WBCN Rock 'n' Roll Rumble - New England Music Scrapbook

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Please visit the NEMS newsletter for the latest information
on the 2005 WBCN Rock 'n Roll Rumble, which just ended.

The WBCN Rock 'n' Roll Rumble - or "Rumble at the Rat"

as it was often called in its first two years when it was co-sponsored by WBCN-FM and the Kenmore Square club, the Rat (Rathskeller) - has roots in the battles of the bands that were common in the 1960s, a time when Boston had many hopeful groups that were energized by the influence of the Hallucinations, the Lost, and Barry and the Remains. The Rumble, though, must have drawn its main inspiration from much more recent events. On Saturday, March 20, 1976, at the Club in Cambridge, Willie Alexander and the Boom Boom Band (WA, Severin Grossman, Billy Loosigian, David McLean) won a Bicentennial Tournament of the Bands.¹ La Peste (Mark Andreasson, Peter Dayton, Roger Tripp) won another contest in 1978, the First Annual Spring Rock 'n' Roll Festival. That event, cosponsored by the Inn Square Men's Bar (Ladies Invited) and WBCN (with an assist from the Boston Phoenix), was so Rumble-like that Joe Harvard seems thoroughly justified in calling it "Rumble Number Zero."

By the mid-1970s, the Boston area's underground rock scene was well on its way toward being reborn. The original Modern Lovers and the Sidewinders may be thought of as forerunners of this new rock community. In addition to Willie Alexander² and the Boom Boom Band, some of the early groups were DMZ, the Infliktors, Mickey Clean and the Mezz, and the Real Kids.

Steve Morse of the Boston Globe called 1979's debut competition "nine nights of exhilarating grass-roots rock."³ The Rat has since closed, the competition's venue has changed several times, and the Rumble has had its ups and downs. But it has shown renewed vitality in recent years.

Probably the Festival of New York's Top 40 Unrecorded Rock and Roll Bands at CBGB's in 1975, which included the Ramones and the Talking Heads, should be viewed as an even earlier influence on the chain of events that led up to the present-day Rumble.
Willie Alexander was, himself, a forerunner of the mid-'70s Boston rock scene, having been a member of two earlier excellent bands, the Lost and the Bagatelle.
A case could be made for 1978 being the contest's first year, particularly in light of WBCN already being a co-sponsor that year. But in 1979, the competition was given the name Rumble and the event's profile shot up to far greater heights, where it has remained, more or less, ever since.

While the idea that two dozen great new bands would crawl out of the beer-stained woodwork every year seems to defy the law of reasonable expectations, an interesting batch always seems to rise to the top by finals night.

Joan Anderman, Boston Globe, May 26, 2001

The WBCN Rock and Roll Rumble has proven to be a fascinating event. A number of very fine bands--mostly alternative rockers--have prevailed in this competition. Yet what we find most interesting is the complete list of contestants which, year after year, includes some strikingly talented unsigned groups. These outfits get to play for large audiences, which at times include record-industry execs. Win or lose, putting on a good show at the Rumble has furthered the cause of many promising, often new acts. It's a great showcase. So, let's celebrate the winners and finalists, along with their many gifted competitors.

WBCN Rock 'n' Rumble

2004: Jake Brennan and the Confidence Men

The 2004 WBCN Rock 'n' Roll Rumble contestants are set to include Black Helicopter, Jake Brennan and the Confidence Men, Charms, Dents, Every Forty Seconds, Fooled by April, Ad Frank and the Fast Easy Women, Iluminada, The Information, Jabe, Meat Depressed, Model Sons, Orange Island, Paranoid Social Club, Raymond, Redletter, Brett Rosenberg, Roxie, Seemless, So and So's, Spaceshots, Stoic, Sugabomb, Throe.
Jake Brennan and the Confidence Men, the Dents, and the Brett Rosenberg Problem (wildcard) advanced to the finals.

[T]he winner of the 26th WBCN Rock 'n' Roll Rumble is . . . Jake Brennan and the Confidence Men, who hit the gas in their souped-up R&B/rock roadster and rode it hard and fast to the finish.

Rebecca Ostriker, Boston Globe, May 22, 2004

2003: Dresden Dolls

The 2003 WBCN Rock 'n' Roll Rumble contestants were Absolve, Apollo Sunshine, Baby Strange, Blackstone Valley Crew, Boxingwater, Donnybrook, Downbeat 5, Dresden Dolls, Elcodrive, Favorite Atomic Hero, Godboxer, Good North, Halogens, Blake Hazard, Heavy Stud, Kimone, Kingsize, Labb, Placer, Read Yellow, Reverse, Rocktopus, Suspect Device, Three Day Threshold.
Apollo Sunshine (wildcard), Baby Strange, and the Dresden Dolls advanced to the finals.

Her voice [Amanda Palmer's] was a riveting presence and provided a darkly dramatic match for the material, which was by turns sad, sardonic, and laced with self-lacerating wit. The Dolls created a rich burlesque atmosphere full of crescendos, portent, and drama; that they succeeded in achieving and sustaining this mood without resorting to self-absorbed melodrama was no small feat.

Jonathan Perry, Boston Globe, May 24, 2003

2002: Gentlemen

The 2002 WBCN Rock 'n' Roll Rumble contestants were All the Queen's Men, Auto Interiors, Averi, Calendar Girl, Chauncey, Crash and Burn, Damn Personals, Gentlemen, Give, Hazie Maze, House of the Almighty, Jaded Salingers, Lost City Angels, Loveless, Major Major, Mappari, Milligram, Mishima USA, Mr. Airplane Man, Munk, Quitter, Spookie Daly Pride, Throne, Meghan Toohey Band.
The Gentlemen, Mr. Airplane Man (wildcard), and Quitter advanced to the finals.

THE GENTLEMEN DROPPED THEIR MANNERS and simply chewed up the competition at this year's finals of the WBCN Rock 'n' Roll Rumble.

Steve Morse, Boston Globe, May 25, 2002

The Gentlemen played a perfectly paced set. They peaked at just the right time--and still left you wanting more.

WBCN's Oedipus, Boston Globe, May 25, 2002

2001: Bleu

The 2001 WBCN Rock 'n' Roll Rumble contestants were AM Stereo, Banjo Spiders, Bleu, Decals, Diecast, Euonym, Flynn, Francine, Freezepop, Gage, Garrison, High Ceilings, In Out, Jericho, Johnny Wishbone, Junction 18, Kings of Nuthin', Kitty Kill, Lamont, Pennywheel, Reach the Sky, Say Hi to Lisa, Slater, and Vigilantes.
Bleu, Cracktorch, and the Kings of Nuthin' (wildcard) advanced to the finals.

BUZZ HAS SURROUNDED BLEU since he burst onto the scene just over a year ago, and in terms of commercial potential the 24-year-old's win was a no-brainer. His songs - story-filled frappes of classic rock, pop hooks, and a weirdly lo-fi take on epic anthemics - reconcile brawn with brains, muscle with melody in vintage Boston indie-rock fashion.

Joan Anderman, Boston Globe, May 26, 2001

2000: Darkbuster

The 2000 WBCN Rock 'n' Roll Rumble contestants were Big Bad Bollocks, Caged Heat, Colepitz, Darkbuster, Dragstrip Courage, Dubnicks, Every Second, Fly Seville, Godboy, Helicopter Helicopter, Long Distance Runner, Missing Joe, Mission, NOK, Psychotic Larry, Random Road Mother, Rock City Crimewave, Rocket Science, Scarlet Haven, 7th Rail Crew, There, Waltham, Wide Iris, and World Is My Fuse.
Darkbuster, Rocketscience (wildcard), and Waltham advanced to the finals.

WILD FINALE ASIDE, DARKBUSTER certainly owned the room with its ramshackle energy, unleashing peppy punk tunes filled with references to alcohol and the local scene (highlighted by the chorus-driven "Hometown Zero"), and spiced at times by a horn section. Its mostly male following was frothing from the start, throwing beer at the South Shore band, and widening a mosh pit.

Paul Robicheau, Boston Globe, May 27, 2000

"Wild finale" refers to a closing-song incident in which frisky Matthew Lashley dove from the stage into the crowd and landed on his head.

1999: The Sheila Divine

The 1999 WBCN Rock and Roll Rumble contestants included Baby Ray, Big Lick, Brass Monkeys, Canine, Cave-In, Cheerleadr, Control Group, Drexel, Fastbreak, Halfcocked, Gangsta Bitch Barbie, Honeyglazed, Jumprope, Kicked in the Head, Lunar Plexus, Ms. Pigeon, Quick Fix, Raging Teens, Red Eye 9, Senor Happy, Seventeen, Sheila Divine, Shods, Superhoney.

Halfcocked (wildcard), the Sheila Divine, and the Shods advanced to the finals.

The Sheila Divine are more animated tonight than in their previous Rumble outings. These clean-cut, European-looking nerds savor the slow burner. Each melodic song starts out simply, building to Aaron Perrino's raspy, emotive screams. "The Modern Log," "Hum," and "Like a Criminal" have all sunk their way into my heart. This set, their strongest yet, bleeds of stardom.

T Max, The Noise's "The WBCN Rock 'n' Roll Rumble 1999"

1998: Ghost of Tony Gold

The 1998 WBCN Rock and Roll Rumble contestants included American Measles, Betty Goo, Betwixt, Big D and the Kids' Table, Big Wig, Ducky Boys, Full Powered Halo, Ghost of Tony Gold, Inhale Mary, January, Lockgroove, Max, Mindflow, My Favorite Relative, Piebald, Pistola, Racketeers, Sameasyou, Shyness Clinic, Star Ghost Dog, Tugboat Annie, Ultrabreakfast, Vic Firecracker, and Wicked Farleys.
The Ghost of Tony Gold and the Vic Firecracker Trio advanced to the finals.

1997: Amazing Royal Crowns

The 1997 WBCN Rock and Roll Rumble contestants included Amazing Royal Crowns (since renamed the Amazing Crowns), Boy Wonder, Bright, Cast Iron Mike, Cherry 2000, Chevy Heston, Count Zero, Delta Clutch, Eight Ball Shifter, Five Seconds Expired, Laurie Geltman Band, Lincolnville, Mudhens, One of Us, Pills, Rosemary Caine, Scissorfight, Ramona Silver, Red Time, Splashdown, Standing on Earth, Sterlings, 3 1/2 Girls, and Verago-go.
The Amazing Royal Crowns and Ramona Silver advanced to the finals.

1996: Trona

The 1996 WBCN Rock and Roll Rumble contestants included Bald Guys, Bison, Blauzur, Chelsea on Fire (known today as chelseaonfire), Deliriants, Gravel Pit, Honkyball, Jabbering Trout, Jack Frosting (one of our favorite band names), Jocobono, Pie, Plank, Quintaine Americana, Red Telephone, Roadsaw, Skavoovie and the Epitones, St. Chimaera, Thought Junkie, Trona, Turkish Delight, Ukla, Underball, V-Card, Jules Verdone.
Quintaine Americana and Trona advanced to the finals.

1995: Doc Hopper

The 1995 WBCN Rock and Roll Rumble contestants included Angry Salad, Crawl, Curious Ritual, Curtain Society, Doc Hopper, Elevator Drops, Expanding Man, Fly Spinach Fly, Groovasaurus, Little John, Mistle Thrush, Nana, Otis, Planet Be, Planet Jumper, Pooka Stew, Quivvver, Rippopotamus, sirensong, Slide, Still Home, Syrup, Vehicle Birth, Waiting Cates.
Doc Hopper and Pooka Stew advanced to the finals.

1994: Dirt Merchants

The 1994 WBCN Rock and Roll Rumble contestants included Blair's Carriage, Cold Water Flat, Courage Brothers, Dirt Merchants, Gingerbutkis, Groove Butcher, Hartwell, Headcleaner, Kudgel, Machinery Hall, Merang, Mung, Opium Den, Pods, Scotch, Sextiles, 6L6, Slughog, Smackmelon, Squid, Stickmen, Tacklebox, Thumper, Jennifer Trynin Band.
The Dirt Merchants and 6L6 advanced to the finals.

1993: Cobalt 60

The 1993 WBCN Rock and Roll Rumble contestants included Augusta Furnace, Brave New World, Chloe, Chuck, Cobalt 60, Dante's Grin, DDT, Dreams Made Flesh, Facts About Rats, Fleshflower, Flying Nuns, Grind, Jigsaws, Laurels, Malachite, Mercy Beat, Mr. Stone's Country, Pipes, Restless Souls, Sextons, Tree, Sidewalk Gallery, Thinner, Twisted Roots.
Cobalt 60 and Malachite advanced to the finals.

1992: Big Catholic Guilt

The 1992 WBCN Rock and Roll Rumble contestants included Barnies, Big Catholic Guilt, Braindance, Burnbox, Concussion Ensemble, Crazy Alice, Fighting Cocks, Hotbox, Letters to Cleo, Morphine, Orangutang, Paper Squares, Parade, Powerman 5000, Sam Black Church, Sexploitation, Stomp Box, Subterraneans, Swinging Steaks, Trojan Ponies, Uninvited, Vision Thing, Wadi Trip, Zouts.
Big Catholic Guilt and the Concussion Ensemble advanced to the finals.

1991: Seka (later known as Strip Mind)

The 1991 WBCN Rock and Roll Rumble contestants included Bulkhead, Cliffs of Dooneen, Dambuilders, Derangers, Divinity School, Eletrichka, Fertile Virgin, Grand Theft Auto, Hellcats from Outer Space, Jon Finn Group, Laughing Academy, Lazy Susan, Left Nut, Maelstrom, Miles Dethmuffen, Mindgrinder, Nisi Period, Pact, J. Rubin and Bohemian Love Fest, Seka, Still Life, Storm Window, Uncle Betty, Wrecking Crew.
Seka and Uncle Betty advanced to the finals.

1990: Slaughter Shack

The 1990 WBCN Rock and Roll Rumble contestants included Border Patrol, Daisy Chain, Delusions of Grandeur, Drumming on Glass, El Caminos, Ex-Girlfriends, Gigolo Aunts, Gingerbread Men, Green Magnet School, Hollow Heyday, Immortals, Joe, Miranda Warning, Nor'easters, Scatterfield, Slaughter Shack, Talking to Animals, Voodoo Dolls, Vow of Silence, We Saw the Wolf, Who Be Dat?, Whoville, Miss Xanna Don't, Zug Zug.
Slaughter Shack and Talking to Animals advanced to the finals.

1989: Bags

The 1989 WBCN Rock and Roll Rumble contestants included Anastasia Screamed, Bags, Big Barn Burning, Big Train, Blake Babies, Blood Oranges, Busted Statues, Circle Sky, Common Ailments of Maturity, Happy Campers, Hell Toupee, Kenne Highland, Hullabaloo, Idle Hands, Joneses, Kid Crash, Garr Lange and the Big Rig, Pieces, Premiers, A Scanner Darkly, Slapshot, Two Saints, Ultra Blue, Well Babies.
The Bags and Ultra Blue advanced to the finals.

1988: Heretix

The 1988 WBCN Rock and Roll Rumble contestants included Bim Skala Bim, Bullet LaVolta, Citizenz, Class Action, Dharma Bums, Dixie Cinema, Dogzilla, Forever 19, Great Divide, Heretix, Incredible Casuals, Lemonheads, Matweeds, Neutral Nation, 1-4-5, One Life, Pat on the Back, Plate o' Shrimp, Raindogs, Runaway Dan, Slaves, Think Tree, Titanics, Tribe.
The Heretix and Tribe advanced to the finals.

1987: Childhood

The 1987 WBCN Rock and Roll Rumble contestants included Ammo, Big Dipper, Catalinas, Cave Dogs, Childhood, Dr. Black's Combo, Gotham City, Al Halliday and the Hurricanes, Tom Keegan and the Language, Moose and the Mudbugs, Moving Targets, Nova Mob, Powerglide, Rain, Rapture of the Deep, Shake the Faith, Struggle, T.H. and the Wreckage (Tom Hambridge and company), Taint, Tears, Treat Her Right, Unattached, Vasco da Gama, Wickermen.
Childhood and the Rain advanced to the finals.

1986: Gang Green

The 1986 WBCN Rock and Roll Rumble contestants included Bang, Beat Surrender, Blockyard, Body English, Bristols, Buddy System, Capture the Flag, Children of Paradise, Condo Pygmies, Cut 299, Eighth Route Army, Expose, Five, Gang Green, Hearts on Fire, Loose Ties, Not, Oysters, Pulse 8, Semper Fi, True Blue, Visigoths, Volcano Suns, World at Play.
Gang Green and Hearts on Fire advanced to the finals.

1985: Down Avenue

The 1985 WBCN Rock and Roll Rumble contestants included Adventure Set, Ata-Tat, Bamboo Gang, Band 19, Blaros, Chain Link Fence, Dogmatics, Down Avenue, Dumptruck, Fingerpaint, FUs, Holy Cow, Last Stand, Life on Earth, Lowgistics, MX, New Man, O Positive, Rash of Stabbings, Scruffy the Cat, Sons of Sappho, Souls, Underachievers, Vandykes.
Adventure Set and Down Avenue advanced to the finals.

1984: Schemers

The 1984 WBCN Rock and Roll Rumble contestants included Athens, Axminster, Ball and Pivot, Blackjacks, Breakfast in Bed, Drive, Dub 7 (formerly 007), Gluons, Going Graffitti (formerly Arthur Slick and the Nice Girls), Judy's Tiny Head, Pink Cadillac, Push Push, Red, Reflectors, Rods and Cones, Ron Scarlett, Schemers, Skin, SSD, Those Upstarts,¹ Three Hands, Turbines, 2,000,000 B.C., Wild Kingdom.
Dub 7 and the Schemers advanced to the finals.

1. Boston Rock listed Ted Richards Band, formerly Upstarts.

1983: 'til tuesday

The 1983 WBCN Rock and Roll Rumble contestants included Mickey Bliss, Catch, Christmas, Colors, Del Fuegos, Digney Fignus, Drezniak, Jeff and Jane Hudson, Jerry's Kids, Lifters, Lizzie Borden and the Axes, MIAs, Nebulas, New Romance, Phantoms, Prime Movers, Psycho, Radio Novena, Salem 66, Sex Execs, Smegma and the Nunz, Stickball, 'til tuesday, Mike Viola Alliance.
The Sex Execs and 'til tuesday advanced to the finals.

1982: Limbo Race

The 1982 WBCN Rock and Roll Rumble contestants included Angry Young Bees, Dangerous Birds, Dream, Enemy (featuring Charlie Farren), Fire Dept., Foreign Legion, Hi-Beams, Jackals, Johnny A's Hidden Secret, Last Sacrifice, Limbo Race, Chris Martin Group, Mighty Ions, Native Tongue, New Career featuring Audrey Clark, Primary Colors, Primitive Romance, Proletariat, Puppet Rulers, Red Line, Gary Shane and the Detour, 21-645, Wild Stares, Zodio Doze.
The Hi-Beams and Limbo Race advanced to the finals.

1981: Someone and the Somebodies

The 1981 WBCN Rock and Roll Rumble contestants included Art Yard, Balloon, Creamers, Dark, Death in the Shopping Malls, Extremes, Face to Face, Freeze, Future Dads, Junkmail, Tennie Komar and the Silencers, Lines, Modes, Neats, Outlets, Planet Street, Runes, Satellites, Someone and the Somebodies, Stains, Suade Cowboys, Swinger's Resort, V, Young Snakes.
The Dark and Someone and the Somebodies advanced to the finals.

1980: Pastiche

The 1980 WBCN Rock and Roll Rumble contestants included American Teen, Boys Life, Darling, Peter Dayton Band, Eggs, France, Ground Zero, Harlequin, Hot Dates, Hot Tips, Loners, Make, Mirrors, MPC and the Instigators, Names, Nationals, Pastiche, Peytons, Remakes, Shades, Slow Children, Sonics, Third Rail, Trademarks.
France and Pastiche advanced to the finals.

1979: The Neighborhoods

The 1979 WBCN Rock and Roll Rumble contestants included Arion Deuce (or Arion Duce), Charge, Classic Ruins, Dawgs, Harlequin, Hits, Jets, Kid Morocco, La Peste, Lazers (or Lasers), Lyres, Maps, Meltdown, Mission of Burma, the Neighborhoods, Phobia, Reckless, Rings, Streets, Marc Thor, Thrills (later, City Thrills), Unnatural Axe, Vinny Band, Zoo Types.¹
La Peste and the Neighborhoods advanced to the finals.
Since this was the first in the series of WBCN-sponsored Rumbles--the Rumble as we now know it--it is worth noting here the membership of the winning group, the Neighborhoods: John Hartcorn, David Minehan, and Michael Quaglia. The 'Hoods was a very special band.
1. Thanks to T Max for kindly supplying most of the names of the 1979 WBCN Rock 'n' Roll Rumble bands, as well as for critiquing this page as a whole.

1978: La Peste

The 1978 First Annual Spring Rock 'n' Roll Festival contestants included Baby's Arm, La Peste, Lazers, Mechanics, Stompers, Marc Thor, Thrills (later, City Thrills), Unnatural Axe.¹
La Peste and the Mechanics advanced to the finals.
1. We have been told by people who were on the scene that the Neighborhoods and Richard Nolan's Third Rail competed in this 1978 battle of the bands. If that is so, then our list of contestants above would be incomplete. Since Third Rail competed in 1976 and the Neighborhoods appeared in and won the 1979 contest, we think these recollections may be close but not quite accurate.

Our favorite Boston rock and roll Web site is Joe Harvard's Boston Rock Storybook. For the Storybook's essential account of the 1978 competition (which J. H. calls Rumble Number Zero), please visit www.rockinboston.com/rumble1.htm . (Keep in mind, though, that you'll be leaving our site when you so.) Joe Harvard's page on the 1978 contest is actually the only one we've ever seen, making it of even greater value.

1976: Willie Alexander/Boom Boom Band

The nine contestants in the 1976 Tournament of the Bands at the Club in Cambridge were Willie Alexander and the Boom Boom Band, Back Alley Band, Boize, Fox Pass, High Heels, Infliktors, Marshalls, Pep's Energy, Third Rail.

IN MARCH 1976, THE CLUB IN CAMBRIDGE staged a four-night Battle of the Bands which provided the then-nascent punk scene with its first real spotlight.

-- James Isaacs, Boston Phoenix, April 25, 1978

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Young Snakes
1981 WBCN Rock and Roll Rumble

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