Joe Vig's First Impressions - magical, musical thoughts: February 2005

New Writings by Joe Viglione

Kinnie Starr Published 3/05 AllMediaGuide
http://www.allmusic.com/cg/amg.dll?p=amg&sql=10:2r6omps09f7o

Joe Viglione writes round the clock! His work for COUNTRY CLUB MERCHANT MAGAZINE out of Florida is a nice contrast to his being a correspondent for THE MEDFORD TRANSCRIPT,
and his ongoing work for the prestigious ALL MEDIA GUIDE.

Joe's writings can be found on VH1.com, Djangos Music.com, Amazon.Canada, eBay, Barnes & Noble.com - dozens of sites utilizing his essays for http://www.allmusic.com

WMFO's Coffee 'n' Smokes Published 3/17/05
http://www.townonline.com/medford/artsLifestyle/view.bg?articleid=204224

PJ Shapiro Published 2/16/05
http://www2.townonline.com/medford/artsLifestyle/view.bg?articleid=185860

Medford Transcript > Arts & Lifestyle
Medford resident P.J. Shapiro recently performed in a live concert venue Feb. 10.
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P.J. Shapiro performs at Avenue C's

By Joe Viglione/ CorrespondentThursday, February 17, 2005

Songwriter P.J. Shapiro, who moved to Medford from Newton in the year 2000, was the featured performer at Avenue C's Thursday night open mic on Feb. 10. Of course a mini snowstorm hit a few hours before and during show time, but that added to the ambiance of the gig at the elegant new Malden nightclub located at 166 Eastern Ave., between Ferry Street and Eastern Avenue, at the Route 60 split.

Shapiro has an appealing voice and interesting lyrics - "Who knows which way the magma flow," he sings in "Continental Drift." When music fans hear the letters "P.J." they may first think of female singer P.J. Harvey or the band 40 Ft. Ringo's P.J. Farley, but Shapiro has something different to offer - a series of dark rolling essays accompanied by a folk guitar, which he manipulates in creative ways.

Live at the Avenue C showcase he set the mood by applying those subtle dynamics, kind of like a progressive rock band without the bombast. It's an interesting concept that demands attentiveness and was embraced by the ever growing crowd at organizer Jeff Munro's Thursday evening get-togethers.

The event itself was impressive, a guitarist named Randy coming all the way from the South Shore, other participants sometimes showing up from New Hampshire or other parts unknown to the local Medford/ Malden/ Arlington region.

After author Rushworth M. Kidder (from Maine) was interviewed for a cable show at around 8:45 p.m., singer Donny Schultz began the open mic - Schultz requesting to open for P.J. Shapiro, which shows the respect fellow musicians have for the performer.

The featured artist then took the staging area in front of a fireplace and black drape backdrop and began his set. The only "cover" song performed by Shapiro was Joss Whedon's theme song to the sci-fi TV show "Firefly." It's available only in secret places on the Web, one of those little treats performers put out for the world to hunt down and cherish.

Another song, "Justice," doesn't appear on the singer's 12 track "I Know What You're Made Of" CD from 2001, but it has the same style and flavor as the excellent material on that disc. More information about the CD can be found on http://www.pjshapiro.com/

The singer was thankful that the crowd would "brave the elements; hope it's been rewarding" he said. The applause in response was sincere - the other musicians in attendance seem to have a camaraderie which spills over to the non-participants, those just walking in for a beer or some of the excellent food served at the club.

Promoter Jeff Munro is also the station manager at Arlington's Comcast Cable station. He's been putting open mics together for at least six years and has a handle on bringing like talents together for what was one of the more fun nights this jaded writer has experienced in quite some time.

Kevin McQuilken appeared after Shapiro to play instrumental versions of songs ranging from The Police to the 60s hit "The Lion Sleeps Tonight" as well as the 1970s gem "Loving You" by Minnie Ripperton.

The level of musicianship was surprisingly very high for a suburban showcase, higher than many similar events found in Cambridge and Boston.

A pretty gal named Marissa showed up with her friends to join the event in a jam after songwriter David Munro played an excellent albeit brief collection of his tunes. This club is something special - opening Labor Day weekend 2004 it has a New York-style decor that adds to the legitimacy of the artist mix. In other words - it's a classy place!

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Band debuts while lead singer moves

By Joe Viglione/ Correspondent
Thursday, January 27, 2005

http://www2.townonline.com/medford/artsLifestyle/view.bg?articleid=171309

A debut performance of the band "Slop" at an established Cambridge hotspot, the All Asia Bar in Central Square, proved to be lead singer/vocalist Matt O'Connor's final show as a resident of Medford.

The local landscaper who is also a singer/songwriter is moving outside the Worcester area, but will continue performing with the Boston based Slop.

The all-ages show on Dec. 11 contained an interesting blend of originals and music by some of the group's heroes, from Jimi Hendrix to Bob Marley, and what they lacked in proficiency this new group certainly made up for with heart.

Belmont's Pierre Ratzki is lead and rhythm guitarist for Slop with his friend Joey Jebari handling the bass guitar. They met O'Connor on Sept. 18, 2004 at a festival in Boston where O'Connor performed solo to approximately 200 people.

Slop formed shortly after that meeting when O'Connor emerged from the recording studio at the end of summer 2004, putting to tape music by his friend from Los Angeles, the late Greg Zera.

O'Connor's travels have taken him from Worcester to Woburn to Spokane, Wash., eventually leading him to Los Angeles. He became friends with Chris Poland of the group Megadeth and taped an interview with Poland for his TV show, The Rehearsal Space, when Poland played Johnny Ds in Somerville.

When Zera tragically passed away in Los Angeles, O'Connor made it a mission to get some of his musician friends songs put to tape.

O'Connor moved to Medford in January of 2004, where he worked for a local landscaper and found musicians to help him bring the new music to life. The Deal, another band which recently exited the city, loaned their drummer, Peter Kelly, to the sessions.

After the recordings O'Connor began looking for people to play with on a more regular basis.
Encountering Jebari and Ratzki at the festival led to a quick friendship and thus "Slop" was born, an old school blues sound fused with hard rock that began by playing a mixture of songs composed by O'Connor with instrumentals from Joey, Pierre and an earlier drummer.

A bassline from Jebari led to "The Slop Anthem" when O'Connor and Ratzki put additional music to it. O'Connor added lyrics later.

Drummer Jake Staley came on board after being introduced to O'Connor through a friend from college. Staley is a sophomore at Berklee College of Music majoring in Contemporary Writing and Production. His solid beats keep the Slop boys organized.

Staley takes private lessons from Casey Scheurell and cites Led Zeppelin's John Bonham and session musician Vinnie Colaiuta as his influences. Born in Silver Springs, Md., the 19-year-old Staley now hails from Toledo, Ohio, though the pull of Berklee College brought him to New England and this unique and creative quartet.

Joey Jebari is a self-taught musician who hooked up with Ratzki at Belmont High School around April of 2003. His musical tastes range from blues to jazz to 60s rock and indie music to techno. Born in Cambridge, the Jebari family moved to Morocco from 1988 to 1995. They returned to Massachusetts setting up residence in Belmont.

Joey has owned his bass since 2000 and joined a local pop band with other Belmont High musicians James Green and Geoff Wright. That group, Suburban Legends, performed at the 2004 Belmont Talent Show at Belmont High Auditorium.

The final gig with "Suburban Legends" was on May 19, a celebration for the passing of the same-sex marriage bill. At that event Jebari jammed in public for the first time with Pierre Ratzki.

Ratzki commented on his friend's skills: "Joey's basslines often become the backbone for songs, and if I introduce a song I've written, I know that his bassline will complement the guitar perfectly. We feel very comfortable playing together, and I don't think either of us would have as much fun in a band without a good friendship, which is what we have."

The guitarist went on to explain the composition of their own material: "The way we write originals, there's no set method. Joey will start with a bassline, and I'll come up with a guitar part, and Matt will do something over that, while Jake brings it all together, etc. But it could start with any of us, and most of the originals we will be playing at (upcoming shows) were created on the spot like that, and refined later. We just jam a lot in practice, which helps fuse a band and make them communicate well together. You can't just throw four guys together and expect them to be tight on the first song, you have to jam first. Plus, jamming is awesome. So far, Matt has written all of the lyrics, but I hear that Jake has a bunch of originals he will soon be introducing to the band."

The show at the All Asia is the first since Ratzki's return from a trip to Paris, France, where he has relatives. And for such a young group of - - O'Connor in his 30s, Jebari, Ratzki and Staley in their late teens, it is amazing the amount of traveling they have all done, Morocco, Paris and Los Angeles contacts can only help the group in obtaining some kind of tour schedule or CD release outside of the Massachusetts area.

Ratzki commented on the importance of the band's newest member, drummer Jake Staley: "Jake is the key ingredient to the band, because he is sort of like the director. He brings the songs up or breaks them down, and has complete control over dynamics. Without him, we sound thin and lacking. It's humbling to play with someone from Berklee, especially someone with as much musical talent as Jake. He can play faster and louder than any drummer I have ever heard, but he can also play soft and jazzy."

Prior to the formation of the band lead singer O'Connor, the group's most veteran member, found himself on the Cambridge Central Square music circuit, performing solo at the All Asia Bar, The Zeitgeist Gallery as well as the Cantab. The decade before he found himself in both the Seattle and L.A. music scenes, ultimately recording a two song tape on 24 track tape resulting in the tunes "Errand Boy" and "The Barking Dog Band."

When he returned to the Boston area, landing on Garfield Avenue in Medford, he began hosting a television program, The Rehearsal Space, which featured interviews with The Supersuckers, Audrey Ryan Band, former Medford residents Pat O'Hara and his group "The Deal" and Chris Poland of Megadeath.

Where Slop will go in the music industry is anyone's guess, Pierre Ratzki hoping the band will continue to be part of the Boston Music scene, "...especially during the summers. If we could get a record deal, sign me up, but right now its just about jamming and having a good time."

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More links to Joe Viglione's work:
http://www.visual-radio.net

http://community.webtv.net/TheMadFaxer/rockjournalistjoe

http://www.joeviglione.com

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Joe Vig's First Impressions - magical, musical thoughts

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