Quite Simply, It’s the Party of the Year
By Lisa Roberts

September 2005 – PulseFest. You’ve probably heard or seen the word by now, maybe because you know someone who writes for thePULSE or because you read one of the ads for Pulsefest in the pages of last month’s issue – or maybe you checked out our website (www.thepulsemag.com) and saw the cool pop-up about it. But unless you’re psychic, chances are you don’t know much more than the date and the place. Well, all that’s about to change. We at thePULSE are finally ready to unveil our plans for THE party of the year!

So here’s how the whole idea started. We were sitting around trying to figure out how to celebrate our One Year Anniversary in our new home at 84 Winter Street when it hit us ~ we didn’t want to throw a party for us, we wanted to throw one for all of you, for all the readers and supporters who give us the reason to publish a lifestyle and entertainment magazine in the first place, a reason to know and write about the coolest bars, restaurants, nightclubs, business owners and events. We figured that October would be a good time for the shindig since by then school will have been in full swing for about a month, meaning that college kids in particular would be ready for ~ and more than deserve! ~ a big blow-out, the first major party of the year. OK, so we had an idea of why, when and who, now we needed the what and the where. Well, if PulseFest was going to be a great party, we would need a great venue, and there was only one place that fit the bill ~ Union Station (www.unionstationtherestaurant.com/).

Generally, when you approach the owner of a beautiful space like Union Station – The Restaurant, he is going to want a few more details than just “it’s a big party.” So before we and our enthusiasm knocked on Mr. Joe Petrou’s door, we had to flesh out some more details. Music, of course, had to play a huge role in the event. Lots of music. Say, three bands and a headliner’s worth…at least. We were not about to let Union Station’s awesome acoustics and spectacular layout go to waste.

One call to favorites Wilbur and the Dukes (www.wilburandthedukes.com), “Soul with Attitude,” and we had our first band ~ great musicians, great entertainers, great guys. PulseFest started to take shape. It was crucial to get a killer headlining band, too. We called in the big guns, our team of young, hip writers, to find out who’d make their wish list of headliners for PulseFest, and the winner was…Averi. After listening to these guys on their website (www.averimusic.com.), we knew we had to have them. They ROCK and there’s a good reason that they’ve been winning critical and audience raves across the nation. And as icing on the cake, their booking agent also represents rockers OSB (www.osbband.com), another name that received a huge thumbs-up, so there was our headliner and their opening act. The music for PulseFest was already going to kick ass, but just because we could, we decided to throw in a surprise hip-hop group to round out the evening, and these guys are GOOD. Nope, we’re not telling, you’ll just have to come to the party to find out who they are!

OSB

The Band Members
Brendan Mahoney – Guitar and Vocals
Alex Attella – Lead Guitar
Kev Hennessey – Keyboard and Vocals
Aaron Tringuk -Drums
Jeff Burch – Bass

The Debut Album
The Grey Area

The Reviews

Osb is a band fueled by live performance. Their shows exhibit raw energy, emotion, and melody by sucessfully fusing rock, blues, jam and groove based music; while still maintaining a catchy pop sound.”
OSB has performed live on the Fox 25 morning show in Boston and headlined the New England Summer Nationals.
They won the Budweiser True Music Battle of the Bands, walking away as the 2004 Massachusetts Champions. They were also voted Best Pop Rock band for 2005 and were featured on Sirius Radio for the entire weekend of August 26 – 28, 2005!

The News

OSB has already played over 45 shows since Super Bowl Sunday of 2005!
The band was selected as the SOLE opener for both the Oak Ridge Boys and for Gavin DeGraw!

Sony and V2 Recording have just invited OSB to play the Tribeca Lounge in NYC on September 1!

Next question was who would emcee the evening, introducing the bands, running the giveaways (oh yeah, that’s right, giveaways – you didn’t really think we’d throw a party and not give away cool prizes, did you? Did you think we’d ignore the fact that someone out there is going to want a new X-box, or a full make-over, or a tanning salon membership?), making sure the crowd gets showered in swag (again, you didn’t actually think we’d forget about swag, did you? I mean, what’s a party without swag? So rest assured, you won’t be leaving PulseFest empty-handed, you’ll be leaving with good stuff from beer holders to Frisbees to specially designed Pulse T-Shirts). We needed a DJ, someone who wouldn’t just keep the music going in between bands but who was funny and a bit of a smart-ass, too. Someone with, well, personality and balls. And that’s what we got, in spades. Your host for PulseFest is none other than (drum roll, please)…Oh yeah, right, like I’m going to give away the surprise. Not a chance, so you’ll have to come see ~ and hear ~ for yourself.

AVERI

The Band Members
Chad Perrone – vocals and guitar
Michael Currier – sax
Matt Lydon – drums
Chris Tilden – bass
Stuart Berk – guitar

The Debut Album
Direction of Motion
The Current Album
Drawn to Revolving Doors
“Drawn to Revolving Doors plunges head-first into fresh territory
for the band with unabashed aggressiveness and confidence
while incorporating the spontaneity, quirks and inspirations that
surfaced during the six-month-plus recording process.”

And They’ve Toured With…
Sting
The Goo Goo Dolls
Matchbox 20
Guster
Barenaked Ladies
Gavin DeGraw
Pat McGee Band
Michael Tolcher

The Reviews
“Top 10 Acts to Watch: Boston’s Top Hot Acts” Boston Globe, (March 2005)
2004’s “Best Local Band” in Boston
“Most Wicked Good Band in Boston” – The Boston Phoenix and WFNX
“As much as the band’s growing and dedicated fan base loves its music, it’s their live shows that have won the most raves from critics. Band members are praised for their exuberance and energy — standouts even in the crowded Boston band scene.” – Eagle Tribune, 2005
#9 on Billboard Magazine ‘Heat Seekers Chart’ – from Maryland to Maine (March 2005)
“Perrone writes the band’s songs with occasional help and the band creates a sound that envies Third Eye Blind, but the combination of catchy rhythms, solid lyrics and saxophone puts Averi in a category all their own.” – The Clock (Plymouth State University), 2004
“Boston’s Best Local Band” and “Few bands boast rocking pop songs as clean as Averi’s. This Boston-based quintet’s self-released album [Drawn To Revolving Doors] sounds as if it should be a major-label debut” – The Boston Phoenix (December 2004)
“Top 10 Unsigned Band In America” – AlternativeAddiction.com (March 2005)
“Although Averi has drawn comparisons to bands such as REM, it is obvious that the band has not carbon copied anyone’s musical style. Averi provides music fans with a refreshing alternative to what has become the mainstream norm.” – Le Provacateur (Assumption College), 2004

Back now to Mr. Petrou over at Union Station. When we brought our proposal over to him, we discovered that our enthusiasm was contagious. Not only did Joe agree to let us use the Union Station Space, but the man offered to provide the food for the entire evening for us. If you’ve ever eaten at The Restaurant at Union Station, you’ll understand how excited we were. If you haven’t, trust me, it’s delicious. We’ll have the best-fed party guests ever. And alcohol? The same thing. The restaurant’s crack team of bartenders will be taking care of all your beverage needs throughout the evening (and it does go without saying, right, that those of you under 21 will be enjoying only non-alcoholic beverages? Good. We knew you’d understand!) And guess what else he threw in for guests at OUR party. Free valet parking.

Now like I mentioned before, we’re throwing this whole thing for all of you – so that you can let loose, hear some great music, party with some cool people, get an idea of what thePULSE is all about, maybe even meet a few of us who work behind-the-scenes at the magazine. But there are some folks that we wanted to do something extra special for, something above and beyond “just” an amazing party. We needed a special thank-you for our advertisers, the performers, city officials (oh, and did I mention that the City is jumping on the PulseFest wagon, too, lending us a hand to make the night even a bigger success?), some sports figures, our writers, and a celebrity guest or two. Enter the VIP reception, an invitation-only, fully catered gathering that’s our way of acknowledging the people who have been instrumental in making thePULSE a success. And we’re making all the VIPs promise to stick around for the main event, too! you’re wondering whether there’s any way to snag an invite to this pre-party party, well, you’re in luck. Keep checking our website for details on how to “earn” a pair of invites – or e-mail info@thepulsemag. com to enter our VIP drawing.

Alright. Music for the ears? Check. Food and drink for the palate? Check. But something was missing. Ah yes, something for the eyes. Enter Karon Shea Model Management, Inc. and her Ms. Hawaiian Tropic Models. The lovely ladies, many of whom have graced the pages of our magazine and made personal appearances at places like Winter Street’s Italian café SPQR (www.spqrcaffe.com), will be in attendance for the whole night, helping the DJ and the bands keep the crowd happy. And not ten minutes after the words “How about some cool artwork on display” were uttered in our thePULSE offices, the phone rang. In a case of great minds thinking alike, Doug Chapel, of Arts-n-Things (ANT) and Action Geek (www.dsquared.org), had also come o the conclusion that art should play a part in PulseFest – and that’s how the 15 artists who will be displaying and selling work ranging from comic’zines to beaded and semi-precious jewelry to crocheted handbags to gothic illustrations joined the party.

Wilbur and the Dukes
www.wilburandthedukes.com

About the Band
The band celebrates its 21st anniversary this month!
Over the years, more than 250 musicians have been part of WaTD.
Members of the band have played national and international tours with Joe Cocker, Tina Turner and Bo Diddley, to name just a few!

In the Band’s Own Words
“Most of our members are career musicians, so whenever they’re home from the road or trying out semi-retirement, they come back to the fold. We’re constantly rotating the line-up of musicians, but I can tell you one thing that never changes – We’re a rhythm and soul circus with lots of talented people having lots of fun ~ and making sure that our audience has lots of fun, too.”

“The music we play is timeless – even kids in their 20s will recognize hits like “Midnight Hour” and “It’s Your Thing” because tunes like that never go out of style and are constantly being remade – and older audience members will remember the originals and the memories will come flooding back. Rhythm and Blues never gets old, never fails to get people moving.”

“We think that PulseFest is a fantastic idea. The city needs more events that bring the community together – and the entire fabric of the city, not just one age group. And since PulseFest is going to be an annual event, it’s going to build a following and more and more people will get involved. It’s great to be involved in the one that kicks it all off ~ so for this special occasion, we’ve brought in our heavy-hitters, the guys who’ve been on tour with Bo Diddley, Joe Cocker and Tina Turner. And we’ve heard outstanding things about the other performers and everyone in Wilbur and the Dukes is psyched about playing that night. Get ready ~ It’s going to be one great party.!”

~ Steve Going of Wilbur and the Dukes
Where You Can Catch Wilbur and the Dukes Next September 10 at the Atrium in Worcester September 16 at the Newport Blues Café in Newport, RI And for those of you who like to plan ahead…October 22 at Union Blues!

And wait a minute, I know I’m forgetting one last detail. Ah yes. I’m forgetting to mention that a full page of Pulse Shots in our November issue will be devoted to pictures from PulseFest.

Our thePULSE photographer extraordinaire Michael Belsito knows a hot party get-up when he sees one, so he’ll be on the look-out for YOU. Time to recap. First of all, you’re reserving Saturday night, October 8, and you’re planning to stay out late. You don’t know yet whether you’ll head out with a group of friends, with a date, or solo, but you do know that you’ll be heading to PulseFest (the First Annual PulseFest, to be exact, since this is going to become thePulse’s annual signature event!) at Union Station. Why? Food, drink, Hawaiian Tropic Models, Averi, Wilbur and the Dukes, the best DJ around, cool art, all-night fun, valet parking, prizes, swag, OSB, hip hop and hip people.

So consider yourself officially invited to PulseFest 2005. See you there, it’s going to be off the hook!

What: The First Annual PulseFest
When: Saturday, October 8, 8pm – 1:30am (With a special invitation-only VIP reception from 6pm – 8pm)
Where: Union Station, Washington Square, Worcester
Details: $5 Cover, 21+ to drink, free valet parking