ON_THE_ROCKS

The Worcester Phoenix
Feb. 8 - 15, 2001

[On The Rocks]

For the benefit of BBQ Bob

Fundraiser at Gilrein's, The Fat City Band, and Big Noise Song Slam

by Brian Goslow
Before there even was a whisper about a swing revival, there was Barbeque Bob and the Rhythm Aces, BBQ Bob and the Varaflames, as well as Barbecue Bob and the Rib Rockers. While the band name depended on who sent out the press release or printed the promo pictures, one fact was sure money at the bank: Bob Maglinte would deliver a rockin' night of entertainment, whether lead-
ing his own outfit or wailing away for hours on his harp during a night of blues jamming, as he did on an almost weekly basis from the late `80s to the mid-'90s at Gilrein's, Worcester's home of the blues.
"He was involved with so many different things," says Gilrein's co-owner Robin Scott. "He's an extraordinary harmonica player, one of the best in Massachusetts. He was here with the Rhythm Aces when I arrived here 12 1/2 years ago."
In recent years, Maglinte's been battling his own case of the blues. Three times a week, he undergoes dialysis treatments for diabetes; he's also on a waiting list for a new kidney that could take up to five years to materialize. This Sunday, many of Maglinte's friends have offered to help out the best way they know how: by offering their skills as musicians to raise funds to assist him with his living expenses. Art Simas of the New England Blues Society has assembled an all-star bill that includes Billy Blue Strauss, Ron Sloan, Troy Gonyea (who got his first band experience with Maglinte), former Roomful of Blues keyboardist Matt McCabe, Bob Martino and Joey Pappas of the Paramounts, Hillbilly Voodoo featuring Barrence Whitfield, and the Mike Crandall Band, who are expected to bring a huge contingent of their Connecticut followers.
"His spirits are good," Simas says of Maglinte, adding, "he's even playing a few gigs here and there sitting in. So he has been playing out. When he learned he was going to have to go through this -- the four or five years of treatment -- he said he wasn't going to let it get him down."
The Benefit for Barbecue Bob kicks off this Sunday at 2 p.m. at Gilrein's. Admission is $10. Call (508) 791-2583.
gamblin' men
The can be few sweeter gigs for a rockin' band then the one snared by the Fat City Band last week at the Mohegan Sun: four early week shows. "I love that place," says vocalist Paul Redmond. "It's very smoky, it's very small with subdued lighting, it's a very cool place. I just got back from [Las] Vegas a couple of weeks ago and it couldn't compare. We play the Wolf's Den, and it's a challenge because most people are not there to see a band -- but I like a challenge."
And what better setting for a group whose seventh CD is called Fat Chance (CD Freedom)? The disc holds all the trappings of casino living: a spinning chance wheel on the cover, loaded dice on the back, and a wheel of fortune containing the titles of the 13 lucky songs within impressed on the disc itself.
There's little reason to investigate the stories behind the songs written by vocalist Paul Redmond and guitarist Dave Croce, who along with keyboardist Joe Micarelli and bassist Paul Justice, wrote all of the album's tracks. Who's going to disagree with "Let's Make Love Tonight," "Let's Get Rockin'," and "Got You on My Mind?"
"If you're looking for deep lyrics, you've got the wrong band," Redmond laughs. "If `cat' rhymes with `rat,' I'll use that. I like a phrase that sounds musical -- you want people to move."
Therein, perhaps, lies the reason behind the band, despite having performed for over 20 years and seemingly more popular than ever, having made little dent on the national scene. There's no gimmicks, just good enjoyable party music.
"We're a blues-based band," says Redmond, "that's the way we started out decades ago and we always try to come back to that and it makes people happy. In a live setting, it's your job to keep people having a good time." Which will no doubt happen when the Fat City Band appear this Saturday at the Plantation Club Drafthouse, and on the following Friday, February 16, at Breakaway Billiards.
big noise sham?
Battle of the Bands are multi-purpose events. On some occasions, they're a convenient way for club owners to package together a group of bands who would otherwise be unable to attract a sizable enough crowd to make booking them worthwhile; other times, they're the perfect way for a burgeoning scene to introduce itself to a lot of people in a single swoop. For the past four years, the Century Lounge/Call complex in Providence has presented an alternative event that ups the ante. The Big Noise Song Slam gives its participants 12 minutes to wow the judges; on any given night, up to a dozen acts perform who've been encouraged to enlist all their followers to turn out for their shot at stardom.
Runaway Brain has performed at two Song Slams. "The first one was a big rush job with only 10 minutes and a panel of five or six judges with score cards," says vocalist and guitarist Bret Talbert. "We performed pretty unenthusiastically, scoring a bit above average -- crushed by two judges on the end who both gave us a four out of 10 each. This very hardcore band took it away, the two judges on the end each giving them a 10 for their extremely vulgar stage presence.
"Needless to say, we were very skeptical about a repeat appearance. But, since we knew what to expect and had nothing to lose, we went back last year. It was set up differently, like this year: 15 minutes and anonymous judging (for better or worse). Our performance was excellent and well thought out, but we lost out to a band fronted by a gorgeous leather-clad female lead singer. Undaunted, we are going for it again this year."
One area act who won't be returning to Song Slam this year is God Fearing Man. "We did it last year and it turned out that songs we played, `Woulda Coulda,' was voted the best song of the three songs we played," says bassist Rob Nemetz. "Each band had the opportunity to play three of their best songs and there were 11 bands that made it to the finals for that night. Unfortunately, no band from Big Noise won the competition.
"We chose not to do the competition this year because we were not informed before we agreed to play last year that the competition included a variety of bands on a nationwide scale that were vying for the prizes." Ascertaining who actually won the grand prize has proven evasive. "The winner of the Song Slam 2000 did not come from Big Noise and we were not really informed of who won," Nemetz says.
While the band were able to bill themselves as "Big Noise winners," giving them a publicity hook when playing new venues, Nemetz doesn't think their moderate success at last year's event will have any long range benefits for them. "I don't think it was a career boost for God Fearing Man. There were no industry people at the Song Slam last year and the exposure was minimal. On the flip side of the coin, the web site that Big Noise provides to the bands for a small fee was a good deal...it was good exposure for a small price, especially if you don't have the funding to have your own site."
All things considered, Runaway Brain have benefited from their relationship with the organization, who've included them on a couple of their compilation CDs. "Big Noise is OK," Talbert says. "They have given us a decent web site with a few sound clips, which has attracted a few solicitations."
Of course, the bottom line is that every time a performer goes on stage, they should give their best show possible, because even at a small town bar, you can never be sure who might be in town to visit friends or relatives -- their decision to drop in for a beer might turn out to be the big break you never could have anticipated. Throw in a hyped-up event like the Big Noise Song Slam, and the possibility of that happening increases just a bit. Central Massachusetts will be represented at BNSS 2001 by the Deal, Tester, and Runaway Brain this Friday at the Century Lounge, while Rick Blaze and the Ballbusters share the spotlight with Wormtown émigrés James O'Brien and Ellyn Fleming on February 16 at the Call. For more details, visit www.bignoisenow.com

Brian Goslow can be reached at bgoslow[a]phx.com.