There may be a distinct shortage of teams that can sufficiently challenge any of Beantown's sports organizations of late.
As evidenced by the recently released nominations for the Boston Music Awards (BMAs), however, such complete dominance in athletics does not necessarily carry over into all things audio. In fact, several of our own Valley groups—including Westfield's Killswitch Engage, who lead all other acts with seven nominations—will test Boston's top metal-meisters in the Act of the Year, Album of the Year (Major), Song of the Year, and—of course—Outstanding Metal/Hardcore Band categories, among others this year.
"It's great to see our guys get recognized like this," says Scott "Ogre" Lee, a local promoter who has worked with Killswitch and fellow nominees Shadows Fall (Act of the Year, Album of the Year, Outstanding Metal/Hardcore Band of the Year) and All That Remains (Outstanding Metal/Hardcore Band of the Year). "In my opinion, they should all get Grammies, they've worked so hard for so long."
To help your favorite Western Massachusetts heavy band—or other nominees like The Winterpills (Best Pop) and Dinosaur Jr. (Act of the Year)— best the competition this year, log on to www.bostonmusicaward07.com and vote. The online ballot will remain open until midnight November 16, with the public's input accounting for one third and the Academy's choices the remaining two-thirds of the total tally.
Migrating from metal to movies with the greatest of unease, the Northampton Independent Film Festival (NIFF) is of course also in full swing again this weekend. While your friendly neighborhood Nightcrawler isn't about to project his audio expertise onto the silver screen circuit any time soon, he will note that on Saturday, Nov. 10, NIFF will feature the riffs and Hall of Fame harmonica stylings of the Lovin' Spoonful's John Sebastian starting at 7:30 p.m. at the Academy of Music. For more info on the fest in general or this separate, ticketed concert event in particular, visit www.niff.org.
In other news, Ky-Mani Marley—son of reggae's most recognizable face, Bob—has been mounting a multi-media assault of his own lately. In September of this year, he dropped his fourth studio effort, Radio, on the Vox Music Group Label, then headed out to promote said product by landing a highly-coveted opening slot on the Van Halen reunion tour. Late last month his new reality series, Livin' the Life of Marley, premiered on BET.
Now somehow in between it all, the 11th offspring of reggae's royal family (busy Bob would eventually claim a total of 13 children before passing) has managed to squeeze in a Nov. 11 Noho visit to the Pearl Street Ballroom (www.iheg.com). Better yet, local reggae/hip-hop hybrid heroes The Alchemystics have been tapped to open the evening's festivities.
Lastly, it may be called Valley Free Radio, but as station board of directors member Michelle LeBlanc explains, even "nonprofit, community based, volunteer-run" organizations require the occasional cash infusion.
"We have the rent for our lovely studio and audio equipment to keep things running smoothly," she says of WXOJ-LP, 103.3 FM on your dial, "[plus] VFR events around the valley, royalties so that the many musicians we play can actually continue to make a living, and, of course, our phone bill. And we do interview people from around the globe."
To help offset such expenditures, LeBlanc and her like-minded associates have devised what they think will be a pretty good revenue generator in The Wicked Big Fall Fund Drive, occurring on-air Nov. 12-18. For more information on VFR and its Wicked ways, kindly point your browser to www.valleyfreeradio.org.
Send correspondence to Nightcrawler, P.O. Box 427, Somers, Conn. 06071; fax to (860) 698-9373 or e-mail Garycarra@aol.com.
