It’s true you know. One of people’s biggest complaints about our beloved music scene is that it’s unstable. Bands change all the time. The best bands always break up leaving us with a bunch of bands that we’ve never even heard of. What’s wrong with bands you’ve never heard of? I’d never heard of The After Hours before I got their CD, but their 3 songs of emotive lyrics and hard rock influenced sound has been making my head bang. I hadn’t heard of many of the bands on “It C...

WCCA TV's live-in-studio music showcase "BAND EDGE" has completed its fall season and will be resuming a new season in January 2009. Thank you to the eight local Worcester area groups who have participated for the fall season:Beatles For Sale, Tall Heights, Dan Lewis, Matt Schwachman, Pueblo Nuevo, Johnny Dollar Experiment, WPI Stage Band, Carmen Spada. We look forward to another great season showcasing local talent on the music scene. WCCA supports local musi...

Cars by Joe Fusco, Jr. I'm suing my wife under the Massachusetts Lemon & Lime law. I'm hoping for a large “pain & suffering” settlement so I can afford a limo-driver the rest of my damaged-days on this god-forsaken planet because I now Hate ( we'll substitute the word “Prune” for the F-bomb throughout this essay) Prunin' Cars! Here's the maze-like backdrop: Last month, we bought my wife a 2007 grey Entourage, our first new used-car purchase in ten years. It has a...

Temperedcast are a new band out of Seattle, Washington who are garnering new fans with their unique brand of melodic vocals and heavy guitar riffs. Their modern day alternative sound has made the Seattle, Washington band very popular on the West Coast, as the rockers have shared the stage with Drowning Pool, Three Days Grace and Jerry Cantrell. Temperedcast recently released their sophomore album Reach produced by Brent DeRocher and the band at the Brewery Studios in Seat...

Every once in awhile, a band emerges onto the music scene that makes you stand up and listen. HINDER, who hail from Oklahoma, burst onto the music charts with their Number One mega hit,” Lips of An Angel" in 2006. The huge 80's arena sound that surrounds the band got them an opening slot with the legendary Boston rock band Aerosmith. The distinctive vocals of Austin Winkler launched the band into high gear, as their Number One hit,” Lips of An Angel" blasted on...

The Road Ends Here Eighteen years ago last month, the first issue of Roadside hit the countertops. Thirty-five issues later (and eight more of By the Way magazine), I regret to have to tell you that the trip finally comes to an end. I have put an enormous amount of thought and consideration into this decision. Roadside existed not simply as a vocation and lifestyle, for nearly two decades, Roadside became my very identity. A future without it seemed unthinkable. And yet, ...

After a long year BCM is back. We will no longer be publishing a quarterly print issue. You can now find BCM online at: www.blankcanvasmagazine.com Our new online version has all the features and quality you have come to expect from BCM. You will find artists interviews and profiles, feature articles in our "limelight" section, weekly & monthly columns(with Steve Siddle's "The Way I See..." leading t...

Here's a recent interview with former Clash drummer Nicky "Topper" Headon passed onto the Wormtown.org offices by Performers guitarist Doug Geer. Enjoy! What are your memories of taking over the role of Clash drummer from Terry Chimes in 1977? When I went for the audition I was really blown away by the power and the look of the band but I wasn't that impressed with the musicianship. I thought I'd hang about for a year and make my name and then maybe move on. B...

The Boulder Coffeehouse features Stuart Ferguson, Saturday 7:30, October 11th. "Stuart Ferguson writes and performs a collection of stunning, heartfelt songs on his latest album Shackles & Ties. He's an excellent guitar player and fine singer who demonstrates an amazing ability for capturing life's unending moments in song. And although his compositions seem to have an underlying current of sadness, there is a strong sense of hope derived from Ferguson's acute ob...

On Wednesday, October 1st, 2008, from 6-9pm, an opening reception will be held for The Ghosts of Wormtown, a rock 'n' roll photo show by George Query. Mr. Query is a brilliant and passionate professional photographer and rock music enthusiast whose love of visual culture and rock music led him to shows all over New England in the 1970s and 80s. With his trusty camera in hand, he captured the spirit of an age when the music scene in Worcester was supposedly so dead it was s...

WORMTOWN'S ENDLESS SUMMER Hey gang, now that the nights are getting cooler and arriving earlier folks are retreating indoors. Fortunately you can keep that summer feeling all year long. All you have to do is listen to something local; say a catchy guitar strumming singer/ songwriter, some bad ass head banging metal, or a sing along hard rock band. Fortunately, Wormtown's got all of that and more, enjoy. DENIS COUGHLIN – NOCTURNAL POP JOURNAL – SELF RELEASED (Produced ...

The Green Rooster Coffeehouse at United Congregational Church, 6 Institute Rd. , Worcester , MA 01609; 508-798-3010 or visit us on the web at http://www.ucc-worcester.org Welcome to our 12th year in providing great folk, acoustic and original music to the heart of New England . We appreciate your support that allows this venue to continue. There certainly is a place for our kinds of music and presentations in the greater Worc...

Join Luan & Alan at The Leominster Elks, 134 N. Main Street, Leominster, MA this Sunday for an always entertaining performance by The Love Dogs! The Elks has a large floor, cash bar, awesome atmosphere and a great crowd of dancers. The Love Dogs is one of the most fun and upbeat bands on the whole East Coast, the proof is in the tail waging. Both on stage and on the dance floor. Based out of Boston, this hard blowing septet just celebrated its thirteenth year wowing a...

Perspective & Vision: The Glass of Martin Rosol and Josh Simpson Worcester Center for Crafts 25 Sagamore Road Worcester, Massachusetts September 18 through October 11 Trying to touch base with Josh Simpson to talk about his work in this show probably gives one as direct an indirect answer as one could get regarding the inspiration for his planetary “Megaworlds” glass works. After waiting for him to return from a trip to Russia (where the colors of St. Basil are as m...

WORM BROS CONTEST : WIN CUSTOM 'LIVE FROM WORMTOWN' CDS ! COVER PICS OF PRIZE CDS ARE IN THE 'CONTEST' FOLDER. LISTEN TO THE NEW SHOW (09/20/08) AT : HTTP://WWW.WURN.ORG ANSWER THIS QUESTION CORRECTLY : 'WHAT DID JEFF WORM LOSE DURING THE SHOW ?' E-MAIL CORRECT ANSWER TO : WORMBROS@WURN.ORG FIRST PERSON TO ANSWER CORRECTLY WINS 2 CDS! ALL OTHERS WITH THE RIGHT ANSWER : MUST ANSWER A 2ND QUESTION ABOUT THE SHOW TO WIN A CD. CONTEST...

Lancaster Coffeehouse organizers have announced that, after the November 22 show, the 11-year-old music series will cease to exist. Organizers Jean Syria and Denise Hurley told volunteers Saturday, before the Vance Gilbert show, that they were going to take time to re-evaluate the group’s mission, before relaunching the series, with a new name and new direction. The series continues October 18th with Christine Lavin and November 22nd with David Wilcox before shutting down...

Hermis Yanis will air “A Tribute to Ralph Moberly,” including footage of the Memorial Service held at the First Unitarian Church on April 5, over the next two weekends on his “Hermis at Large” program on Charter TV 3. The show times are: Friday, April 18 at 3 p.m. Sunday, April 20 at 1 a.m. Friday, April 25 at 3 p.m. Sunday, April 27 at 1 a.m. Thanks to Hermis for preserving this event for posterity and for all of those who were unable to attend.

Join the Celebration! Wormtown, an Alternative Music Community, founded in 1978, deriving its name from the fanzine, Wormtown Punk Punk Press, is marking its 30th Anniversary with a pair of shows that will highlight the diversity of the Worcester Music scene both past and present on May 2 and 3, 2008 at Ralph’s Chadwick Square Diner, Grove Street, Worcester, Massachusetts. On Friday May 2, 2008, the bands scheduled to appear are:The Commandos, formed in 1979 who have re...

Sure, these bands might not be from the Worm or even from Worcester County, but we’re always happy when they visit and they all have new CDs out. Check out the music, check out their web sites and who knows, you might find something that’ll cure your winter blues. - Phil McNamara MEDINA SOD – “TRACE BACK THE LINES” - SELF RELEASED Hey kids, do you like Phish? Well these guys don’t really sound like them; more like a band with Phish’s melodic sensibilities, the grandeur of...

It’s around this time of year that I begin to realize how fortunate I am to be part of a scene where all the bands and musicians don’t sound the same, have something unique to offer, and occasionally surprise me. This is the case this month with the new CDs I’ve gotten from The Campaign for Real Time, Can’t Kill Katie, Hey Now Morris Fader, Silent Mind and Wreckoning. Hopefully you’ll find something you like in this batch of CDs too. - Phil McNamara THE CAMPAIGN FOR REAL T...