For as far back as anyone can remember, September has meant back to school. It’s pretty much a certainty, like death, taxes, and all the roommates hooking up on The Real World.  But fortunately, for the past few years, it’s also meant PULSEFEST.  That’s right, we know September is a tough month, giving up the freedom of summer and getting serious about your classes…So in your honor, Pulse is once again throwing ~ for the third year in a row ~ THE biggest concert/party of the year in your honor at the DCU Center…Get out your PDAs, your calendars, the scraps of paper you tack to your dormroom wall…Mark down Sept. 29, and start spreading the word.  This year’s PulseFest is pulling out all the stops.
 
Alright, in case you’re new to the Worcester area, here’s some background on how PulseFest came to be…and then we’ll get back to what we have in store for this year.    There are over 31,000 students who make Worcester one of the top college cities around.  You bring life, diversity, energy, and new ideas to both your campuses and Worcester itself, so we figured you deserved a big event where you could just have fun and let loose.  You’re putting in a lot of time and hard work once school is back in session ~ and you’re a big part of our readership ~ so it’s the least we could do.  We started PulseFest back in ’05, and the event was GREAT ~  but we knew about ten minutes into it that the next year we’d have to move to a bigger venue.  And a bigger venue we got, moving to the DCU Center and taking over a 30,000 square foot space with two music stages, interactive games, food, exhibits, eating contests, giveaways, Hawaiian Tropic girls and more.  Everyone had a blast.
 
Flash forward to 2007. We knew that this year’s musical entertainment had to be great.  Better than great.  We tossed a few names around, but only one ~ based on their songs (and accompanying videos that are burning up the charts) “The Great Escape” and “Hero/Heroine” ~ really had the right feel:  Boys Like Girls.   And it just so happened that we’d met Boys Like Girls’ lead guitarist Paul DiGiovanni last month ~ while the band was right smack in the middle of kicking ass on the Warped Tour.  These guys weren’t just playing some of the hottest venues in the country, they were causing mob scenes at every show ~ screaming crowds, panties and home-made Tshirts tossed onstage, the whole audience singing every lyric, deafening requests for encores…the whole package.  And everywhere they went in between shows was like a modern day Beatles sighting, too…Girls AND guys alike clamoring for autographs, wanting to thank the guys in person for their music, asking for a photograph with the band…To say that these guys have a devoted fan base would be an understatement, and after each show they’re gaining more and more fans (of all ages ~ sure, they’re huge with the college crowd, but I can’t tell you how many people in their 20s,30s, and 40s have already bought tix to come see them at PulseFest!)…not to mention how many requests radio stations and show like TRL are getting for their videos.  BLG is a quadruple threat – talented, hard working, appreciative of their fans (yup, they’re even going to sign autographs at the show!), and C-U-T-E!
  
So, we sent out the official request to BLG to play ~ and they got back to us immediately with a big ol’ “YES!”

That meant we had our first choice of headliners…and now it’s time to get to know them a little better:

One-on-One (or One-on-Four!) with PulseFest Headliners Boys Like Girls!

By Christine Walsh

In one of those “Don’t you wish you were me” assignments, I got to chat with the charming guys one night after they had played their set on The Warped Tour. Thanks, guys, I know how tired you were but we gotta give the fans what they want, right??

Who came up with the name of the band?
Martin kind of thought of it. We were up late one night and he threw it out as a joke. We emailed it out to some people and they liked it.

How did you guys meet?
John and Bryan ~ I think John was 23 and Bryan was 22 ~ had known each other for years. They met me when they were already in a band. I was 21. That band broke up, but the three of us still wanted to perform. We collaborated on some projects and that’s how we met Paul. We asked him to audition because A) we liked what we’d seen him do in the past and B) we needed a lead guitarist.

So was the chemistry of the current line-up immediate?
Yes. We all had the same sense of humor. We just clicked.

What’s it been like on the Warped Tour?
It’s pretty crazy. It goes from 11am-8:30pm every day. Right now we’re standing outside and we can see about 40 tour buses. It’s kind of like summer camp. They set up kick ball games and we have BBQs.

Anyone ever get stage fright?
Nah. We love playing live. It’s like our reward. There’s more and more kids at the shows each day instead of the shows where only 3 or 4 kids used to come and know the words.

Talk to me about groupies.
Not too much to tell. Most of us have girlfriends. Fans, the girls, everyone has been awesome. It’s not like we have groupies running around the bus or anything like that. Some of our wildest times on the bus are doing things like watching movies and reading ~ in fact, we just finished watching 300 ~ we all love that movie.

Playing an arena vs. playing a club?
We all agree that in clubs you can make eye contact and it’s more personal. But it’s cool to play a big venue too and to have thousands of people watching you.

How’s life on the road?
The best part is being able to see different places. You wake up and you’re 1000 miles away from where you were yesterday. We get to see the world. The worst part is missing your family, your friends, dog, girlfriend, whatever. It’s especially hard when you have a bad day.

Who snores the loudest on the bus?
Our sound guy Mike snores. He’s on the bunk below me and we’re going to Walmart tonight to buy him some of those Breathe Right strips because we can’t stand it anymore.

Who’s the neat freak in the band?
Martin and John. Martin loves everything neat and will occasionally freak out. John will actually kick us off the bus and clean it. We’ll come back and the whole place will smell like bleach.

One item you can’t live without on tour?
Our Mac laptops! We all have them. We use them to go on MySpace, to record music. Paul makes little documentaries.

Any pre show routine?
There’s not really much of a routine. We usually play in the morning, so we make sure we have enough food in us to stand up. Then 10 seconds before the show we put our fists together like we’re a sports team.  And the vocalists warm up.

Who’s the songwriter of the group?
Martin does the bare bones of the song on an acoustic guitar. Then we all grab our instruments and work on building it together.

What’s it like shooting a video?
Crazy. Really, really crazy. You work from 5AM to 2PM on most days. It’s really fun. Our “Great Escape” video was shot with lots of fans. We posted a bulletin on MySpace for all fans who wanted to be in the video. They just had to show up at a specific time and specific location and they were in. In the future, we plan to involve our fans as much as possible in all our videos, probably in the same fashion.

Who’s responsible for the BLG style?
For our everyday life, we buy our own clothes. But for the video shoots, we have a stylist.

Do you hang with the other bands on the Warped Tour?
We have a ton of friends on this tour. All Time Low is here too. We came out on the scene at about the same time and we’ve matured musically at about the same rate. It’s great to look back and see just how far we’ve come. I mean, the other day we just did an interview on TRL and at first, it just seemed like a regular thing, but then we got on the set and it was like, ‘Woah, we’re on TRL!’”
 

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“Amazing band ~ they grabbed onto the crowd and wouldn’t let go. I haven’t seen that much intensity since My Chemical Romance’s first set at Warped Tour several years ago. The kids came RUNNING for their set….very cool.” Sylvia Cunha, VP Marketing & Promotions at MassConcerts

“There’s so much emotional connection to the music, from us and the fans that it doesn’t get any better than playing live. It’s like we’re giving them a small part of us in a three minute, little compressed package.” Martin Johnson of Boys Like Girls

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And what do some of BLG’s MySpace fans have to say about the guys?

OMIGOSH!! I can’t wait to see you guys!!! I’ve been counting down the days sinceI bought my tickets!! XDDD and I’m even squealing…hah! I CAN’T WAIT! I’m over-joyed!!! MySpace Romancer

Hey you guys are an awesome band. Dan(Is C-Ville)

Hey guys, I am absolutely addicted to ur music, I just love it! You write the best music and lyrics that I’ve ever heard, even better than my fave band which kinda doesnt make much sense. Keep makin’ ur fantastic music!!! I’m addicted especially to “Thunder,” it reminds me of someone. Much love always! Clarebear

Okay I have loved BLG since June/July 2006. And you guys are still the same sweethearts as you were then. Keep on being amazing guys. You deserve all this and more. Jennie

I love your songs “Heels over head” and “Learning to Fall”…I can never get them out of my head! Hannah

Now, we and BLG had to choose a couple of opening acts to get the crowd pumped. We’d heard The After Hour play at both the Palladium and The Lucky Dog here in Worcester and something just told us that they’d be a perfect match for BLG ~ and when we ran the idea by BLG’s management, they agreed. So, we’re happy to present PulseFest ‘07’s first opening band, The After Hour.

The After Hour
By Stacey Kimball

I got to sit down with a very enthusiastic Matthew Benoit (Vocals), Paul Ventresca (Lead Guitar), and Ryan Fitzgerald (Drums) and find out what makes The After Hour tick. Peter Giza (Rhythm Guitar) and Walther Greineder (Bass) weren’t able to join us, but the other guys took full advantage and had some fun speaking for them…

You guys have a very laid back MySpace welcome: “Come and chill at our practice space!” Are you that laid back in real life? And can anyone really just stop by the space? Do we have to bring gifts?
Paul: I’d say that we’re as laid back as any other band, except death metal bands. They’re always angry. Real angry.

Matt: Anyone who comes down to our jam space gets to chill with Mildred and Cedric. If you don’t know who they are, you should. As far as gifts go… Sure! I don’t know anyone who has ever said, “No. I do not want a gift.” Anyone who says that should be on the receiving end of a bitch slap.

Alright, introduce our readers to the band…And tell us a little about yourselves. Who’s the flirt? The biggest worrier? The writer? The tech nerd? The fashion plate?
Paul: I’m the so-called “tech nerd” because I’m usually doing audio production on my laptop. Ryan, who’s been working dual jobs all summer at chic clothing stores, is our very own fashion plate. I’d say the band flirt is Pete, who also is the writer of the music’s structure.

Matt: I work at Town Hall in Auburn, and you can usually catch me on local access, if you live in town. Here how I label our members:

Paul, aka Chuckles, Blade ~ Hobbies: Computer stuff that I’ll never understand ~Role: Tech-Nerd, Plays with Toys when not playing guitar. Ryan, aka Fitz, The Faz ~ Hobbies: Finally being 21 ~ Role: Fashion Plate, Flirt, Promotion Specialist. Matt, aka MattyB ~ Hobbies: Poetry, Basketball, and Legos ~ Role: Writer, Promoter, Recliner. Pete, aka Giza ~ Hobbies: backpacking through Europe WITHOUT US! ~ Role: Writer, Flirt, Fashion Plate; this man does it all. Walther, aka Voltage, Grenader ~ Hobbies: music, gaming, playing with Paul’s toys ~ Role: Theorist, backbone, Gladiator

Ryan: I would consider myself in between a fashion plate and a flirt. I work at two clothing stores doing stock in the back room as well as running the register on the floor, where the flirting takes place.

Pre-show rituals? Superstitions? Lucky items of clothing?
Matt: Ryan and Paul go to Burger King in the Auburn Mall a couple of hours in advance of the set time. Pete and I hit up Coney Island. Somewhere in the middle Ryan and I find it necessary to get motivated by listening to “The Crowing” by Coheed and Cambria. I’m not sure what Walther does. But I’m sure it’s cool. We hope.

Any groupie action yet?
Paul: I got a high-five once.

Ryan: I’ve had friends pretend to be my drum tech to get groupie action. I’ll leave it at that.

Matt: I’ve seen girls wear shirts that they’ve designed with our name on it. It’s pretty cool.

Biggest musical influences?
Paul: Probably Incubus. Lately we’ve been writing a lot of songs in Minor, and I think it reflects the trends of today’s popular music.

Ryan: Lost Prophets, Incubus, Killswitch Engage, Saosin and Coheed. My favorite influences are Andrew Cook from The Receiving End of Sirens and Alex Rodriguez (no, Not the yankee) of Saosin.

Matt: Maynard James Keenan, of Tool, Anthony Green of Circa Survive, and that midget chick who strips at Mario’s.

MTVU has you in the running for Best Band on Campus for UMass Amherst. How’s it feel?
Paul: Our fans at UMass Amherst are really great and we love playing shows there. Each time we play, we make a lot more friends.

Ryan: MTVU’s contest has definitely brought us some attention.

Your tunes are available on a lot of top sites ~ Napster, iTunes, Sony Connect, MusicNet and more. How did you make that happen?
Paul: I stumbled onto a site called Tunecore.com. They specialize in getting fresh, independent music out and available for purchase. They supply your tunes to ITunes, Rhapsody, Napster, and more.

How does stepping out on stage in front of a live audience feel?
Paul: It’s a really unique feeling, especially being up on a high stage and being looked upon from every angle. It feels incredible when the music is able to deliver and vibe with the audience; it’s a feeling you cannot replicate any other way.
Ryan: Even at the smallest shows, just knowing that even one person there knows your music and can relate to it is such an unbelievable feeling.
Matt: It’s exhilarating. It feels like a step out of reality that we’d love to live on a regular basis.

Any preference, large or small venue?
Paul: Large venues are awesome. They always have loud and present sound reinforcement that makes the band sound larger than life.Matt: The larger the better. I think it’s best to see people the closer they get to the stage through the crowd. I see that they are so excited to be there and the emotion comes out in the music as a result of that connection.

Dream endorsement deal?
Ryan: A mix of SJC Drums, Dunkaroos, and Rockstar.

Matt: Monster, Sennheiser or Bose

Paul: Wendy’s.

If you had to create a genre for your music, what would it be?
Paul: Rock Minor

Matt: Alternative Experimental

Ryan: Hiphop Anonymous

Parting words about playing Pulsefest and opening for Boys Like Girls???
Paul: I can’t wait. It’s gonna be an amazing show. Local acts help keep Worcester arts and music alive.

Ryan: I just saw Boys Like Girls play at Warped Tour, and the next day I found out about Pulsefest. It’s the biggest opportunity we’ve had and our fans are really excited.

Matt: It’s a surreal feeling. Getting to share the stage with a great band like Boys Like Girls is astonishing. Our fans so deserve a show of this magnitude for constantly supporting us these past 3 years and we cannot thank them enough. This one’s for them!

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OSB…Aaron, Brendan, Kevin, Alex, and Jeff ~ these five guys have been around. No, not like that (at least WE’RE not saying that!)…their talent and energy, often compared to Dave Matthews Band, has taken them all over New England, onto TV, radio, Sirius radio, into Iraq to perform for the troops, to opening gigs for Lynyrd Skynyrd, 38 Special, Gavin DeGraw, and Guster, into the studio, and onto the radar of major labels like Virgin, Sony J, and Island. They’ve won bunches of local awards. They’ve got great tunes, their own ringtones, a super-faithful fan base, charm, legendary parties, the support of every club in a 300 mile radius, and the respect of fellow musicians. Oh yeah, and they’re damn hot, too. When we invited them to play our very first PulseFest back in 2005, we were pretty sure they were going to do well on the music scene. Now, we’re pretty sure they are going to EXPLODE into mega-stardom at any moment, so we knew that we had to jump at the chance to have them play this year’s PulseFest. We caught up with the guys to see what’s been going on these past couple of years.

Has the band’s line-up changed at all since you guys played PulseFest ’05?

Since ’05 we have gone through two bass players. Our current bass player is Jeff Mayer ~ he’s been with the group since July ’07.
 
Have you changed personally?

We’ve matured as a band, as well as individually. Over the years we have been practicing and perfecting a sound that keep fans coming back for more.
 
Looking back over your careers so far ~ what’s the one thing that stands out most in your minds? 
 
There are actually 3 that were pretty amazing: opening for Gavin Degraw, playing for the troops in Iraq, and opening for Lynyrd Skynyrd at the DCU…incredible opportunities and experiences we’ll never forget.
 
How about the most embarrassing band moment?

Oh, there’ve been so many.  So many…

What kind of music did you listen to in your formative years?

Classic rock like the Stones, The Who, Hendrix, The Beatles, Cream… which probably doesn’t surprise anyone.  And The Police, too.  And of the blues ~ B.B. King, Stevie Ray Vaughn, Eric Clapton. But  we were into 80s hair bands too ~ Guns n Roses, Poison, Cinderella, Van Halen, Skid Row, Whitesnake, Winger.  A few of us had our rap and R&B years, too ~ Color Me Badd (yes, we wanted to sex you up!), Boys to Men, Snoop Dogg and Dre, Run DMC, Earth Wind and Fire.
 
How about now? 

Some of the same stuff, but now we really keep an ear on what’s going on in pop rock today, like Maroon 5, Matchbox 20, Guster, Howie Day…and pretty much anything that’s radio friendly.
 
Cool seeing yourselves on TV, like when Fox News did a segment on you?  Any wardrobe or hairstyle regrets?

It’s always great exposure and a great time playing Fox. No real wardrobe or hairstyle regrets.  Why? Did someone say something?   
 
What was it like being in Iraq?

It was quite an eye opening experience for all of us. It was a great feeling to be out there playing for the troops.  It was 130 degrees but it was all worth it. The troops were so grateful. We got to do some amazing things while we were there ~ we fired machine guns, road in tanks, hung out in Saddam’s palaces. We’ll take that time to the graves with us.  Incredible.
 
When are we going to see an official OSB video?  And can we expect some killer choreography?

We invented killer choreography!!!  Actually, we got some tips from Color Me Badd and N’Sync. Kidding!  But maybe we’ll have Hype Williams directing our video soon.  Hype, call us!
 
Thoughts on playing with Boys Like Girls?

It’s great to see another band from this area has made it to the top!!! They’ve had a ton of success and we wish them the best, and once again it’s a great opportunity for us. They’re a cool band and we look forward to sharing the stage with them.
 
Are you guys heading into the studio soon for album #3?  And what else is next for you?

We’ve already recorded a few songs for the next album, but I think we’re planning on releasing a live music CD/DVD. And after that we’re going to hit the record companies as well as the college and mainstream radio stations.
 
Words of love for our Pulse readers???

Thank you for all of your support!!!

So come see OSB rock PulseFest like only they can. And hang out with them before and after their set. Trust us, they’re cool and you’re going to want to get to know them.

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Now that the music part of PulseFest was all set, we turned our attention to the rest of the party.  Last year we’d brought in a whole bunch of interactive games, so we figured we’d do it again, but mix things up a little. Get ready for a climbing wall, state-of-the-art simulated golf, and a couple of surprises that we’re not going to reveal quite yet.
 
Those of you who were at last year’s bash know that there was great food and drink (21+ to drink!) all night ~ expect the same this year, so don’t fill up beforehand ‘cause you’re going to want to feast on pizza, peppers, sausage and onions, wraps, hamburgs, hotdogs, chicken sandwiches, giant pretzels, fries, cheesy nachos, and more.  Yum.  I mean, what’s a party without tons of chow, right?
 
OK, so starting back at college ~ or for those of you who are freshman, starting college ~ can be a little tough…rekindling friendships that you let slide over the summer, meeting a whole dorm’s worth of new people, breaking the ice with your new roommate or trying to figure out how to ask that hottie out for the first time.  PulseFest ’07 is the PERFECT event to make all your worries disappear…invite a group of new friends to hang with you at the DCU ~ you’ll be with a bunch of people your own age and you don’t have to worry about providing entertainment, food, or topics of conversation ~ it’ll all be there waiting for you!  Want to ask that cute girl out on a date but not quite ready to embark on an evening of one-on-one quality time? Invite her to PulseFest…that way, you guys can either just hang out and listen to the awesome bands or ~ if you’re feeling brave ~ you can grab a table, sit down, and actually talk to each other.  This is a great chance to show some school spirit, too ~ get a group to wear your school colors, team shirts, whatever…even organize a little team challenge and see who can climb that rock wall fastest or hit that golf ball the furthest.
 
There’s a whole bunch of other stuff that’ll be going on, too ~ sponsors (with great swag and giveaways), exhibitors (everything from tattoo parlors to local nightclubs to live dancers courtesy of Jumpin’ Joe’s), meet-n-greets with the bands, and lots more. 
 
As you can tell, we’ve got all the bases cover ~ top-notch music, party atmosphere, and a great excuse just to grab some friends (and make some new ones) and enjoy yourselves…you’ve earned it!!!! See you on September 29th!
  

 

This just in! Boys Like Girls will kick off their headlining tour @ PulseFest and then play The Palladium in Worcester on Friday, November 23!