The Pathetics, Live From Wormtown 11/27/02

   In honor of the recent Big Rock Fest in the boondocks west of Wormtown, this week we visit with The Pathetics. Formed many years before this interview was took place, these four guys have a penchant for punk rock with whip smart lyrics. Consisting of Dave Strandberg on Vocals / Guitar, Rich Lorion on Bass / Vocals , Jim Bain on Guitar / Vocals, and  Jeff Starltare on drums they have three CD's under their belt with a fourth long awaited recording due this year.  Practically the house band at the old Dinny's on Lincoln St. their shows are always fast, loose and send the crowd into a frenzy. They've toured up and down the east coast hoping to build a fan base for those who appreciate the finer things in life. Namely beer, whiskey, and fun. Catch them next time they play in your town!


The Pathetics, Live From Wormtown

photos by Jeff Worm

The Independents, Live From Wormtown

  This week we go back to April 11, 2003 and our first meeting with The Independents. Evil Presly, Willie B., and their band-mates come from Florence, South Carolina, and were on tour promoting their latest album and playing a show at Ralph's Diner along with Angry Johnny, whose interview we aired earlier. Classified as Horror Punk Ska, they don't look like your average good old boy from that part of the country.  Formed in 1991 they have numerous albums out to this point, and along the way they ended up befriending Joey Ramone, who went on to produce their "Back from the Grave" LP. Since this show they have been back to Worcester many times, and made a few friends including our own favorites The Pathetics, who ended up doing a few shows with them on a small tour.
Note: Evil now goes by the name of Vincent Karloff.

The Independents, Live from Wormtown

The Performers, Live From Wormtown

    Since last week we featured The Commandos, it's only right we turn to their arch nemesis, The Performers. The band was formed in 1979 consisting of brothers Doug and Sibley Geer on Guitar and Bass along with George Bosnakis on Drums. While still in their teens, they quickly become favorites on the radio via WCUW.  Playing sporadic gigs throughout the late 70's and early 80's, they also recorded a split 45 with The Commandos for Beast Records. It was tough to get gigs back then, but they persevered into becoming local legends with shows at Ralph's Diner, Sir Morgans Cove and Xit. This interview was recorded April 19, 2003 at wdoa.com while they were getting ready to play a Wormtown Anniversary show and features songs from their compilation CD "Bullets, Bombs and Protest Songs", wearing their Clash influences proudly on their sleeves. They continued to play gigs up until the 2000's and could probably be talked into another round if the time was right.



The Performers, Live from Wormtown 

The Commandos, Live From Wormtown

    The Commandos came from the earliest days of the scene. Starting out as teenage punks in the suburb of West Boylston, they formed their own all ages club in their parents basement due to the fact they and thier fans were to young to hit the clubs. They recorded a hit 45 that to this day sells for hundreds of dollars on the internet. Along the way there were numerous line up changes, (see insert below) more recordings for Beast Records, reunion shows, gigs in Canada, allegedly stealing the guest register from Howard Johnson's in their hometown while The Clash stayed there for the Clark University show, and finally seeing their collected recordings released on  Rave Up Records in France. This interview comes from 2008 as they were preparing to play the Wormtown 25th Anniversary show at Ralph's. It Features Brian Hopper, Jeff Crane, and Sue Gillies. Jeff and Sue are still active in the music business, Brian will pour you a beer or make sure you don't step out of line at Ralph's.


The Commandos, Live From Wormtown