Boy's Attic

Truth be told, these local boys got their start on the back of a float

by John O'Neill

The lads from Boy's Attic are just pleased to be here, anywhere really -- in this case, a local watering hole ordering up pitchers of Bud draft and shots of whatever, because they actually enjoy being around each other, talking music, talking booze, just talking. And they'll also be glad to fill you in on their plans for world domination, because besides being a bunch of generally likable guys, they are also quite sure that this band of theirs are destined for bigger things than the Worcester club circuit. It isn't so much bragging as a common belief that they're onto something good; and, judging from the crowds that have turned out for the more recent gigs, they may be right.

"Our crowd has pretty much doubled and gets bigger every time we play. And they tip well," says drummer Mike Paquin, who dropped out of the scene three years ago after the break-up of local big shots Furious Dance. He moved to Maine, built a log cabin, and, still unsatisfied, returned to Worcester to be "discovered" at a Pub 99 on his first night back by guitarist Jay DeFeudis, who -- as luck would have it -- was in search of food and a drummer.

"There was a time we were trying to grow, and we went through about eight drummers in three months," relates guitarist Shaun Porter. "They kept exploding like [in] Spinal Tap!"

With Paquin on board (bassist Matt Wilczynski and percussionist Jon LaBaire round out the troop) Boy's Attic solidified just in time to play their first gig on the back of a float for Millbury's Fourth of July parade two years ago. Things have improved steadily since their stunning debut.

"I was writing originals before this line-up; we all were," says Porter. "Now we're loosening up and taking on a great blend where things are gelling. It's very eclectic. We're all coming from our influences and making something that's commercial. We've surprised ourselves that it works!"

Paquin adds, "I leave practice and the songs are in my head constantly. Before [this band] it was always, `Well, that was a nice practice. I've got another one in two days.' I don't think you'll find too many people saying that about songs they just played."

Ranging from the bands diverse tastes, which run from Pink Floyd and Genesis to Queensryche to jazz improv to Stax soul and even a little of the ol' schlockmeister Sting, Boy's Attic aren't afraid to let these influences hang out in their songs, everyone is welcome to come out and be heard. And that makes for a live show full of psychedelic guitar one moment, full-tilt groove the next, and maybe a little rap over the top -- just because they can. It's infectious and fun and drawing folks in at Grafton Crossing and the Cove where Boy's Attic have been gigging regularly.

"We've been headlining, except for (opening for Pearl Jam tribute) Itchy Fish. But they didn't like us, and we didn't like them," says DeFeudis. "They tried to knock us on stage, but we were running their crowd and we wrote every single note. They do accessorize nicely, though. Their wallets all have the right amount of chains, but they're no Beatlemania."

Having conquered both the club scene and a tribute act, Boy's Attic hope to record a CD at Longview Farm this fall. Money for the project will come chiefly from Paquin's recently sold Maine hideaway. A true testament to how seriously these guys take their music.

"This was fate," relates Paquin of his financial decision. "Furious Dance came a lot closer to making it than people know so I got a taste of that. This is my last shot, and that money is going into the band."

Wilczynski adds: "We've been in and out of bands our entire lives, and this is what we want to do. I really can't work for a living."

LOCAL BUZZ

Summertime and the touring is easy, at least for weekend warriors Chillum who embark on their "No Sleep Till We Can't Get Booked No More" tour of New England expected to begin late-July or mid-August and to feature stops in such fabulous locations as Waterbury, Connecticut, Lowell, Framingham, and a few return trips to Worcester for fresh underwear. Keep an eye open for 'em. Also on tour are Battle of the Network Stars, who leave home July 3rd for six fun-filled days and nights with Canada's All the Answers. They'll hit New York, New Jersey, DC, and Pennsylvania twice before returning home to the Space to plot out their West Coast tour slated for September. Little Big Wheel are in the studio cutting a few new tracks to be shopped around, and the lads of Special 79 are working on their debut CD and trying to get the okay to use Billy Joel's "Only the Good Die Young." Aurora, featuring former Puddle, Guerrero-guy Greg Olsen, are out and about. And Boy's Attic, as fate has it, team up with Itchy Fish at the Cove on July 17th. It should be an interesting night.