HAPPY 48th ANNIVERSARY WORMTOWN!

Yes! We're still here and we ain't no beer! Fourty Eight years ago today Wormtown was born with the publication of the first Wormtown Punk Punk Press. Except no substitutions. Also today, May 1st 1991 The Worm Bros Debuted on WCUW 91.3fm in Worcester. Here is that show for your listening pleasure....

The Return of BIX

Long ago, September 1991 to be precise, while doing a radio program at WCUW with Jeff Worm we were contacted by a man called Andy Askin about giving airtime to a band from Lithuania he was promoting on their first US tour. They are called BIX and are here to spread their brand of music in America. We played the tape and got a positive response from our listeners. Soon, Andy was back to tell us Bix would be paying shows in the area and would like to let everyone know. They played Sir Morgan’s Cove, The Worcester Artists Group and The Blue Plate in Holden, where their performance was videotaped by Michael Harrington from Jefferson. The response from the crowds was over the top. Soon after the Blue Plate Show The Band were given the chance to record two songs at the famous Longview Recording Studio in North Brookfield. It took two days, and they came away with new renditions of their numbers “Sex Revolution” and “Mexico”. Before they left town, I invited them down to WCUW for an interview, then it was off to Lithuania. That video tape sat in my collection for 34 years, and I recently decided to digitize it. Upon completion I took a chance and contacted Samas from Bix via Facebook to see if he had any interest in seeing it. To my surprise he told me that indeed YES! He also told me that tape was the only film of them playing in the US. and they are in the process of gathering content for a 40th anniversary documentary and would be coming to New York for that purpose. He invited me to come down for an interview but I was not able to travel at this time, so he and his producer would come to Worcester to interview Me. I was overwhelmed and would meet up with them at any time. They arrived and we journeyed back to Longview, only to find it’s no longer a recording studio. The owner kindly let us walk around so they could film some clips for the doc. We went back to Worcester and filmed my interview at Ralph’s Diner, so they could get a club background for the film. (Thanks, Vincent!). I also decided to do another interview with Samas to update the one from 1991. After that it was goodbye again and now wait for the documentary to be released sometime in October. I have uploaded the video to Youtube and played some new songs on my latest show from the seven disc box set they gave me. (Thanks!) Hopefully sometime after the doc is released they will come back to the US and play once again.

At The Blue Plate

Revisiting Longview Farms

WURN show with both interviews Worceter Telegram article by Walter Crockett

Wormtown Underground Radio Network NEW Show

The latest from me on wurn.net Special set In Honor of Heidi Brenke-Malone. listen here WURN on Mixcloud

RIP Tod Kosiewski.

Last week news came of the passing of Todd Kosiewski, bassist and singer of Worcester band Public Works and as his alter ego Lucky Parker. Public Works played locally and gained a loyal fanbase, then eventually they were picked up by British band The Wonder Stuff and toured the US opening shows for them. After leaving Public Works, Todd started a country band dubbing himself Lucky Parker and continued playing around the area to the rave reviews of those who attended. His passing last week came as a shock to all who knew him. He was just 54 years old. Here I've gathered all the videos and recordings I produced for you to enjoy and remember.

At WURN.net....

Lucky Parker....

Wormtown 46 TV Party!

Happy Birthday Wormtown! For the 46th Anniversary, here is a special interview conducted at Ralph’s Diner by Clint Conley for WCVB Boston’s Chronicle program. Brian Goslow and myself describe how Worcester became known as Wormtown. Even though we no longer actively celebrate the Scene with parties or shows, people still wonder …Why?

Happy Wormtown 45

We started out all those years ago to promote the local Punk/New Wave scene, which still continues today on a whole different level. You can hear some of the new and old music from the area at WURN on Mixcloud where you can find my latest show on demand. It's not all local, but it's all good!

Worcester 300, Wormtown 44.

Hank Stolz, legendary Worcester Radio host, invited myself and Brian Goslow over to his studio via WCRN for an interview about Wormtowns' place in Worcesters History in celebration of it's 300th Annivesary. You can find the podcast version here. Talk of the Commonwealth

Happy Birthday Wormtown!!

44 years ago we started calling Worcester, MA Wormtown to unite the music scene as it was. To celebrate this date, we offer a newly re-dubbed copy of the tape that was to become a followup to the Wormtown 78 LP that was issued in the fall of 1979. Produced by John Jordan in his studio in Upton, it contains songs previously released on Beast Records by The Commandos, Crazy Jack and the Automatics, and never before released tracks by The Blue Moon Band. Wormtown is all but a memory now, but holds a special place in the hearts of those who know what true local music is and was about.

Wormtown 2

Goodbye 2021

A look back at some of the music released this year, with a bit of Christmas thrown in. Happy New year.WURN MIXCLOUD

RIP Durand Wilkerson

Word came through this week that Durand Wilkerson, formerly of Worcester Blues Band The Rhythm Rockers passed away after suffering a stroke in California. Fronting the band, he commanded the stages of New England with his style of blues picked up from his Slidell LA roots, and performed true to his style of cajun blues with soulful renditions of originals and covers. He would go on to front the popular Boston Based band, The Chicken Slacks and earning him even more fans who would pack the clubs wherever they played. This performance is from my WICN Radio show sometime around 1993 where he and members Dan Hunt and Jammin Jeff turned a rock n roll show into a blues spectacular. The Rhythm Rockers WICN

Photos:Gail Hunt

Wormtown, The Original T

MORE blatant propaganda. We brought back the original Wormtown T Shirt for those who want to support the scene without the beer. These sold out when we first offered them, so order NOW!!! ONLY $20. plus shipping!

ORDER HERE.....WORMTOWN T

Down the Dial East of Wormtown

Back when we were starting this scene of ours, local radio was key to get the word out. Music was changing and the non commercial side intown was showing the love via WCUW, WICN and WCHC. The majors broadcaster in town ignored it all and kept plodding along with the tried and true major acts that you hear now on "Classic Rock" outlets. Down the pike at bit, things were about the same except for WBCN who had embraced the change and ran with it. From their beginning in March of 1968 'BCN was at the forefront of music, experimenting with all new and old genres. In the beginning there was Peter Wolf from Midnight to 6 am as your tour guide. Later he would go on to be a lead singer for a local band that made it big. Although now just a memory, going off the air in 2009,around March 15th, the day they signed on, has become a time when I think back to what was once great radio That you could listen to for hours and never tire. Over on my Mixcloud Page I have the latest recording of one remembrance they held from March of 1996. This would be the second to last time Peter Wolf hosted the whole show as next year he would only be on for the first hour, and then move the whole party to WZLX because that’s where his fans were listening now. PART ONE PART TWO PART THREE

Wormtown Is Not A Beer Shirts

Now available, you can show your support of the OG Wormtown with thw NEW #wormtownisnotabeer Shirt. Only $25.00 plus $5.00 shipping. One quater of the price of that new baseball teams' shirts, and twice as cool. Order here...#WORMTOWNISNOTABEER

Merry Christmas Wormtown!

Well, here we are at the end of 2020, a year that we will never forget. Since I had no live radio show planned for this week, I went through the archives to look for something recorded around Christmastime to post. I came upon this from December 24, 1993. Rick Blaze and Jeff Crane stopped by the studios of WICN in Worcester to promote the debut performance of The Ballbusters at Sir Morgans Cove in the coming week. They had with them a tape of newly recorded songs they had been working on and also performed live on air. Sadly, as you probaly know, Rick passed away in 2011. Jeff has recently said The Ballbusters will return in 2021 in yet another incarnation to keep the spirit of the band going. That gives us all something to look forward to.

Listen Here to Rick Blaze, Jeff Crane

Happy Holidays to Wormtown!

Just a quick post to say thanks for supporting Wormtown Music in 2020. Here's to better days to come in '21! Catch up on all the latest shows on Wormtown Underground Radio Network

Halloween Flashback

 Enjoy these spooky sounds from 2010!!!