OCT 8 – GLOUCESTER, MA @ THE CUT – W/ BEWARE THE DANGERS OF A GHOST SCORPION, THE CHIP ROCKERS
OCT 9 – PORTLAND, ME @ APOHADION THEATER – W/ THE FUR, DHANI DEVISHNU
OCT 10 – MARLBORO, NY @ FALCON UNDERGROUND – W/ RBNX
TOUR TAPES FOR SALE ON TOUR!
Flyer by Simon Simard
The rumors are true! We are closing this chapter of the KLYAM book. Kids Like You & Me (KLYAM) is not over; we’ll still post on here, DJ, and who knows what else? Perhaps we’ll even come out of retirement one day! But, for now we’re calling it quits on the shows. It’s been a long, fun run, and I could give an explanation, but I won’t bore you!
A HUGE thanks to anyone who has supported us over the years. Can’t even begin to name all of you and I’ll save that for another post. Bands that have played our shows, venues that have hosted us, volunteers, supporters, our friends and family and anyone else!
This line-up is quite the doozy! We wanted to get a lot of our old faves over the years. Saturday, September 19 at Lou-Ann David Park in Somerville, MA! That’s located at 1060 Broadway, Somerville, MA.
Here’s a couple pics
The main show takes place at the park from 1-6. 12:30 doors! Show is free, but $5-15 suggested donation for the bands :)
The park show will be followed by an After Party at The Fifth Column. DM KLYAM for the address! 7 Doors, 8 show!
Set-Times (follow KLYAM on Instagram in case anything changes!):
Mickey Bliss – 1
Schooner – 1:30
MR – 2
Honey Cassette – 2:30
Pledge Pins – 3
Kremlin Bats – 3:30
The Swettes – 4
Andy California – 4:30
Nice Guys – 5
***AFTER PARTY!****
Healers Co. – 8
Noah Britton – 8:45
Gossip Collar – 9:30
G. Gordon Gritty – 10:15
Nervous Guys – 10:50
Let’s meet the players….
Mickey Bliss – Mr. Club Bohemia himself! The mastermind behind Hitman Records – Mickey released a batch of synth laced exquisite 45s in the early 80s. He never stopped rocking and in fact since the 60s he’s been playing Rock and Roll. He’s also booked countless bands for decades through his former Club Bohemia booking (where we first met him at Cambridge’s Cantab Lounge). We were even lucky enough to be Mickey’s backing band as Johnnie and the Foodmasters! Catch Mickey solo as he kicks off the fest! https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=27KOUN2Ox44&list=RD27KOUN2Ox44&start_radio=1
Schooner – Schooner are a big part of the Allston DIY scene and brining some much needed new blood to the party! Unlike the rest of us old heads! JK!
MR – MR is a legend! The King of New Bedford. He’s played in Picniclunch since 2009, a KLAM fave. No Wave. Noise Rock. We’re excited to have one of our oldest homies playing our party.
Honey Cassette – HC features Foodmaster Lindie and longtime homies Con Tex, Sam, and Paul! HC just dropped an EP Intermittent Bursts of Light. Brining some jangley Pop and College Rock vibes to the park! https://honeycassette.bandcamp.com/album/intermittent-bursts-of-light
Pledge Pins – A PLEDGE PIN AT YOUR RETIREMENT PARTY?!!! WHAT KIND OF A SICK BOOKER WOULD HAVE THE PLEDGE PINS PLAY THEIR MUSIC FESTIVAL?! The best damn party in town! That’s right, 60s Frat Rock Garage Punks Pledge Pins are playing the KLYAM Retirement Party! Tyler and Simon are Boston Punk vets from Hospital Rats to White Pages to Sticker Shock to Adult Learners and Puke Pisstols today. https://pledgepins.bandcamp.com/album/we-dont-mind-dancin
Kremlin Bats – We’ve known Jim since 2012 when we first caught him playing drums in Fat Creeps. Their EP was our first release on KLYAM Records. We also reissued his album “A Brief History of Slime.” Always fun, different, and inspiring in his countless projects over the years. Catch yer boy and a full band! https://kremlinbats.bandcamp.com/
The Swettes – The Swettes are reuniting!!!! A KLYAM fave. The Shaggs meets Paris Sisters with some Beat Happening in the family tree. Perfect for a first slow dance at the hop! https://theswettes.bandcamp.com/album/the-swettes
Andy California – Andy and Hilken and crew have been a big part of the KLYAM experience. If anyone is keeping Rock and Roll alive today it’s Andy. My favorite musician and performer! Also, check out Tunnel of Love, The Monsieurs, The Mardi Kings, and Puke Pisstols. Photo by Madison McConkey https://macchiorecords.bandcamp.com/
Nice Guys – We’ve booked this band more than anyone else we’ve booked (except our own bands haha) and seen them more than any other band. Over a 100 times! Hell, we even put out a split 45 with them and Miami Doritos. The flagship Allston basement Punk band of the 2010s. Couldn’t think of a better band to close out the KLYAM Stock! https://niceguys666.bandcamp.com/album/nice-guys-2
***AFTER PARTY!!!***
Healers Co. – Ambient Psychedelic Pop to soothe the soul. Will and Jack are OGs! Originally from Boston now in NY/ME glad to see them back in Allston Rock City. https://eternalclubhouse.bandcamp.com/album/legacy-collection
Noah Britton – Noah is one of our favorites and best friends. We met back in 2013 and have been enamored ever since! Seeing him, booking his bands, playing many shows together. Noah’s sets are equally beautiful and sad. And funny too. Unlike anything else we’ve ever experienced. https://noahbritton.bandcamp.com/music
Gossip Collar – GC are our favorite goth rockers and the perfect band as we enter spooky season. They just dropped their second LP Eaten of Worms! Featuring members of legendary Boston punks The Showcase Showdown, THE SPITZZ, and Secret Hearts! Photo by Stephan Scott. https://gossipcollar.bandcamp.com/album/eaten-of-worms
G. Gordon Gritty – Gritty is my co-conspirator! 17 years doing this shit! And wayyy beyond. We met as kids for real! Gritty and whole band (going over a decade now with a solid line-up) unleash a disorienting brand of Noise Rock that makes all other artists look like fakes! In the spirit of Garage Punk, Pop, and Rock and Roll, but Outsider Lounge music in the ears. Prepared to be annihilated! https://ggordongritty.bandcamp.com/
Nervous Guys – For folks who think Johnnie and the Foodmasters and G. Gordon are too artsy and intellectual. Gritty on guitar, Brian, on drums, and yours truly shouting. Initially an Icky Boyfriends tribute band and still sort of is with some other covers and antics. Rare Boston set. If you make it through to the end you are a sick fuck. https://ggordongritty.bandcamp.com/album/g-gordon-gritty-band-nervous-guys-split
Thanks for reading and any support! I will probably have some more posts about the KLYAM show throwing experience and shows in general. To be continued… For now, if you’re in the area, come party with us! – Chris
August 2026:
August was a fun month! I saw the Cheater Slicks live and they were great! Probably the best show of the Summer (or year?). Alright, alright, alright here’s a few shout outs and ramblings…
Lots of local Boston release. Merry Merry released their Flower Pop CD. “Carry On” could be a Top 40 hit! https://merrymerry.bandcamp.com/album/flowerpop
Likewise Honey Cassette (featuring Foodmaster Lindie!) released their CD Intermittent Bursts of Light. Their music often reminds me of The Replacements and Dinosaur Jr. Perfect for a sunny Saturday afternoon. If only there was a chance to catch the band live in such a setting. Ohh well. WAIT A SECOND!!! HC happens to also be playing the KLYAM RETIREMENT PARTY on Saturday, September 19 at Lou-Ann David Park in Somerville! More on that in soon to come posts! https://honeycassette.bandcamp.com/album/intermittent-bursts-of-light
Fellow Bostonians Lithophones just released a tape as well. This ain’t your Daddy’s Garage Punk band. Or maybe it is actually! Better yet I should say this isn’t your teenager’s Garage Punk band. As the old saying goes “If the kids don’t hate it, it ain’t Rock and Roll!” These fellas are delivering fast, grimy Budget spunk unlike anybody else as of late. It’s a classic 90s/00s Gunk Punk, if you will, and these boys oughta know. Featuring ex Wong/Reatard/Tokyo Electron Daniel, Tampoffs Joe and Nick, and Hospital Rat Hank. Catch them at a dive bar near you! Complementing the sudden uprising of Rock and Roll in Boston/NE with Whyte Lipstick, Puke Pisstols, Adult Learners, Freak Phone, Orange Whip, and several more. Check it out: https://lithophones.bandcamp.com/album/lithophones
While we’re on that Rock and Roll kick (are we ever not?), a new kind of kick (that’s right) of an old stomp. Thanks to the masterminds of Henry Rollins, Ian Mackaye, Larry Hardy, and Poison Ivy herself, the long lost 1977 recording of The Cramps’ first album has been unearthed! Gravest Gravy. It seduced me right away and fans will recognize some of the tunes – in a sexier, slimier fashion.
Milk ‘N’ Cookies is a Glam rocker’s wet dream. They released their debut S/T album in 1975. NYC Power Pop amidst CBGB Punk. I had never heard the entire album until now. However, I have always been a huge fan of some of their singles and other songs. “Typically Teenage” is a go to Saturday night anthem. In addition the album, in 2016 Captured Tracks reissued a whole batch of recordings (their whole discography?) including demos from 1973. They sound like a drunken Garage band falling over each other in the studio or wherever they were. It’s quite a departure from the Glam Power Pop, but it’s equally endearing and a pleasant surprise.
That’s all I have for now. I’ll leave you with his mini movie from the Butthole Surfers since I just saw the documentary Butthole Surfers: The Hole Truth & Nothing Butt. See ya soon…. Chris
Jeff “Monoman” Conolly of legendary 70s Boston Punk/Rock and Roll bands DMZ and Lyres passed away at 69. I didn’t know him and have only listened to a little bit of his music. I became particularly fond of DMZ during lockdown. Both bands were integral in the development of Punk Rock. Straight up fun, Garage Punk that clearly had massive influence on several bands including many I admire. In fact, I think I first heard of them through covers from people like Teengenrate. It’s been cool hearing all of the stories (both good and bad!) from various rockers and older heads on my social media. My condolences to friends and family. RIP. – Chris
K.O. Queen – Girls! Girls! Girls!
July 2026:
My Birthday is July 15 (also St. Swithun’s Day), so of course this month always rules! I treated myself to some Chinese Food as is my tradition. I also indulged in various records and films. I received some sweet gifts! Alexander Payne’s debut film Citizen Ruth (1996). It’s not as good as some of his other movies like my beloved Election, but it’s an amazing debut and worth a watch. A biting political satire. But what really knocked me off my rocker was Dennis Hopper’s 1980 gut wrenching classic Out of the Blue (1980). Maybe I’ll do an extensive piece on this. I became obsessed with it. Watched it 5 or 6 times last week! Hopper also stars in the film. Well, the late great Linda Manz is the star; Hopper is a late, great too! But yeah, Manz is mesmerizing as the teenage Punk Rock/Elvis fanatic Cebe. She is a rough, unique presence. She articulates pain and bravado and humor all at once unlike anyone else I’ve ever seen. She first caught my eye as Solomon’s Mom in Harmony Korine’s Gummo. Korine loved her in OOTB and it was in his top 10 favorite films of all time. Can’t recommend this enough – sort of, it’s hard to recommend, because it’s not going to be for everyone (what is?!), but it’s an especially heavy film. From start to finish. But, the last half hour is brutal. A gut punch that never holds back. Keeps pummeling you until the end. Fun stuff haha.
Okay, but to the music! The records! The tapes! The digital files… not as cool, but cool stuff nonetheless. My man Noah Britton or in this instance Request Freedbird gave us another tearjerker in the extremely personal “RIP Ben Tan.” The album includes songs with Noah, Ben, and other friends, including while Ben was in hospice. To quote the album credits:
“On 4/23/2026, I visited Ben in hospice and he said, “if anything happens to me, sing ‘Freebird'” because the whole point of Request Freebird was that I’d never perform “Freebird.” We tried it right there, and this is that recording. I’d never sung this song in my life. I’m resurrecting the Request Freebird name just for this. The final Request Freebird song is “Freebird.”
RIP Request Freebird and Ben Tan.
Ben died of cancer on 5/14/2026.”
Indeed, we love you Ben! Always.
On a brighter note, I loved listening to two albums by Thee Milkshakes. I’ve only listened to them a little here and there. Led by the legendary Billy Childish. I’m more familiar with his other band Thee Heaadcoats. This is classic Rock and Roll. Made in the 80s, but keeping the 60s party alive in the best way possible – paving the road for all of us garage spunkers for years to cum.
This month I finally listened to Nirvana’s “From the Muddy Banks of the Wishkah.” Crazy it took this long! The reason I never gave it a listen was because I thought it was a greatest hits compilation. This whole time! I finally discovered it was a compilation of live performances. So, I gave it a whirl.
The Phi Mu Washboard Band’s “Just Because” is magnificent. I fell in love with their version of “Love Hurts” a few years back and finally got around to hearing the whole album now. 60s sorority Outsider Pop. Heaven for my ears.
The Sex Shoppe unleashed an impressive eponymous debut (?) album on Ragdoll Records in June. This really stood out to me! I don’t always get that feeling. Actually, I usually don’t. I was feeling Girl Fit vibes. Of course, when I went to the credits I saw Waylon Thornton and Baesha Thompson and realized this pretty much is the same band! At least same members. Girl Fit was one of my faves from 2024. In both instances the songs are more animated and memorable than most Punk I come across. LISTEN! https://ragdollrecords.bandcamp.com/album/the-sex-shoppe
Well your Birthday boy was/is one lucky camper. My Tunnel of Love/Andy Macbain discography is nearly complete. A my Bday show at The Sil, Mr. Macbain himself gifted me two Tunnel of Love records! Their split with Jack of Heart from 2006 and 2008’s “Hottt Radio Revenge!!!” If you don’t know Tunnel of Love, they were an extreme Rock and Roll gang from Brookline, MA. I’ve never heard anyone else this crazy. Their music is electrifying pandemonium and puts all other Budget Garage twerps to shame! You may recognize Andy also from such beloved Boston bands and KLYAM favorites as The Monsieurs, Andy California, Mardi Kings, and Puke Pisstols.
My current favorite Boston band K.O. Queen just put out their second album “Girls! Girls! Girls!” and of course I snagged a tape as soon as I could! I attended their album release show at their homebase Cambridge Community Center. It was off the hook. Every KO show is, but you could especially feel the love in the air or the sweat. They have put in a lot of work over the years and it shows. This latest album is crunchy and gunky and has all the raw, but equally fun quality their previous releases and live shows embody. Fans will recognize live standards such as “HIT POLICE” and the previously released “BUTCH BABY” and “DIE F*GGOT.” FFO The Crucifucks, Big Hog, Cexcrime, and a million other cool bands. Also thank you Queens for dedicating the album to Ben Tan (along with Char Clement) and for including us in your “Special thx” section!!! LISTEN: https://koqueen.bandcamp.com/album/girls-girls-girls
I finally got my greasy paws on the “Wild Man” 45 from Black Lips! I already owned the 1966 original by The Tamrons and I have a live recording of the Lips covering it. But just now I picked up a studio recording. Both the original and the Lips cover are among my all time favorite songs. Thee Headcoatees also do a mean rendition. It’s also probably the song I have sang the most in my life. Possibly! My old band (can’t believe I’m writing that) Johnnie and the Foodmasters used to cover it. I miss playing with my fellow Foodfuckers and I especially miss seeing Ben Tan. Lead Johnnie. We love you. Can’t say it enough.
Okay, I’m going to wrap this up. I can’t write about everything! In this day and age where everything appears to be accessible on your phone, physical media feels even more special to me. I love having something in the palms of my filthy hands. I geek out enough as is, but I particularly geek out when I come across shit you can’t find online! Or extremely rare. Boston homies (Quincy to be exact) Bugs and Rats put out a split record with Philly’s Northern Liberties in 2006. I saw Bug and Rat Shawnie posted a photo of it online and realized not only had I never heard it before, but I couldn’t find it online! Either I’m a terrible investigator or the recordings are simply not available online. I think the latter. Well, thanks to the holy Discogs, I was able to find one for sale and I got it!
One final one! You know I love me some Doo Wop! I find often when I mention the genre people have this image of wholesome, cutesy people singing in a slow,non threatening fashion. Granted that is sometimes the case, but that isn’t the whole story! Much Doo Wop is loud, thunderous, and will knock you flat on your fucking ass. What the PJ Doo Wop channel once described as “frantic.” My latest 45 purchase The Redwoods’ “Never Take It Away” is a perfect example of this style. It’s a banger! Makes most of my Punk records feel puny by comparison. Pleases listen below.
That’s all for now! If anyone reads this, thanks! – Chris
Flyer by Simon Simard
Next KLYAM show is this Monday, July 20 at The Silhouette Lounge in Allston and it’s a celebration of my (Chris) Birthday! More importantly one of the greatest Punk bands of all time, 70s Boston Punk legends, and a personal favorite, Unnatural Axe are playing!!! G.T. Arpe from Philly and local Garage Punk heroes Puke Pisstols (members of Monsieurs, Spittz, White Pages, and on and on!) round out this incredible bill! 7 Doors/8 Show, $10, 21+.
This month I am doing something a little different. I am not only going to share what I listened to these past four weeks, but also a recap of the past year! Last June is when I decided to make these monthly lists of everything I had been listening to. To clarify again when I say “everything” I mean anything I am listening to for the first time or if I can’t remember if I had listened to it before. Also, it has to be more than just a song or two. So, for example, albums, EPs, tapes, 45s, comps, demos, etc. I’ll start off with the current list here for June and then post the past 23 months after that. Bold indicates something I really dug and made a point to revisit. I might write little blurbs, but these aren’t reviews or anything like that. Plenty of cool shit is not in bold, it just didn’t stand out to me as re-listenable. Don’t base your tastes off of mine. Find out for yourself! This is more a way for me to keep track of what I’m listening to and possibly someone else gets exposed to a cool band or more too.
June 2026:
You may be thinking “Chris, what the fuck? Sam Cooke, The Replacements, Sly & The Family Stone, Robert Johnson, Devo not in bold???” Even though I enjoy and truly LOVE some of the songs and albums in these individual’s catalogs, I only bold the releases I’d like to revisit. I’m fairly satisfied with the Sam Cooke 45s I already know and love and for some own. ALSO, I’m more inclined to bold an obscure artist as most of them will fall through the cracks for me due to the overload of music I’m consuming, whereas, The Replacements and Devo and Cooke aren’t going anywhere in my mind. Also, there’s plenty of others here I enjoyed, but just didn’t stand out as much to me as re-listenable. Okay, with all the ugly business out of the way, what did I love this month? I heard this band The SS for the first time. Apparently the first Japanese Hardcore Punk band. Formed in 77, fuck they are one the first Hardcore bands ever! They play extremely fast. Their cover of “Blitzkrieg Bop” is crazy. According to Wikipedia they formed “for the sole purpose of making music that was faster than The Ramones.”
This was a solid month for rockers – old, new, near, and far. I’m a huge Electric Eels fan, so when I came across a comp of them with The Mirrors and The Styrenes I had to listen. EE was familiar territory, but the other two I didn’t know as well or at all? I can’t keep up anymore! That’s why I’m making these. I really loved The Mirrors’ song “How Could I?” Weird ass, early 70s Rock and Roll. I finally got around to listening to Shonen Knife beyond a few songs here and there. Their 1983 album Burning Farm was a blast. Perhaps it’s time to do a deep dive. An older head with a new release is here with Guitar Wolf’s More Jet. Newly released on Goner Records, which was the first release on the label in 93! As for younger heads. I had a steady stream of nastiness with Jacket Burner, H8 Mile, and XRay Xeroxx. Jacket Burner is slowly becoming a new fave! It’s not the most original sound in the world, but God I love the sound! Ramonesian Spits/Buck Biloxi in your face Punk Rock. Boston’s own Adult Learners put out a banger 45! Fast, catchy, Power Poppers you’ll get stuck in your head for weeks!
June (2025):
July:
August:
September:
October:
November:
December:
2026:
January:
February:
March:
April 2026:
May 2026:
RIP Ben Tan
See you in August! – Chris
Chris: I’d say for myself. I have two different schools of thought. One – I should listen to myself more. The second one, with influencer stuff out there, is stop listening to people, unless it’s specific advice. In general stop listening to people. Keep learning. Just like you with your exams. Just keep at it. Try to see how you can be different. How you can stand out. It’s too much of people going the same road, or a normalcy. Different opinions and perspectives can be refreshing.
Gritty: So the listening to yourself more. Expand on that. If you were trying to go for something, would it have changed things?
Chris: It depends on what it is. You can audition for a role and not get it, but then a number things could happen. That’s a loaded question.
Gritty: More pointedly, you were personally inspired by others doing shit?
Chris: Yes and no. I usually am not really inspired by other people. I don’t really like inspirations. I tend to get inspired by things I don’t like. If we’re talking specifically KLYAM, Illegally Blind/Bufu/Hassle/Fast Apple, people were doing it. And that’s a thing. There were a few specific moments.
—-Changing tapes to a Gritty choice (random out of a grab bag): Ursula / “Hair Salon” – in Chris’ top 50. Also, a Gritty favorite —-
Gritty: Alright, so we’re listening to Ursula – quick transition. What do you remember and for people that weren’t there, what’s to note?
Chris: With the Pelvic Floor and Cambridge Community Center, they’d be superstars. I don’t care if I sound like a jackass but Ursula’s sound is much cooler. Certainly a lot of bands are influenced by No Wave today. I think Ursula would give extra umph in that direction. Maybe it wouldn’t be as much emo influence or other influences. Musically, they’re almost inept, amateur, but in a good way. Bare-boned. It’s not noise or outsider, either. There’s a little bit of a void of that. These songs are really fucking tight. These are clear ideas of what they’re going for lyrically, musically, aesthetically. Not only in their music, but when you saw them live it was a real attack. There are other bands like this, but not as sharp. In a lot of ways, them and bands like Birthing Hips paved the way to the current not just male dominated, same kind of sound. I feel definitely a big influence on Gritty. Even compared to the No Wave shit (if someone wants to point me in the right direction) – I like some of those bands, but Ursula doesn’t remind me of anything else. They paired well with Pucker Up. They went on at least one tour together. Another band that had their own sound, almost anti-everything.
Gritty: So Ursula was a bit of an outlier at that time?
Chris: Yes and no. There was a Black Lodge show. Girlpool. I didn’t listen to them much, but they played at Black Lodge. Girlpool, Miami Doritos, Saralee, and Ursula. Saralee is weird, but they were the most accessible. Miami Doritos were pretty weird, but a little more conventional. Ursula, a little more crazier and less rock driven. To pivot from Ursula, talking about Nice Guys – it’s kind of like what we were doing with Rama. If you look at one of the nights of the Rama Lama Ding Dong: Guerilla Toss, Ursula, Barbazons, Fooodmasters, Beware the Dangers of a Ghost Scorpion, Electric Street Queens. We were trying to do shit like that – not a typical bill. Nice Guys played the night before. That Rama we tried really hard.
—–We are happily interrupted during the oral history from a call by Brian, our longtime friend, drummer of Johnnie and the Foodmasters, and guitarist/saxophonist of Gritty, and mastermind behind >>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>> ——-
Gritty: What did the Black Lodge mean to you?
Chris: It meant a lot to me. I did an oral history on it, so refer to that.
Gritty: What did Lowell Massachusetts underground mean to you?
Chris: It was the first introduction on a personal level to an underground music scene. It was weird because I didn’t have any ambitions, but just stumbled across it. Mainly Jimmy Ford and Justin Cole introduced me to Lowell house shows.
Gritty: Were you aware of the broader underground connectivity?
Chris: Not a lot. I heard of the Whitehaus. I knew of the concept. But not really, no.
Gritty: What was the difference: Lowell underground and Boston underground?
Chris: I wasn’t too privy to Boston underground. Lowell was a lot smaller. A smaller scene, smaller community. But at the same time, a lot of Boston bands and touring bands came through. Like Fat History Month. New Highway Hymnal. Frank Hurricane. Guerilla Toss. Big Mess – a steady Lowell band. They brought a lot of people in. Houses, cool places to play. I wasn’t as in touch with 119 and Unchartered.
Gritty: What about the On Broadway Fest?
Chris: 2008. And the one before that was 2009. 2008 was in 2012 and 2009 was in 2011. That was very awesome. It kind of shows the spirit of that era. There were Facebook event pages, but this shows what it was. You had bands like Guerilla Toss or Frank Hurricane. It was just houses. Of course. Two houses having bands play. People are going to come out. They fucking started at noon. Crinkle Face and Inspector 34. It occurred to me 14 years later that Inspector 34 is a Pete & Pete reference.
——Gritty randomly grabs a Maine Coons tape. Another of Chris’ Top 50. Surprising to most people – he thinks ——–
Gritty: Did you appreciate at the time being in close proximity to all this…during college?
Chris: Not enough. But yeah. I never took it for granted. I remember thinking when people look back at shit, in history books. That’s how I felt. I’ll be looking back. Literally what we’re doing now is what I envisioned would happen. At the time it seemed pretty cool. I wasn’t around as many heads that were saving flyers for Minor Threat shows. Some people do that. At that time, thinking that far ahead, we couldn’t really conceptualize what it would feel like 15 years, 5 years, whatever. It’s like asking a married couple – everyone says their I Do’s – if they mean in it 100% in that moment, you can’t really conceptualize what it will be like 20, 30, 50 years later. So this is a weird thing, you are asking me what I was thinking of back then. It’s all good though.
Gritty: Okay let’s talk about the lightning in a bottle situation from back then.
Chris: Let me say one thing. I can’t imagine ever having to deal with being famous. That’s a huge stress. Same thing with being rich. At the same time, it’s one of those things – isn’t everyone kind of curious what they’d do in that scenario? How would you act? I think the reason why people don’t question that is they might become that shithead they hate. I’m not saying that to sympathize with those people. When I see normal people not able to deal with shit, I can’t imagine being famous. I see the Lou Reed interviews and it’s like I don’t know, if you aren’t that popular… Popularity is going to blow your ego out of control. Dave Grohl felt really uncomfortable with people asking about Kurt Cobain dying. Singer commits suicide at 27. With Ben (Tan) passing, I don’t have that. I did have people come up to me and I had no problem talking about it. Enjoy the moment and try to be positive. So, what about the ole lightning in a bottle?
Gritty: The feeling from those early show going days.
Chris: It’s so hard to describe. That’s one thing with maturity. I think for a long time and a small extent now – fuck mainstream music fans, fuck pop. A lot of people save up their paychecks to see Taylor Swift, Sabrina Carpenter. They are obsessed with it. It means the world to them. A lot of us into underground or local scenes – you get that who cares attitude. I remember going to Gay Gardens ‘you remember that Saralee / Fat History Month show’? For us that was a specific time. The passion basically. You’re passionate about something. When we were first getting into stuff, Black Lips, whoever it was, it is hard to duplicate that. The movie Detroit Rock City encapsulates that ‘I have to see this band’. There was this excitement like Christmas morning or the end of school.
Gritty: Going to shows was a big deal every time for a while.
Chris: For the most part, yeah.
Gritty: We weren’t really jaded.
Chris: No. Cynicism and jaded are too different things. What do you think?
Gritty: Everything was so new and adventurous.
Chris: In some ways, that’s how things are now, too. It’s a way to rewire the brain. You can’t force it. That’s a constant thing – we don’t look around and smell the roses.
Gritty: Is the 4 year or the Boston…
Chris: Wait a sec. This has been amazing. Kids Like You and Me has been amazing. Everything is amazing in nostalgia. The reality is, in my experience, is that’s ’cause that’s what we are talking about right now. I’m not talking about how depressed I was or how much I hated my jobs. And that’s what made those moments so exciting. I was listening to my favorite band. And I can see them live. Live comes in different cycles. On one hand I’m seeing a ton of my favorite bands but maybe I don’t need KO Queen now the way I needed Black Lips in 2009. I’m also older now. So many factors. I’m glad I have the memories and nostalgia. It’s real and I love it.
Gritty: You were in love with these times?
Chris: In some ways yes. I’m not trying to romanticize the past. That was a certain point in time. It’s not taking everything into consideration. I’m in love with these times but also working at Stop and Shop which sucked. That’s a part of it.
Gritty: Now that you’re older and wiser maybe, do you sympathize with the older heads cynicism of that ‘I’m in love with these times’?
Chris: I think there’s always data that can support something. Ultimately, you’re always too old or too young for something. It’s like a see-saw. We have lost a lot of stuff in general in culture. Unfortunately, it takes time to notice some things. You don’t just suddenly see the effects of a band like Ursula or bands like that. It percolates. It’s not like overnight there’s no more misogyny in music. You see shifts in more stuff over time. Shitty things always still exist so it makes it feel like progress isn’t being made. It’s hard to notice ’cause there is still shitty shit. If you don’t have people pushing back, it’s always going to be worse.
—-Chris puts on what he described as something only he has heard: a personal Tunnel of Love tape —–
Chris: I honestly don’t know any one that sounds like them.
Cheers to us! I didn’t feel like waiting till tomorrow haha. Tomorrow, June 27th, marks the 17th anniversary of Kids Like You & Me (KLYAM)! The best thing I’ve done with my life. It’s been a pleasure of listening to all of these wonderful, weird bands – near and far – over the years! Listening, seeing live, writing, booking, releasing records and tapes, podcasting, spinning records, and even playing shows of our own! We’ve met countless heads over the years and been able to share our love of music with all of y’all and likewise. Been exposed to so many great artists new and old and hopefully we’ve turned some of you on to some cool shit too! Ultimately though, the real best part of all of this is having my best friend, Gritty, by my side. Whether it was before we knew anyone else and we showed up to every show obnoxiously early before anyone else; front and center, to now knowing most of the people in the room. Either way, happy to have each other. We still catch up daily to discuss our favorite bands and share our spiels. It’s what I’m most grateful for in life.
What’s next for us?! To be frank (and this is why a band decided to call themselves Stop Calling Me Frank!) we’re going to dial it back a bit. Not leaving you. Don’t worry! But, we may be going off to college in the Fall! Get early on it! KLYAM is 17 now and getting a little old for the kids’ table!
I’ll leave you with a few of my favorite songs of all time. Just a few! One per decade. We’ll start with the 30s. And in the grand traditions of KLYAM, a little bit expected, a little bit random! Here we go…
Lucille Bogan – Shave Em’ Dry (1935) https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=_PhOWpdt6xg&list=RD_PhOWpdt6xg&start_radio=1
The Sharps and Flats – I Knew He Would (year unknown, late 40s?) https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=h3ICynn3AtE&list=RDh3ICynn3AtE&start_radio=1
The Phantom – Love Me (1958) https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=8zgsIdMa8qA&list=RD8zgsIdMa8qA&start_radio=1
Los Saicos – Demolicion (1964) https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=haVaaDLwWvI&list=RDhaVaaDLwWvI&start_radio=1
The Mentally Ill – Gacy’s Place (1979) https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=HePj8xH8I0w&list=RDHePj8xH8I0w&start_radio=1
Susan SuLu Dubow – I’m Demented, You’re Demented! (1981) https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=UvphZ-CoslQ&list=PL287kpvhH9PxAPKtrE8iiEyFpLAHFghq2&index=11
The Trashwomen – Perversion (1993) https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ur_RUjhhhQ4&list=RDur_RUjhhhQ4&start_radio=1
Black Lips – Wild Man (2005)* https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=EJ9rVAp0K6M&list=PL287kpvhH9PycXW3qywrx9Q_ABU36FUrv&index=36
Saralee – Circle of Hands (2011) https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=KU_sK2cTENI&list=RDKU_sK2cTENI&start_radio=1
Happy Body – Plastic Lovers (2023) https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=FqDNXEcErUA&list=RDFqDNXEcErUA&start_radio=1
Okay, because you’ve been good, here’s a few more!
The Earthquakes – This is Really Real (1960) https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=poLDr94YEng&list=RDpoLDr94YEng&start_radio=1
The Run-Arounds – Such a Night (1965) https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=zUKa9AjtyVM&list=RDzUKa9AjtyVM&start_radio=1
Ralph Nielsen & The Chancellors – Scream (1962) https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=1WMp0kANEFc&list=RD1WMp0kANEFc&start_radio=1
Vomit Pigs – Useless Eater (1978) https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=1f3TimGgFqk&list=RD1f3TimGgFqk&start_radio=1
Vomit Squad – Burning with Beelzebub (2010) https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=hjFdV75D44w&list=RDhjFdV75D44w&start_radio=1
Leopardo – Country Side Love (2021) https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=YiwxA5fruPw&list=RDYiwxA5fruPw&start_radio=1
Leona Bass with The Lost Guitars – I Want to Marry An Egghead (1958) https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=E-QJO7ief5I&list=RDE-QJO7ief5I&start_radio=1
*Black Lips did this amazing cover that really got me into the song and it became one of my favorites. A standard of mine on vocals for Johnnie an the Foodmasters. The original is by The Tamrons from 1966 and it’s one of the best Rock and Roll songs I have ever heard. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Fc8tmiQVblk&list=RDFc8tmiQVblk&start_radio=1
With the exception of Saralee, I didn’t include any Boston artists here, because there’s too many local favorites to name and I’m sure I’ll have more on that in the future. BUT if you crave any of my tastebuds and want to hear more of my playlists or recommendations, I have plenty!!! Local annd everywhere! Here’s one I made a couple years back of most of my favorite local artists (2009-2024) for the KLYAM 15th Anniversary. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=G_4UVdsc_ps&list=PL287kpvhH9PxCz8yAi03LXR5hBUjWe0g6
Of course, I can’t do a KLYAM celebration post without honoring someone incredibly near and dear to the KLYAM fam as anyone else, our dear departed friend, Ben Tan. RIP Ben. (1990-2026). KLYAM won’t be the same without you. Boston won’t be the same without you. Life won’t be the same without you. Much love brother. Until we meet again, my friend.
Benjamin J. Tan Scholarship for the Performing Arts Ben Tan’s Bandcamp Johnnie and the Foodmasters Bandcamp
Last, but certainly not least, check out my PIC, the King of Slop himself, NYC’s finest, none of other than G. Gordon Gritty!!! https://ggordongritty.bandcamp.com/
That’s all folks!!! – Chris
The world lost Ben Tan – age 36 – on May 14, 2026, after a brave battle with cancer. I say ‘the world’ because his impact extends beyond family and friends. I am so incredibly blessed and grateful to call Ben or BBT (as I often called him) a dear friend. I’ve been taking in the outpouring of love and tribute to BBT over the last month, often finding myself at a loss of words to describe how much he meant to me. And words truly do not do BBT justice, because with him it was so individualized. His spirit was, and is, unlike anyone I’ve ever met. So many of Ben’s friends and family have very accurately articulated this sentiment. He lacked ego and any sense of self-consciousness. He was at peace and thriving just being BBT. Though I could not physically be with him as often as I would have liked in his final weeks and days, I regularly kept in touch with my dude via FaceTime and text. I was blessed to visit him in hospice in April. His health was declining, but his spirit and presence remained steady. He wanted to get out of his bed and play music. And that he did – finding the strength to move to the couch, play guitar and keyboard, and sing. I won’t forget how he started playing and singing “Tears on my Pillow,” by Little Anthony and the Imperials – one of the many Little Anthony songs that Ben always took pleasure in encouraging me to sing. He shared so many of these wonderful moments during his final weeks – jamming along with childhood friends and other pals he met through the Boston music scene and beyond. BBT had gone through so much medically in the past few years, but he never lost his spirit and fight.
I’m not sure when I met BBT, exactly. I knew of him far before I really got to know him. I knew he was incredibly smart and a musical genius. But it was in high school that we began bonding. In those days, we both really liked journalism. Ben wrote for the school newspaper, the Wakefield Spin. His movie review column in particular held legendary status. But he did it all and expanded his efforts online – blogging about politics, local news, and music among many other things. I was delighted when Ben was accepted into Emerson College, where he would study broadcast journalism. Our bond grew stronger once he started his studies at Emerson. He was so excited to room with his childhood friend Mikey Riv freshman year. BBT also started DJ’ing at WERS, the nationally acclaimed college radio station that my dad had long played in the car since I was a kid. On the daytime radio shows, Ben was given very little leeway in what he could play, but sometimes he’d spin something that I would call in and request. The music du jour of 2009 was fine; decades later (as in… earlier this year) Ben would send me audio messages of him in his radio voice announcing Grizzly Bear’s “Two Weeks” off of Veckatimest.
During this period and a bit before, Ben started to learn how to play guitar. Before this, Ben was a gifted classical pianist. He started playing as a young child and was active in various school ensembles and later, more casual bands. I remember going over to his house and watching him jam in the basement with his buds. Music came very easy to BBT! Not so much for me. I was starting to dabble in guitar around the same time as Ben. I could hardly form any chords. I often asked Ben for advice – “Where do I put my fingers for a G chord?” And he would laugh and respond right away. He was on another level and very quickly picked up the instrument. I struggled and pretty much gave up on technicality, but through Ben I had a very decent foundation. All that I needed. I look back on these times as highly influential – here was an accomplished musician giving me the time of day to experiment. We would laugh it off, goofing around quite a bit. He graced me with the moniker ‘King of Slop’. I ran with it, that confidence of just being all ‘whatever – I don’t really know what I’m doing, but I’m just going to do it anyway.’ And that was all BBT. He delighted in my amateurism but never wrote it off. Going for it was BBT. Pure BBT. It was just him. He allowed me to not be so self-conscious. Sure, it sounded weird, off key, and tone deaf.
Fast forward to April 2012 – my first time performing live. Solo. Who was right there for it? BBT! Not many people were there, but Ben was. Two performances later, BBT joined me on drums at Club Bohemia, a venue that we both held near and dear. Then a short time later at the defunct Radio Down in Somerville, BBT wasn’t playing with me (he played his own solo set), but as our best bud Chris DeCarlo wrote in a review on KLYAM (our blog that Ben named and was an early contributor), “Ben Tan, who wants to start a riot…yanks my Narragansett out of my hand, chugs it, and flips me the bird. I immediately rip the beer out of his hands, but he’s out of control as he swings some sort of cables around frantically dancing.” Yup, classic BBT. A few shows later Ben joined the first full band lineup of mine on tambourine, pacing around a fully packed Middle East Upstairs – and in the words of Chris, “dancing and intimidating the crowd of puzzled on lookers.” BBT was a consistent force in my (non)musical world – lending his hand through the years additionally on bass, guitar, keyboards (and drums at the same time), as well as backing vocals – most prominently on “The Breeze”. He was always there for a good time, sure, but more importantly he was a supportive friend. He was well aware of the wackiness, weirdness, and amateurism. And who cares? BBT LOVED a good time and is that not the most important thing?
Now on to Johnnie and the Foodmasters. To be historically accurate, the band, the OG lineup of BBT on guitar, Brian on drums, and me on guitar, had our first jam on February 13, 2013. We certainly didn’t intend to form a new band during that session and I’m not 100% that we had the name Johnnie and the Foodmasters figured out (though knowing BBT and his brilliant history of naming things…maybe?). I worked at Johnnie’s Foodmaster in Melrose with Brian until its closing in November 2012. Ben never worked at Johnnie’s, but we all shared a mutual love of the oldies music that constantly played over the store’s speakers. At any rate, we made it a thing on July 4, 2015, our first show. I look back on this day with fondness and appreciation. We were the ‘opening ceremonies’ of the Allston Speed Trials, a DIY festival featuring the day’s local garage/punk bands, such as Nice Guys, Miami Doritos, Black Beach, and many more. We were on first on this cloudy, humid Lower Allston day. Outside under a tent. I remember being a little worried that we were late – BBT picked me up and I think Brian met us there. We were greeted to a nice backline so we just rolled up, plugged in, and played. It was a quick set – I don’t think we had a set list – but the spirit and performance were unlike anything I’d been a part of. For BBT, I believe it was significant because he was stepping into what would be his role for the decade-plus of the band’s existence: steady frontman and backbone of the chaos. He knew how to play the songs and he knew the words. I ran around, rolled in the grass, and played whatever notes or words spoke to me – a real time reaction of the vibe. And Brian, behind the kit, was something to behold. He fell somewhere in between the order of BBT and my chaos. He was a longtime jazz drummer who had been playing with Ben for nearly ten years, including in the oldies loving Revivalists, which included C-Solid, who’d join Foodmasters a short time later. Brian would pound the shit out of the kit, perhaps (definitely) with an intensity above and beyond the standard Malt Shop era covers band. We made for an interesting trio, for sure. Ben was well aware that this was not your ordinary group. But looking over at him laughing and smiling and not caring. That was gold. It never got old, up through our final show with BBT at the Midway in December 2025. He leaned into all aspects of the band, creating such a comfortable environment for us all (Brian, Chris D, C-Solid, Lindie, and me) – to be ourselves. We weren’t playing roles and I’ll always hesitate to say we ‘practiced’. But we jammed. We really jammed. First in Ben’s basement. I’d bring my tiny amp and guitar, and we’d just call out song after song and play for hours. Then the Foodmasters would spend a couple years jamming in my parent’s (Papa and Mama Giorgio as BBT charmingly referred to them) house in the ‘Computer Room’. We’d all squish into this tiny room, packed with all of our instruments and somehow also a couch. We eventually moved our jams to the basement – Gramspot – which was where my Grandma lived for many years before passing in 2016. Ben and I performed oldies at her 90th birthday and she loved it, in particular “Blueberry Hill” and “Blue Velvet”! Gramspot was a beloved spot for us to practice until Covid – always fun getting together there with the band and thanks to my parents for putting up with all of the noise! BBT recorded all of our jams.
Ben pioneered a recording technique that I hadn’t heard of or seen. It was very much Foodmasters specific. He recorded every jam and show with his iPhone, but in his basement and later Sum Studios, was where he would put his audio engineer/producer hat on and stack instrumental and vocal overdubs over the band’s live recordings. There was a method to all this as the iPhone recording usually was dominated by abrasive guitar and Brian’s hard charging drums. I rarely if ever saw BBT in action in this specific studio element, but he would always share his product with the band! The result was a cleaned-up version of Foodmasters – think Brian Wilson or Phil Spector – but if you really listened you could hear the tinny live experience in the background. These recordings were one of Ben’s obsessions and we all know that he had many! His commitment was simply impressive, and we all know that for Ben, commitment was such a fundamental aspect of his larger-than-life personality.
To detour from music a bit and expand on this – things came full circle with Ben far more than anyone I’ve ever met. Ben and I established some traditions like meeting up at Legal Sea Foods and Empire Garden in Chinatown. I was beyond thrilled to bring my future wife Ginny to meet us for lunch when we were first dating. A few years later the Foodmasters settled into Sum Studios in Malden; our post pandemic practice space. Ben brought the group to his family’s stomping grounds – Sun Kong restaurant. He joyfully ordered beef and broccoli lo mein, chicken half (“that’s some good bird”) and, of course, the Fried Flounder. To hang out with Ben was special, every time. He was down for just about anything. There are too many moments to share and over time I am sure I will jot down some more, but I’ll leave you with the King Tan and GGG show.
It was August 2025, shortly before Ginny and I moved to NYC. I had two weeks off from work to prepare for the move and enjoy some moments around town. The Foodmasters 10th anniversary show was coming up at Deep Cuts in Medford – in fact this might have been the day before the show. A month prior, Ben received the truly horrific news that the cancer came back. I hit up Ben asking if he would like to hang out. We both expressed that we do not do well without routine. I told BBT that I was playing golf every day on my vacation and I needed to do something different. I suggested we do something that we had done before – go to Prince Pizza in Saugus, then the Salvation Army nearby, and then to a place I found where we could buy props for our big show. But BBT first suggested that we meet at Sum Studios and jam a bit. I was working on a song that I hoped Ben would be able to lend some kind of accompaniment on or flesh out in some way before recording. I tried playing it for him, but he wasn’t having any of it. Lol. So, we moved into something else. Ben handed me a twelve-string acoustic guitar and grabbed one for himself. He positioned a microphone in between us. We journeyed back in time to 2015 when Ben and I went to the former Johnnie’s Foodmaster location in Melrose and played an impromptu acoustic set in front of the now Whole Foods. I’m sure I asked Ben if he was down to make another spur of the moment trip to our beloved storefront. No such luck. But little did I know that – of course – Ben was recording this on his phone. He was calling the shots, unpredictably launching into whatever he desired. That was all fine by me! I’d look at Ben and he was smiling widely the entire time, laughing as he inserted Krees and Schlees wherever there was supposed to be a ‘Me’. Just going for it, really. BBT had a blast, whenever he was in that room. Our spontaneous session is online. Shortly before Ben passed, I asked him if I could publish these recordings (which he sent to me via email later that August day). His response? “I don’t give a fuck!” Of course. And so, I did. But anyway, we jammed and then our day continued. As I mentioned, Prince Pizza, Salvation Army, and then… we drove separately to a random business park/industrial center in Danvers. The goal was to buy props for our show. We arrived in the hot parking lot and were both terribly confused. Where was the place? We came upon what we thought was the entrance to a big garage. And there would be props galore to choose from. No luck. There was no store. Maybe the office or warehouse, but certainly no store. And our day wrapped up there. We laughed out loud and headed home. I’m blessed I had that moment with Ben. I miss you a lot, BBT. Your reactions to everything. Who else responds to most texts with voice memos? Nothing was off the table for BBT and he had the greatest mix of old reliable and unpredictable. I’m tearing up as I write this, recalling the ease of FaceTiming or texting Ben. I’m thinking how blessed we all are to have had Ben in our lives. Miss you, my friend. As Ben’s bud Andrew said at Ben’s Memorial, let’s all try our hardest every day to be the most Ben Tan that we can be. Love you BBT.
Benjamin J. Tan Scholarship for the Performing Arts
Ben Tan’s Bandcamp
