For All to See

Amid all the hue and cry in these parts about the demise of WFNX-FM as the area's pioneering alternative rock station, life goes on. The station has been replaced at 101.7 on your FM dial with WHBA, aka The Harbor, a "Variety Hits" station. It's a DJ-less shuffle station that plays any manner of top 40 detritus. It's become a morbid curiosity of mine to tune in quickly just to see what's playing: in the last week since it launched, I've heard Marky Mark's "Good Vibrations," Bon Jovi's "Runaway," a few Madonna songs, Donnie Iris' "Ah Leah" and Nirvana's "Smells Like Teen Spirit. So...time to change that FM preset in my car.

In the meantime, one last farewell to FNX was delivered last week in the form of the three-night Boston Accents Funeral Party at Great Scott in Allston, hosted by Boston Phoenix writer Michael Marotta (who hosted the Boston Accents local artists' show on Sunday nights on FNX). I attended night 2 last Tuesday, which featured the bands Mean Creek, Mellow Bravo, Soccer Mom and Dirty Virgins, as well as DJ sets from none other than my friends Jay Breitling and Brad Searles. I had to leave around 12:15 so I was only able to see two songs from Mean Creek, but the rest of the night was a blast. Soccer Mom was at its ear-shredding best, Dirty Virgins rocked hard with a Flying V-wielding bassist, and Mellow Bravo bringing a schticky-but-fun vibe to the room that was highlighted by a cover of the J. Geils Band classic "House Party." It was tough to hear everything that Jay and Brad played because of the general audience noise in the club, but it was cool to hang out with them, drink beer and hear songs from the likes of Orbit, Dinosaur Jr., Young Adults and the Swirlies, among others.


Sadly, local bands have one less way to get their music heard on the radio, but for three nights, that didn't matter. And the rock shows will forge on, so at least Boston's still got that going for it.