Short deadlines and lots of wrapping to do, so some random items for now…

If you’re one of those purists who can’t imagine changing a single word in the lyrics of an established song, Wacken Faith would drive you nuts. Wacken (pronounced wah-keen), who also goes under the name Art Books when he plays keyboards and sings backup with the lower-case band custom framing, says he’s written as many as a dozen separate sets of lyrics to the same song. Not verses, mind you, but whole different songs with their own inherent themes and rhymes and meanings.

Granted, many of these songs are roadhouse anthems along the lines of “he/she’s a [adjective] wo/man,” but still a distinction. One which has just been cited by Slambang magazine (often referred to in these parts as “Slam Band”), which deems Wacken Faith to be the “Biggest Self-Plagiarizer” of the year in its annual “Biggest and Bangest” issue. We called Wacken Faith, who had no comment. Then he did have a comment. Then he changed it. Then he told us earnestly that he’s both thrilled and embarrassed, and that’ll have to do. Wacken Faith has a show coming up in a couple weeks at the Bullfinch, when you can give him and his amorphous supersongs the support they deserve…

In other periodical huzzahs, our little scene has been acknowledged in a major national magazine. A Top Ten band that appears to enjoy making Top Ten lists actually remembers stopping here, though the context has caused some concern. Seems that we boast “the skankiest groupies” found on the band’s most recent tour. And everyone in the scene thinks they know who the skanks in question are. I will maintain a shred of dignity by not telling them whether they have guessed correctly. …

No, it’s worse than that: It’s not that we missed last night’s 219 show, it’s that, until now we’ve never missed a 219 show ever. That’s an impressive 34 shows in a row, every one the band ha ever played. Now we’re back to zero. Someone saved us the set list, but you know what? Just not the same…