Magnificent Ambersons

A new local band find themselves instant legends. Were you at the show?

by John O'Neill

The Magnificent Ambersons, Wormtown's worst-kept secret, have been on the majority of scenesters' lips for the better part of three months. Beginning with a four-track demo tape that circulated around town, to their much buzzed about debut gig at Ralph's last month, the band are a hot topic of conversation. And, in the tradition of Ted Williams's last at bat, Fisk's game-six homer in the wee hours of the morning, and the first Boston appearance of the Police at the Rat, the number of people who attended the Ambersons' first gig has swelled sizably since.

"I get stopped on a regular basis by people who say they can't wait to see us play again," says bassist Jon Plet. "I wanna ask, `Who are you?' Cause I know they weren't at the show. I knew everyone that was there!"

"Ed McNamara's calling us Worcester's super group," adds David Smilie, who holds down vocal and rhythm-guitar duty. "I think that has more to do with musical involvement . . . but I do think we're pretty swell!"

Formed by Smilie and Mike Purcell (ex-Johnny Style) as a vehicle to write tunes together, the Magnificent Ambersons solidified in mid-July with the addition of Plet (ex-Puddle, Runaway Brain) and former Cast Iron Hike drummer Dave Green.

"I'd been trying to meet people I wanted to play with and getting those people together to write songs doesn't happen too often," says Smilie who, after a tenure as a rock deejay at WICN and trying his hand at running a record label, took up the guitar. "I've spent so many years as a deejay, booking shows . . . I got tired of the business end of it. I decided that to be happy I had to play music. I started writing some things with Todd Sherman, but he's more of a Bernie Taupin-type character."

So, while most other bands would be in their amoebic stage, or maybe just rolling out from the muck of the rehearsal space, the Magnificent Ambersons are headed straight for Big Deal status -- all with one gig under their belt. It's a situation the group find humorous, though there's also a certain amount of incredulousness, and rightfully so. "I think people just know us from the scene," says Smilie, attempting to explain away the sudden popularity. "People are curious about what we sound like because we come from four different [music backgrounds]."

Self-described as sixties-psych-garage-surfabilly, the Ambersons' original tunes touch on all of the above but toss in a healthy dose of country-tinged flavor and '90s indie-pop. "Dancing in the Footlights" is a straight-ahead roadhouse-style Thorogood-thumper, while "Word Is Bone" sounds like a traditional Jewish folk song given a Tom Waits treatment. "Tied Up & Barking" explores a pop vibe that would sound at home on a Marshall Crenshaw or Elvis Costello album, and "Stay, Your Mine" sends a nod to the current No Depression country sound. Their well-chosen covers range from the Munsters theme with solid surf beat, to a version of "When We Were Young" that has more teeth than the Animals ever imagined, to a wonderfully eerie take on Bill Withers's "Ain't No Sunshine." Claustrophobic and rambling, the song gives a distinct I'm-refusing-to-take-my-medication reason as to why she went away. The genre-splicing is firmly tied together as a cohesive body of work by Smilie's voice, which runs between sweetly nasal and a wet rasp, and Purcell's garage-tremolo/spaghetti-Western guitar riffs. It's a great fit that, while ultimately familiar, is wholly their own sound.

"I'm so sick of the testosterone rock thing here in Worcester," says Smilie of the band's chosen style. "I don't think there's anyone else doing anything like we're doing."

"It's the first band I don't have to compromise my taste," adds Purcell. "I grew up listening to the Beatles and Tom Waits."

As for plans of Worcester domination, the Magnificent ones plan on keeping a low profile and not taking any of the hype too seriously.

"Part of the plan is to only play out once a month or every other month so people don't get sick of us," Plet explains. "And I think I found some go-go dancers for our next show. . . . They're strippers who're happy that they get to dance with their clothes on."

Local Buzz

Wormtown ska punks Special 79 have taken a big leap forward. Besides adding trumpet player Britta Carpenter to the fold, they're currently finishing up recording at Framingham's Black Hill Studios for tracks that will appear on a local compilation from the Espresso Bar and a second comp from New York-based indie Cheapskate Records. Cheapskate is also interested in releasing a full-length album from the band. Espresso Bar honcho Eric Spencer reports that the above-mentioned double CD will have cuts from 35 artists (locals the Westies, 7 Hill Psychos, Eastcide, Twist 160, Split, God Stands Still, Forty Days Rain, Big Lick, and Deadites are already signed up) and should be ready for release at the end of the year, if not as a Christmas stocking stuffer. In the weirdest pairing since Kurt Cobain and William Burroughs, psychedelic art-grungers Woodgrain Theory have picked up sponsorship from Budweiser. It is somewhat fitting that the Kings of Self-Promotion should be linked to the King of Beers. Little Big Wheel's "Home" (from their debut CD) has been included on a great new alt-roots compilation from California's Westwood One Studios that also features Save Ferris and Whiskeytown. They continue to draw interest from at least two record labels. Gangsta Bitch Barbie are also making some waves, having just signed on with a Legba Management and an entertainment attorney. They're looking to push This Is Not a Test, their second full-length release. Halobbox and Garrison, two of Wormtown's more promising new acts, both have tracks on an upcoming compilation from Boston's Big Wheel Recordings, the label that released Cast Iron Hike's first EP. Garrison are also gearing up for their second swing down the East Coast, this time with Six Going On Seven, who are getting ready to go in the studio for their second album on big indie-cred label, Some Records. Longtime folk institution Chuck and Mud should have their first-ever CD off the press and ready for consumption by mid-December.