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IN OUR LIFETIME
A CD CELEBRATION


When former Geffen A&R scout and Grand Royal head Mark Kates moved to Boston last year to start his Fenway Recordings indie label, he was dead set on making it a home for national bands, not just local acts. However, for the third installment of his In Our Lifetime compilation series, he’s brought together a collection of local artists. If nothing else, that made it a lot easier for him to orchestrate a proper CD-release party for the recently released The Revenge of Boston.

The marathon proceedings downstairs at the Middle East last Saturday night began with a set by singer-songwriter Blake Hazard, who, backed by Ashby vocalist Evelyn Pope, took the opportunity to work out two vocal arrangements for her own compositions. Moving from guitar to keyboards, she then rocked out in husband John Dragonetti’s band Jack Drag, where the delivery was a touch heavier but the knack for melody was no less strong. Former Papas Fritas frontman Tony Goddess followed with an acoustic solo set, and though his material held promise, it was mostly lost in the cocktail-party atmosphere.

What followed can only be described as surreal. In keeping with the baseball-centric theme of Fenway Recordings (for those outside the loop, the term "In Our Lifetime" refers to Red Sox fans’ hopes for an eventual World Series win), former Sox southpaw and cult icon Bill "Spaceman" Lee expounded on themes as varied as Cuba, Jimmy Carter, and the current state of the game in his own inimitably gonzo style.

The Skating Club followed in a moody, melancholy vein conveyed via keyboards and computer. If their understated set was dwarfed by the size of the room, it still beat the sludgy posturing of Quitter, whose classic-’70s arena-rock imitations sounded dated by comparison.

The white-hot Cracktorch, on the other hand, delivered the finest performance of the evening. Fresh off a studio stint with local producer Paul Q. Kolderie, guitarists Marc Schleicher and Chris Jackson were in sharp focus, turning on a dime from pummeling drum fills into ringing dual guitar bridges.

The affair closed with a set by the female-fronted Heavy Stud, who were buoyed by the solidest rhythm section yet to back them up (Star Ghost Dog bandmates Chris Foley on drums and Owen Burkett on bass), and then one by Los Plantanos, a monstrous duo who mostly bewildered what remained of the crowd. In the end, though, the line-up for the show was as rich and varied as the music on the album.

— TOM KIELTY

Issue Date: October 17 - October 24, 2002
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