Cinco de Mayo at the old Harper’s Ferry was a big blast on Monday night with the immortal Standells performing their signature tune twice, at the end of the set and at the end of the three-song encore.
My old friend Jeff Connelly was rocking real good when we walked into the club at 8:25 pm, but I’m thinking “time for the ear plugs, way too loud for me.” The doormen all had big white earplugs installed. Well, right on cue, Mono Man/Jeff Connelly said from the stage that it was time for some softer songs. Lyres, Jeff’s band, were incredibly authoritative opening the night up. Sounding like a cross between the first Velvet Underground album and Question Mark & The Mysterians the musicians I’ve known for 40 years or so were right on target. Dressed in black with a nice tie and Ian Hunter sunglasses, Mono and his Lyres have a dependable act/sound down pat.
The room was packed with personalities, Miss Lyn of Boston Groupie News, veteran TV producer Lenny Scoletta of Medford, Richie Parsons of Unnatural Axe, Reed from In Your Ear Records, rock critics and video people all paying homage to the group whose song blasts out on radio and tv whenever the Bruins or the Red Sox win.
After the music of the Lyres the nightclub put on music of the era, the Rolling Stones “Paint It Black,” Buffalo Springfield “For What It’s Worth” (the late Dewey Martin of the Springfield was actually a member of the Standells for a time,) “Monday Monday” – the Fleetwood Mac original version of “Black Magic Woman” – Scott McKenzies “San Francisco, Wear Some Flowers In your Hair” and more.
Then from 9:03 to 10:26 the group came out and gave the crowd what they wanted, pure unadulterated ’60s music.
Visual Radio talks to Larry Tamblyn Part I – The Making of Dirty Water
Visual Radio talks to keyboardist Larry Tamblyn Part II – How the Standells got their recording contract
Joe Viglione is the Chief Film Critic at TMRZoo.com. He has written thousands of reviews and biographies for AllMovie.com, Allmusic.com, Gatehouse Media, Al Aronowitz’s The Blacklisted Journal, and a variety of other media outlets. Joe also produces and hosts Visual Radio, a seventeen year old variety show on cable TV which has interviewed Jodie Foster, director/screenwriter David Koepp, Michael Moore, John Cena, comics/actors Margaret Cho, Gilbert Gottfried, Gallagher, musicians Mark Farner and Don Brewer of Grand Funk Railroad, Ian Hunter of Mott The Hoople, Ray Manzarek, John Densmore, Felix Cavaliere of The Rascals, political commentator Bill Press and hundreds of other personalities.
