It's shameless, really—the way all these so-called journalists in all mediums resurrect, recycle and otherwise regurgitate old stories each December under the guise of some sort of Year End Review or Top 10 poll just so they can cut out early and hit the holiday parties.
If the Crawler's social calendar wasn't so full itself, he'd gladly churn out some fresh, original content this installment. But duty calls (and the open bar is only for the first hour of the office party). So without further ado, he presents the 8th annual Nightcrawler Notable Awards.
The Cult of Sentimentality Award: Jeff Gilmer
Many is the person who gets to enjoy a little downtime in between gigs. For most, it's a time to catch up on some zzzs or finally organize that sock drawer. When celebrated soundman Jeff Gilmer catches a break in the action from his decades-long run of manning the boards for local notables Staind, however, the stakes are raised exponentially. And not surprisingly, it didn't take long for one of his childhood heroes to get his idle hands—and golden eardrums–back into the mix.
"I got to do sound for a few dates by The Cult," he says, "and as they went through 'Firewoman'…'She Sells Sanctuary'… I literally had goosebumps." Gilmer waxed nostalgic, stating that he actually thought he had "missed the boat" when his beloved Infinity Nightclub in Springfield (where he worked as front-of-house engineer) closed in the early '90s. Then Bizkit asked Staind to open "and everything changed…" he concluded. With the new year comes a new Aaron Lewis solo tour for Gilmer to engineer, replete with Feb. 5 stop at the Mohegan Sun.
The 'Gaines-ing Momentum' Award: Liv Gaines
Like every hopeful at the recent Community Auditions' Star of The Day contest at Foxwoods, Enfield's Liv Gaines had prepared two songs with the house band for the day's competition. Problem was, show execs decided to shoot four episodes that fateful first day, and Gaines bested the entire field in episodes one and two.
"Yeah, I pretty much had to work through a song with the band on the spot for the episode you will see this weekend," the 18-year-old songbird revealed.
To see how Liv fared with the impromptu performance, check local listings on Hartford's Mytv9 and Springfield's TV22.
While Gaines says she has been studying music for nearly nine years, perhaps she also owes a small debt to genetics. Her father, Billy Gaines, fronts the local band Johnny Sixgun, whose next scheduled gig is Jan. 9 at Southwick's Brew Too.
The One Door Closes, Another Door Opens Award: Moose & The High Tops/Alive She Cried
According to its Myspace, it is with "mixed emotions" that the Valley's Moose & The High Tops end their eight-year musical journey with a hiatus effective Jan. 1, 2010. The classic rockers have marked the occasion of their Dec. 31 Polish Club show in South Hadley as their official swan song.
But fans of Chris "Moose" Mongeau and the gang shouldn't lament too much. When the music's over for that final set, it will immediately be followed by the debut of their new project, a Doors tribute dubbed Alive She Cried (aliveshecried.com).
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Other 2009 passings of note include those of Young @ Heart Chorus' Fred Knittles and fist-bumping Valley superfan Timothy J. Young; the breakup of Pittsfield rockers Lick Morgan; the closing of another brick-and-mortar record store, Greenfield's About Music (new cyberhome: aboutmusic.com); and the loss of longtime local music champion Mike "Haze" Dejesus from the airwaves.
On a more upbeat note, Haze may resurface in 2010 (stay posted), Group Deville celebrated a decade of delivering delicious quirky original rock this year, and regional party band faves The Savage Brothers enter 2010 with a quarter century of rock under their collective belt.
Send correspondence to Nightcrawler, P.O. Box 427, Somers, CT 06071; fax to (860) 698-9373 or e-mail Garycarra@aol.com.
