thePULSECD – John Brazile
First in class
By Dawn Fenton
John Brazile is a singer-songwriter who performs with such soul and capacity that it is often hard to believe he’s only 23 years old. The Worcester native, who began studying music and writing songs while in high school, released his fourth CD this past February. Commencement is a collection of 10 original songs that were performed and produced by Brazile, mostly in his home. Steve Haritunian recorded the drums at Longview Farm Studios in North Brookfield.
Brazile credits Ryan Adams, John Mellencamp, Neil Young, and Bruce Springsteen as influences. In fact, he feels that Young’s Harvest, the best-selling release of 1972, “indirectly motivated Commencement,” and a closer listen resonates faint echoes of Young, especially in the track “When They Go,” a ballad with melancholy hooks that tells the tale of moving on and what people leave behind ~ physically and emotionally.
Commencement is a fitting album title as all the tracks, most notably the opening track “Ripped and Torn,” speak of beginnings.” Brazile sings, “Stepped off of the bus on Friday/First time in a long, long while that I’m back sleeping in my old room.” The song, one of the highlights of the CD, comes to a crescendo just into the fourth minute as Brazile laments, “I feel that I/I’ve been torn all my life/Nobody seems to know what for/I guess it’s the sight of that old welcome sign/Ripped and torn.”
“My Life’s Work,” one of Brazile’s self proclaimed “work hymns,” is a honky tonk look at the state of our economy and calls to mind Mellencamp’s “Pink Houses.” Brazile explained that his songs “are not meant to propagandize…they are not liberal propaganda…they tell a story and I want to emphasize that. They tell a story. Period.” He sings, “Clothes are fading to filthy rags/Yes its really been that bad/Say hello brand new college grad.”
There is no doubt that Brazile is a great story teller. His candid look into every day life in today’s America is reminiscent of a young Springsteen and one can’t help but wonder where the next 20 years will take him. He has the talent and the passion to go a very long way.
You can catch John Brazile live every other Friday at Sully’s First Edition Pub in Marlborough, and you are urged to see him in an intimate setting while you still can.
Photo Credit: SDH Photo
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
BAND – The Pathetics
Crude, rude and really good
By Dawn Fenton
“Didn’t Mean to Offend You,” the latest CD by the Pathetics, is an energetic, in-your- face punk rock offering with hilarious lyrics ~ and it’s not meant for the faint of heart. With track titles like “Murder at the Meathouse,” “Porno Picnic Basket,” and “Cavity Search,” one gets a glimpse of what this band is all about. The lyrics, while crude, are highly entertaining, and the music is sure to please any punk rock or hardcore fan.
“We have fun writing the songs, but we try to write good songs,” stressed guitarist and front man Dave Strandberg. “We usually have an inkling of an idea ~ a song title or a chorus and we’ll get together…it all comes together after that.”
Listening to the CD several times, one imagines that this process involves a lot of beer, raunchy jokes, sick stories, and an abundance of laughter. These songs are not only funny, but clever and well-crafted too.
The Pathetics were formed in 1996 by Strandberg and bassist Rich Lorion, and the current lineup includes Jim Bain on guitar and Jeff “Johnnie Rock n’ Roll” Staltare on drums. Bain is also the band’s resident “recording guy.”
“He has all the equipment,” said Strandberg. “And he recorded and mixed the whole thing for us.”
“Pretty much me and Rich write the bulk of the songs. This is Jeff’s first with us and he added a lot with the lyrics…we’re definitely all on the same wavelength,” laughed Strandberg when asked about the song writing process.
“We obviously like to have a good time,” he said. “We’re not looking to make a career of this…we’re all good friends and we have a good time playing together.”
Take for example their CD release party, held in May at The Lucky Dog.
“We had an actual porno picnic basket [put together for the band by adult boutique Adam & Eve] that we raffled off as a door prize…funny thing was all the girls wanted to win it and it ended up going to L.B. Worm. It was hilarious. He got up on stage while we played the song and showed off the items…we actually got a video of it.” That video has made its way to YouTube airwaves.
The Pathetics are a band you must see live to fully appreciate. Catch them on July 21 at The Lucky Dog and be ready to party…hard. These guys will fire you up and make you giggle like a schoolgirl while they’re at it.
CDs at Jelly’s Discs, Park Ave in Worcester
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
SPECIAL SECTION!!
Up and Comers “Graduate”
BAND – Hawkins Rise
Band talks new record and summer plans
By Rebecca Carter
Editor’s Note: When we first featured HR in the November 2006 issue of Pulse, we knew they were going places…and sure enough, they have, and we’re happy to have the chance to interview the band again to find out about their successes and plans for the future.
Formed in the winter of ‘99, Hawkins Rise has developed a fan base by playing all over New England and in New York City. With their second full-length album in the works and tour dates booked through September, the band is poised to expand their sound beyond the East Coast.
Hawkins Rise began with long time friends and guitarists Dan Simpson and Joey Magnanti and currently also includes Tofer Simpson on bass and Tomm Gamache on drums. Self-described as “a classic rock-influenced band mixed with a modern pop sound and finished off with a touch of indie,” the members of Hawkins Rise took some time to answer a few questions about their career to date and the upcoming album.
Who are some of your influences?
TOFER SIMPSON: Our influences in the band are varied, but we think it helps give us more options when creating the overall feeling of a song. Each of us has something different to bring to the table. Tomm gives us the backbeat of some of the greats ~ Bruce Springsteen, Aerosmith, Tom Petty and The Clash. Danny has a more artistic taste as of late, adding bands and artists such as The Shins, Wilco, Bob Dylan and The Jay Hawks. Joey has always held his influences in the classic rock area ~ Led Zeppelin, The Rolling Stones and a touch of Carlos Santana.
And on the low end, I draw influence from more pop-type bands like the Gin Blossoms, Green Day, Red Hot Chili Peppers and The Lemonheads ~ and even more technical sounding bands such as Tool and Primus.
What are some of your favorite venues to play and who are some of your favorite local bands to play with?
JOEY MAGNANTI: We have played some great venues from Buffalo, NY, New York City, Hartford, CT, Providence, RI, Boston, MA, Nashua, NH, and even make trips to Vermont for shows. We meet really great, interesting and inspirational people and other bands as well. We of course support all of the bands and often swap show dates with bands from even Philadelphia as well as our routine New England stomping grounds. We don’t particularly have a favorite band to play with, but love playing with any and every band we have met. We have long lasting professional relationships with many other bands. It’s all about networking and building a scene together.
Some of favorite places to play on the east coast are in our home state venues such as KC’s Tap and The Blackstone, both in Pawtucket. We are also appreciative of the shows we do in New York City, particularly at Kenny’s Castaways and Arlene’s Grocery. Boston area shows are always great at venues such as Sally O’Briens and The Abbey Lounge. Other area venues with respect to Worcester [County] that we like are the The Pump House in Southbridge, MA and we make our debut in June at the Greyhound Pub in Worcester.
What is your impression of the rock scene in New England?
TOMM GAMACHE: Music has become so fragmented that the audiences seem to be getting smaller but the music industry is in a bit of an upheaval with the decline of CD sales and the rise of MP3s, so like any other band out there, we’re doing our best to take advantage. We’re also lucky enough to be consistently building new relationships with venues throughout the Northeast, so we enjoy finding new venues and people to play at and for.
We’re lucky that we’re not in a region that happens to be oversaturated with similar sounding bands. We’re blessed with gifted songwriters. Obviously, our goal is to break out, but in this stage of our careers, we’re very proud to be part of the New England rock scene, and we hope to help foster its growth.
What can you tell us about the new album?
JOEY MAGNANTI: Our first album, What We’re Like, was recorded and distributed for the purposes of getting our name out there. The album was a good first album, but now we want to achieve an organic sound, a true representation of the four of us making music together. A lot can be lost in the world of layering multiple tracks of guitars, voice and drums. This next album we want the four of us to get together and make music, like we do live. This record is slightly more focused on three to four minute pop rock tunes. It’s just the way we have been writing recently, quick bursts of particular emotions or frames of mind, based on melody, harmony and simplicity.
We are recording in our basement and a clubhouse in a housing community…We are using bathrooms and the acoustics of kitchens, living rooms, and empty storage closets. We are really enjoying the freedom to accomplish the sound we want, without the budgetary constraints of traditional studios. We are getting some wholesome sounds and are falling in love with the results.
DAN SIMPSON: Any one of us would be lying if we said we weren’t nervous about the outcome, but in today’s independent music scene, you have to be just that ~ independent.
What are the band’s future plans after the new album is wrapped up?
JOEY MAGNANTI: We would really like to get in on the college circuit and concentrate on college type bars, music pubs, and the like. We have shows being planned at Northeastern University in Boston and Brown University in Providence later in the fall. We will be promoting the new album on the East Coast and in northeast cities, anywhere and everywhere we can.
For more information on Hawkins Rise check out www.hawkinsrise.com
