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 really big!

BAND – Chuch
By Kyle Tucker

Chuch is not your average underground metal country rock band. They exhude a more robust musical flavor with a style that is harder to pin than a pig in jello pudding. However, just like that pig in pudding, the Chuch sound draws you in with disbelief and amazement.

Their debut album, Four Tall (released Oct. 05’), dished out 17 tracks of energized “speedwestern.” You’ll find Hendrix-esque guitar playing from Chad Haymaker, heavy metal drumming from Justin Crowther, California bass-lines from brother Noah Crowther and steel pedal southern fixins from Matt Hayes.

This unique blend of music is the result of four childhood friends reuniting after over 6 years of living separate musical and personal lives. Meshing their divergent music talents back together two years ago resulted in the formation of Chuch (pronounced ChuTch).

All four members contribute to writing and singing the songs, a collaboration which makes their different musical backgrounds an asset rather than a problem. Whereas in many bands such creative differences might result in a breakup or infighting, the diversity of Chuch only seems to season its sound. Hayes points to the long friendship and open-mindedness of the band members as the secret to their success.

“Egos, there’s none of that. That was dropped when we were 7 years old. What we all love about the music is the ability to try anything with it, go anywhere with it ~ simply let it evolve.”

When asked about musical inspirations, Hayes gives a similarly free-willed response: “Ahh, the common question, what do I have in my CD player right now? I have the mp3 player literally on shuffle, I might be listening to the Stones, then ScissorFight comes on, then Merle Haggard. It’s all good, as long as it’s true.”

Matt’s preference for “true” music mirrors the band’s approach to music writing. While music playing sessions will often evolve on the spot with everybody chipping in, one constant is that the lyrics tell the stories and feelings of things that have all actually happened. Hayes says their songs occasionally describe odd things that give people a laugh but the lyrics are always based on truth. This line from Shiffy Man has turned a few heads: “There’s a dad showing his kid how to put a tie on, mine’s on the sh*tter huffing a can of Kryon.”

I guess some things you just can’t make up.

Chuch is currently on a national tour which began with a few shows in MA this past May ~ some of you may have been lucky enough to catch them at Tammany Hall or at the Strangecreek Festival. They end up at the Gathering of the Vibes festival in New York on August 19th. In the meantime, check out www.chuchtheband.com for upcoming news about their second album, new show dates, and audio samples of Four Tall and live shows from the road.

CLUB – Brickyard Billiards and Beyond
74 Maple Street
Baldwinville, MA 01436
(978) 939-1200, (978) 660-5487

By Linnea Sheldon

Brickyard Billiards is a new sports lounge/billiard parlor with a lot of extras. The grand-opening was April 7 and the place has been getting rave reviews ever since. Housed in a renovated warehouse, it’s location at 74 Maple Street in Baldwinville was previously the site of an art gallery. Owners Robert Grant, Brent Schrawder, and Steve Casavecchia spent about nine months renovating the building ~ with the help of family and friends. They knocked down walls and added a forty foot bar, all while keeping many of the original brick walls and hardwood floors in place.

Brickyard offers 18,000 square feet and houses a pool hall with 6 pay-per-hour tables, two quarter tables, and two speed tables. The speed tables have a clock and you race against others to try to sink all the balls ~ and BB is the only pool hall in the area that offers them!

There is also a sports lounge decorated with sport memorabilia signed by Red Sox, Patriots, Celtics, and Bruins. Coming up on August 10, BB will be hosting a charity event with the benefits going towards a wheelchair for a boy in Winchendon. There will be Bud Light Bubble Boy Hockey and you can play against former Bruins’ Goalie Gilles Gilbert or two-time Stanley Cup Champion Scott Young of the St. Louis Blues.

Every Sunday there’s a party in the Nascar VIP Room which includes a 42-inch plasma and a big screen drop-down as well as a pool table and two dart boards. During race season ~ which continues right into football season ~ there are special giveaways. The room can be rented for at least 10 people and includes a buffet.

Brickyard Billiards also houses live entertainment in its pub area. They offer acoustic Thursdays and live bands every Friday and Saturday night, as well as special comedy nights. Chef Jeff Hebert prepares meals in the pub area and families are welcome until 8 pm everyday. Plans are for the full-service restaurant to be open by fall.

Brickyard Billiards and Beyond is open Sunday noon to 1 am, Monday 4 pm to 1 am, and Tuesday through Saturday 11 am to 1 am.

CD – Trebek
By Andrew Jones

If you ever see people in the produce section of the local market fondling, squeezing, shaking, or what seems to be listening to every piece of fruit that catches their fancy, ask them what they’re doing. Almost assuredly they’ll look at you like you’re a complete nutjob for not knowing that they are obviously checking to make sure this particular tasty fruit is of the fresh variety. That being the case, it confuses me that so few people make sure that what their ears are taking in is fresh, too. They throw on the stale Top 40 station and settle for their wilted fruit. But fear not, music lovers ~ there are fresh sounds out there, you just have to keep listening for and, uh, fondling them, too. Case in point: Trebek. Trebek is a sweet, smooth, funky, unforgettable rock/dub band whose major influences may mostly be from a bygone era, but whose sound is so fresh that we might just have to slap it!

This explosive five-piece’s music will get you nodding your head and jumping around like a kid on too many pixy stix ~ or, in the right situation, it will get you…action in the biblical sense. Straight outta Fitchburg, MA, these boys have been quite busy. Despite the fact that they have only officially released a three-song demo (which you can pick up at the shows), they have been playing big venues like The Webster Theatre and Avalon and have opened for the likes of KRS-One.

Seeing them live is of course the best way to get to know just what these guys can bring, but if all you have to go on is the demo, you’ll still have all you need to get hooked on the sounds. The first song, “Wild Moon,” has a reggae feel and lyrical stylings that take the stress right out of your day. Next, “Jolly Roger” speeds it up, rocks it out and reminds you that life’s not just about what your dad tells you to it is. Finally, “Hope Road” is a bit more of a bass-heavy groove that hits home for those thus far unlucky in love.

Now these boys have a full-length album in the works due out sometime this month, so I advise you all to check them out at one of their upcoming shows to get your fresh-fondling hands on it. The full listing of their schedule can be found on www.trebekband.com. Whichever show you go to, if you start talking to one of the many lovely ladies in the audience, I’d suggest just telling her you know the band…that’ll get you where you want to go!