Sticky fingers

The Becky Chace Band's not-so-fab gear ripoff

by Bob Gulla

Becky Chace Band

Be forewarned. There's some asshole out there looking to pawn the Becky Chace Band's equipment. Back in November, some lug broke into the band's van (in broad daylight) and made off with a couple of power amps (Carvin), a mixing board (Carvin), and a road case full of microphones. "It was the night we were playing at the Point Breeze in Webster, Massachusetts," Chace recalls. "We were opening for Magic Dick's Bluestime and the band was really psyched about it. We went to get in the van and saw that the vent had been opened. Then we noticed that all the stuff was gone."

The way the band figures it, there's $2600 worth of gear missing. Looking at the bright side -- which is often both hard and ludicrous -- they were lucky that nothing personal was taken -- no old guitars or amps. That said, they've alerted the area music stores -- which were very sympathetic -- and pawn shops not to buy the contraband. Now you know, too. Don't buy bogus gear! I'm not a lawman, but if you do, it sounds like you'd be aiding and abetting a criminal and you'd suck. (If you stole it -- of course, I'm not accusing anyone -- you suck worse.) Anyway, that kind of stuff happens way too often. Make sure that if you have gear that's worth a damn, list it under your apartment or homeowner's insurance policy. If you don't have insurance, get real. It's not that expensive and you'll have more peace of mind than you realize.

So Becky Chace and her band on the rise is out some gear. Like most of us, they can't just go and buy new gear outright. They need a little help from their friends. So instead of sitting back and getting all sulky, they've planned a benefit to help them recoup a little cash. It will take place at Charlie Hall's Stage down at 235 Promenade (next to the Foundry) on Sunday the 21st. Doors will open at 4 p.m., with the band playing from 5 to 7. The cost is $10 ($5 for kids under 12).

Chace encourages parents to bring their kids, seeing that it's a rare afternoon slot.

"We didn't want to have another fund-raiser," admits the chagrined singer, "because we made the money to record our CD from one. We didn't want to ask our fans to constantly support us. We really struggled with what to do in this case."

Their options were to buy a new PA and go into lots of debt. Or make a little money off of a show for some friends then supplement that with debt of their own to plunk money down on the new gear. They chose the latter. "If we sell 100 tickets we can supplement the rest," says Chace. "It sucks because we didn't factor this into the budget. This isn't a hobby for us right now, but we still aren't at the point where any of us makes money doing it."

In the meantime, before they take the purchase plunge, they've been piecing together their stage rig with the help of the Sneaky Midgets' Tyler Minnis, who has lent some of his own gear. Chace is warmed. "Everyone's been real supportive." It's times like these when you find out who your real friends are. On Sunday, let's show the BCB just how supportive a music community can be.

WANDERING EYE. There's good news, nay, great news for bluegrass fans on Friday night over at the beautiful new Blackstone River Theatre in Cumberland. Northern Lights, one of the best -- if not the best -- area bluegrass outfits over the last decade or so, take the stage. Centered around the lead vocals of Taylor Armerding on mandolin and Bill Henry on guitar, with Chris Miles on bass and Dave Dick on banjo, the band straddles that traditional 'grass/newgrass line with considerable pizzazz. If you've ever heard, really heard, a fine ensemble kick into some bluegrass you know that the musicianship is second to none and the instrumental camaraderie is a joy to behold. Their new album is a live one called Three August Nights, and was recorded with legendary fiddler Vassar Clements, which oughta tell you something.

If bluegrass ain't to your taste, indie guy Will Brierly will be playing a show at AS220 on Friday night opening for Mark Roberts and Sarah Blair from the Sevens. Brierly, who has been featured on a handful of compilation discs, has been working hard lately to elevate his profile. He'll have his debut full-length, entitled Fishhooks Hung From Trees, out soon. Stay tuned.

On Saturday night down at Stone Soup, local luminary and multiple Grammy-nominee Bill Harley will be entertaining the coffeehouse crowd with his inimitable brand of reality folk. Harley strewns his tunes with honesty, the wry detail of a short story writer and the colors of a great painter. If you haven't seen Harley yet, do. If you've already seen him, you know how much a fun a night with him can be.

In much less pacific news, Jeff Meanor from the great and loud Tokyo Texas -- and his new band the Midnight Creeps -- wants to make sure folks don't think TT is a thing of the past. "Tokyo Texas is still around despite the rumors," he says. "We've added new members Josh [formerly of the L.U.V.'s] on bass and a brand new addition, Rina, on organ/keyboards. The new sound is something to dance to. We'll be playing the first weekend in February at the Green Room."

Further news from Jeff clues us in on the fact that Jimmy over at the Safari Lounge is no longer able to pay bands now that his rent has doubled for the next two years. Now he pays four grand, which means bands playing the watering hole might get just that: water (or beer if you're nice.) It's another nail in the local music coffin. What are we gonna do about it? Have you heard rumblings of a local conference? A summit? The time is high and getting higher.

On less than local tip, there's a monster show over at Lupo's on Saturday featuring two of the hard rock style's most accomplished and worthwhile bands. Corrosion of Conformity has been around for a decade and a half, but they just made their best album in America's Volume Dealer. They'll be hanging with the awesome riff-mongers Clutch, whose new album is due out shortly. It's an early show (from 6 to 10 p.m.) and costs $12 in advance.

Lastly, I received an advance copy of Smile Sunset, the new Mark Mulcahy record. If you're not familiar, Mulcahy's the former frontman of the late, lamented Miracle Legion. There will be more reporting on the disc forthcoming, but I'm happy to say for now that Mulcahy appears to be reaching his peak as a writer. Haunting and sublime.