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September 17, 2004
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Current Issue:
September 16, 2004
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Rock here, rock now
Who's Chezwick? And what's happening with the Cock? Find out.
 Steel Poniez
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 Chezwick
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From
unlikely spots like amusement parks to the typical turf of bars, local
bands kick in fall with techno beats, straight ahead rock and, of
course, a heartbroken melody or two.
First up, you might have caught Patrick Balthrop of the one-man
electro band, Chezwick, around town plugging in his iBook for a song.
Quickly carving out a spot for himself as a local fave, he recently
opened for the The Kitty Kill at the Abbey and looks forward to a mean
fall schedule. No lie. He's booked to play CBGB in New York as part of
the huge M.E.A.N.Y Fest 2004. But if you're not looking for a roadtrip,
then catch Chezwick at T.T.'s in Cambridge on October 4.
If you do, then you'll hear how Chezwick cleverly combines
Balthrop's high-volume vocals, electric guitar and layers and layers of
laptop engineered bass and beats for a different kind of rock
performance. Still, at the Abbey, Balthrop did add a bassist and a
backup singer for the human touch. All told, a Chezwick set pioneers a
synthesized trip down memory lane through Catholic School, old
boyfriends, and a dreamy ode to a Michael Stipe sepia stained summer
day. But saving the best for last, Chezwick plays the hit that won
VH1's Song of the Year Contest in the Dance/Electronica category this
May. If unconvinced of this songwriter's potential, then this pop-dance
hit, "Room for Two," will change your mind.
Meanwhile, transplanted Athens talent Cubby Berk of The Lovers
packs her bags for a fall tour to support her second effort, "The
Gutter and The Garden." "The Gutter" spills more of Berk's bare
emotional honesty, trippy metaphors and varied musical styles that
combines slide guitar, banjos, violin and cello. But during live shows,
Berk's been ditching the accompaniment and performing without her
Georgia bandmates. Berk, possessing a strong, aching, pierce your soul
kind of voice that can sing a sad lyric as if drawing on both her
autobiography and yours, can more than hold her own.
This fall, Berk leaves her JP apartment for a tour that'll
touchdown in Iowa and wind up and down the East Coast. Before she
splits, check her out at the Zeitgeist Gallery in Cambridge on
Thursday, September 23. Presented by Truth Serum Productons, Berk plays
an intimate evening with Cynthia Nelson and Dear Nora.
On the horizon, keep an eye out for the young three-piece outfit,
Steel Poniez. After losing their drummer, singer/guitarist, Jen
Grygiel, and bassist, Cindy Staton, quickly made amends by placing an
ad which read: "Dyke drummer wanted." Answering the call was Mora
Precarious. As the name warns, Precarious hits hard and knows how to
nail her fills. With Precarious and fun songs like "Cruising Speed" and
"Hot Poppin' Fresh" as well as lyrics that confide, "I'll do anything
she asks/And a whole lot more," the band possesses its crowd pleasers.
But "The Not So Right", the last song on the band's EP, shows off a
driving moody side that gives the band depth and promise.
This fall, the Poniez plans to hit Six Flags' "Out in the Park"
(aka Gay Day) on September 19. On October 22, they head to St. Lawrence
University in Canton, New York and rock for the liberal arts students.
Then on November 4, they'll play "The Joint Talk" on WBRS 100.1FM at
11pm. As for future projects, look for an EP release party and a music
video that's slated to air on Dyke TV. For more information about the
band, check out www.steelponiez.com.
In other quick music notes, if you caught The Kitty Kill this
summer then you probably heard a batch of new songs from the threesome.
In a new catchy number called "Jack," it even appears leadsinger Sandy
Merhy might have a secret new crush from Tennessee. The band plans to
shortly hit the studio and record the new tracks for their third
release. Meanwhile, they'll join the Poniez at "Out in the Park" at Six
Flags. Then, for two shows, they're booked to open for the Butchies at
Great Scott, on Comm Ave in Allston, on October 14 and the Iron Horse
Music Hall in Northampton on October 29.
Over the summer, Secret Cock kept themselves busy by partying and
recording their first EP in Providence. As for upcoming shows, the band
is working to arrange a doozy of a show with King Cobra, Lezzies on X,
and Triple M Threat. It's planned for October 6 but nothing is
confirmed. In the meantime, check out the band's Web site at
www.secretcock.com and peek at photos from their summer sojourn at Homo
a GoGo.
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