So You Wanna Be a Rock and Roll Star and Burlington just isn’t cutting it for ya, huh? Think you can handle the real world? Well, one of our feeble goals here at Good Citizen is to help you be the very best that you can be. Whether you’re a punk rawk band or a struggling singer-songwriter, every major city has somewhere that you can play. Yeah, even you can probably find a gig in the real world. And because we love you, we’re gonna help. Here are our favorite clubs for you to play and party, our favorite magazines for you to hound for press, our favorite radio stations for you to call and pester. And, to make it interesting, we’re even throwing in some of our favorite Boston bands too. . .

CLUBS

Bars, bars, and more bars. There are a LOT of bars in Boston, and a LOT of them feature live music. We’re recommending a few of them to you, both to get your band a gig in Beantown and so you can go and check out some cool music there, too. This is not a guide to ALL the bars in Boston, just SOME of our favorites.

Okay, so we’re in a rock band, and we know some of the places to play if you’re a rock band. If you’re a blues performer, jazz artist, or you play a dead goat like Rik Palieri, these clubs might not be for you. But remember, a venue like Club Toast booked a little of everything, so most clubs probably are not limited to just one genre of music. Call ‘em and ask ‘em.

Bill’s Bar
5 1/2 Lansdowne St.
Boston, MA 02215
617-421-9595
Jeff Marshall
Cap 250

Notes: Lansdowne Street rocks, and if you’ve never been there on a Saturday night, it’s gonna be hard to convince you how crazy it is. The street is all Fenway Park on one side, and all clubs on the other. A lot of the venues are now “euro” disco clubs, but Bill’s remains a rock stalwart. Bill’s is a pretty cool, long, narrow room with a dead rock stars theme. We swear we saw Elvis in the men’s room. It’s connected to sister Club Karma (which has bigger shows and a lot of disco).

Club Bohemia
425 Washington St.
Somerville, MA 02143
617-491-9640
Chuck & Mickey
Cap 200

Linwood Grille
69 Kalmarnock St.
Boston, MA 02215
617-267-8644
Kevin Norton
Cap 300

Notes: Linwood Grille is your typical neighborhood bar. Pretty much. Of course, this typical neighborhood bar happens to have some of Boston’s best underground music on the schedule, which makes it a little less typical. They just re-designed the place, and now the stage and sound system have been re-built. It’s a little bit of a walk, so make sure at least one of the bands on your bill has a draw.

Lansdowne St. Music Hall
(Formerly Mama Kin)
36 Lansdowne St.
Boston, MA 02215
617-536-2100

Notes: Burlington expatriates The Red Telephone just did a month long residency there, but we don’t know what the future holds for this venue. Mama Kin was a great club for a while, and then it wasn’t all that great anymore, and finally Aerosmith pulled the plug. The big room has been the subject of many rumors (including a story circulating that Robert Redford might open a “Sundance” independent film house there) but the small room will probably stick with the live music until the Lyons Group decides what will make the most money. The band room holds a lot of fond memories for us, so we hope we get to visit it again someday.

Middle East Upstairs/Downstairs/Corner
472/480 Mass Ave.
Cambridge, MA 02139
617-864-EAST
Terri (upstairs) x223
Margot (downstairs) x225
Cap 75/200/575

Notes: Okay, in Cambridge you’ve got the Middle East and TT The Bears Place right next to each other. Middle East is an Indian restaurant with three possible venues. First, the corner, which is upstairs in the restaurant and features acoustic acts and belly dancers. Second, the upstairs room, which is bigger than the restaurant, and unless you have a huge draw, this should be your stage. Lots of cool, indie rock bills, and a lot of jam bands, too. The third room, downstairs, is the big room and we’d guess the capacity to be around 600. The place rocks when it’s full, but we’ve seen a few bands look awfully lonely when the crowds don’t show up. All kinds of music, if it can fill up the space, can be booked in the downstairs room.

TT The Bear’s Place
10 Brookline St.
Cambridge, MA 02139
617-492-0082
Cap 350
Randi Millman

Notes: TT The Bear’s Place is an institution in Cambridge, and they recently celebrated the 25th anniversary of the club. Indie rock is king, and Randi has pretty good taste. The set-up is a little weird, with the stage off to the side facing a short wall instead of a long wall (so if you’re at the bar, you can avoid the bands) and you kind of feel like you’re on someone’s porch when you’re playing. The band room rivals the one at CBGB’s for sheer rock and roll beauty.

The Attic
107 R. Union St.
Newton Centre, MA 02159
Stacey Webber
617-964-6684
Cap 150

Notes: Don’t know much, but they’ve been booking some familiar names so they might be worth investigating.

Club Passim
47 Palmer Street
Cambridge MA 02138
Timothy Mason
617-492-7679
Cap 125

Notes: A legendary venue for folk, acoustic, singer-songwriter stuff. I think they do some jazz and blues, too.

Harpers Ferry
158 Brighton Street
Allston, MA 02134
Charles Abei
617-254-9743
Cap 400

Notes: A great place for blues, r & b and mainstream rock music, seven nights a week. You’ll see a lot of familiar names on their schedule, including a lot of bands from Vermont, too.

House of Blues
95 Winthrop Street
Cambridge MA 02138
Booking: Teo Leyasmeyer
@ 114 Mt. Auburn St,
Cambridge MA 02138
hobmarket@aol.com
Cap 200

Notes: A lot of national blues and rock acts, although strong regionals and very strong locals stand a chance.

The Paradise
967 Commonwealth Ave
Boston MA 02215
617-562-8800
Booking: John Innamorato
Don Law Promotions
36 Bay State Road
Cambridge MA 02138
Cap: 650
Notes: Once you’ve packed the Paradise, you’ve pretty much made it in Boston. When Phish was having trouble getting booked in Boston, they rented out the Paradise and filled it with busloads of friends and proved their draw. They don’t have any trouble getting booked now, do they? Huh?

PRESS

Okay, we’re not going to pretend to know any big secret to getting press for your band. Some bands seem to get stroked by every major publication everywhere they go, and some bands don’t. All you can do is try, or go hire a publicist to try for you. Buying an ad here and there doesn’t hurt. Here are a bunch of contacts in the Boston market. In no particular order. The opinions expressed are purely ours, you may have a different experience. Good luck. Knock ‘em dead.

Boston Pheonix
126 Brookline St
Boston, MA 02106
Circ 200,000 Weekly
E-mail: Mashare@Bostonpheonix.com

Notes: Try Matt Ashare, although Brett Milano writes a “local” music column called “Cellars By Starlight.” Milano writes about the same bands over and over, and he once wrote that “Burlington, Vermont has been responsible for more than its fair share of mediocre tapes...” so he may not want to hear from you. His loss. They also publish “One in Ten,” a monthly gay insert. Probably worth trying.

The Improper Bostonian
45 Newbury St, Suite 509
Boston, MA 02116
Circ 82,000 Bi-weekly
editor@improper.com

Notes: Glossy, kind of yuppie urban life magazine. They gave Belizbeha a nice little write-up recently, so they may be receptive to VT acts visiting the city. Might be worth it.

Instant
PO Box 2224
Woburn, MA 01888
617-246-0334
Circ 10,000 Bi-Monthly
chris@instantmag.com

Notes: In three years, Chris Hinckley has turned Instant into a pretty cool zine, with a glossy cover and lots of different modern musical styles. Rock music and beer are very big subjects in Instant. Kinda like our lives, too. Chris has been running a lot of major label bands on the covers lately, so don’t be surprised if they make the leap to national soon. Chris is a good guy and you can probably get a review if you ask nicely. Definitely worth it.

Lollipop
PO Box 147
Boston, MA 02123
617-623-5319
Monthly
feedback@lollipop.com

Notes: Lollipop is a big, fat magazine full of all kinds of crazy stuff and original artwork covers. Scott Hefflon has successfully taken Lollipop national, so you can find it at most book stores. Worth trying to get into. Read it, too.

Metronome Magazine
PO Box 921
Billerica, MA 01821
508-957-0925
Monthly

The Noise
74 Jamaica St.
Jamaica Plain, MA 02130
617-524-4735
Circ 5,000 Monthly
tmaxnoise@aol.com

Notes: This is probably Boston’s oldest living zine, and it’s pretty amazing. The amount of Boston scene knowledge you can gain from The Noise will astound you. Owner and editor T. Maxwell (call him T. Max for short) is a super sweet guy and Boston is lucky to have him. His editorial staff includes WMFO’s Mikey Dee and Instant Magazine’s J. Lianna Ness, and we especially like writers Joannie Pfister and Lexi Kahn, too. Definitely worth it.

Northeast Performer
285 Washington St.
Somerville, MA 02143
617-627-9200
617-627-9300
Circ 15,000 Monthly
PerfMag@ix.netcom.com

Notes: When the venerable Northeast Performer changed editorial staffs two times a few years ago, the “musician’s resource” publication got pretty shaky for a while. New Editor-in-Chief Alan Levesque, Editor Jon Babu, and Managing Editor Scott Chesley have done a fine job re-habbing the pub, and Northeast Performer has re-emerged as the dominant northeast periodical servicing the music industry. Period. Definitely worth it.

The Tab
254 Second Ave
PO Box 9112
Needham, MA 02194
617-969-0340
Circ combined 2 million Weekly

Notes: Ken Capobianco is the music columnist, and he also has written some Boston scene reports for Billboard Magazine. Might be worth it.

In News Weekly
544 Tremont St
Boston, MA 02116
617-426-8246
Rick Dunn
Free Weekly
Innews@tiac.net

Notes: Boston’s free weekly gay and lesbian publication. A fat, well-written newsweekly with extensive arts coverage, if somewhat inconsistent music coverage. Worth it if you’re a gay or lesbian artist.

Mixx Magazine
8 Park Plaza #138
Boston, MA 02116
617-423-MIXX
Noel Ramos
mixxmag@pipeline.com

Notes: Noel also organizes and runs the Intermixx Music List, which is a valuable internet e-mail group of musicians and music industry folk. Might be worth it.

Boston Globe
PO Box 2378
Boston, MA 02107
617-929-2000
Daily Paper, circ huge

Notes: Steve Morse and Jim Sullivan are the two guys who seem most likely to write about modern music, especially in the rock world. Both Morse and Sullivan are great writers, and we log on every Friday to read the music news on-line. www.boston.com. Longshot, but worth it if you get something.

Boston Herald
One Herald Square
PO Box 2096
Boston, MA 02106
617-426-3000
Daily paper, circ pretty huge
Larry Katz

Boston Soundcheck
51 Pleasant St, Suite 146
Malden, MA 02198
781-322-3863
Bill Restuccia Jr.
scheck@bostonsoundcheck.com

Notes: Soundcheck is a glossy, small-sized magazine that seems especially receptive to hard, “loud rock” modern music. They also publish the WAAF “Bay State Rocks” monthly playlist. They do plenty of reviews, so it’s probably worth it.

Radio

Any successful travelling band will tell you that the best and the easiest way to promote your band in a large market is through the radio. A couple spins at a popular urban radio station is the equivalent of a hundred posters hanging around town. The stations in Boston are insanely popular and are pretty approachable. If you plan on playing Boston, confirm the gig and immediately get in touch with radio stations. If you are a newcomer to the city, call first. Ask them for permission to mail your CD for their local show (they will not say no unless they have a vendetta out against you... if that is the case, then change your name), tell them about the show and ask if they’d help promote the show by announcing the date when playing your material.

When putting the package together, put a post-em note on the CD announcing which tracks you consider to be a “single,” the last thing a radio person wants to do is listen to an entire CD from a band that he or she is not interested in, actually tell them which songs you think best fit their format. Also, if you are a hardcore band, don’t mail to the local country station because then you are just wasting a CD... do your homework. Mail out the package and call back in a week, confirm that they received it and let the rest happen.

Good Luck and get the spins!

WAAF 107.3 FM
200 Friberg Parkway
Ste 4000
Westboro, MA 01581
Tel: 508-836-9223
Fax: 508-336-0745
Format: Active Rock/ Commercial

This station rocks! Carmelita (Car Mah Lee Tah) hosts “Bay State Rock,” the local show which airs Sunday nights at 11. She loves to play Vermont music and help promote shows. She also welcomes bands into the studio for live on-air acoustic shows and interviews if you make a good impression.

WBCN 104.1 FM
1265 Boylston Street
Boston, MA 02215
Tel: 617-266-1111
Fax: 617-247-2266
Format: Alternative Modern Rock/ Commercial

Juanita the Scene Queen hosts “Boston Emissions,” which airs Sunday nights 10:00 until midnight. WBCN is big into the heavier side of rock, Limp Bizkit and Tool mixed nicely with R.E.M.. The locals love this station. They sponsor the Rumble, the annual Boston “Battle of the Bands,” a tournament-style, week-long event. These people are good friends to have.

WBIM 91.5 FM
Bridgewater State College
Campus Center Building
Bridgewater, MA 02325
Tel: 508-697-1366
Format: College/eclectic

Your contact people at most college stations have a turn-over rate like the porn industry, if they are good then they stay but most quit after their first or second year so ask for the Music Director. A lot of college’s have a different music director for all genres so pay attention. College radio is where it’s at for easy radio play.

WBRS 100.1 FM
Brandeis University
415 South Street
Waltham, MA 02254
Tel: 781-736-4785
Format: College/Block Programming

WDJM 91.3 FM
Framingham State
100 State Street
Framingham, MA 01701
Tel: 508-626-4622
Format: Independant/ Hard Rock; Experimental

WERS 88.9 FM
Emerson College
180 Tremont St
Boston, MA 02116
Tel: 617-578-8894
Fax: 617-824-8804
Format: College/ Block Programming

One of the coolest college stations in the northeast, WERS mixes locals and majors with every radio show. This one is a must. All types of music invited. Carmelita started the long-running “Metrowave” program here before jumping to WAAF to take over “Bay State Rocks.”

WFNX 101.7 FM
25 Exchange Street
Lynn, MA 01901
Tel: 781-595-6200
Fax: 781-595-3810
Format: Commercial Alternative

The local show is “Boston Product” with Mark Hamilton who is a hard guy to get on the phone but still keep trying, one Boston’s “Big Three” with BCN and AAF.

WKPE 104.7FM
25 Bog Hollow Road
Orleans, MA 02653
Tel: 508-255-3220
Fax: 508-255-9787
Format: Commercial/ Active Rock

The lovely and angelic Cat hosts “The Cheap Seats” every Sunday night at 8:00. She is one of the most helpful people in the radio biz right now and she will love you forever if you send her chocolate. She co-hosts the show with bands or scenesters every Sunday night.

WMBR 88.1FM
MIT
3 Ames St.
Cambridge, MA 02142
Tel: 617-253-4000
Fax: 617-232-1384
Format: College/Free Form

“Pipeline!” is the local show which airs 8:30 to 10:30 every Tuesday night. Live bands are welcome to come on the air to play. Tree just released a CD of their live on-air recording session here.

WMFO 91.5FM
Tufts University
PO Box 65
Medford, MA 02153
Tel: 617-625-0800
Fax: 617-625-6072
Format: College and Community/ Free Form

Talk to Mikey Dee, he is the man to know at this station. MFO helps out the scene by heavily promoting local shows and giving local artists enough spins to make them want to puke. His show is call “On The Town with Mikey Dee.”

WMWM 91.7FM
352 Lafayette St
Salem, MA 01970
Tel: 978-745-9170
Fax: 978-741-9433
Format: College/Eclectic
The local show airs every night from 9PM to midnight.

WTBU 89.3FM
Boston University
College of Communication
640 Commonwealth Ave
Boston, MA 02215
Tel: 617-353-6401
Fax: 617-353-6403
Format: College/Alternative

WZBC 90.3FM
Boston College
107 McElroy Commons
Room 107
Chestnut Hill, MA 02167
Tel: 617-552-3511
Fax: 617-552-0050
Format: College/ Rock Experimental

The local show is called “Mass Ave and Beyond” that airs on Fridays from 4:00 to 6:00PM.

Bands

Godsmack

Godsmack is the frontrunner of the Northeast’s new "extreme” rock scene. The band, just recently signed to Universal Records, has re-released a self-titled old album containing the hit single that broke them on Boston’s WAAF radio station, "Whatever." Sully’s seething vocals are full of anger and bitterness and the line-up of guitar, bass and drums is extremely tight and solid with a drummer that stands out far better than most I’ve heard. -Chelsea Condos

The Red Telephone

Burlington ex-patriates Matt Hutton and Sean Toohey (both ex-Envy) left the Queen City for bigger and better things in Boston... and by all accounts, they were pretty successful. Their indie-rock child The Red Telephone was quickly signed to Warner Brothers after the label heard their basement recordings off of a four track! Damn! Their first major label release The Red Telephone came met only luke warm reviews (and we disagree) , but you know, we all can’t be Oasis. Right, Matt? Their next CD should be out by the end of the year. -Chris Parizo

Godboy

(Members: Shawn Setaro, Matt Dodge, Matt Savage and Daniel Madri.)

This band was formed in 1996 when longtime friends Daniel Madri and Matt Savage got together to perform as an acoustic duo. The band has grown into four, but alas they are without a bassist. Not to worry, the percussionist Matt Dodge fills in most of the low-end gaps along with Daniel Madri’s acoustic strumming. In fact, you hardly notice the absence when listening to the quircky, offbeat, Beck-like musings of this group. With a sophomore CD, Silent Treatment From A Talking Horse , under their belt this band has been making waves in the Boston scene. They recently had their CD release party at Bill’s Bar with guests Inhale Mary that could be categorized as a big success. They managed to fill the house even during an ice storm. The group has received lots of well-deserved kudos from local, regional and national press. Godboy has also received radio airplay on WFNX and WBCN. With an arsenal of over 150 songs the audience is always entertained. -Joanie Pfister

Driveway

(Band members Matt Pasquella, Cassie Mazza, Rich Simmons and Mike Graves.)

This band puts on a terrific live show containing a deliciously different combination of rock and pop. Their level of showmanship has procured headlining spots on Saturday nights at the Lansdowne Music Hall and other popular venues. They make it look effortless, but Ms. Mazza has been taking guitar lessons and voice lessons for several years. She’s the toast of the town when she is onstage. The band has one CD under their belt- Prize Package. Songwriting team Cassie Mazza and Matt Pasqueralla are currently working on new material. They’ve been well received by the Boston radio community and have appeared on several local compilations. Driveway was recently voted as a finalist in a "Battle of the Bands" contest sponsored by Entertainment Weekly Magazine, Fender and Hyundai. I predict that they will be invited to participate in the WBCN Rumble year and even if they’re not, when in Boston it’s worth checking out this first class act. -Joanie Pfister

Canine

Geez... what could be said about Canine? Not much except that they happen to possess one of the most electrfying live shows we have ever seen! Their mix of testosterone rock/ funk-ska rhythms are known to have people shaking their booties all over the damn place. Their debut CD release Sic Em, is a collection of high energy grooves that demands attention. On top of all of this, they throw the coolest parties, involving jacuzzi’s, alcohol and... yes... groupies (trust us... we have been to these parties and don’t remember them too well... a sign of a good party). Do yourself a favor, see Canine at least once in your life so you can die happy. -Chris Parizo

Missing Joe

Hands down, Missing Joe receives our "Most Likely To Succeed Award" for 1999. The powerful alt-rock trio writes some of the catchiest songs we have ever heard and are capable bringing audiences to a frenzy. Singer/bassist Matt Rafal’s gravel-like voice is one that cannot be matched. Their debut EP release Never Been To California receives constant spins here in our office. Expect this band to go national any day now. -Chris Parizo

Max

"Hey man, is that freedom rock, man? Well, turn it up, man!" Max is freedom rock!!! Actually, their unique brand of sixties-garage-rock-pyschedelia is a breath of fresh air in today’s stale modern rock environment. Guitarist, T. Max and his seventeen year-old son/bassist and vocalist Izzy, put on a great rock show, mixing their music with humorous in between song banter. Their CD release Ride The Dove , plays like a Hell’s Angel at Altamont... in your face and kicking your ass. -Chris Parizo
Solpatch

Solpatch was conceived over six years ago, blending a mix between rock, funk, pop and hip hop. The band, originally from New Hampshire, moved south to Boston two years ago, to break into the Boston market. For two years, the band has been busy playing shows and recording music. Their latest work, the six song CD Thirty Three Percent More, is scheduled to be released February 27th, 1999. This release depicts an exciting evolution in the bands music that has not yet been captured. -Chris Parizo

Jesse

Jesse is a four-man jazz-funk pop band hailing from Boston. Lead singer guitarist and singer Jesse Ciematraro, bass player and back-up vocalist Chris Kersker, drummer Dennis Babbin and keyboardist Julian O’brian all pured out the mike and feed the mike to create grooving delicious tunes are captivating audiences all over the country. -Chris Parizo

Caged Heat

(Jill Kurtz, Chris Ando, Scott Hanson and Jay Fortin)

This band is one of the hottest new "buzz" bans in Boston along with Mr. Airplane Man. The band name, taken from a B-movie, is more than appropriate because Jill Kurtz generates more heat on stage than a three alarm fire. They’re a band that you can see over and over again and enjoy more each time. None of the players in this band are new to the scene. Jay Fortin is in the hardcore band Scissorfight and Jill Kurtz was in Ashera. The music is blues infused rock and Kurtz really lets things go crazy when she switches from guitar to harmonica. It’s an amazing sight to behold. The band is managed by former major label marketing director Steve Riccardo. He informed me that the recently released two song EP has already received airplay on every local radio show in town. If that’s not enough to convince you to see their show, I give up. -Joanie Pfister

Mindflow

Mindflow is a straight-ahead roots rock band with acoustic tendencies that was created in Boston by Tony Roberts in 1993. The band didn’t start playing seriously until early 1996 and quickly released a CD entitled Just Like Don Quixote in the summer of 1996. Immediately, the CD received rave reviews from local media which deemed the songs radio friendly and compared Tony’s vocal style to such luminaries as Bruce Springsteen and Adam Duritz. In 1997, the band released their second full-length Killing The Pane. The CD received radio play on over 300 college stations across the country. With their new EP release, Black and Grey, Mindflow is a band to keep an eye on. -Chris Parizo

Beverage

Beverage rises to the top of the Boston music scene with its unique combination of roots-rock songwriting and infectiously energizing live shows. Dousing their glamrock velvet with everything from medical scrubs to Happy Meal costumes to tyvec radiation suits. This power pop quartet continues its invasion into some of the finest rock venues the city has to offer. Beverage is fronted by Matt Magne who, together with RJ Lavalee, delivers great melodies and tight harmonies to beveragites everywhere. But I think its Starbucks who says it best at the bottom of every cup of coffee: "Careful, the Beverage you are about to enjoy is extremely hot." So, come join the Beverage party- you won’t be disappointed. -Chris Parizo

The Dropkick Murphys

This unity-punk band formed in 1996 is fairly new to the punk scene, but makes up for it in popularity. Their CD Do Or Die, on Hellcat Records, is unique Irish punk, complete with bagpipes and all. With songs written about a washed up boxer who loses bar fights every night, and a skinhead who highjacks a train, new vocalist Al Barr, formerly of The Bruisers, tears up the stage with the other members of the band. This band has built up a huge fan base and has a new CD coming out on St. Patrick’s Day called The Gang’s All Here. -Chelsea Condos