One Week Away

The Odds at Ralph's 30th !!!1!

Happy Birthday Wormtown Weekend

Today is the 31st Anniversary of Wormtown, so go out and listen to some punk rock.
London Billiards is the place to be to see two homeworm bands at the top of their game. The Pathetics, The Numbskulls, who have been on hiatus for the past few months, and Ghouls Night Out, who 's Vampira is celebrating a birthday too, and The Raw.
Saturday at Ralph's, Huck is playing with this years winner of the WBCN Rock n Roll Rumble, The Luxury. The Rumble is a Boston tradition that has been going on for over 30 years and has had it's share of notable bands compete. The first one was won by Willie Alexander and the Boom Boom Band.
Also on Saturday night, Public Uproar invade Millbury and play The Wheelock Inn, formally known as The Anchor Lounge. I've been there before, but not to see punk rock. That should be a fun show.
So go out and support your local music. It's what keeps Wormtown Rockin'.

The Odds Part 2

Here's an article that appeared in the Worcester Telegram,(remember when they published two papers a day?)on November 6 1981, by James Dempsey. It talks about The Odds first gig in Boston. Click on images.

The Odds

As promised, here's the first installment of The Odds story in honor of them playing Ralph's 30th Anniversary on May 9th.
They were formed in the late 70's early 80's by JJ Rassler from DMZ, Boston proto-punk pioneers, and Preston Wayne, from Worcester band Hooker of the late 70's. They were joined by Eddy Levasseur also from Hooker, and Steve Aquino of Crazy Jack and The Automatics. Other members over their most active years in the 80's were Steve "Slay" Cohn, Paul Aquino, Mike Cannon, and Bob Swanson. They won the Battle of the Bands at Sanctuary in the Worcester Center in 1982, and were included in two nationally distributed compilation LPs.
The current line up features Chris "Cah" Lillyman and Dave Kowalcek, who played last year at The Wormtown 30th. This years show promise to be even more exciting than last years.
This is a scan from their Press Kit in 1985.

Wormtown Weekend

Summer starts this weekend, according to the weather guys. So get out and sweat to the rock n roll.
Friday, you'll have to drive for this one. Bottlefight are tearing it up at The Lion's Den in Athol. I've been to this place, and it's about as down and dirty as it gets. Perfect venue to see these guys in their hometown.
Saturday night is alright for Piracy at the Ship Room in the Hotel Vernon with The Egos, and The Murder from Boston, Musclecah, and American Motherfuckers, from our own town. A great bill if ever there was one.
Don't forget the sunscreen.

Ralph's 30th Anniversary

On May 9th be sure to head over to The Diner for what will be a historic event. Celebrate 30 years of the house that Ralph built with Jason James and the Baystate House Rockers, The Odds!!!!, Hot Rod Fury, and Slik Family Orkestra. I'll be posting more history of The Odds, my all time favorite Wormtown band, over the next couple of weeks.

From the official Press Release

The Odds started playing at Ralph's in 1980 and were clearly one of the clubs strongest draws throughout that decade, generating a large and loyal following. Both The Odds popularity and Ralph's own undeniable appeal as "the place to be" were a "right place, right time" match made in rock dreams. The erotic murals that covered the walls, the neon that was everywhere, the motorcycle that hung from the ceiling, the gas pump in the corner, the best juke box imaginable, all inside an old firehouse attached to a 1940's diner off-the-beaten-track in a freight yard unseen from the street. We've (some-what selfishly) tried to set up a diverse bill that reflects the different aspects of The Odds tastes and styles.
At the same time the line-up also reflects the diversity of Ralph's Diner over these many years.
Decadancing in the 80's. The mystique remains, the rock n roll moves forward.

A Word From Our Sponsor

Well, unofficially anyway.
If you've listened to The Worm Bros on WURN.org, you know we're big fans of Narragansett Beer. Since the Gansett Girls were in town Friday at Brew City, I thought it would be a great time to post about "our own new England Beer". And give me a reason to post a picture of those lovely ladies. Every time I bought a Gansett, they'd give me a wooden nickle for one on them. How can you beat that.



I also recently came across a beer tray with Chief Gansett on it. He was their mascot a long time ago and was created by Dr. Seuss. Yes that Dr. Suess. Horton Drinks a Gansett. He lived in Mass and was a fan back in the day, I assume.



And over at Ralph's last fall, Vincent had a friend do a mural outside on the wall inviting everyone to "Have A Gansett".
So next time you're at Ralph's or any other fine establishment, ask for Narragansett Beer.