Go’s Fairground Serenade

By Alex Kantarelis

Central MA band Go has blazed new ground with their second full length album. Longtime veterans of the Worcester music scene John Docimo (keyboards, rhythm guitar, and vocals) and Chris Tomaiolo (lead guitar) have paired up with Henry James (bass) and Mike Murdo (drums) to create a band that is well worth your attention.

OK, so maybe “Up and Comer” suggests that these guys are newbies, which is far from the case, since the band has been kicking for more than 10 years, getting their start way back in 2000 when they released their first CD, Go!. The band did spend the next few years focusing on live shows before eventually deciding it was time to record a follow- up. But, since these guys have real jobs and real lives, and of course suffer from musicians’ perfectionism, it took time…a little bit more than they expected, in fact. “It was about 5 months of work, which we stretched into 4 years,” said Docimo. The end result is a 10 track disc called Fairground Serenade, which shows off the band’s chemistry and songwriting ability that has a certain level of maturity which most younger bands don’t.

While Docimo and Tomaiolo have been playing in Go for over a decade, their musical history goes back to even before that. In 1981, they played together in a band called Sage that won the battle of the bands at E.M. Lowes (now known as The Palladium). Their chemistry never waned, and when they reached their 30s they decided it was time to start a new band. “We always hung out together and played songs together, so eventually we decided let’s put a band together,” Docimo said.

Even with the new CD out and available, Docimo insists that the best way to hear the band is live. “We have a lot of energy and we really explode live. You hear the song on the CD and it’s not how we do it live,” he said. So be sure to check out their new CD, but don’t stop there ~ definitely check them out live, too.

Thistle & Twine

By Matthew Holcomb

Worcester’s own Thistle & Twine stirs up satisfyingly under-produced sounds, fashioning intimate storytelling experiences over the span of two EP releases. These folk inspired acoustics ~ elevated by airy violin and piano accompaniment and infused with a hearty influence of pop rock ~ are a welcomed fusion of genre and sound.

“I always found the storytelling side of music very fascinating,” said Thistle & Twine’s vocalist and songwriter Behzad Massah. “That’s what I based my music on. If I were to perform in Europe, I hope they would still be able to feel and experience the same things I’m singing about despite the language differences.”

Thistle & Twine’s first album, Asking For Rain, is the product of a collaborative effort between Massah and two other Worcester musicians, Josh Knowles and Dave Anthony ~ members of the folk-indie rock group Nemes. “I always had a good connection with them through the Worcester music scene,” said Massah, “I wanted a fun group to work with and we just went with it. I only had the rhythm and vocals written, so we wrote a lot of new music as we recorded the album and finished the whole process in just two days.”

Massah wrote and recorded his second album, Songs of Love and Heartbreak, in similar speedy, improvised fashion and is currently writing Thistle & Twine’s third EP release. Early in the process, Massah already notes a striking difference in his newest effort: “This album will be less organic and a bit more driven,” said Massah. “It will have a more full band sound than my last two albums. It should be a lot different.”

Thistle & Twine’s Asking For Rain and Songs of Love and Heartbreak are generously offered free to stream or as purchasable downloads at thistletwine.bandcamp.com.

Bovachevo

By Katey Khaos

Let’s start off by answering the question that is on everyone’s mind after seeing the band’s name ~ what the hell does “Bovachevo” mean? To put it simply, Bovachevo is a Peruvian word meaning “grave plant.” Peruvians used Bovachevo, which is red, to create a drink called “tonga,” which they believed would enable them to communicate with the dead. Now that we’ve got that squared away, let’s talk about why these guys rock!

Bovachevo is one of Worcester’s very own and is Eric John Yankus-Franco (a bartender at the awesome Ralph’s Diner), Greg Olson, Mike Finch and Liam Sullivan. (Fun fact: Bovachevo actually began as an instrumental band, and their music didn’t contain any lyrics whatsoever until Yankus-Franco joined the mix later on.)

It’s hard to pin these guys down to a single genre because their music takes bits and pieces of so many genres to create a brand new, ear-shattering sound. To help give you an idea as to whom or what Bovachevo sounds like, their influences include Black Flag, Drive Like Jehu, and the Dead Kennedys.

Bovachevo’s music is loud, fast and angry, but don’t take them at purely face value! Take their latest EP, Ancient Skeletons, for example ~ upon first play-through of the album you might be left with the impression that these guys are just angry about everything…but you’d be WRONG! Their music is actually [sneakily] positive and humorous with song subjects ranging from Greek mythology (OK, positive AND brainy!) to movies like Pee Wee’s Big Adventure.

Did I mention that these guys are a blast live, too? Their crazy amount of energy and passion for their music rubs off onto their fans and then look out, it’s chaos both onstage and in the pits!

Be sure to check out Ancient Skeletons at www.bovachvo.bandcamp.com