Knock on wood

Tree's No Regrets, No Remorse, Jive at the Above Club

by Phil MacNamara

Witnessing Tree's live sets back in the early 90s, as "River" held up a beer and shouted obscenities at the audience, it was pretty clear that they weren't really part of the "straight-edge"

hardcore scene. They didn't really care what that scene, or any one else, thought of them. Most observers gave them a year, two at best; but here they are ten years later, celebrating the arrival of their new record, No Regrets, No Remorse (Wonderdrug), Saturday night at the Lucky Dog. While trying to remember bands from the early '90s, lead singer River and I can only come up with the Might Mighty Bosstones for Boston hardcore bands that, along with Tree, are still together. While lamenting departed brethren Sam Black Church, River laments, "This business kills people. It's not just being good and toughing it out, it's having the connections and being lucky. Otherwise, you can play good songs until you're blue in the face."

The new CD is full of healthy doses of hardcore and speedy punk, but has enough metal to keep your index and pinkie finger extended. The opener, "Cold and Alone" comes slamming out of the gate at Helmet-like speed. It's pretty much a sing-along, hard-drinking hardcore breakup song, while "Blow Torch" is metallic, scream-along breakup song. Lead singer River starts "Redemption" with a Henry Rollins like speaking singing style, but when he sings he sounds closer to Ozzie. "Great Galactic Ghoul" could be the potential radio hit (albeit a hit about an X-Files-like government/alien conspiracy) with crunchy guitar hooks that scream WAAF; which is cool, but it would be cooler if "2 Faced" was their hit. It's got that old school rapcore stomp that our metal-mad city just loves; they even throw a reggae jam in the middle of it. `AAF would play all those F-words, but national radio probably wouldn't. Bummer.

Tree clearly spent a lot of time making this record sound right. Andrew Schneider and New Alliance Recording studio have a lot to do with that, but it's also natural progression. "Every album we do gets a little bit slicker. We're not just coming in and banging out a bunch of punk rock songs. It's kind of stressful because we only had three days to get it done".

"Rock Star" is their cautionary tale of being revered by fans, but going back to crappy jobs when the tour's over. In the song River laments, "I'm on the ladder getting madder and madder/`Cause rung by rung my song is unsung/I sweat and toil over a bucket of oil/I see my chances dim/My blood begins to boil/I'm on the job site from morning to night/And it feels like I'm wasting my life."

This is Tree's most introspective record yet, but its most fun as well; with the spazz punk-outs ("All Control"), heavy blues homages to their heritage ("Mexican Beer"), and hardcore rants like "A Lot to Fear", "Brainwashed," and "Live Life." The finale, "Stuck on Stupid," has the makings of a future classic with the opening line, "I was good at fucking up because I practiced all the time". In the song, guitarist Ooze vows to turn his life around (not to quit drinking, mind you, just to not fuck up so much).

"Yeah that's Ooze," River chuckles, "Showing up late and making us wait. But this band's a brotherhood. We recognize our faults and understand each other."

The brotherhood of the Worcester's hardcore and metal scene will be at The Lucky Dog to check out Tree's new songs, along with Das Wheelchair, featuring Tim Power (ex-Force Fed Shovelhead, current Villain) and Nick DeBudadahuh? (ex - Chillum), Donnybrook, and NOK.

Resurrecting the Jive

After being the runner up for Best New Band in the 1999 Phoenix Music Poll and releasing the well-received Night of the Living Funk, Jive played some roof-raising shows, then disappeared for a while. Explaining their recent absence from the scene, guitarist/ vocalist Matt Lebeouff says, "We've been concentrating on recording the new CD." Jive have decided to get their act together, polish it up here at home, then take it out on the road.

"We spent a while on this recording and we're real comfortable with these songs right now", Matt tells me. Aside from the new songs, Jive has come up with a great visual presentation that borrows from LeBeouff, Chris LaRivee, and DJ Simmons's former band, the Cream Team. Simmons says, "We have a lot more range of songs and a little more serious attitude than we did with the Cream Team, but it we still rock like the Cream Team." Jive has been breaking up their shows with local rapper Ice-B, who claims to precede both Ice T and Ice Cube. While the bright lights and smoke machines get rolled out, Ice B, in his polka doted suit, throws out lewd and lascivious raps and packs of Pez to the audience, while Jive morph into their hip-hop alter ego Gang Spray. All this and more, Saturday night at the Above Club.

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