(from wormtown.org) Tuesday, January 24 2006 @ 11:25 AM EST Without Doc Siddall's "Worcester Rocks" on WORC and much of any other dependable local music programming on the local airwaves for reference, I've spent most of the past month on MySpace searching to find out if we're missing out on any exciting new music. Unfortunately, while there might be well over 600 bands calling Central Mass home there, there's surprisingly little that hits you right in the heart. Unless you happen to fall upon THE BLACK, whose recordings sound unlike almost any that have ever been unleashed by a local act - comparable to how even today Guns 'N' Roses stands miles above the pack almost two decades later. It's real rock star music - the kind of stuff bands put out prior the onset of the punk rock class of '77 when fighting for diminishing space on the radio airwaves, you had to throw your favorite music into a specific box in trying to bring it to the attention of a wider audience. The Black are led by Tim "Old Man" Hansen, whose initial recordings of hard dark slamming rock that invited you down into his most intense feelings two years ago got him labeled as someone to watch and hear. That is, if you could find out when he would be performing backed by a collection of Worcester all-stars or caught him at one of the Lucky Dog's theme nights. Perhaps the fact that someone whose music resembled that which you'd expect from an axe murderer was turning up to sing the classics should have been a clue of where his true musical vision laid. Well, hop onto http://www.myspace.com/realblack and you'll find out the sky's the limit for Hansen and The Black - if that's where these guys are aiming to land their arena sized music. Hansen's joined by guitarist Danny Carbona (AKA Dan the Boy), best known for his role with the heavenly punk band the Brainless Wonders and as the current host of the Tuesday night slot at the Lucky Dog Music Hall (when Tim and Dan have been known to work on some of the Black's music), ex-Cast Iron Hike and Villain bassist Pete Black, Ed Paquette on keyboards (Carry the Zero), and the omnipresent Richie Scales on drums. The roads of Worcester's rock 'n' roll history are riddled with acts that should have found a wider audience outside the I-290 area and one hopes these recordings don't reach that same fate. "Green Eyed Girl" wouldn't have been out of place on Cheap Trick's "Heaven Tonight." Southern-style guitars kick off "Caroline". There's a lot of layers to the Black's music and you could have a great time simply trying to spot the group's musical influences in each song. Having said that, however, to their credit, everything sounds truly genuine and direct from the heart. This is a group giving it everything they've got. The song that really blows me away is "Sad and Lonely You" which recalls the magic period of music between the Summer of Love and the onset of the laid-back California sound when bands were at their creative peak and the years of partying had yet to steal their best abilities away. You've got keyboards adding to its classic sound (not quite Blind Faith but that should give you an idea of what I'm talking about here) underneath Hansen singing how "I was a fool for giving my whole world up for you and I was a fool for thinking your love was something true..." Time will tell whether this group of musicians who've all been in bands which at one time or another have found themselves amongst the area's most popular will stay together to pursue a common united goal of widespread success. For now, you owe it to yourself to check out the music on their web page and if you fall in love with it like I have, make it a point to catch them live ASAP.