenny Everett was interviewing me before I \njumped onstage; I told him I was going to do it…he didn\u2019t believe me. \nRight after that I made it up onstage, Kenny Everett went crazy.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n

The\n Beatles were performing the Little Richard classic, \u201cLong Tall Sally,\u201d \nconcluding their set, and after Lubinski got away he hooked up with the \ntwo friends he convinced to go to the show with him.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u201cI \nmiraculously found them again and we took the train home,\u201d said \nLubinski. \u201cI was pretty excited…pretty jazzed up…as one girl told \n(documentary filmmaker) Erik Taros, I was holding court on the train.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u201cThere were people on the train who wanted to touch me because I was onstage with the Beatles,\u201d Lubinski reminisced.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Taros,\n a Swampscott resident known as \u201cDr. Beatle\u201d for his many chats on radio\n about John, Paul, George and Ringo, was searching for Lubinski to \nchronicle the event in his movie about the Suffolk Downs show.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

An \naudio of the Everett\/Lubinski British interview from 1966 was posted on \nWBZ\u2019s Web site as BZ host Dan Rea appears to have spoken with Beatle \nhistorians Cha-Chi Loprete and Erik Taros on December 9, 2008. Cha Chi \nis the longtime promotion man for WBCN, WZLX and now 98.5 the Sports Hub\n who also hosts \u201cBreakfast with the Beatles\u201d on WZLX, Sunday mornings at\n 8 a.m.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Lubinski told the Observer that he was on the computer and\n by accident found the December 2008 Podcast (a broadcast posted to the \nWeb) of a John Lennon anniversary show\/Beatles program, with Dan Rea, \nTaros and LoPrette.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u201cI heard the one minute clip with me from Kenny Everett,\u201d he said.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

And that\u2019s how Lubinski and Taros got to connect for the upcoming \nfilm. Taros was searching quite awhile for John Lubinski, and the WBZ \nairing finally got them together.
<\/p>\n\n\n\n


The Beatles are coming<\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n

John\n Lubinski was born in Gardner but the family moved to Malden around the \nage of 1 since both his parents are from Malden. He lived on 19 Boston \nSt. and attended Brown School in Malden for the first and second grade. \nLubinski went to the Belmont School from the third to the sixth grade \nand then Lincoln Junior High. He attended high school outside of Malden.\n During his youthful years in Malden Lubinski played baseball.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

And for music he listened to the radio: \u201cI didn\u2019t play an instrument, but I liked the Beatles from the moment I heard them.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n

He was 17 when the concert happened in 1966.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u201cAt\n the time I was working at American Aluminum Company on Eastern Avenue \nin Malden; about a month before I read in the newspaper that the Beatles\n were coming. I went with a couple friends from work.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n

And when the Observer asked if it was a major event at the \ntime, Lubinski replied in the affirmative: \u201cYeah; [and] it really didn\u2019t\n register with me or [I didn\u2019t] think about it, but that was the first \nconcert I ever went to in my life. That\u2019s kind of funny \u2014 ironic now. It\n never really registered with me until recently. What a way to start.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n

That 1966 concert was one of the final live performances ever by The Beatles.
<\/p>\n\n\n\n


Brushes with history<\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n

Lubinski\u2019s\n most recent brushes with history have been less eventful, more as a fan\n than a participant. In 2007 he went to The Beatles \u201cLove\u201d show at the \nLas Vegas casino, the Mirage, \u201cand they had The Beatle\u2019s Fair at that \nsame casino, I went to that too. Beatles fans from all over the country \ngo there and they have all different events going on, films and people \nselling Beatles memorabilia. Different bands playing Beatles songs. I \nwent to a similar Beatles event in L.A. about 15 years ago, but this was\n the first time they had it in Vegas, I believe.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n

On The Beatles \nCirque du Soleil LOVE show Lubinski is most enthused: \u201cI enjoyed it. I \nlove all the Beatles music. It\u2019s the Beatles music (in the Cirque du \nSoleil show) …they have so much of that going on that it is almost \nlike a little too much…but overall it\u2019s great.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n

As for other \nBeatles-associated performances, the former Malden resident says he also\n attended a Ringo concert in San Diego about 10 years ago while living \nin that city.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

But as for that historic Suffolk Downs concert, \nLubinski said, \u201cI remember Bobby Hebb singing the big song \u201cSunny,\u201d \nwhich I like a lot.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Lubinski noted that the response was huge for Hebb\u2019s big hit of the Summer of 1966.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

But what of the city where he was raised \u2014 he escaped the police at Revere Beach\u2019s Suffolk Downs; has he escaped Malden as well?<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u201cI\n still have two cousins that live in Malden; I just talked to one a \ncouple of weeks ago. I was back there in 2005… I\u2019ll be coming back.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

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The Two of Us: Don Schulze <\/p>\n\n\n\n

\nBy \n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\tJoe Viglione \/ recordreview2001@yahoo.com\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\n\t\t\t\t\t\n\t\t\t\t\t\n\t\t\t\t\t\n\t\t\t\t\t\n\t\t\t\t\t\n\t\t\t\t\t\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\tPosted Sep 16, 2010 at 12:01 AM\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\tUpdated Sep 16, 2010 at 4:20 PM\n\t\t\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\n\t\t\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\n\t\t\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\n\t\t\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\n\t\t\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\n\t\t\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\n\t\t\t\t\t\n\t\t\n\t\t\t\t\t\n\t\t\t\t\t\t<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Beatlemania, it seems, is alive and \nwell in Malden. Guitar teacher and Malden resident Don Schulze has a \nBeatles tribute\/musical duo called \u201cThe Two of Us,\u201d named after one of \nthe tracks off of the Fab Four\u2019s Let It Be album.\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\n\t\n\t\n\t\t\n\t\t\t\n\t\t\t\n\t\t\t\n\t\t\t\t\n\t\t\t\t\t\tDon Schulze, of Malden. \n\t\t\t\t\t\t\u2014 Courtesy\n\t\t\t\t\n\t\t\t\n\t\t\n\t\n\n<\/p>\n\n\n\n

In the July 22 Malden Observer,<\/em> it was noted that the music \nof The Beatles is getting recorded and\/or played in this city, some of \nthe fans\/musicians such as David C. Mooney and David Andrulli, showing \nup for Ringo Starr\u2019s June performance in Boston, or guitarist Len Tetta \nopening for Greg Hawkes of The Cars.
<\/p>\n\n\n\n


Hawkes \nhas a new CD out entitled \u201cThe Beatles Uke by Greg Hawkes,\u201d where he \nperforms the Beatles hits on Ukulele. Hawkes also had the distinction of\n performing on Paul McCartney\u2019s Flowers In The Dirt album. There was \nalso the Observer\u2019s<\/em> May 10 story on Malden native John Lubinski who literally jumped onstage to meet the Fab Four back in 1966.
<\/p>\n\n\n\n


Or how about Ed Ames of The Ames Brothers covering Paul McCartney\u2019s \u201cYesterday\u201d on his Who Will Answer album?<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Beatlemania, it seems, is alive and well in Malden.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Guitar\n teacher and Malden resident Don Schulze has a Beatles tribute\/musical \nduo called \u201cThe Two of Us,\u201d named after one of the tracks off of the Fab\n Four\u2019s Let It Be album. Thanks to Jeff Munro of the Acoustic Open Mic \nNights at Hugh O\u2019Neill\u2019s Pub & Restaurant, we tracked Don down at \nBMR Music on 185 Salem St.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Malden Observer: <\/strong>Don, when did you first get an interest in music?<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Don Schulze:<\/strong>\n When I was a kid, my mom used to play her records all the time. Stuff \nlike Billy Joel, Neil Diamond, and especially, The Beatles.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

When I\n was about 7 years old, I got a record player of my own, shaped like a \nminiature jukebox. I thought it was the coolest because it had a neutral\n setting that allowed you to spin the record in reverse, so I could \nlisten to the weird backwards messages on the Beatles\u2019 White Album. I \nused to just sit in my room listening to Sgt. Pepper and Revolver, \nstaring at the album covers. I was a Beatlemaniac from the start.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

MO:<\/strong> Where were you living at the time and when did you move to this city?<\/p>\n\n\n\n

DS:<\/strong> I was living in Medford at the time. I moved to Malden after I graduated from Berklee College of music in 1994.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

MO:<\/strong> When did you pick up an instrument and start performing?<\/p>\n\n\n\n

DS:<\/strong>\n Well, I picked up my first guitar when I was 8. It was a 3\/4-size \nacoustic guitar from Sears. After a year or so of lessons, I was able to\n hack my way through a Beatles songbook. However, I didn\u2019t perform on an\n actual stage until I was 16. Antonelli\u2019s Music in Medford used to have a\n Battle of the Bands every year at Club 3 in Somerville. It was 1988, \nand I was in a metal band called \u201cFuror.\u201d We played Crazy Train, Johnny \nB. Goode and a few original songs. It was a blast, and I have rocked \never since.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

MO:<\/strong> Did you think initially it would lead to a career?<\/p>\n\n\n\n

DS:<\/strong> As a kid I assumed that I would be a rock star. It wasn\u2019t until later that I became interested in music education.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

MO:<\/strong> What were some of the groups you played with?<\/p>\n\n\n\n

DS:<\/strong> I\u2019ve been in a jam band called \u201cCrop \nCircles,\u201d a space rock band called, \u201cBodies for Minds,\u201d I toured the UK \nin a punk band called \u201cThe USM,\u201d played bass for Malden\u2019s own epic \nchorus factory \u201cI.I.J.,\u201d played some prog-shred with \u201cthe DNR Project,\u201d \nand I even got to play the Boston Garden with \u201cAir Traffic Controller,\u201d \nfeaturing Jeff Munro\u2019s brothers Dave and Richie Thunder, and Malden \nlegend Kev Mann-Dude. I\u2019ve been fortunate to jam with so many talented \nmusicians over the years.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

MO:<\/strong> How did The Two of Us form?<\/p>\n\n\n\n

DS:<\/strong>\n Mark Dante Troiano and I have been playing Beatles songs together since\n we were teenagers. We used to do weird arrangements, like \u201cRun for your\n Life\u201d as a polka and stuff. We began officially performing as \u201cTwo of \nUs\u201d about 10 years ago when Jeff Munro started doing his open mic nights\n at Pearl Street Station. Our goal has been to reproduce as much of the \nBeatles music as possible, using just two voices and two acoustic \nguitars. This can be pretty challenging on some of the more layered \nsongs, like \u201cI Am the Walrus,\u201d or \u201cA Day in the Life.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n

MO:<\/strong> Tell us about your work at BMR Music?<\/p>\n\n\n\n

DS:<\/strong>\n I\u2019ve been teaching guitar at BMR for about a decade now. It\u2019s the best.\n I\u2019ve had so many awesome students and played so many cool songs that I \nmight not otherwise have heard. It\u2019s very inspiring to see that the rock\n and roll dream is alive and well in Malden. I feel very lucky that I \nget to spend my days helping others along their path to rock glory.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

MO:<\/strong> Do you still perform?<\/p>\n\n\n\n

DS:<\/strong> Occasionally. Mostly Wednesday nights at \nJeff\u2019s open mics, with my latest musical obsession, a ukulele \u2014 the \nfunnest instrument ever made.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

(note above how Greg Hawkes is performing Beatles\u2019 songs on a ukulele)<\/p>\n\n\n\n

MO:<\/strong> What do you think of the current Malden area music scene …as well as the music community in times past?<\/p>\n\n\n\n

DS:<\/strong> There are some great bands in Malden right now, like \u201cFourth Wall Fiction,\u201d \u201cTall\u201d and \u201cRavage\u201d (who just got signed to Metal Blade records). Those dudes rip! I wish there were more places for younger kids to play around here, since most of the live music scene takes place in bars.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

https:\/\/malden.wickedlocal.com\/x372513109\/Meet-Malden-resident-Don-Schulze-of-the-duo-The-Two-of-Us<\/a><\/p>\n\n\n\n

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Mark Dante Troiano and  Don Schulze<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n\n\n\n

Mass appeal: From \u2018Live on Tape\u2019 to \u2018Rocklahoma\u2019 festival, Mass rocks https:\/\/malden.wickedlocal.com\/article\/20080711\/NEWS\/307119400<\/a> <\/p>\n\n\n\n

By Joe Viglione<\/strong>Posted Jul 11, 2008 at 12:01 AMUpdated Jul 11, 2008 at 11:15 AM   <\/p>\n\n\n\n

The Boston area has had a number of major artists \u2014 Aerosmith, Boston, The Cars, the J Geils band, Extreme \u2014 and one hard rock\/pop outfit that deserves to be included in that elite group are the four veterans in the band Mass.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

The Boston area has had a number of major artists \u2014 Aerosmith, Boston, The Cars, the J Geils band, Extreme \u2014 and one hard rock\/pop outfit that deserves to be included in that elite group are the four veterans in the band Mass.<\/p>\n\n\n\n


Unfortunately, the Top 40 world hasn\u2019t had an opportunity to enjoy the songs their large fan base knows so well.<\/p>\n\n\n\n


On the eve of St. Patty\u2019s Day 2008, guitarist Gene D\u2019Itria, drummer Joey \u201cVee\u201d Vadala, bassist Mike Palumbo and lead singer Louie St. August brought their music into the studio of Malden\u2019s public access TV station, located on 145 Pleasant St., just a few storefronts down from Malden City Hall.<\/p>\n\n\n\n


Fresh off of a capacity show at Bill Ash\u2019s on Revere Beach that past Friday night, March 14, the four-piece band showed up at MATV 3 p.m. on Sunday afternoon, and for the next three hours they set up and ripped through three selections off their new CD, Crack Of Dawn.<\/p>\n\n\n\n


\u201cHello,\u201d \u201cEmpty Soul\u201d and \u201cIt\u2019s You\u201d were the three titles from the new disc that the group chose for their appearance on \u201cLive On Tape,\u201d the long-running show hosted by MATV Executive Director Ron Cox. Live On Tape has featured performance and interviews from Preacher Jack, Lauren Bateman, Alastair Moock and many others
Sound man Scott Pizzo, who also handled the sound on Bill Ash\u2019s gig two nights before, set up his huge Allen & Heath GL2800 soundboard to complement MATV\u2019s Mackie 24-8 Mixing console. In other words, these cats were gearing up to record a public access TV show the way they would tape live in a recording studio.<\/p>\n\n\n\n


Meanwhile, Cox was busy painstakingly setting up the lights just so and then giving the camera crew \u2014 MATV staffer Brian Biggie, along with MATV volunteer producers Tony Hill, the director of Live on Tape, and Mike Cherone \u2014 tips on what he wanted.
If the name Mike Cherone sounds familiar it is because he\u2019s the brother of Mark and Gary Cherone of The Who tribute band \u201cSlip Kid.\u201d Gary Cherone, of course, is also the lead singer for the aforementioned band \u201cExtreme.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n


Cox intuitively selects great shots during the warm-up run-throughs of \u201cIt\u2019s You,\u201d \u201cEmpty Soul\u201d and \u201cHello,\u201d but perhaps because of the tons of sound gear more adjustments had to be made for the sound.<\/p>\n\n\n\n


The quartet recorded the three songs, viewed some of the footage and then went back to the drawing board at 4:55 p.m., and started on \u201cHello\u201d again. Two takes were put on tape and at 5:18 they did another version of \u201cIt\u2019s You,\u201d followed by \u201cEmpty Soul.\u201d
Usually artists record a half an hour\u2019s worth of songs and pick and choose what they will air, but Mass is such a proficient unit that the boys stayed with the three songs from the new disc and completed it all around 5:27 p.m.<\/p>\n\n\n\n


\u201cEmpty Soul\u2019s\u201d chugga-chugga reverberations from D\u2019Itria, wielding a guitar straight out of Alfred Hitchcock\u2019s \u201cVertigo\u201d movie, were truly inspired, and when the band started vamping on a Led Zeppelin tune those in the control room were hoping for the full version.<\/p>\n\n\n\n