Welcome to the 2nd page of the Charlie Farren - Mach Bell Radio Interview!
Below is a transcript of the Tuesday, September 21st, 1999 edition of "That's Life with Mark Snyder", the radio & internet entertainment show, which airs live on WMSX 1410 A.M. in Boston, Massachusetts. Both Charlie Farren and Cowboy Mach Bell were featured guests! Check it out!.
Mark Synder:
We will have Mach Bell joining us right now from The Joe Perry Project. I wanna actually hear some of his music as we go in. We’ll actually listen to a little bit of his music and we’ll come back and talk to him, just wait a minute.
They now play the song “Dr. Doctor” off of the 4-song sampler album from www.lastman.net
Mark Synder: And, that of course, “Last Man Standing”, a brand new band from Mach Bell who’s with us right now live and in person on the entertainment line. Hi Mach! Cowboy Mach Bell:
Mark? Mark Synder: How are ya? Cowboy Mach Bell:
I’m doing great. How’s it going over there? Mark Synder: It’s a Mark to Mark conversation here. Cowboy Mach Bell:
Ha ha. Mark Synder: What do you think of the new CD? You happy? Cowboy Mach Bell:
Which one? The Joe Perry one that came out this week? Mark Synder: No, the “Last Man Standing” CD. Cowboy Mach Bell:
Oh, “Last Man Standing.” Mark Synder: Yeah. Cowboy Mach Bell:
Well, what we were just listening to there, I’m real happy with how it’s coming up.
But, we still are working on the actual first CD for the new band. That’s just an advanced song off of it. Yeah, it’s coming along great. And, it’s good to be rocking again, I’ll tell ya. Mark Synder: I guess you were talking about the CD “Once A Rocker, Always A Rocker”? Cowboy Mach Bell:
Well, “Once A Rocker, Always A Rocker” was the album I did with Joe Perry years
ago. Mark Synder: Right. Cowboy Mach Bell:
But, just this last week, “The Best Of The Joe Perry Project” was released which is
kind of an anthology of the five years of the Joe Perry Project. There were a couple of albums before I came on board. So, you get a little bit of each of the three different singer’s. And, different players that played and toured with Joe during those “in-between Aerosmith years” when Joe was doing his solo project. And, that just came out, actually on an Australian label this last week. And, it just came out, like
out on Amazon.com and CDnow and all those internet record stores are selling it and I guess the regular record stores are selling it as well. Mark Synder: Wow. Tell us a little bit about the new group that you put together. Cowboy Mach Bell:
The new group’s great. It’s based around a hot new guitarist that I found named
Dave Zola. A local Massachusetts guy who is our producer, writer, and guitarist. And, I joined up with him to write the vocals and sing the vocals. And then we’ve got a drummer and a bass player. It’s kind of a stripped down, small rock ‘n roll powerhouse. Kind of the same kind of band I’ve always worked
with. Either with Joe Perry, or earlier, people might remember Thundertrain. Back in the Boston club scene, back in the seventies. It’s raw, it’s a lot of fun. If anybody wants to check out www.lastman.net you can stop in and see what we’re up to and keep up with the “Last Man Standing” progress. Mark Synder: Lastman.net, that’s easy to get to, cool! That’s great. You know, it’s interesting you mentioned the Boston connection, finding a nice guitarist in Boston. If you look back, from J. Geils to Aerosmith to Boston itself, the group. There are so many acts from Boston, it seems like it’s been a Mecca for some great music. Cowboy Mach Bell:
Well, it sure has, you know. I think, of course, being a college town you got a lot of
kids looking for some rock ‘n roll so you’ve always got a good concert scene. You’ve always got the clubs. You’ve got the great “Berkley School of Music” bringing in the musicians. I think musicians sometimes feel lost when they go to a huge center like New York or Los Angeles to try to break out. So,
a lot of gypsy musicians put down roots here in Boston as well. It’s a good place to get written about, to get heard. And, then try and make that jump to a more international success. Mark Synder: Yeah, to all the people who are listening to the show on the internet. . .HA! You not in Boston! You know, especially you folks in other places in the country. Like Indiana or Michigan. Forget it, forget it! You got to move to Boston if you really wanna make it in the biz like Mach Bell. You know, I noticed you changed the spelling of your name. You used to spell your name, I think, the same as mine. Cowboy Mach Bell:
Right. Mark Synder: And changed it to make it different. Cowboy Mach Bell:
Yeah, I’m spelled like Speed Racer’s car Mach, M-A-C-H. Mark Synder: Yeah, that’s cool, I like that. Cowboy Mach Bell:
You know, I didn’t even really have to change it. It was kind of, I mean legally I
probably would have anyway because, I don’t know if you remember the punk band The Ramones out of New York. But, they had a drummer Marky Ramone who’s name was Mark Bell. Sometimes the union doesn’t want to have more that one guy using the same name. The reason I really became Mach though was different DJ’s and writers started just calling me Mach because that’s the way we “tach” [talk] in Boston. And, I like the way it sounded and I just kinda became Mach. And, it’s nice. I’m teaching
school. I just got away from my cooking class. I’m between a cooking class and a music class out here in Framingham, Sudbury Valley School. And it’s nice because here the kids call me Mark. And when people say “Hey Mach!”, I know it’s not one of my students, it’s one of my rock ‘n roll fans. Mark Synder: So your teaching cooking? Cowboy Mach Bell:
Yeah, I’m very into the culinary. Mark Synder: Really. Cowboy Mach Bell:
You know a lot of great cooks are musicians. You know, Steven Tyler and Joe Perry own a restaurant [“Mount Blue”] here in [Norwell] Massachusetts. Mark Synder: And, Julia Child, a great bass player. She’s hot! Cowboy Mach Bell:
Ha ha, she’s very good. I always found that musicians in their spare time like to
cook. And, I kinda followed that road myself. After the Joe Perry Project, I actually landed in Beverly Hills at “The Beverly Hills Hotel” working in the “Polo Lounge” as a chef for two years [1987-1989]. And I also worked here in Boston at The Boston Harbor Hotel right out at the water front for six years as a chef. Mark Synder: Wow. Cowboy Mach Bell:
So, I’ve done more things in my life than just be a rock singer. But, it always comes
back to the rock 'n rock. Mark Synder: Why don’t you do a rock ‘n roll cook book? Cowboy Mach Bell:
Hey, that’s not a bad idea. Mark Synder: No, I’m serious. Cowboy Mach Bell:
I hadn’t thought of it. Mark Synder: I think that would be a good idea. You get all your friends like [Steven] Tyler and all those guys. And, come up with some really cool recipes and market them, you know? Why not? Cowboy Mach Bell:
It sounds real good. We could put up a web site. Mark Synder: It could be for a charity too. Cowboy Mach Bell:
Sure. Mark Synder: It could be for “The Mark Synder Foundation”, to aid radio talk show hosts. Cowboy Mach Bell:
Hey, I’m jotting it down as you say it here. It’s a great idea. Mark Synder: I think it’s a good idea too. Lastman.net is where you are right? Cowboy Mach Bell:
That’s right. Mark Synder: And thank you so much for coming on Mark, it’s been a pleasure speaking to you and listening to your music with Joe and everybody else, and your new stuff. Cowboy Mach Bell:
Alright Mark, thanks a lot. I hope everybody checks it out. Mark Synder: Take care. Cowboy Mach Bell:
Alright, bye-bye. Mark Synder: Bye-bye, that’s Mark Bell, and it’s time now for another break. When we come back we’ll have more music from Lisa Jason.
They now play the song “Turnaround” off of the 4-song sampler album from www.lastman.net
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