Rock City: Boston

By Greg Wind - August 23, 2007 | Email the author

Once upon a time, I thought I might survey a different city’s rock legacy every month or so. Then I put way too much time into the first one (my adopted home of Boston). After that I thought it would be fun to have others write about their home towns, even if it was for their own blogs. An early attempt a winning over a Chicago resident went nowhere, so this is the first and only (so far!) installment of Rock City, one of my archive faves and something for you to read while I’m on vacation. Enjoy, and if you want to link up for a Rock City: (your town) drop me a line.

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I’m not a native Bostonian, and unlike the teen tide that defines entire months around here, I did not roll in one September as a college freshman. I got here late in the game, and my musical tastes, accounting for passing interests in this or that, were fairly well established by the time I became a resident.

That said, even without being a local it isn’t hard to recognize the importance of the bands that were nurtured here or the musicians that became who they are/were because of the influences specific to Boston. Some might argue that regionalism is dead in the face of iTunes, satellite radio, Sound Scan, Clear Channel, Live Nation, etc. I still think club owners, local radio DJs and the local culture at large have a greater effect than any of those. Over-thought indie is still bigger here than anywhere else for example, and I expect it will be that way as long as club crowds in Boston refuse to dance.

So what do we know about the sixth largest market in the US? First, it doesn’t feel that big. I’d have to guess there are fewer live music venues here than cities half as big. Plus, you can walk across town in a couple hours. I’ve done it. So why does a city this small claim so much influence? Partly, it’s geographic. As the northeastern-most metropolis in the US and the leading “not-New York” (sorry, Philly) Boston offers a focal point for a huge population from Northern New York State to most of Connecticut to Maine. It’s also partly historic. Boston’s the leading harbor for that same area, and where ideas have been exchanged for centuries. That’s why the schools are here, the revolution started here and why music is as important as the Red Sox to the city’s sense of worth. Well, maybe the Bruins.

So, what has that netted the rest of America? What bands or artists grew out of the local culture to contribute to the national culture? Lots, and a wide variety. Given the range, it’s impossible to grade on a scale or rank the names. Instead, let’s take the polytheist point of view in assessing the rock gods of Boston, starting withâ€¦

The Pantheon

Aerosmith — Can there be any doubt that Aerosmith is one of the most important rock and roll bands of the last 50 years? I’m not talking about their influence or artistry. I’m talking about the band’s ability to rock. Aerosmith has anthems galore, hits in several decades and a joint effort to Run DMC to its credit. Did the Beatles ever play a Superbowl? OK, so Paul McCartney did, but did he get Britney Spears on stage when she was still someone people wanted to be around? Case rested.

The Cars — I’ve discussed my appreciation for the Cars before. Not every album was audible bliss, but they had two solid artistic peaks and contributed several of post-punk’s most loved tunes. The Cars would be a top five band in a survey of any town, but they are specifically very Bostonian in the dead pan delivery, irony and musical experimentation. Also, listing the Cars here gives me the opportunity to say I ran into Ric Okasek on the street about a year ago. The man looks good.

Dick Dale (born in Boston, moved at 16) — The King of the surf guitar was a product of Boston. His sound was as much a result of his East Coast multi-national upbringing and classical training as the warm SoCal sun and Pacific rhythms. It could be that he would have been far less important as the king of the ski slope guitar, but be that as it may, this Bostonian changed rock and roll forever.

Donna Summer (Born in Boston, moved at 18) — A queen (of Disco) to go with the aforementioned king, Donna Summer changed music with three words. I. Feel. Love. If you can forgive “She Works Hard for the Money” you’ll enjoy songs that survive any era in tact. “Dim All the Lights,” “Heaven Knows,” and “I Feel Love” would be career-driving singles in and of themselves, but she has hits from 1975 to last year (hitting the Billboard Hot 100 as late as 1999). She hit the top ten 13 times. The woman is a star.

The Modern Lovers — The toughest call in arranging chairs at this party was where to put the Modern Lovers. The band broke up years before the first album was released, but no band has made more of its connection to Boston. The independent Lovers went on to be members of Talking Heads and the Cars, an indie record label head and of course, oddball C-level pop star Jonathan Richman. The Sex Pistols covered the big hit, as did any number of acts like Joan Jett and, um, Greg Kihn. I’m going to put them in the upper reaches, but not without acknowledging that there’s an equally valid argument for leaving them on the outside. The Modern Lovers’ influence is relatively stealth but undeniable.

Pixies — The Pixies were THE indie band for a time in the 1980′s. Their uniqueness and odd pop sensibility was unmatched for a period of three or four albums and if you are a music fan, never mind a fan of this thing we call indie, you must own multiple Pixies albums.

New Edition — Say what you want about the band that spawned idiot-by-trade Bobby Brown, but New Edition took one little piece of the Jackson Five legacy and turned it into a whole new art form. The alumni, including Ralph Tresvant, Johnny Gill, Mr. Brown and the rest (collectively known as Bell, Biv, Devoe) all went on to very respectable post-NE careers that proved this was no simple case of manufacturing a couple albums. There was serious talent here.

James Taylor — Indie cred? Uh, no. He started on the least indie indie label ever (the Beatles’ Apple Records’ first ever release) and has been the anti-agit agent since he started recording, though he did say “motherf*cking” in a song that made his greatest hits, or so I’ve heard. But despite being easy to listen to and sing along with, Mr. Taylor had a tough life that included heroin addiction, clinical depression, a motorcycle accident and a public divorce. You can deride the music if you like, but don’t call the man soft. Also, when it comes to musical impact, you could say that a fair number of singer songwriters first got a woman to sleep with them by learning “Fire and Rain.” Maybe more indie heroes than we’d like to admit, too.

Allowed In for Parties, But Not Getting Mail at the Mytikas Summit

Boston — There are some that will say Boston is the best band in the history of rock, but I don’t understand them. There will be those who dismiss the entire catalog and I don’t exactly understand them, either. Boston, aside from (duh) the name, carries some important Boston hall marks, such as the musical experimentation, self awareness and unique but still very accessible sound that along with its popularity more than earn the band a spot on the “just missed” list.

J. Geils Band – A friend of mine from Ireland said that when he was growing up, the J. Giles Band was American music to the Irish. I remembered being offended, though I suppose it’s more than legitimate. The sound is undeniably American. I spent most of my life thinking the band was from Detroit. The rough and tumble rock and roll, fairly, has more in common with motor city acts like the MC5, Bob Seger, even Motown’s sound and there was only one native Bostonian in the line up. But another look shows the Boston influence. The themes of irony and pop sensibility pushed through a quirky sound apply here (when you consider the country was immersed in psychedelia and singer songwriters when J. Giles Band started pumping out its 50′s style ravers). Plus, given Peter Wolf’s physique — which is similar to Ric Okasek’s Steven Tyler’s, Jonathan Richman’s and Bobby Brown’s (but not Frank Black’s) — I’ll give “lanky lead singer” status as optional Boston archetype.

They Might Be Giants — This Boston-by-way-of-Brooklyn band could be moved down just on the basis of the fact that Jon and John never recorded here, but if there is a band that screams Boston, it may be this export. Fans of They Might Be Giants might as well sign up for the Jonathan Richman fan club, and you can thank the duo’s shared upbringing in nearby Lincoln for not only the name of one of the band’s classic albums, but for exposure to an off kilter music legacy. This band doesn’t grow wild anywhere but Boston.

Morphine — This is another story of a band that’s growth that was tragically cut short by death. When Mark Sandman died of a heart attack on stage in Italy, he took a promising band with him, but not before a few glimmering albums that showed great potential, including one that won album of the year honors from SPIN magazine. Today, several notable bands skip the bass (Yeah Yeah Yeahs, Sleater Kinney, Black Keys, and I know I’m forgetting at least one other) but Morphine made the two string upright bass the focal point, and accompanied mostly by sax and percussion alone, spun sounds that turned what might be called gimmick instrumentation into an undeniable force. This band wins more on sheer power than influence or popularity.

New Kids on the Block/Marky Mark — And on the other side of things we have a band that wins on sheer popularity. Putting the New Kids (or NKOTB as they preferred to be called) on the second tier seems like a compromise. My heart isn’t in it, but how far can you drop a band that has so many hits. Who doesn’t know a few New Kid tunes even by accident? I’ll lump Marky Mark (movie star Mark Wahlberg) in with his brother’s band despite the fact they never played together only because he isn’t making it on his own and “Good Vibrations” makes me feel better about this entry as a whole. Another asset is the multi-year highlight SNL parody in which the New Kids try to write their own material and choreograph their own routines. Classic if you can find it.

Not Quite God

Dinosaur Jr. – This was another challenge. You could argue Dinosaur Jr. kept the fire burning for guitar oriented indie when a ton of bands went the keyboard route post-Duran Duran. It’s hard, for example to imagine Pavement getting away with their Fall-influenced sound without Dinosaur Jr. providing the context. But you could also say whatever good the band did fell under the shadow of Minneapolis ur-influences like Husker Du and the Replacements, even Soul Asylum. It was the lack of a real supporting cast that kept Dinosaur Jr. from being more than a good band to discover with a couple nice indie hits.

Belly – Like Dinosaur Jr., Belly is a good band to get to know, but you wouldn’t be outside the circle if you skipped them. I personally love Belly and couldn’t live without the band’s two albums, but it even feels like a side project off of a side project. This former “best new band” Grammy nominee never really went beyond promising.

Billy Squier – This minor guitar hero had his defining moment with “The Stroke” but he had a handful of hits before he sold out to double (or is that single?) entendre. As straight ahead rock and roll was losing the battle with Disco, New Wave and Hair Metal in the early 1980′s Billy Squier was a man of the old guard keeping MTV busy between Journey and Foreigner videos. It didn’t take more than a couple years and a handful of albums for Billy to become a casualty of the rock wars, but a top 100 album as late as 1989 showed the world the man still had fight. No self respecting act these days counts Squier as an influence, but how many know how to play at least one of his songs?

The Lemonheads — Coo Coo Ka Choo. Oh, and some of the ladies thought Evan Dando was a babe. More would be overkill.

Extreme — Another casualty of an indie revolution, Extreme was the momentary flag bearer for an easy to enjoy hair-pop that was caught on the battlefield when Nirvana led the grungies to victory. “More Than Words” might be a minor wedding band classic, but the forgotten hit “Hole Hearted” was far more in keeping with the band’s sound. Still, the power rock ballad never found a more pure form. Another band that no one claims as an influence, though lead guitarist Nuno Bettencourt has been seen palling around with Perry Farrell recently.

Godsmack — Ironic placement for the band so named. The wiccan and friends have found serious market acceptance with their alt.metal sound. The band doesn’t seem done cranking out hit albums and has not ever had to compromise its sound. So why so low? It could be that Godsmack is part of the de-regionalization of music, even if this is exactly the sound the band wants to make. It’s not Godsmack’s fault, but I’m drawing a line here at not quite god.

The Mighty Mighty Bosstones — Ska was a thing for a while. Maybe you noticed. The Bosstones were the connection between The English Beat/Specials/Madness wave that followed the original Jamaican movement and fourth wave ska bands like No Doubt and Sublime. There were a couple hits and a cult following that kept the Bosstones (get it? Bosstones, Boston?) on stage for more than a decade, but this band barely holds a spot above the “also noteworthy” section.

Climbing Olympus

American HiFi — The current project of the drummer from “also noteworthy” Letters to Cleo has struggled to find momentum after firing the opening shot of “Flavor of the Weak” but there’s still time for this band to reach “not quite god” status. More would be pushing it.

Dresden Dolls — Some people love the Dresden Dolls and I expect it will always be so, but I have to think this band has more or less saturated its market of Goth drama majors. Still the star presence of Miss Amanda might be enough to propel the band further if it ever decides to take a mainstream turn.

Dropkick Murphys — It’s been more than ten years that the Murphys have bumped along with minor cult status and one song that gets played at every Red Sox game. Time will tell if they can rise above their current status as the Boston answer to New York’s Black 47.

Killswitch Engage — A perennial opening act with excellent album sales but never the hit that would break them, the band has seen more staff changes than singles, but with a unique sound and professional musicianship, the big hit is just one single away. As mega-metal gets tired of the same names ruling the airwaves, there’s room for a Killswitch Engage (that name, those chops!) at the summit.

Also Noteworthy

JoJo — She’s pretty generic, but she’s from Boston. Every market needs one, I suppose, and she may surprise us one day.

Magnetic Fields — Every market also likely has its indie maverick and while Magnetic Fields has fans around the globe, you will never see this band do better than have an independent movie (I’m thinking something directed by Sofia Coppola) feature tunes in its soundtrack. Points off for its artistic monarch, Stephin Merritt, being a serious New York guy.

Mission of Burma — Local indie faves, they never quite got to the level of popularity enjoyed by bands like Dinosaur Jr., but they did have credibility on a level with Gang of Four, Meat Puppets and the Feelies. Reunited to fill Sonic Youth’s spot for a local date on an REM tour, the band has recently released two albums that are just as good as the classic “That’s When I Reach for My Revolver” era.

Lou Barlow, Sebadoh, Sentridoh, Folk Implosion — The expelled bassist from Dinosaur Jr. found his way to indie hero status as primary creative contributor to Sebadoh, an oft changing band that never got behind a sound to its creative benefit and market detriment. When Sebadoh became too popular (I know, right?) he turned to Sentridoh, a home recording project that offered Lou’s prolific writing a free outlet via tapes and the Internet. Folk Implosion offered the hit “Natural One,” but not as a result of any ambition from this chronic and celebrated successophobe.

Buffalo Tom — Dinosaur Jr. Jr.

Letters to Cleo — A minor light on the indie scene of the 1990′s, never quite getting enough momentum to justify people looking past the cute lead singer who later went on to sing for Josie & the Pussycats. In her other career turn of note, she starred in a stage version of Jesus Christ Superstar opposite Extreme and hated Van Halen singer Gary Cherone.

Blake Babies/Juliana Hatfield — At a certain point you have to stop calling bands noteworthy, and it can get hard pull the Blake Babies/Juliana Hatfield story from the rest of the scene going on here at the time. Despite Juliana’s name being as well known then as, say, Jenny Lewis’s is now, it’s hard to say how much impact she had, solo or with the Babies, in terms of sales or influence. People love her across the country, so Julianna makes the cut, but that’s it! I’m done. Except…

Scruffy the Cat — I can’t be the only one here to remember the 1980′s alt.country precursor Scruffy the Cat. I refuse to believe it. A minor MTV hit, “My Baby, She’s Alright,” and three albums to its name, this band may have done better in the late 1990′s but it’s hard to make a case for this band as an influence on bands like Uncle Tupelo, the Jayhawks and erstwhile Ryan Adams vehicle Whiskeytown. There is a fervent Internet-based following, but as of yet, it’s still very hard to find this band’s material on CD. Call me if you find it.

The AntiHero

Doug Yule (Born in Boston, moved at 21 to become a member of the Velvet Underground) — The guy that (not really) broke up the Velvet Underground. Yes, he lacked obvious talent. Yes, he tried to carry the band’s name with him for one more album after everyone else left the group. Yes, he replaced John Cale. Yes, Lou Reed said that he didn’t get the lyrics to “New Age,” which Lou let him sing. Yes, he took top billing on Loaded after Lou quit. But if it wasn’t for him providing an agreeable face, calming demeanor and winning personality to keep Mo Tucker, Mr. Reed and Sterling Morrison together, we might not have the eponymous album, Loaded, the tracks from VU, Another VU or either 1969 Live. It could be argued that without these albums and the touring the band did during this period, the Velvets would have been forgotten as a flash in the pan novelty. Of course, we wouldn’t have Live at Max’s Kansas City either, but is that any reason for him to be excluded from the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame, any reunions or a significant post-Velvets career? Seems harsh, no? The guy sang “Candy Says,” for cripes sake. And oh yeah, he was from Boston.