DESCRIPTION:
The Rathskeller, lovingly referred to as "The Rat", was a restaurant/bar in Boston with a rock club in the cellar. The venue was a very popular location from 1974 until 1997. It was known for being one the best clubs in Boston, and it is there that the legendary WBCN Rock & Roll Rumble took place every year. In it's heyday, numerous upcoming acts which would later become internationally acclaimed all paid their dues in this dark, sweaty dive located in the Kenmore Square area. Everyone from Talking Heads, Tom Petty, The Ramones, Thin Lizzy, to The Police, R.E.M., Joan Jett, Metallica, The Cars, and others all got their introduction to the Boston rock scene at The Rat. Even Rick James played their several times before breaking out into the mainstream. While these acts and many others never failed to packed the club, the real appeal and charm of the club was it's standing as home to many of the local pre and post-punk bands and artists of the Boston scene in the seventies and eighties. At any given night, you could catch pioneering and legendary Boston acts cutting their teeth and learning the ropes while dishing out some of the best rock, punk, blues, thrash, and more, giving New York and Los Angeles a run for the money. Influential artists like: Lou Miami and the Kozmetix, Mission of Burma, The Lyres, SS Decontrol, Aerosmith, The Real Kids, Nervous Eaters, Willie Loco Alexander, Thundertrain, Reddy Teddy, La Peste, The Neighborhoods, Fox Pass, The Atlantics, and many others made their mark at The Rat and paved the way for others to come. While many may also remember some of the other popular venues of the day like Cantones, The Channel, Bunratty's and more, The Rat to this day reigns supreme among local aficionados and scholars of Boston rock as the place where it all happened.

A "Rat Reunion" was held last weekend at The Cantab Lounge in Cambridge in commemoration of the club and some of the bands who frequented The Rat and have managed to survive the years and re-group; once again playing the straight-edge, no bullshit rock which Boston has always been famous for. Willie Alexander, The Boize, Fox Pass, The Varmints, Third Rail, The Last Ones, and Classic Ruins all took to the stage with blistering sets to a packed house, which cheered, howled, and partied yet again to the sounds of these classic local bands. I sensed a re-birth or renaissance of sorts, as these great bands all took turns proving that at this later stage in life, some of us can still kick ass and bury today's pseudo-emo baby rockers. Thanks to my good buddy, Allen Ramusiewicz, for inviting me to the show, and introducing me to some of the players which he, being a native Boston rocker himself, worked and grew up with way back when.


Classic Ruins:

Formed in 1978 by Frank Rowe (x-Baby's Arm) and Billy Borgioli (x-Real Kids), Classic Ruins are still at it today, playing their garage punk as if onstage at the Rat. Billy has retired from playing and is now an artist (he had a gallery showing of his work at the Zeitgeist, in Inman Square), but longtime bassist Carl Biancucci is still in the fold, as is ex-Commandos/Ballbusters guitarist Jeff Crane on second guitar, and former V drummer Matt Burns. Classic Ruins were rootsy rockers with "proto punk and garage undertones". If they sound like they share the same sensibility as the Real Kids its probably because their original line-up included half of that band. Frank Rowe, however, is still the driving force of the band and has proved to be a lasting and enduring fixture in his own right. He remains one of Boston rock's best-kept secrets both with the band, as well as a solo artist. Thirty-two years later, Classic Ruins still sound as fierece and tight today as they did during the glory days of the Boston independent rock scene.

Visit:

http://www.myspace.com/classicruins

http://ratreunion.net