Band

The Downright Creepies
By Andrew Jones

As has been said in the music world and by punk musicians for a while now, “punk’s not dead.” And that’s true for the most part ~ but that doesn’t mean that punk can’t also be undead, now does it? “Ghoul rock,” “horror punk,” there’s a plethora of words you can put together to get across that you play loud upbeat music while maintaining the facade of a zombified anarchist. Another descriptor that gets thrown around quite a bit in this scene is the term “psychobilly.” I love this one, because while many of the bands that use it to describe themselves have a bit of a dark and evil image, and many of their influences are bands that have a demonic element about them, the term was founded by a man who carries the title “Reverend.” And although they are surely influenced by the good Reverend Horton Heat, a lot of the bands that influenced The Downright Creepies are bands that are now dead. So, in a way, they are re-animators in the fight to make sure that their type of punk’s not dead, but rather unearthed.

The band, from the woodsy hometown of Brookfield, MA, was formed a very short time after all of its members learned to play their instruments, and since then they have come pretty far for a band consisting of all teenagers. Punk guitar player/singer Jeff Strandburg pushed his friend Ryan Young to learn to play the bass. At the same time, across town, another group of friends, Nate Casucci and Sean Wadden, were busy honing their skills on bass and guitar, respectively. After playing with another couple of friends for a while, Nate and Sean decided to leave their short-lived band due to lack of commitment from the other two members. They joined up with Jeff and Ryan to form The Downright Creepies.

There was a slight problem though; they had two bassists but no drummer. So Nate started using an upright bass while Ryan used a bass guitar with distortion ~ or, as they call it, a “sinister” bass. Sean’s cousin Dave Thompson was then recruited to learn to play drums for them. Now they are playing shows left and right with big acts like The Independents, Mongrel, and The Numbskulls. They most recently got to play with Michael Graves, former member of their undoubtedly most influential band, The Misfits.

So if you believe punk’s not dead, but love bands featuring dead punks, The Downright Creepies are for you. And if you’ve never seen them live before, the most timely show to see them at is coming up right in time for Halloween. It’s on October 28th at the Italian American Club right in Worcester. And if you’re not a big fan of leaving your bedroom in your parents’ basement, you can check them out anytime online at www.downrightcreepies.com, and, of course, on the “place for friends” (or should it be “fiends?”) at www.myspace.com/downrightcreepiesdrc.

CD

The Near Escape
Escaping classification

By Bobby Hankinson

Post-punk. Indie-pop. Alterna-country. New-new wave. Try as they might, most bands aiming to defy genre still end up victim to classification via cleverly created hyphenates and mash-up nomenclature. For every act claiming to sound like “nothing you’ve ever heard,” there are six more waiting with the same schtick.

Not The Near Escape.

“We don’t want to be pigeonholed by one genre,” said Phil Wilcox, vocalist of the group. “We’re just trying to fuse five completely different tastes into one sound.”

The five-piece band incorporates musical flavors from reggae and synth-filled dance rock to country and rockabilly. Guitarist Taylor La Crosse said whenever he writes, he thinks, “What would Neil Young do?” The unique mixture results in a sound that is truly theirs and theirs alone.

One of the tracks off their yet-to-be-released debut “Rotting Couches” falls somewhere between Interpol and Prince. All fuzzy vocals and blaring sax, the song has hipster-cool dance party potential, but with horns giving it a distinctly R&B feel. “Soft Knuckles” has a retro surf-rock sound, but, again, it’s the sax that adds an almost Bollywood element to it.

It’s contradictions like this that keep the songs feeling fresh. The punk rock snarl in Wilcox’s voice provides the perfect foil to the country-tinged “Feed the Sheriff” and “Someplace Tropical.” The latter is a sweet Dylan-esque ballad that stands out as one of the group’s most cohesive tunes.

If it’s dancing you want, nothing fits the bill better than “Combustion.” Filled with synth beeps and whirs, it stands up to the tracks on the super-successful Killers’ release “Hot Fuss.” Wilcox’s distorted vocals give this booty-shaker an edge and its toe-tapping appeal makes it one of the most satisfying numbers.

“Harvard Square” is a funky, almost theatrical romp with just as much character as its namesake. The sax and guitar bop along to a tune that sounds right out of an Eastern European bazaar while Wilcox’s vocal line is slow and methodical, almost like a dramatic reading.

The band said they hope the disc will land by the end of the year and the guys will set out on an East coast tour next summer. Because, as Wilcox said, “Touring in the winter is no fun.”

Visit the guys at www.myspace.com/thenearescape.

Club

London Billiards is reborn as London’s featuring Club Oasis

By Michael Shivick

If one were to drive by the red brick building at 70 James St. in Worcester, there would be no evidence of the world-class entertainment club nestled inside. However, if one had super-happy-fun X-Ray goggles, or simply decided to stop into London’s, the treasures lying within would make themselves known. There’s a hoppin’ karaoke room that gets going at 9pm on any given Saturday night, hosted by DJWilE. There are the BRUNSWICK TABLES with SIMONIS 860 CHAMPIONSHIP CLOTH (aka ìThe Best You Can Play Onî), always surrounded by a happy crowd ~ and an even happier bunch of pool sharks on Sunday Nights, when the Triple Ball Cash Tournaments start at 7pm.

Let Dominic the maitre d’ show you around the pristine VIP rooms, which are available for private parties. The entire club is available is available for company and holiday gatherings, birthdays, senior nights, business meetings, and anniversaries, too ~ just see Dominick for details. London’s is also crazy adept at organizing College Pool Tournaments & College Senior Nights, so keep that in mind while you’re looking around.

If you’re feeling the pinch of the current “class war,” chill out on plush couches and cheer for your favorite NFL team (I would plug the Patriots here ~ except that I’m a huge JETS fan!) on the ridiculously large movie screen. While munching on a heaping plate of London’s famous chicken nachos and a sexy brew (ha-ha), feel free to try bolstering your cash flow with some KENO. While offering a full bar and appetizer menu prepared by the area’s finest sous chefs, Oasis maintains the neighborhood aura that makes it a natural hangout for folks of all ages.

Let us not forget about the crown jewel of the London Billiards establishment: Club Oasis. With a state-of-the-art Bose sound system and a full bar, this major upgrade will include a new night club dance floor, video game rooms, a VIP Lounge with more flat screen TVs, and a performance stage for killer shows ~ and on that stage, plan to see the best local, regional and national small club acts like Les Claypool, September Twilight, Del Hill, burnOUT and more.

If you are looking for something new, or just trying to break away from the shoulder-to-shoulder crowds at other clubs, definitely check out London Billiards. Visit the club’s website (www.londonbilliards.com) and print out the coupon for half-price pool! This entertainment complex is 18+, with proper identification and dress required.