Josh Thayer can still recall the first time he took out the Trash. He and Fancy Trash bandmates Dave Houghton and Jason Smith took a local gig in August of 2002 with all of two weeks to rehearse.
"At the show, it definitely felt like the train was coming off the track a few times," Thayer chuckles. "But overall, there was an energy that couldn't be denied."
Since then, Fancy Trash has amassed quite a musical resumé, churning out three discs and six tours, and snaring two Grand Band Slam awards along the way.
Now, five years and a drummer (Smith was soon replaced by Hadley native Ben Laine) later, the considerably better-rehearsed indie folk-rock trio returns to the scene of the almost-trainwreck—The Elevens—to celebrate the musical milestone.
"Of course, it was called Harry's back then," notes Thayer. "But—except for a few more banks and sushi places—Northampton's the same and we're the same, I'd say. Still three guys who love to play music just as much as that very first night."
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Meanwhile, for those wondering if Theodores' (www.theobbq.com) will ever host live music—the answer appears to be blowing in the wind… or make that the Sweet Daddy Cool Breeze. Wally "Sweet Daddy" Greaney and the boys will grace Springfield's home of "Blues, Brews and BBQ" this Saturday, Sept. 29—ending a months-long musical hiatus. Theodores' owner Keith Weppler revealed the roster will continue to grow.
"We had some grand designs that just didn't proved to be feasible," he says of the format change. "So we decided to go back to what we know—great blues, Saturday nights and no cover… and after Sweet Daddy, you'll be seeing more and more of it!"
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While Theodores' has once again opened its doors to area bands, live music has apparently left the Nest—Northampton's Eagles Nest—for the foreseeable future.
Admittedly, the Nightcrawler was unable to unearth an official explanation for the recent silencing on Pleasant Street—or even learn for certain if the condition is temporary or permanent. But conventional wisdom and fervent bloggers attribute the situation to a difference of opinion regarding the terms of the permit issued for the entire structure.
With his Worm Fest—a three-day musical event originally scheduled for Sept. 28-30 at the Nest—inching ever closer to fruition and the status of the club in such constant flux, Jason Bourgeois reports that he and his fellow organizers came very close to pulling the plug on what they were billing as "the first annual weekend of rock music in support of The Flywheel." Luckily, he says, there proved to be just enough chronological wiggle room to find a new home for the nearly three-dozen band, multi-day Worm Fest affair.
Worm Fest 2007 will now take place at The Elevens—dissected into four, separate-admission shows this Friday through Sunday. For more information, kindly point your browser to: www.myspace.com/valleywormfest.
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In other altruistic audio news, bluegrass/folk faves Red Molly are looking to secure some sizeable greenbacks for the local Shriners of Melha Sunday, Sept. 30. The New York-based trio is slated to perform at Butterfield Auditorium at the Shriners Center at 133 Longhill St. in Springfield for a 4 p.m. show to raise funds to defray the Center's operating expenses.
Rising from the ashes of an impromptu campfire jam at a 2004 festival, Red Molly (consisting of Laurie MacAllister, Abbie Gardner and Carolann Slebello) has fast become the darling of the folk circuit—selected to perform at the Falcon Ridge Emerging Artist Showcase and nabbing Boston's WUMB radio Artist Of The Year in 2006. Tickets for the Sept. 30 show are $25 and are available by calling (413) 536-3629 or at the door. Children 10 and under will be admitted free.
Send correspondence to Nightcrawler, P.O. Box 427, Somers, CT 06071; fax to (860) 698-9373 or email Garycarra@aol.com.
