Bands, clubs, artists, and businesses that you may not have heard of yet…but that we think are going to make a name for themselves really soon ~ and you get to hear about them here, right before they make it big!

CD
Hey Now, Morris Fader’s
Bang the Bass, Turn Up the Treble
By Andrew Fersch

Berklee has a long-standing reputation for turning out talented musicians… who make excellent music that almost no-one listens to in the real world. Unfortunate, but from the foothills of Worcester comes a band poised to change that rep.

Brooks Milgate and Alex Sacco make up the two-man piano/drums combo now known as Hey Now, Morris Fader. Hailing from just outside Worcester, HN, MF have just released their full length album “Bang the Bass, Turn Up the Treble” on Buckwad Records.

“Bang the Bass” is the first full-length release from these fellas and it clearly showcases lead singer Brooks Milgates’ Berklee musical education, although Milgate doesn’t like to emphasize his formal education as being the most influential aspect of his musical upbringing; instead, he credits his musician parents for getting him involved in music in the first place and hooking him up with some stellar teachers.

Milgate and Sacco began their musical journeys as wee lads and were traveling down different roads when their paths crossed at Mill Street Brews in Southbridge. It was there that they both were playing in the house blues band. It was at this point that the two decided they wanted to do something a little unconventional and form a duo, a duo without a guitar.

From the first listed song on the album, “Locked Away,” straight through to the last, “Catch my Breath,” their influences and musical chops shine bright, from the pianos of Ben Folds Five to the vocals of a younger Dave Grohl of the Foo Fighters. And while tipping their hats to these greats, HN, MF is creating a sound that is unmistakably their own

Piano solos and tempo changes elevate the album and speak volumes about the duo’s musical abilities. The songs infuse just the right touch of familiar sound to hook the listener, then head off in an unexpected direction ~ never label HNMF as imitators.

HN, MF are currently playing locally to promote both “Bang the Bass, Turn Up the Treble” and the band in general. Make a point of picking up the CD and checking the boys out live ~ you can find a schedule of upcoming shows and more info on HN, MF in general at www.heynowmorrisfader.com. And who knows, maybe, just maybe, you’ll be able to catch these guys before they start opening up for Mr. Ben Folds himself

CLUB
Jumpin Joe’s
By Lauren Koblara

What happens when you outgrow the bar and club scene that once filled your weekends? Well, don’t hang up your party pants just yet. Beginning in September, you can count on Jumpin Joe’s Dance Club to offer the classy upscale retreat that your sophisticated palate craves. It’s time to dust off those dancing shoes.

Boasting the largest dance floor in Worcester at 2,400 square feet and with seating for up to 300 people at its 18 Grafton St., 8th floor digs, Jumpin Joe’s is anything but the typical dance club. Every night starts with a beginner- friendly group dance lesson to prep you for the dance style of the night. You can sample swing, salsa, ballroom… all in one week. When the band takes a break professional dancers take center stage with a live performance, giving you time to relax with a drink from the complete liquor bar and fine wine selection.

Ralph St. Germain, Director of Entertainment and Marketing at Jumpin Joe’s, enthusiastically says that it is bound to be “a great club” with “…all the best entertainment we can find.” He describes the atmosphere as being sophisticated and intimate. The club is geared to the 30 plus crowd, but don’t you twenty-somethings worry, Ralph says they are “flexible.” Jumpin Joe’s can also be rented for private parties, meetings, or weddings and has a VIP Lounge available upon reservation.

According to Ralph, club owner Joseph Parenteau has plans to open a restaurant on the other side of Jumpin Joe’s 8th floor location some time this winter. The restaurant site overlooks the gorgeously renovated Union Station and would make Jumpin Joe’s a perfect one-stop night out.

Jumpin Joe’s is set to open September 5th with a night of swing dancing, live music, and performances by the Woostah Hop dance group (who will start your evening off right with a group dance lesson at 7 pm if you prefer to strut your stuff ~ or you can just sit back and enjoy the music). The club is celebrating its Grand Opening week with a full calendar of events. Log on to www.JumpinJoesDanceClub.com for more information.

COVER BAND
Touched ~ Have Gig, Will Play
By Melissa Pingeton

Anyone visiting Touched’s website three years ago would be impressed by the Worcester cover band’s set list, which included the Beatles, Pink, and just about everything in between. But booking the band would have posed a problem because, well, there wasn’t actually a band.

“I created a website but it was only me and the equipment,” explains lead vocalist Christine (Chris #1) Greenawalt, who decided to pursue her desire to sing after a divorce left her with some music equipment.

Enter into the picture guitarist Chris Terp (Chris #2), who answered Greenawalt’s ad for a guitar player only to discover a lead singer who couldn’t really sing and a 17-year-old bass player ~ Lacey Rainey ~ who didn’t know how to play…yet. Undaunted, Terp worked with both, and his efforts paid off ~ the band had its first gig six weeks later. “We managed to throw together a set and we got it,” recalls Terp.
Fast forward to the present and with a rotation of band members (and a few more Chrises along the way), this self-proclaimed “typical bar band” now consists of Greenawalt, Terp, Paul Prunier on drums, John Prunier on bass, and newest member Mike Cendella on vocals and guitar.

Besides the standard bar gigs, Touched has performed at various events including last summer’s largest game of musical chairs, sponsored by The Pike radio station. Terp says that it was easy because “…we only had to learn 30 seconds worth of songs.”

Greenawalt explains that “We adapt to just about anywhere,” citing another gig at a bake/tag sale at a Walmart in Gardner, where Touched found itself censoring suggestive lyrics per order of the store’s manager. An example: Meredith Brooks’ “Bitch” became “Witch.”

For a St. Patrick’s Day performance thrown by realtors in Leominster to benefit the Simonds-Sinon Regional Cancer Center in Fitchburg, the band was asked by a group visiting from Ireland to play Irish music. The band launched into Thin Lizzy “because they’re from Ireland,” says Greenawalt. “They liked it.”

So what makes this coverband stand out from the rest? “The way we came about and what we do,” says Greenawalt. It’s not uncommon for Touched to learn a new song on the spot or have audience members come up to the mic and sing. “We’re having a good time and we do stuff on the fly,” she explains. “If it isn’t fun for us, it isn’t fun for them.”

Visit the band’s website, www.touchedband.com, for photos, music, upcoming events, and to join the mailing list.