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 big!

CD

Guns of Navarone
By Rebecca Carter

Already winning awards in Worcester County for Best Ska Act, the Guns of Navarone, who take their name from The Skatalites’ song of the same title, have become the predominant band in the local ska/reggae scene.

It was almost a decade ago now that mainstream forerunners like The Toasters and The Specials were keeping the skank side of reggae alive in the alternative consciousness, and locals like Spring Heeled Jack had their horns blazing at The Espresso Bar. But after a hiatus from the airwaves, ska is experiencing a resurgence with the help of The Aggrolites and Michael Franti, who are bringing the party side back to music with a message and are providing a whole new audience for up and comers like the Guns of Navarone.

Formed in January of ‘07 by punk veteran Bob Beaumont and Berklee student Mike Rinker, Guns of Navarone have seen a lot of line-up changes, but are currently standing united with Beaumont on vocals, Joe McEachern on bass, Dave Menard on tenor sax, Jack Vincent on baritone sax, Katie Berlent on alto sax, Mike Hartford on the keyboard, Ken Freeman on guitar, James Middendorf on drums, and Helen Beaumont on backing vocals.

“We play traditional ska and reggae music. Not a new version of an old style but the actual old style,” Bob described. “We very often have people tell us that we are not what they expected. People often think of ska as punk-ska, which is much faster and almost unrecognizable as a relative to true ska. We play true ska, which is up-tempo but not spastic.”

Although their repertoire consists only of covers at the moment, The Guns of Navarone tend to mix it up with both recognizable ska staples and some under-appreciated songs that wouldn’t be immediately recognizable to the pedestrian fan.

Their most recent release, The Exciting Rhythms of Guns of Navarone, features renditions of Bob Marley’s “Simmer Down” and The Specials’ “A Message to You Rudy,” plus their namesake and more, all executed in traditional style. The band has plans in the works to start recording a follow-up this winter.

“Ska and reggae are music styles that are widely shared amongst musicians, fans, countries, and generations,” says Bob. “We love getting people dancing, singing, shouting, and having a great time. Guns of Navarone is 100% about entertaining people.”

Experience Guns for yourself at Tammany Hall in Worcester on November 1, and for more dates and more information, check out myspace.com/navaronereggae and
gunsofnavaronereggae.com.

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BAND

Mortal Wombat
By Dawn Fenton

Mortal Wombat’s self-titled EP, released in June, is an admirable debut offering. Filled with tearing riffs and turbulent beats, its sound is reminiscent of the Sex Pistols and the Violent Femmes with a touch of The Clash. Too, the Nirvana influence is clearly heard on all four tracks and there are moments when 70s punk rock pioneers The Cramps are evoked.

“We like to say we’re more alternative than anything else,” said Steve Karantzoulidis, Mortal Wombat’s bass player, who is affectionately (and conveniently) referred to as “Steve K.” by friends and band mates. “Our sound really varies…some songs are harder than others….some are an 80s ‘classic rocky’ sort of thing…we’re kind of a mixture of the Foo Fighters and Green Day.”

In a recent phone conversation with The Pulse, band members Sam Emerick (vocals and rhythm guitar), Luke Jarret (drums), Phelan Lemieux (lead guitar) and “Steve K.”, all high school seniors at Holy Name, talked about the limitations that the band is currently facing.

“We’re all seventeen and it creates so many problems,” bemoaned Emerick. “We can’t play anywhere that alcohol is served. Venues like the Lucky Dog that we’d love to get in to but can’t because we have to be eighteen.”

Emerick, who celebrates his 18th birthday in January, followed by the rest of the band over the course of 2009, should have no difficulty in lining up gigs at The Lucky Dog or any other alt-musical venue in Worcester County. With somewhat of a cult status at school and a fan base that is growing thanks to shows like Tamfest (an all ages, day long celebration at Tammany Hall) and online sources like YouTube (check out the guys rocking Holy Name’s talent show or keeping the audience jumping at Tammany Hall), Mortal Wombat plays dynamic rock that will assuredly bring crowds into the clubs.

“There’s a lot of energy,” said Emerick, when asked what to expect at a live Mortal Wombat show. “Fun is number one. We like to have a lot fun and of course the more the crowd is into it, the better.”

Together just barely a year, the band is scheduled to play the Next Big Thing, promoted by Concerts First, at The Palladium on November 22. This modern day battle of the bands is an all ages affair with doors opening at 11:00 a.m. With over 20 other alternative and punk bands playing on two stages, Mortal Wombat will bring the house down with their head pounding, guitar heavy enthusiasm.

Visit www.myspace.com/mortalwombattheband for more information and to download the Mortal Wombat EP.

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BAND

Ice In Her Veins
By Mary Ouellette

Framingham’s own Ice In Her Veins is not about to follow any trends, that’s for sure. Their self described style of melodic thrash metal with tight grooves and dynamics is hardly what’s in fashion, but for IIHV, it’s never been about pleasing the masses. “We’re not playing metal to make money, we’re doing it because it’s in our hearts and we couldn’t imagine a compromise.” said guitarist Keith Martin.

Compromise and metal rarely do go hand in hand, but IIHV has had to take on a “bend don’t break” mentality since its dawning day. Core member Scott Fitzsimons was joined by Martin in early 2005. What followed were several years of line-up changes that essentially “let the weak fall to the side” while Fitzsimons and Martin carried the metal torch high and proud, building IIHV up to be the band that they are today. With the current line-up together since May of 2008 (with Billy “Bonka” Grant on vocals, Dave Procaccini on bass and Ramon Miquilena on drums), the band has finally been able to stand on solid ground, overcome past obstacles, and start making a name for themselves in the local metal scene. “This kind of music may not be as mainstream as everything else, but there are people out there who love it, and there are tons of local bands that treat each other like brothers, which is the way it should be.”

While the setbacks that IIHV has had to endure may have dissolved other bands, IIHV chalks it up to a standard workplace hazard and the quest for creating their ultimate band. “I can’t imagine that other bands don’t go through this as well, but we won’t settle for people who do this for reasons that we can’t connect with. If we didn’t care about this so much, we would have called it a day about 4 drummers ago,” expressed Martin.
With their newfound stability, IIHV is currently booking as many shows as they can in the area to make their sound as tight as possible before heading into the studio to finish up their debut studio album. Their debut demo has been a long time coming, but they hope to release it in early 2009. Incorporating a diverse range of influences from Frank Sinatra to Jimi Hendrix to Lamb of God, and reflecting the eclectic backgrounds of all five members, the album is sure to offer up a little something for the inner metal fiend hiding in each of us. Their driving force, you ask? Bring on the rage! “We all have a huge passion for the aggression we put into our songs and performances.”

With upcoming shows at The Lucky Dog (Nov. 15th) and Rock Off Main Street in Natick, MA (Dec. 19th), IIHV invites you to an all-you-can-eat buffet of metal mayhem and promises that no one will go home hungry. “Every one of us gives 110% when we’re on stage, whether we’re playing for 5 people or a full house. It’s the #1 reason that we do this. We feed off of the energy of a rabid crowd. It’s a release for all of us and a great way to shake off a bad day or top off a good day. People who come to see an IIHV show can tell by our energy that we’re into what we’re doing and that we’re enjoying ourselves.”

For more info, check out IIHV at www.myspace.com/iceinherveins.

Photo credit: Pete Ferraro

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ACTOR

Bryan Gallagher Parties with Paris
By Sasha Fastovskiy

The average person associates Paris Hilton with “That’s hot,” that damn little dog Tinkerbell, her jail escapades, and that barely talked-about movie she made via night-vision mode with that one guy no one cares about who was once married to that mean woman from the original “90210.” Now we can also associate her with a reality show, appropriately titled “Paris Hilton’s My New BFF.” In a world where no pillow is anything but pink, no dog is bigger than a purse, and no one is spared from the wishes of Princess Paris, Worcester too gets in the action as hometownie Bryan Gallagher, 22, leaves the Woo and checks into the Hilton.

“I’ve always LOVED Paris. Just from watching her on TV, I always thought she was hilarious. Regardless of whatever is said about her, I still wanted to meet her and be her BFF,” said Gallagher, a Worcester-born-and-bred graduate of West Boylston High. “People talk about me all the time and half of it isn’t true, so I know how it is, you know? You can’t always listen to gossip; you have to find out for yourself, which is why I went for it.” And went for it he did, as he filled out an online application to be Paris’s potential pal. He soon received a call back asking for a video: “The next thing I know I was being flown out to LA for the final casting auditions, where I obviously showed them that I was more than qualified to be Paris’s BFF.”

Gallagher got on with Miss Hilton from the start, “Paris really is a nice girl. She’s funny as all hell too,” he said. “We spent a good amount of time with her. The only thing that changes sometimes is her voice. On TV she uses a cute, higher-pitched voice. In real life, her voice is a little deeper.” Unfortunately, refusing to succumb to a makeover with Heatherette designers landed Gallagher in the bottom three. Staying true to himself and his looks (how very Parisian!), he was spared the sword of Hilton. “I thought the ideas that the designers had for me were a little extreme: shave my head, wear eyeliner and nail polish. Ummm, NO! I don’t wear eyeliner or nail polish and I love my hair the way it is. I’m not changing for anyone. You shouldn’t have to change yourself to be somebody’s best friend.”

A la typical reality show, Gallagher made some friends (“Corrie and Vanessa were my main BFFs in the house. Love them.”) and foes (“Kayley is a hot mess. Lauren is just another sheltered, air headed California girl. She needs to get out of the house more and be around different kinds of people.”). After the show is complete, Gallagher plans to pursue modeling and acting in New York, perhaps with a new blonde companion by his side. So, what has he learned about ins and outs of hotel heiress-dom? “You need to be hot, kind, and ready to party. You really have to be ready for anything because you never know what’s going to happen, you know? Her life is crazy! But I love it!”

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ATHLETE

WPI Alum Sean “Wicked Fingers” Sears
By Kim Dunbar

We all know rock crushes scissors and paper covers rock, but did you know there was an International Rock Paper Scissors Championship held in Beijing? It’s true. Everyone’s favorite playground pastime has hit the big time, along with one of Worcester’s own.

Sean “Wicked Fingers” Sears, Chicopee resident and 2007 WPI alum, brought home the bronze medal from the Bud/Bud Light International Rock Paper Scissors Federation Championship this August.

Sears, who was a Management of Information Systems major at WPI and works as a systems analyst at MassMutual in Springfield, was in the right place at the right time when he walked into a Chicopee bar with some friends last February. “The local Bud Light distributors asked if I wanted to enter a free Rock Paper Scissors contest for a chance to win a trip to Las Vegas,” said Sears, who figured he’d give it a try. The rest is history.

It wasn’t until Sears landed in Final 64 in Las Vegas at the US Championship when he realized he was a good RPS player. “As the wins kept coming, my confidence in my abilities began to grow. I realized the strategies and techniques I thought were just run-of-the-mill actually made me a player to be reckoned with,” he said. Sears won the title and $50,000, with which he plans to pay off student loans.

Sears said the game hasn’t changed much from the playground days, but the way he plays has. “While there is some luck involved early, you do need to figure out your opponent’s gameplan in order to be successful in the long run,” he said. Sears credits the learning style of his WPI education to his ability to think fast and pick up information quickly.

Because Rock Paper Scissors is an international sport played by all ages, Sears thinks it should be considered a real Olympic sport someday. “Not to discredit anyone’s talents, but if you look at some of the Olympic sports both past and present, it doesn’t seem like a far stretch,” he said of the centuries old finger game.

As far as his future goes, “Wicked Fingers” hopes to be the sport’s first repeat champion. “If I can win the regional and get to Las Vegas, I feel I’m a serious threat to repeat,” said the reigning US Champion.

However, there is one opponent he’d like a rematch with: Wally the Green Monster. The Red Sox honored Sears at a game before he flew to Beijing and the mascot swept the World’s future bronze medalist 2-0 in a friendly game of Rock Paper Scissors.

If you’d like to give Sears a run for his money, visit www.usarps.com for a list of upcoming qualifiers in the area.