Loads of mayhem

A weekend of celebrating local music

report and photos by Brian Goslow

When in Worcester, do as . . . In a city whose music scene is infamous for announcing CD-release parties before the valuable discs are actually in hand, it comes as no surprise that we, too, would hit the day of our Best Music Poll party and our awards plaques weren't on hand. Nevertheless, all those local artists Worcester Phoenix readers voted "Best Of" were given celebratory bottles of champagne, dressed up with a first-place ribbon, at last Thursday's Awards Night at the Tammany Club. And the plaques, we promise, are on the way.

Many of those who attended had never visited the remodeled Tammany Club (which had been the city's main party spot back in the late '70s and early '80, in the days when happy hours were legal and the drinking age was 18) since the Maywalt brothers took over three years ago. And most had never heard Best Local Blues Act the Charley Dee Blues Band, who mixed tracks from the much

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Who won? Check out our BMP results.

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overlooked Rock 'n Rollin' Blues with selections from their upcoming CD. Just like the Grammy Awards, we had a number of groups who couldn't perform due to obligations elsewhere. Jenny and the Stoplites picked up their plaudits for Best Local Cover Act before heading back to Tom Foolery's, while members of Chillum and Rawhead Rex dropped in before gearing up for Mass Mayhem while Slipknot manager Leo Gauthier picked up his band's award which he brought to them as they prepared for Slip Into Summer. Dick Odgren was visiting family in Canada, so Emil Haddad called in his thanks for voting the popular duo Best Local Jazz Act -- we'll see you gentlemen at O'Flaherty's shortly!

Best Local Vocalist Bobby Hogan played a couple of acoustic numbers. Afterward, he said he dreams about the day Best Local Country Act Sugar Creek can drive a gigantic tour bus into the Worcester Centrum Centre for a triumphant return-home concert -- we're convinced it's possible. As the rockers made their way to center stage, each act added another piece of equipment into the mix, rising the energy level of the room. Point of Ares played selections from Enemy Glory, Joe Rockhead jammed out, and the Curtain Society spun magic from Life Is Long, Still, before loading their van for dates in Pittsburgh and Cleveland.

We were glad we could finally give the Wilson sisters their proper due in person, since She's Busy, who won the Best in Folk category, have always had scheduling conflicts, preventing them from playing previous Best Music Poll parties. Lisa and Selena were gracious enough to allow Ken Baxter, winner of Best Local Recording for Blink of an Eye, to share the stage with them, not a surprise, since they had added backing vocals to the disc. Afterward, Selena, Lisa, and bassist Ken Wilson played long into the night, while thankful attendees (which included members of the Westies, Deal, Classic American Hamburger, plus Valerie and Walter Crockett, Lee Totten, and Probable Cause, Dell Smart), devoured the free hot dogs and pizza.

On double duty Friday, our staff was stretched across the city, hosting the all-ages party at the Espresso Bar and the 21+ show at Sir Morgan's Cove. On James Street, Puddle premiered their new line-up, while Gas Food Lodging, the Westies, and Twist 160 showed why they regularly pack the room on their own. Across town, MINDfield's electronic message wasn't lost at Sir Morgan's Cove. Guerrero, Infuse, and SBGB ripped through their sets, while Super Creb Star Dynomax showed why they've quickly become one of the city's top acts.

As noontime arrived at Green Briar Park on Saturday, organizer Tom Marino opened Mass Mayhem with his band Bottled as the parking lot slowly filled up with fans arriving to see a strong line-up of 13 bands. Band members danced atop their vehicles, backed by the green hills of Oxford, while teenagers who had left their houses spotless were soon sporting a wide variety of colors in their hair and piercings on various places of their anatomy. Talk about picking up a souvenir from the show! A well-organized crew made for an orderly time, and police officers on duty seemed to know many of those in attendance. As the day progressed, temperatures made it safe to throw off the T-shirts (the guys, anyway!), and a nation of tattoos brought everyone closer.

While temperatures began to drop as the sun faded away, the energy continued to rise for Eastcide, who blasted out selections from their album due out next month, with help on backing vocals from 3 1/2 Girls, who followed them on stage. Hey, we admit it -- we didn't make it through the entire afternoon and evening, but thanks to Split and the nearly 500 fans in attendance, we know that Worcester's music scene is alive and quite well. In our minds, you're all winners!