News

HiStory of Santa Monica now has a Facebook page. You can join here:

http://www.facebook.com/group.php?gid=92988281284&ref=ts

The short story collection has eight final draft and three published stories so far. It has been submitted to a few small presses in Massachusetts and I’m hoping to reach an agreement with one of them in 2009.


An extended version of Baptism will be published as a chapbook in 2010 by Cervena Barva Press of Somerville, MA:

http://www.cervenabarvapress.com/


“Welcome Back, Atwood”, my column with the N.A. Free Press, has reached 42 articles. Please check out the updated archive here:

http://mjatwood.com/articles.html


If you missed it, read Mike's latest published fiction here:



Ancient Hibernians - Istanbul Literary Review

http://www.ilrmagazine.net/story/issue13_st9.php



Baptism - Fresh! Literary Magazine

http://users.rcn.com/freshlit/baptism.htm



Windmills - Coq and Bull Journal

http://coqandbull.net/sitebuildercontent/sitebuilderfiles/coqandbull1.pdf

Deval, Heath, and Caroline

What's bigger news today? Caroline Kennedy dropping out of the running for Hillary's U.S. Senate seat; Heath Ledger getting nominated for an Oscar; or Deval Patrick announcing that he will not cut funding to public schools in Massachusetts.

Ummm....as a public school English teacher, I'll go with with Deval Patrick story.

And let this be said, this is a huge day for Massachusetts educators, many who are Democrats and put Deval's good buddy Barack Obama in office. Still, I'm surprised it happened. Shocked quite honestly. In a matter of a few weeks, the Massachusetts State Legislature, now more Democratic than ever, voted to give themselves raises while citizens lost jobs. Then, they voted to give Deval executive power to make these big cuts. Teachers were scared; public education seemed an easy target.

Now back in 2003, Republican financial guru, Mitt Romney, who was readying himself for a presidential run, avoided the cuts in public education but did cut $73 million out of lottery funds and $42 million in state-aid which is usually given to cities and town. People were ticked off...not at the Republican governor but at the teachers.

Deval, who has been spending time lately between New York City and Washington D.C., has finally, finally....come home. He put aside his book deals and promotional work for Obama to make a significant decision here. I'm quite proud of him tonight.

But here's the catch: even though education is preserved, police and fire may be cut. I'm not happy with that and no else should be either. The three groups have often been bonded together in that with any override situation I've witnessed, these three groups are threatened with cuts by the powers-that-be. In other words, when towns need money, they pink slip teachers and cut firefighters and cops. 300 state police personnel were cut in Massachusetts recently which is not acceptable. To pit them against us, often the towns will ask property owners to pay higher taxes as well as demanding that the three groups give up things like their benefits or fractions of them. It's not a fun game.

I'm happy as a teacher but not as a citizen. I think that education is important but public safety is essential. Don't take it for granted.



But let's get back to the two other headline stories. Why did Caroline drop out? Sweet Caroline, bad times never seemed so bad. What happened.... you had it wrapped up! Or did you? Were you saving face? Why did you run so late in the game anyhow? Kennedy's run reminded me of when Ted William's son tried to play minor league ball in his thirties. Too late. My theory is that she wanted to get back at Andrew Cuomo for the messy divorce from her cousin in the first place. It's a theory but it never made sense why she was running in the first place. But let's face it: it had nothing to do with Uncle Teddy's medical condition.



And the late Heath Ledger, well it's good that he got nominated. He was extraordinary as the Joker in The Dark Knight. I hope he wins. I mean felt like I won today. Maybe someday, if he wins an Academy Award, it can be given it to his daughter. I'm sure that Heath is looking down and hoping she never, ever gets involved in his profession though. I wonder if JFK was doing the same.

Bigger Than John Lennon

Well it's official: Barack Obama is bigger than John Lennon.

However, I'm afraid to say anything else about him, anything that would be interpreted as sacrilegious like he walks on water; John Lennon got in trouble for that type of talk. But let's face it: this guy is loved, I mean really, really loved. All accounts from D.C. stated that the crowd was comparable to the one at Woodstock, the one in the Sixties not the one in the Nineties where they burned stuff and sold water for $10 a bottle. But here's the fact: Obama is officially bigger than the Beatles and the crowd was bigger than that at Woodstock. This is Obamania folks. Get onboard.

Now, after a week of being told how great Obama is from such scholars as Demi Moore, Chuck D, and Alicia Keys, I want to state to my friends on The Left that I'm happy for you. I really am. Anytime 1.5 million people show up on the National Mall, you know something special is happening. Yesterday's post acknowledges the historic day for African-Americans too. I guess I'm just ready to get this administration going and for our new president to start getting the experience that is lacking on his resume. I spent eight long years listening to people say it's okay to question Bush; I believe I'll be spending the next four years asking the similar questions.

Inauguration Day '09 was a record by the way; 1.2 million showed up for LBJ's inauguration in 1965. In fact, according to a BBC article, 67% people from a poll of 17,000 people from 17 different countries say that Obama will return a positive image to the United States. Hey, I'm all for that; people hate us right now. And congrats, Obama and Left-wingers. Now let's get fixing this economy.



Now why would I go and compare the President of the United States to a British rock icon? Because they're so similar. Take a look:

Both:

- were raised by relatives when their single mother went away: grandparents and an aunt.

- had fathers who abandoned them.

- made pretty women faint when they spoke or sang.

- knew how to work a crowds, particularly one full of Americans.

- started with a small following until they were eventually loved by the entire world.

- were thoroughly investigated by the FBI.

- had a major falling out with a close member of their party or group.

- used mantras like "Together We Can" and "Power to the People" or "Anything is Possible' or "You May Think I'm a Dreamer"

- lived for years in the shadow of the original greats: Martin Luther King and Elvis.

- moved to big cities like Chicago and New York to gain their individual identities.


The list goes on and sorry for the past tense: it only works for Lennon if you write it that way. The point is if Obama gave his inaugural speech in Shea Stadium yesterday, the screams would've drowned him out. So be careful Obamites; John Lennon quit the Beatles because of this.

So what's next? Where do we go from here? Socialized health care? Maybe but doubtful. An economic stimulus? My family makes over $50,000 so I'm not expecting a $600 check. Appointing Bill Ayers as the Secretary of Education? No, his criminal bombing record would be rejected by the Senate approval committee. How about Hillary starting to poison the administration with leaks and undermining decisions involving foreign polices. Possibly. No, actually, probably.

However, I think that Obama is going to pace it out the first 100 days. He knows that the expectations are high and that any rash decisions will be criticized by the Right. Bam...that's why you bring in rival John McCain to help ease those who will prejudge his leadership. Barack is a Democrat who is willing to reach across the aisle and pull his presidential opponent, who also happens to be a U.S. senator, on board the Obamatrain. Of course, McCain has been here before; I knew that when I voted for him. It seems like a kind gesture from the president but I have to say, I'm not buying their newfound love.

But then again, he'd just be another one of Barack Obama's adoring fans.


Go to www.mjatwood.com for more.

Obama sworn in; Atwood blogs again!

By Michael J. Atwood
www.mjatwood.com

We'll it's been sometime since I've posted....over three years actually. What have I been doing with myself, you ask? Well, writing, parenting, coaching, teaching, playing some music when the four prior occupations slow down- which is never. But Atwood is back on the Blog. I felt that today was a good day to start blogging again for many reasons. This is from my weekly article that I publish with the N.A. Free Press. If you'd like to read more check out: www.mjatwood.com. There you can view my archives of articles as well as the link to my latest published short story: "Ancient Hibernians". Please come back and check in.





History was made today. This country, which has suffered from an insidious disease called racism for hundreds of years and in certain pockets still does, inaugurated its first African-American president, Barack Obama. That said, not only was it a big day for all Americans but particularly for citizens of color; anyone who does not recognize the significance of this event needs to open their eyes.

“Anything is possible in America” was Obama’s message the entire inaugural week. As a failed comedian who saw him perform out L.A., I had to laugh at the fact that Chris Rock’s famous routine will have to be rewritten because we did indeed elect an African-American president, as he jested would never, ever happen in America. In many ways, I’m proud that our country has grown in its thinking, a mindset put forth by my favorite president of all-time, Abraham Lincoln over 140 years ago. I’m certain that both Abe and Martin Luther King, Jr. were looking down smiling as they witnessed their dream become a reality on Tuesday.

I did not vote for Obama and in no way am I ashamed to admit that fact. Thirty years from now, I’ll be able to look both my children in the eye and truthfully explain that I didn’t feel he was right candidate for the job, no matter what his race was. My decision to vote for John McCain had to do with his experience as a politician and Obama’s lack thereof.

On the other hand, I will admit that Barack Obama’s election did show the world that the U.S. is open-minded and can move beyond the tumultuous years and events that engulfed the Bush Administration. With the election of Obama, we are stating that if one way is not working, we are not so stubborn or stupid that we won’t try another way. We are Americans, full of ingenuity and hope.

I don’t think Barack Obama is Martin Luther King Jr. or JFK, nor do I think he is capable of doing what FDR did to dig us out of The Great Depression. These men had to earn their reputations; nothing was handed to them en route to etching their names permanently and prominently in our country’s history; that’s how America works. Please don’t mistake my tone as bitter or hopeless; I just have some anxiety for the storm that stands in front of this administration and the financial future of our country. President Obama is a man with a huge mission before him and I wouldn’t want to trade places with him for anything.

The televisions were on at school today and I encouraged my students to watch as history was being made. I stood quietly and watched out of respect for our new president and our democracy, which allows the majority to decide what direction we shall go. I didn’t announce to my more liberal colleagues that I’m not as enthusiastic about Obama’s policies such as volunteerism, as they may be. Volunteering is a noble and generous practice indeed, but not when some Americans are figuring out how to pay their bills, where their next meal is coming from, or if they will ever be able to retire. We need paying jobs for these folks, not community service. FDR provided that for my grandfather and my wife’s grandfathers, who were employed by New Deal organizations during the Great Depression in various parts of the United States, sometimes far away from their young families. From what I can tell, that’s how American began to rebound economically: government created jobs or at least ones to replace the layoffs that have taken place around us. Take the 100 employees lost last week at Reebok in Canton and Mattapoisett; 600 jobs at EMC in Hopkinton; and over 1000 more in the credit, financial and medical sector in surrounding Massachusetts. Our unemployment rate is at 7.2% (highest since 1993) and 500,000 workers were slashed in this country in December.

I guess there is also a twinge of resentment that we, a country that is trillions and trillions of dollars in debt, spent much needed tax money on a big inauguration in Washington. Is that really appropriate right now? And, yes, I would expect the same from the Republicans as I do the Democrats. It’s a hard pill to swallow if you just lost your job or your house and you are watching Beyonce and Bono singing their hearts out on the Lincoln Memorial or to observe lavish balls taking place all over our nation’s capitol. Historical? Yes. We’ve hit a milestone that was thought to be impossible by some and we should applaud this day. However, tone it down financially. Maybe we should’ve saved some reserve cash from the bailouts we’ve handed out lately to pay for President Obama’s inaugural day.

Still, the very fact that Barack Obama’s inauguration, fell one day after Martin Luther King Jr. Day, should be recognized with great joy. Now, starting today, January 21st, 2009, Mr. Obama will have four years to prove his doubters wrong. And let this be said: I really hope he does.

Do I think our new president can save us from impending doom? I sure hope so. I think much of it starts with the fact that everyone on this troubled planet, who had access to television, was watching midday on Tuesday while the United States of America made a statement to the world. Anything is possible. I wish President Barack Obama good luck.

Buffalo Tom at Hot Stove, Cool Music This Sunday

BUFFALO ‘06


By Michael J. Atwood
Correspondent

Bill Janovitz has been a staple in the Boston music scene for the last nineteen years. His work as the lead singer, guitarist, and songwriter for Buffalo Tom, along with his efforts as a solo artist, and front man for Crown Victoria, have amounted to eleven albums including a Greatest Hits “A-Sides” compilation with Buffalo Tom (Beggar’s Banquet, 2000). Janovitz’s gravely voice and edgy, infectious songwriting have drawn comparisons to Tom Waits and Grant Lee Buffalo. As a philanthropist, he’s been part of The Jimmy Fund’s “Hot Stove, Cool Music” concert series playing alongside ex-GM, Theo Epstein, sportswriter, Peter Gammons, and various Red Sox player-musicians. The event has raised more than $600,000 to fight pediatric cancer.
On Sunday, January 8th, Buffalo Tom will be appearing locally at The Paradise Rock Club to support to once again support “Hot Stove, Cool Music” ’06 as the headlining band.
However, the latest chapter in lead man, Bill Janovitz’s life involves being an author and Real Estate agent. This Fall, he released Exile On Main St., a non-fiction book on the famous Rolling Stones album published by Continuum Books 33 1/3. The book reads like a love-letter to his favorite band’s critically-acclaimed album and acknowledges how the record influenced his own songwriting.
“Nothing I’ve ever done compares to Exile on Main St.,” says Janowitz, who grew up in Medfield. “I’m not on the level of hanging with (Jagger and Richards) and did not even try to contact them while I wrote the book. I thought it would be next to impossible and I was also scared of it actually working and having to talk to my idols.”
And now, along with the writing, Real Estate has become his first full day job beyond rock and roll. After departing UMass in 1986, Janovitz was able to maintain his livelihood through music. However in 2001, he decided, with fatherhood looming in front of him, he decided to get a full-time job and his sales license.
“I actually really enjoy it but it was hard for me to come to terms with for a while,” the Coldwell Banker agent admits. “But I’m think I’m very good at it, if I do say so myself. And it has opened me up to a whole new world of people I would not ordinarily meet or become friends with. I’ve lived in a town outside of Boston for 11 years, and it was only in the last four of Real Estate where I have met many fellow citizens.”
When Janovitz’s mind isn’t on open houses and escrow contracts, it’s on the completion of the seventh Buffalo Tom album due to be released in the Fall of 2006. The album promises to be reminiscent of the group’s mid-career sound, one that won them international acclaim and a record contract with Beggar’s Banquet.
“We have all the songs written and about eight fully recorded. We have another couple of weeks of recording and mixing to go,” says a pleased Janovitz. “We’ve been doing it in short bursts over the last year.”
And all of this is good news for Buffalo Tom fans, who were convinced for a while that the band may have broken up. However, with recent local appearances and messages of reassurance on their website, these concerns have diminished. The impending album will be the first studio effort in seven years; their last release came with Smitten in 1998.
“We have two kids each and the recording and touring hiatus the band coincided with the growth of the families so it all sort of worked out well,” admits Janovitz. “It really wasn’t a matter of any one of us wanting to pursue solo or side projects more than any of the other guys. When we stopped, though, we were at best 50/50 on whether we would continue the band’s recording career. I was thinking the chances were actually much less than that so I have been pleasantly surprised.”
The trio, who formed at the University of Massachusetts in 1986 includes bassist, Chris Colbourn, also from Medfield, and drummer, Tom Maginnis have started work on the nameless album in between sporadic “reunion” performances at last year’s “Hot Stove” event, in June at The Paradise Rock Club, and this September’s Brookline 300th Anniversary Celebration. On Thursday, January 5th, Colbourn will perform with Hilken Mancini and Kay Hanley (Letters To Cleo) at Cambridge’s T.T. The Bears.
In the meantime, it has been a year of songwriting and preparation for their newest opus. And with it came the decision for Buffalo Tom to go back to the original three-man line-up after working with keyboardist Phil Aiken over the last few years.
“While Phil is still a huge presence in my other band, Crown Victoria,” admits Janovitz, “He has not been involved in this new Buffalo Tom project since we wanted to bring it back down to the original three.”
And it was that line-up and raw sound that established the group. Buffalo Tom burst onto the airwaves of alternative radio, MTV, and into the pages of Rolling Stone magazine. It also sent the trio on world tours to play on bills with bands like The Goo-Goo Dolls, The Lemonheads, and Nirvana.
“It was really an amazing eye-opener for me. I'd hardly ever traveled much at all before that,” says drummer, Tom Maginnis, an Andover native. “The first few trips to Europe were especially memorable, meeting all kinds of interesting people and musicians and learning about a new culture on a weekly basis. Our first show ever was in front of 5,000 Belgians as the first band on for an all day festival. Man were we scared! I don't think we'd ever played to more than a couple of hundred people at the Rat at that point.”
Following the initial tours, the band released 1990’s Let Me Cover, a record that was celebrated by indie rock fans and critics alike with its melancholy ballads and gritty texture.
“Let Me Come Over has the most quintessential Buffalo Tom songs on it. It was the record where we really defined ourselves,” admits Maginnis. “But the recording and playing are kind of a mess.”
However, in 1993, in an effort to improve their sound, the band released Big Red Letter Day, a more polished collection of songs produced by The Robb Brothers in Los Angeles. Still, the trio ran into the same problem as LCO: the album didn’t sell.
“I actually think Big Red Letter Day was our overall best-sounding and best-performed record until Smitten,” says Janovitz of the album.
“We spent way more money and time making that record,” adds Maginnis. “It was the our first record to really get major label funding. I think is the Robb's tended to like the guitars to be a little mellower and not as big and in your face as on the first records, so it gave the drums a little more room to come through.”
And although the band didn’t see soaring record sales, they did have monetary success from Big Red Letter Day in the form of commercial use of the song “Sodajerk” in the popular MTV series “My So-Called Life” and later, a Pontiac commercial. However, his idea was not foreign to the band who have sold songs beyond their albums as well.
“The first few records were made at a time when we really didn’t see a commercial (success); that thinking didn't come until after (Nirvana’s) Nevermind came out, just as we were finishing our third record,” recalls Maginnis. “We weren't feeling any pressure to come up with something for radio until the last three records and whether we want to admit it or not, that and Pearl Jam and Soundgarden really did change the playing field for indie rock bands in every way.”
However, despite the move toward more commercial and radio-friendly records, Janowitz and Colburn found that people outside of the mainstream record industry were receptive to their music.
“I don't think we've ever turned anything down. People have just written us letters asking for music or ideas for productions,” says bassist Chris Colbourn. “Billy and I have lots and lots of songs after 20 years; it's all music and not different than writing songs for a band.”
The band went on to perform the theme song for the short-lived Mike O’Malley Show on CBS. Later, Janovitz recorded the Yes, Dear theme song a few years later along with music broadcast during lead-ins for Red Sox games on WEEI. Colbourn has composed for musicals and the stage.
Both Janovitz and Colbourn have also completed their own solo projects over the past few years. First, Janowitz released two solo albums, Lonesome Billy” and Up Here in 1995 and 2001 respectively. Then, this past year, Colbourn teamed with with Hilken Mancini (of the band, Fuzzy) to release Colbourn and Mancini, a beautifully crafted album that included Dinosaur Jr.’s J. Mascis’ guitar work on two tracks. In fact, it was Mascis who helped produce the first Buffalo Tom album and was a key factor in the bands’ early success. His familiar guitar along with Mancini and Colbourn sharing turns with lead vocals make this an original sounding alternative country and pop album. Mancini’s “Ricki Lee Jones”-like voice mixed with Colbourn’s pop-know how make it an album full of songs neither had realized with their main bands.
“We tried to make the (Colbourn and Mancini) album a bit varied in the end, recording some songs with many musicians playing different instruments, then some just a trio; bass, drums and guitars, and a few just piano/vocals,” says Colbourn. “Almost each weekend session had a different band line-up except for Hilken and I.”
Colbourn’s work with Mancini was quite a departure from recording with Janovitz and Maginnis.
“Buffalo Tom is a bit of a boys club,” jokes Colbourn. “We’ve only tried female vocalists a few times. Carol van Dyke from Bettie Serveert sang on Smitten for example.
But the support of other Boston musician’s aided Buffalo Tom’s own recording during the late 80’s into the 90’s.
“All of the local bands helped each other out, as described in Michael Azeroff’s very good book on the time/scene Our Band Could Be Your Life.,” says Janovitz. “J. Mascis really helped Buffalo Tom get going, lending us a drum set, talking to Greg Ginn at SST (their first Punk label) and producing us.”
With the success of bands such as The Pixies, Sonic Youth, Dinosaur Jr. and Buffalo Tom, it appeared that Boston’s indie rock scene was forming equivalency to Seattle’s own Grunge scene in the early 1990’s. However, Janovitz feels that wasn’t the case.
“People would always ask us about the Amherst or Boston “scenes” and we were confused. Maybe there was such a clubhouse somewhere in Allston that no one invited us to,” jokes Janovitz. “It was more about that national and international support system as well as the mutual admiration society for indie rock than a local Boston thing,”
But Janowitz concedes those die-hard fans who stuck with the Boston groups and repeatedly supported them in the early years, helping them build a following and gain notoriety.
“We would maybe go see Yo La Tengo, Superchunk, Teenage Fanclub, the Gun Club, My Bloody Valentine, the Volcano Suns, Nirvana, Mudhoney, and the Lemonheads all in one month and see all the same audience members,” adds Janovitz. “When we were touring with these groups, we would see familiar faces in Germany or San Diego. That was more of a scene than any one town. That said, though, if there was one binding force in Boston it was the studio and the people at Fort Apache Studios. The holiday parties were legendary. And it was that one place that really did make Boston feel like it had a scene.”
Colbourn, who runs Concerted Efforts, an international music booking agency in Newtonville, says the new songs remind him of the band’s past efforts.
“It's a bit back to basics, just the trio: big guitars and autumnal lyrics,” says Colbourn. “It reminds me of Let Me Come Over and Sleepy Eyed albums. There are also some special guests like Clint Conley from Mission of Burma singing too.”
Maginnis is just happy to be recording new material with his old band mates.
“I think the material is really strong and has grown naturally over the course of a year. I also picture the record as being somewhat like the back to basics approach of Sleepy Eyed, only mellowed a bit by age perhaps. We're just having fun making and that's a healthy way to make a good record I think.
Janowitz feels the same way.
I’m very interested in what the fans’ perspective will be on this new record. To me, it sounds like classic mid-period Buffalo Tom,” he adds. “We were really going for a stripped-down live approach on Sleepy-Eyed so I’m glad that fans like the record, as I do. I think there were a couple of songs that made the cut because they were upbeat and energetic and thus balanced the more downbeat numbers. I don’t think that is always the best way to put together a record. I feel like you should just go with the best songs.”

Mike Atwood is a graduate of USC’s Master of Professional Writing program and Boston College. He is the lead singer / guitarist / songwriter for two bands: Big Amp Envy and Mudroom Service. Currently, he resides in Massachusetts where he teaches high school English and works as a freelance entertainment writer.

Happenings in and outside of Boston

Happy 2006! This blog will be open to any and all posts. I have an article coming out tomorrow in the Attleboro Sun Chronicle on one of my favorite bands, Buffalo Tom. They will be performing at "Hot Stove, Cool Music" on Sunday at The Paradise with Red Sox players, Peter Gammons, Kay Hanley, The Gentlemen and others. However on Thursday night Chris Colburn and Hilken Mancini will be doing a set tomorrow night, January 5th at T.T. the Bears in Cambridge. I hope to see both shows if the schedule allows.

Boston music has always been my passion. L.A. didnt' offer the local flavor of homeblend New England music, bands like Dinosaur Jr, The Pixies, The Lemonheads, The Breeders, Letters To Cleo to name a few. Growing up in Boston in the 70's and 80's, I was always looking for local rock heroes like J. Geils, Boston, hell even Aerosmith and John Cafferty and the Beaver Brown Band. I think that there are many great bands out there but they're hardpressed to make it to the airwaves due to corporate rock. Buffalo Tom is the quintessential example of a band trying to leap this hurdle. They got to a certain point then were paid to leave their label for artists who were more pop and radio friendly.

Rock is not dead and Boston Rock will rise again. Indie rock is the label that it was given in the 90's but it's just a blend of edgy guitars and catchy hooks. Songwriting is still alive and if you don't believe it, go buy Fireworks on T.V. by Bill Janovitz and Crown Victoria and when you're done with that pick up Colbourn and Mancini. The latter is full of great songs, catching ballads that remind me of Rumors by Fleetwood Mac with an indie rock twist. Go listen to some sound bites on iTunes and you will find yourself hooked.

That's all for now. Your posts are welcomed and encouraged.