As anyone who is even remotely familiar with me can attest, I'm a big fan of music. It's difficult to categorize the music I listen to because I really enjoy all kinds of stuff and keep my mind open to all different styles and vaieties of music. In the spring of 1998, I worked full time at Gamelan Productions, a concert agency that puts together shows in the Boston area as well as the rest of New England. They work with such bands as Bela Fleck and the Flecktones, Medeski Martin and Wood, John Scofield, moe., Strangefolk, Guster, Jiggle the Handle, The Slip, Addison Groove Project, and many others. Working with Gamelan was a lot of fun, and I still help out a bit with promotions.

This may give the impression that I only enjoy the "hippie-jam-band" type music, which is far from the truth. In addition to the stuff listed above, I like hip hop (The Roots, Beastie Boys, Black Star, Fugees, A Tribe Called Quest, Wu Tang Clan), jazz (The Guitar Trio, Medeski Martin and Wood, John Scofield, Chick Corea, Miles Davis, Jon Coltrane), classic rock (Allman Brothers, Paul Simon, Neil Young, the Beatles, Led Zeppelin, Pink Floyd, Leonard Cohen) some techno, modern rock (R.E.M., Ben Harper, Jamiroquai, Soul Coughing, Red Hot Chili Peppers), and even some of the stuff that WBRU plays! I have over 800 CDs, and there's no way I can list them all, but I maintain the policy of keeping my mind open to all kinds of stuff.

By the way, check out my tapelist. I don't trade as much anymore, but I'm always up for some quality music and have over 35 bands on my list.

This is a link to Leeway Productions and the Homegrown music network which includes many of the bands listed above (especially the Gamelan ones). It includes plenty of info about all of them as well as merch and other fun stuff.

This page is also dedicated to the bands I like that some of you may not have heard of or don't know much about:

Back before they changed their name to Guster, I used to watch Gus play on the streets of Harvard square freshman year in highschool. Now they have performed on "The Conan O'Brien Show," sell out every venue they play in the northeast, and are about to release teir second major-label album on Sire. But through all this, they are three of the nicest guys you'll meet... Oh, and did I mention that they are great musicians?

Addison Groove Project is a young band from Wellesley, MA that has already caused a stir all over the northeast region. Though most of them are only freshmen in college, they've played with Oteil Burbridge, Michael Ray, the Slip, and the Miracle Orchestra among others. AGP has a unique sound that blends rock, jazz, and funk; and their debut album is phenomenal. Oh yeah, and their lead singer, guitarist, and trumpet player (all one person) Brenadan McGuinn goes to Brown!

The Upper Open, like AGP, is also young, but, also like AGP, they've done very well for their age. Their debut album "Sorry, We are Closed" has been selling well, and young teenie-boppers and scantily-clad adolescents everywhere worship this 10-piece ensemble (especially the lead singers!). If you're up to an intense, energy-filled show, go check them out. And of course, Tom Gormican, the rhythm guitar player, is a freshman at Brown and has been a good friend for a while. Unfortunately, the Upper Open is no longer with us, but you can still get their CDs and check them out.

Tuscan Groove formed after Roadside Attraction (which, incidentally, also featured Rob Marsher, now the keyboardist for Addison Groove) broke up. Matt Wasley, the guitarist and lead singer, is a very good songwriter, and the band is always fun to see live. These guys love to play, so they will be touring plenty. You should go out and see them if you get the chance, or just drop by the website and check them out. Oh, and all these guys are students at UMass Amherst.

Acoustic Junction is back!!! This band has been around since '91, but a couple years ago, when they got signed to Capricorn Records, they (stupidly) changed their name to Fool's Progress and released their debut album on that label under that name. Needless to say, their record sales were not tremendous, and even the concert attendance suffered. Finally, this year, they got their shit together and made the wise decission to change back their name. But despite this foolishly progressive melodrama with the name, the band has been tremendous under both names, on the records and, especially, live. They are superb musicians, songwriters, and singers. Deffinitely give them a try.

If you haven't heard of Agents of Good Roots yet, you probably will soon. These guys from Richmond, Virginia have been steadily following in the footsteps of the Dave Matthews Band and even toured with them last summer and fall. Their sound is a unique combination of rock, funk, and jazz, aided by Andrew Winn's unusual vocals. AGR recently released their debut album on RCA, and radio stations have given tham some air time. Last time they came to Providence, they played to under 100 people at the Met. Hopefully, next time more people in RI will come to appreciate their sound.

Jenn Wertz caused a stir when a memeber of Rusted Root, contributing to their high energy recordings and live shows. But since she left in 1994, she has not stopped making music. In fact, she formed a band named Lovechild and released a great debut album of soulful groovy songs that showcase her singing and songwriting talents, as well as her ability to play guitar. Jenn is a lot of fun to listen to, and I'm sure that whatever projects she does in the future will be worthwile.