Worcester's four horsemen

Part 2

by Joe Longone

Guru

I was quite impressed with Gabe Rollins the first time I met him about a year ago. He and his bandmate Justin Szostakowski met me in Auburn at York Steakhouse -- fitting, considering they're in the band Classic American Hamburger. Anyway, the two had invited me to the restaurant to talk about "stuff." I'd assumed the stuff they would focus on had to do with their group, whom I wasn't too high on at that time. I met the jovial duo and was surprised to find out that they didn't just want to talk about their music aspirations. The two, especially Rollins, wanted to map out ways to re-energize a foundering club scene called Wormtown.

I told Rollins about how Wormtown came about in 1978 when local musicians and their supporters came together because no local club or bar would book regional bands who played original music -- especially the dreaded punk rock. Rollins took over the conversation, outlining his plan to bring more youth out in support of local artists. He wanted to establish an 18+ and all-ages club scene and planned to promote shows on area non-commerical radio stations and in the local press, including his own fanzine, Oink!, which offered a show hotline.

It's been a little more than year, and Rollins's ideas are already baring fruit; the all-ages club scene is thriving.

Rollins, who grew up in Shrewsbury and Oxford, didn't get introduced to any kind of local music scene until he went to high school. There he met a bunch of guys in Plaid Gravy (that band would later change their name to Super Greg and Waterpark). It was these new friends who first brought Rollins to the Worcester Artist Group, when it was still on Harlow Street. "When I first saw the WAG, I said to myself, `This place is so cool,'" Rollins recalls.

Rollins's first musical instrument was the cello. He played for a time in a string quartet, but the more unrefined sounds of Living Colour and the Red Hot Chili Peppers moved him to the beat of percussion. For the past six years, he has been part of some incarnation of Classic American Hamburger, who have a strong local following with their freeform jazz and rock mix.

For a while, Rollins had finally found his dream of promoting 18+ shows. Even if it was short-lived. He brought some of New England's most interesting independent-label artists to Ralph's on Thursday nights and, along with Phil McNamara, planned to book the club this fall. But Ralph's manager Carol Moberly decided to cancel all live shows for the foreseeable future, leaving both Rollins and McNamara out to dry.

"Phil and I had booked the whole month of September and then Carol cancelled all the shows, and all our work, because she didn't know enough of the bands we scheduled to play," Rollins says.

Even though his own plans came up short at Ralph's, Rollins still sees possibilities, but work needs to be done.

"Worcester's got a great artistic community, but they are divided into separate camps. Actors just hang out with actors, poets stick with other poets, musicians will only associate with certain other musicians. We need some of these people to break from their own small circles and support some of the other arts."

What does he think will improve the scene? "This city needs a commercial radio station that would actually admit it was from Worcester. If such a station would also help promote local shows, then maybe Worcester would be looked upon with the same respect as a Boston and Providence."

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The director

If there is a success story from the past three years, it would be the Espresso Bar. While other club owners are scratching their heads, trying to figure out how to get more people to come in and see live music, the Espresso Bar Music Factory has had trouble fitting in all the crowds that continue to support the non-alcoholic/all-ages club. First started by Peg Thibodeau as a coffeehouse that featured local poets and musicians, the club is now one of the more respected music showcases in New England. If you are looking for one reason for such remarkable growth, look no further than the club's new owner/manager Eric Spencer.

If you told Spencer five years ago that he would be the owner of one of the area's most popular nightspots, he would have laughed in your face. "There was a time when I wasn't even into music," he says. "I was living in Charlton and going to Sheppard Hill. Photography was my true love, and this guy named Graig [Lindberg], who was in this band called Fear of Thought, came up to me and asked me if I'd take photos of his band. I eventually became the manager for that band until they decided to break up."

Lindberg started a new outfit, Rawhead Rex, and Spencer was again asked to be manager. One of the more popular haunts for Rawhead Rex to play was the Espresso Bar; Spencer began to see the possibilities.

"Lance Cole [the original sound man there] told me that Peg was thinking of selling the place. I went to her and said I was interested in buying the business. It was a long drawn- out process that lasted four months before we changed ownership last September. The accounting firm next door to the old space wanted to expand so we were given a storefront location only a few doors down.

"It's actually worked out well for us because of the move. Now we're on the street and able to decorate our own place. The new Espresso Bar Music Factory looks more like a club now."

Spencer doesn't take a dime for the 40-plus hours he works at the club. He makes living expenses working four days a week in the photography business and pays a small staff to work the door, soundboard, and refreshment bar. The rest of the money goes right into the business. Mailings, phone calls, supply runs, repairs -- the list of tasks is a mile long. Just looking at the smile on this guy's face, I could tell that no matter how much he may be busting his ass, he's still enjoying his dream come true.

"People see this place packed and think we must be making a bundle, but they don't see the expense of taking care of this place. We had a great winter and the extra money went into improving our sound system. Now we can invite some pretty big bands in without worrying about the sound."

Although he has seen a 50 percent increase in traffic through the club's door since he took control a year ago, he still sees room for improvement. "Yes, we're doing well. But we could do even better. I get mad sometimes when I see someone pay 50 bucks to see a Pantera at the Centrum and that same person won't even consider paying five bucks to see bands of the same quality or better at a local club."

Of his own success, he says, "It's helped other places like the Space and Marley's thrive. Worcester is the only city I know of in the country that offers three all-ages spots that are only miles from each other."

Spencer had a couple of great ideas for making the city a more inviting place for clubgoers. "First, we need a subway. If not a subway, at least have buses running later on in the weekends. Worcester is New England's second-largest city, and the first one to go to sleep at night.

"Secondly, we need to find ways to centralize clubs more. In Boston, you have a street filled with clubs on Landsdowne Street. In Providence all of the major showrooms are no more than a block away from each other in the city's entertainment district. In Worcester, if you want to travel from one club to another, it's a major hassle."

But that's not likely to change as long as this city's youth don't demand more.