Ballbusters, Live From Wormtown

  The Ballbusters, without Rick Blaze, stopped by wdoa.com back in 2001 to promote their new disc, "Peoples Republic of Rock and Roll".
Jeff Crane, Cathy (Peters) Lillyman, and Dave Cuneo represent. They all had been veterans of the local scene since before the inception of Wormtown . Jeff with The Commandos, Cathy of The Blue Moon Band and Dave an accomplished solo artist with many recordings of his own, along with Jimmy Buscarino on drums, also was not present for this interview. Rick was born in Worcester, moved to NYC to fulfill his Rock n Roll dreams and had an extensive career between the two cities befriending people like Walter Lure and his hero Johnny Thunders. Sadly Rick passed away in 2011, and Dave Cuneo also passed not long after that in 2013. Recently the surviving members staged a reunion at Ralph's Diner, and here's hoping there is more to come from that.

  Ballbusters, Live from Wormtown

The Dummies, Live From Wormtown

  This time we visit with The Dummies who stopped by wdoa.com circa 2003. Formed in the early 2000's we have Dirty Walter, (Walt Lab) on vocals /guitar, Johnny O...Bass, Ian Hickey, on drums, Dan Hickey on Guitar. Influenced by The Ramones and The Queers, they played true straight ahead Punk Rock. Shortly after gaining attention, they changed their name to The Brainless Wonders when they discovered another group called The Dummies, and didn't want any legal hassles. An all time favorite in the city, they played along side all the Wormtown Bands gaining a loyal following. They released two CD's as BW via Average Day Productions that are long since out of print. As was the case back then, they disbanded and left the fans wanting more. Walter went on to form The Flicks, played along side Joe Queer for a while, returned to the scene as a member of After the Blackout and now currently playing with Dirty Walter and the Smelltones who perform punk rock cover versions of classic 50's & 60's hits.


The Dummies, Live From Wormtown 

 photos from Jeff Worm


MORE from The Brainless Wonders! 

 Dirty Walter and the Smelltones

Joe Strummer, Live From Wormtown

  Well, what can I say about this? The most famous person I've interviewed of my career. The one and only Leader of The Clash. I had been in touch with his US record company during the week of October 2001 leading up to his show with The Mescaleros at The Palladium to no avail. I decided to bring my micro cassette recorder along just in case. The show was fantastic and it looked like I wouldn't get the chance to talk with him afterwards. Then I ran into Scott McLennan, who was there covering the show for The Telegram and Gazette. I told him of my plight and he handed over his backstage pass and I was off to the dressing room. I was told to wait a few minutes while Joe relaxed after the set. I could smell the district aroma of Marijuana drifting out from behind the curtain and then was invited in to talk.  The interview only lasts about six minutes and as you'll hear, the room became filled with band members, roadies and others and quickly turned into an after show party. We had a few drinks, a few smokes, and then made our way out into the night. All in all an experience I'll never forget.


Joe Strummer, Live From Wormtown
 

photos by Skip West

SBGB Live from Wormtown

  This time around at WDOA.com we were visited by Wormtown Punk Legends, SBGB, recorded sometime around 2003. They consisted of  Gerry Cardinal, guitar, Jim Hilton, guitar, Jay (John) Barney, Drums and Keith Hast, bass, and lead singer Andy Farrel, who was not present for this interview. Formed by Gerry and Andy around 1996, they had members come and go and at this point had released their debut CD "Ate Your Pizza" on Average Day Productions label. A popular band with the locals, their show's were known for frenetic pace, fast songs, and getting the crowd worked up into a pit of swirling bodies that would grow in intensity as each song progressed.  They played all the regular clubs in Worcester that allowed this type of music, and played a show at the infamous Station Nightclub in Rhode Island shortly before the fire tragedy that hit there. They went on to produce a two disc set entitled "Everything, Anything and Nothing..." that was never issued commercially, but if you're lucky enough, you could get copies from the band members. To this day the mystery of what "SBGB"stands for is still alive. Look them up on their Soundcloud page for more music.


SBGB, Live From Wormtown
 

 photos above: Carrie Jo

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