Static Crew

High energy keeps 7th heaven

by Brian Goslow

Fifteen minutes. That's all 7th Rail Crew have to make their investment in this Sunday's Locobazooka Music and Art Festival payoff. The group hope their short performance gives them enough time to convince people to purchase their new CD, Static (Capo). "I don't know if 15 minutes is enough to sell the CD," says guitarist Ennio Avallone.

It may be surprising that the Boston-based heavy, hardcore rap group would be concerned about, let alone play, the long-running event, which has an equally long history of local performers refusing to participate because of its pay-to-play policy. Avallone and the Crew, however, see themselves as coinvestors in a show that will put them in front of thousands of people for the first time. "You have to pay a wholesale price for 100 tickets," he explains. "If you sell all your tickets for the suggested price, you'll make a profit." They were ready to purchase more, then decided to put the money toward T-shirt printing.

7th Rail Crew played their first show at Brandeis University in July 1995, but were quick to build a Central Massachusetts following. "Worcester and the Espresso Bar are like a second home to us," says Avallone. "The Worcester scene has always given us respect and support since we started."

It's hard not to get caught up in the energy thrown out by the tag-team vocal tandem of Paul Piantedosi and Jay "J7" Lawn, which follows the bombastic sound of guitarist Avallone, bassist "Meat" (John Boudreau), percussionist Tom "Thos" Gemelli, and drummer "El Hefe" (a/k/a Jeff Lawn).

Brotherhood of Seven, the group's first recording, was released on cassette in 1996 and sold mostly at shows and at Newbury Comics. "Our only other release was on a Suburban Warfare compilation," explains Avallone. "People started thinking we had broken up because they hadn't heard anything from us for a while." The Sektion 8 release also included Forced Fed Shovelhead, Superface, Eastcide, Pitchfork 7, and Sevenday Curse. "Because of all the other bands on it, everyone [who purchased it] got to check us out. When you show up at a show and everyone knows the words and that's the only place it's available, you know they've got the CD." After trying to find a label to release their recordings on terms acceptable to them, Avallone took matters into his own hands and started Capo Records. Its first release was a limited-edition Seven Years of Bad Luck 7" single. The second is Static.

"It took us a long time to put out. It's something that definitely has its history." The original version, recorded with its first bassist, was destroyed through technical glitches, and while a second series of sessions delivered the desired results, ex-Slapshop bassist Chris Lauria convinced them to let him record them a third time. John Bean from Bitter and Frigate helped engineer the disc.

Static is an eight-song letter bomb that anyone who loves high-energy music will devour. Though the vocals deliver a heavy message, Avallone says, "we've never been a very political band. The majority of our songs deal with personal issues. It's aimed at people relating to real life and real experiences." The songs put forth the ideal of the Brotherhood of Seven.

"It's an extended family of friendship," explains Avallone. "It's beyond band members." The song that gets this point across the clearest is "Sangue," a title that has its origins in an old Italian phrase, Sangue del mio sangue, which means family. "But we extend that family out to tight friendships. The song is really aimed at people who keep their friends close like family." There's no way to miss the message of unity sent out by Piantedosi and J7, who sing, "The solid bond between us/A bond of trust knowing who's true/Unwritten rules set us apart from the rest/A common knowledge that's true till death . . . the Brotherhood of Seven is the blood of my blood/That's the point of the plan/That's the point of the Crew!"

During the day, the group's members keep busy with everything from careers to part-time jobs; several of the members are in college. "It's definitely a creative outlet to get out our aggression," Avallone says. "We schedule our band so there are at least two nights of practice in addition to our one or two shows a week. We try to keep a busy schedule."

After Locobazooka, the Crew return to the Espresso Bar on October 9, then hope to hit the road. "We need to get a touring schedule going to get our CD sales up and continue to gain fanbase," says Avallone, who's made 7th Rail Crew accessible on the Internet with a video of "Purify" (www.throttlebox.com); they have their own Web page (www.7thrailcrew), which features audio samples of their songs and up-to-the hour news on upcoming shows.

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Who are they again?

This year's Locobazooka line-up

This year's Locobazooka Music and Arts Festival takes place at Green Hill Park, Worcester, and features music on three stages. Tickets are $25 at the gate, $20 prior to the show. Call (617) 423-6398. Afterwards, there's a post-Bazooka party, featuring Mugsy, Chillum, Psychotic Larry, Choke Puppy, and Downchild at Sir Morgan's Cove, 89 Green Street, Worcester. Call 753-2188 .

LOCO STAGE

10:15 a.m.: Wide Iris. This Eastern Mass.--based group have a good sense of sarcasm, humor, and pop sensibilities as displayed on Phlat-out Guilty (Shocker).

10:45 a.m.: NE Hostility. This Worcester-based power metal outfit has become one of the city's tightest acts and recently delivered Wormtown Grooveworks to the world.

11:15 a.m.: Neon Jesus. Boston industrial rockers whose first CD is Martian Blues and Jovian Sonatas (FM).

11:45 a.m.: 7th Rail Crew. See "Static Crew," this page.

12:30 p.m.: Reveille. These young metal mavericks from Harvard (the town) kicked off the season playing the Summer Meltdown. They've ended it by getting a contract with Elektra.

1:30 p.m.: Kid Rock. "Straight outta Detroit Rock City," this self-billed "Pimp of the Nation" is grabbing serious airtime with "I am the Bullgod" from Devil Without a Cause (Lava), one of the year's top CDs.

3 p.m.: Godsmack. Last year, they opened the show. This year, they have the number-one song on WAAF ("Whatever"), a major-label deal with Universal Records (who have reissued their debut CD), and a prime spot at Locobazooka.

5 p.m.: Candlebox. Madonna's label's entry in the hard-rock sweepstakes return with Happy Pills (Maverick). "It's Alright" sits at #12 on the WAAF charts.

BAZOOKA STAGE

10 a.m.: Red Mercury. These North Brookfield-based hard rockers are powered by 13-year-old guitarist Marshall Smith and have just released their first CD, The Next One (Quester).

10:30 a.m.: Strawberry Bazzare. The Lowell-based group's hook-filled New Day Dawning is included on compilations on Naked Ear and Moonlight Records.

11 a.m.: MoG. Viotar creator Bob Schlink's band took home the Best National Act award at 1996's LA Music Awards, charted in Denmark and Italy, and recently released Bizarre Medical Experiments (Velocity).

11:30 a.m.: Cheerleadr. Another Boston band poised for success. Batten Down the Hatches (Pep Rally) makes good on its promise to follow musical heroes from Sonic Youth and the Pixies to Fugazi and Led Zeppelin.

Noon: Gloritone. This Arizona-based group could steal the show with their high-energy pop songs off Cup Runneth Over (RCA). "Halfway" is receiving major airplay.

1 p.m.: Caroline's Spine. Monsoon's (Hollywood) "Sullivan," the tale of five brothers who died in World War II, has been on the WAAF playlist for most of 1998.

2:15 p.m.: Powerman 5000. Fans are awaiting the follow-up to the Boston heavies' DreamWorks SKG reissue Mega!! Kung Fu Radio. "Organized" is currently rocking the airwaves.

3:50 p.m.: Brother Cane. "Machete" from the Birmingham, Alabama band's Wishpool (Virgin America) has sliced its way onto commercial radio playlists.

MEZZO STAGE

10:45 a.m.: Sideshow. New Hampshire rockers make their area debut at `Bazooka.

11:05 a.m.: Five Year Sentence. High-energy group from Oxford are ready to hit the streets with their self-produced CD.

11:25 a.m.: Short Fuse. Central Massachusetts old-school metalloids will include tracks from their sold-out Dazed and Confused demo on their debut CD, Fused Shut, due out later this year.

11:45 a.m.: Tria. South Boston rockers who normally play the hits of the day integrated with originals.

12:05 p.m.: Boy's Attic. These local guys have quickly become a top draw with old-school rock originals you can sing along with.

12:25 p.m.: Forty Days Rain. Massachusetts metalcore maniacs have worked the East Coast harder than a hurricane in support of their Temptation of Our Own Desire (East Coast Empire).

12:45 p.m.: Black Autumn. This Reading-based band are receiving local radio airplay with "Rage." Guitarist Corey Tourigny earned raves with This Guitar Possessed (Zigmo).

1:05 p.m.: Downchild. These local party people's Nobody Understands You and the World is Wrong CD tilted toward mid-'90s rock, but their stage show is drenched in funkiness.

1:25 p.m.: Forced Fed Shovelhead. After a half-year hiatus, Worcester's hardcore superstars returned earlier this summer to take over where they left off.

2:15 p.m.: Kilgore. Rhode Island loud rockers formerly known

as Kilgore Smudge spent part of their summer touring with the OzzFest. Expect to hear tracks from A Search for Reason (WEA).

-- BG