Honest brokers

Mezzoman Productions, Worcester's up-and-coming CD masters

by John O'Neill

The reception area of 100 Grove Street appears to be much like any other small business. Casually cozy and well-lit, Mezzoman could well be the waiting area of a lawyer's office or, with a few magazines, the sitting room for a dentist. The only noticeable difference is that instead of paintings or prints framing the walls, dozens of compact discs and jewel cases are Velcroed in neat rows, a visual testament to the work that goes on here. National artists like country bombshell Shania Twain and hip-hoppers Salt-n-Peppa are mixed in with releases from local outfits as diverse as Clutch Grabwell, Chillum, Vinegar Tom, and Huck. To the left of this display is the staircase that takes you down to the inner sanctum of Mezzoman Productions, Wormtown's multi-media production house, on its way to becoming national players in CD production and the most important positive force the local music scene has had in nearly 20 years.

The attitude of the room is extremely laid-back -- posters featuring in-house artwork are taped up, jeans and T-shirts are standard uniform, and laughter erupts over the stereo that continually pumps out WAAF. It's the type of atmosphere that you'd expect all hell to break loose at any given moment. Today, graphic artist Erick Godin fiddles with an uncooperative laser printer, Judith Pilotto tries repeatedly to get the lunch order together, the rest of the staff is busy either working the phones or hunched over a computer terminal talking, and Dick Pilotto is holding court at the closest thing Mezzoman has to a conference table.

"We opened in September of '97," says the easygoing Pilotto. "Bands were calling Omni [Millbury-based software and CD-replication house where Pilotto works. Omni Resources filed Chapter 11, sold to private investors recently, and has been renamed Omnet Technology] wondering how to get a CD made. Omni was producing 4 million CDs a month, so small runs weren't possible. You can't call Coke and say make Wormtown Soda, so we set up Mezzoman."

Since opening, Pilotto and crew have slowly and steadily been building not only business, which also includes designing shirts, posters, and stickers, but their reputation as an artist-friendly company where musicians can go for advice as well as service. With the credo "Loyal to the scene, honest to the artist," Mezzoman has been able to reach beyond the rock community, cutting packages for gospel, Latin, Irish, and Cambodian artists as well as an upcoming five-CD release for a group of Trapist monks.

"Sure, our job is to help Omni get business," Pilotto says, "but also to help bands have a friendly place to go. It's like being able to buy a car then going to Detroit to talk to the engineers. We do everything -- graphics, mastering, everything except recording, and we can help find a studio for any budget. We do the big names [including the upcoming Lost in Space soundtrack], but we're geared toward the average local band."

"It's a lesson in life," Judy Pilloto says, referring to the company philosophy. "No one here has a title, we're all `Scream Mates,' which comes from theatrical groups. We're all equals, we're all paid the same. Everyone knows what the other guy's doing. They share in success and share in failure."

The folks at Mezzoman will be giving back to the music community in many ways. They're slated to sponsor both the 'BCN Rock 'N Roll Rumble and Locobazooka as well as two major dates of their own in which proceeds will be used to build a local skate park. Mezzoman is also lining up bands for distribution in a move that should help raise the profile both of the scene and of local artists.

"The more bands we have, the better national distribution we can get. We'll also sell each other's stuff at our shows," says Godin, who also holds down bass duty with Chillum. "We really want to encourage bands to not only work with us but to keep playing. Anything we can do to help a band, we wanna go that extra mile for them."

Best Music Poll update

Well, the Worcester Phoenix Best Music Poll is rounding third and barreling toward home. If you haven't cast your vote, it's time to get a move on, junior, as the polls officially close at 5 p.m. on Thursday, April 16. After that, there will be lots of counting. Then it's on to May 14, and the Tammany Club for Wormtown's "Night of a Million Stars," when all the local jet-setters and social luminaries turn out for the Best Music Poll Party to celebrate this year's prestigious winners. Get those tuxes to the dry cleaner now!