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!
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
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
This Sunday – December 21st – we’re throwing our annual Holiday Party at Midway Cafe in JP – a matinee show, doors at 3 PM!
Celebrate a toasty room of Boston DIY with:
KREMLIN BATS
NOAH BRITTON
ADULT LEARNERS
JOHNNIE & THE FOODMASTERS
Proceeds will go to Rosie’s Place. $10 entry, cash only. 21+
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Nostalgia for previous KLYAM Holiday Parties:
December 20, 2024 – Johnnie and the Foodmasters, Whyte Lipstick, Puke Pisstols – Lilypad
December 18, 2023 – Johnnie and the Foodmasters, Dilemma Rose and the Wailin’ MILFs, Delons – Silhouette
December 18, 2022 – Nice Guys, Adult Learners, The Swettes, Johnnie and the Foodmasters, KLYAM DJ – State Park
December 17, 2021 – Colleen Green, Children of the Flaming Wheel, Johnnie and the Foodmasters, Kremlin Bats – Club Bohemia
December 20, 2019 – Johnnie & The Foodmasters, The Swettes, American Whip Appeal & The Glue, and Children of the Flaming Wheel – Dorchester Art Project
December 21, 2018 – Love Strangers, Johnnie and the Foodmasters, American Whip Appeal, The Glue – Dorchester Art Project
December 18, 2017 – Earthquake Party, Boston Cream, G. Gordon Gritty – ZuZu
December 12, 2016 – Electric Street Queens, Andy California, Tiki Twins – ZuZu
December 15, 2015 – Gravel, The Nude Party, Adam PC, Johnnie and the Foodmasters – ZuZu
Album Art by Salty Dave
It’s been fun doing these monthly documentations of what music I have been hearing for the first time! I look forward to making this post every month, but more importantly it will be even more enjoyable months and years later to look back and see where I was way back when.
November:
A lot of Punk and Garage and blah blah blah as usual. Lot of current releases including some local heads: Whyte Lipstick, P.V., Orange Whip, and Adult Learners! All great live bands too! I tried to also lean into some other genres a bit more like Hip Hop. Meagan Thee Stallion, Odd Future, and Triple 6 Mafia. I listened to Blondie’s debut album (I had previously only heard the singles) and Malcolm McLaren’s Swamp Thing at the recommendation of a friend. I didn’t even know he made music! It was a bizarre one and I don’t know if I’ll revisit or not, but it was worth the ride!
December is here and you know what that means…
Here’s a Christmas playlist I made a few years back: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=YZVqiyAMw1o&list=PL287kpvhH9PxBAs9St-8xzvtgXa5bHUGY
Also, time to start working on those year enders! Cheers! – Chris
September:
I keep saying each month I’ll listen to more new (both actual new and older music I have never heard before) shit and I never meet my intentions! Ohh well! This was my best effort. Several of these bands I’ve listened to many times, but I either don’t recall listening to the recordings here or I never heard them before! Lot of good shit, but I can’t pinpoint a favorite. Frankly much of it I have a hard time remembering, because it’s so much. Anyway, cheers to October… – Chris
August:
Lots of great stuff here! I was blown away by Mr. (Redacted)! A Punk/Hardcore band with a tambourine player! That’s how we do it!
Looking forward to September! Gonerfest is right around the corner and we’re getting pumped!
Damn, another slow month! Not a fault of any artists out there, in fact there’s too much! Nevertheless, below is a list of music (beyond individual songs) I listened to for the first time. Here’s to August!
*Singer Andy Macbain personally made me this tape of early, unreleased Tunnel of Love recordings and it’s ferocious! I’m forever grateful! Sounds amazing as always! One of those bands where you stop dead in your tracks and think fuck, no one else is doing anything like this at least I haven’t heard it! A quality I aspire to have, because let’s face it, I can’t hack in the real world. But, who the fuck wants to live there?
Love,
Chris
