Still going strong in 1998, Frank gave me this vintage Ruins window applique
at a reunion gig on Sept. 11.
The
Classic Ruins were founded and fronted by Frank Rowe, an
accomplished comic artist and career musician (that's like a career criminal-
he just couldn't seem to stop). Frank had played with a few bands already,
including the Vandals, the C Street Blues Band and the Backsteppers,
but Rowe first hit paydirt with one of the legendary Boston bands of the
70's indie scene: Baby's Arm. His songs were often angst-ridden
and full of unveiled frustration, but they never lost their sense of humor
as they detailed the sometimes-ups but mostly-downs of Frank's "Wimp"
alter-ego. At the time Frank had plenty to be frustrated about. By day
he toiled at the Bra Factory next to East Boston's White Stadium, by night
he traded the stifling sweatshop for the sweaty nightspot. He penned wonderful
tunes such as "Heart Attack", "Kulture Wars", "Nyquil Stinger" and the
song he claimed was autobiographical and which became the band's best
known number: "I'm A Wimp". When Billy Cole left the band to join the
Real Kids Frank threw in the Baby's Arm towel and soon regrouped
with a new project. He formed the Classic Ruins in 1979, taking
a good chunk of the Arm's songbook with him and enlisting all new personnel.
The Ruins became eclipsed the accomplishments of Baby's Arm, becoming
one of the most popular bands in town among the rock cognoscenti.
The original Ruins line-up, featuring half of the original Real Kids and
half of the final Baby's Arm line-up (left to right): Kevin "Squanto"
Glasheen, Richard Randall, Frank Rowe, and Billy Borgioli
One of the earliest Ruins gigs- the poster is still using the picture
of Frank's old band, Baby's Arm!
Frank Rowe and Billy Borgioli, and their twin nineteen-fifties Les Paul
Jr.s. Salivate you gearheads!
Pete Taylor was not the original Ruins drummer, but he is seen
on skins in these shots from the September 11, 1998 reunion show at
the Kirkland, along with Frank on guitar and Carl on bass. This is effectively
the Varmints line-up, without Billy.
The Varmints in their rehearsal space, within a shoe factory in East
Boston coincidentally owned by the father of my first real girlfriend,
Donna Maz. Spooky!
When he sang :
"I'm just a wimp and it's making me sick
I can't even stand up to my chick
I'm five foot six she's six foot three,
she always gets the better of me"
I'd look over at his girlfriend (now his wife) Denise and laugh; she towered
over him, and while I never actually saw her push him around I
didn't doubt for a moment that she could.
Frank
Rowe writes great songs. When I played in the bones we covered
"I Can't Spell Romance", later recording it for our cassette-only LP Discover...
the bones. Crowds loved it, and we didn't play it near as well as
the Ruins. Most of Frank Rowe's songs are like that- infectuous. Recently
(Sept. 11, 1998) I went to a reunion show that the Classic Ruins played
at the Kirkland Cafe in Cambridge. As I looked around the room I saw a
lot of folks I haven't seen in a long time. There were a number of steadfast
fans that would once have been part of the core group of clubgoers described
as "the Boston 500". People who don't go to clubs anymore showed up for
a chance to hear those great songs once again. I got there just as the
Ruins were about to go on, then realized like a bananahead that I left
my money and bank card at home, so I had to drive back to Everett with
my girlfriend cajoling me the entire way. When I got back we were late,
and the set had started, but as we walked in I got hit full in the face
by "Heart Attack"- a sentimental favorite, as it was the first song I
played onstage with an original band in Boston, when I earned a whole
dollar sitting in with Baby's Arm at the Club. And it sounded just a vital
as it ever did, the true mark of a good song. But then so did the rest
of the set...including the Ruins' cover of Cream's "Tales of Brave
Ulysses".
A Cantones show with the rings, circa 1984.
The
photo to the left is Frank sitting (standing?) in with the bones at Maverick's
one very snowy winter night in 1982, when a few dozen folks (bands included!)
ventured out into a near blizzard to patronize the strip-club-by-day,
rock club by night. We had to wait for the dancers to vacate the bar top
before we started. Once we did, though, it was a cool show, with the Dogmatics
opening for us, and then Frank showing up for a cameo vocal appearance.
The only problem was our arrangement was nothing like the one he'd been
playing with Classic Ruins at that time, and much closer to the
original Baby's Arm rendition, so there was a wee bit of confusion. To
make up for it we gave away a bagfull of old watches and a half dozen
instamatic cameras I had been pack-ratting. The night ended with the Dogmatics
and their girlfriends dancing to our set, taking mock photos of each other
and dancing with their arms in the air, proudly modeling their new watches.
Frank Rowe - vocals, guitar Billy Borgioli - guitar Perry Nardone - drums Carl Biancucci - bass
The
Classic Ruins were founded and fronted by Frank Rowe, an
accomplished comic artist and career musician (that's like a career criminal-
he just couldn't seem to stop). Frank had played with a few bands already,
including the Vandals, the C Street Blues Band and the Backsteppers,
but Rowe first hit paydirt with one of the legendary Boston bands of the
70's indie scene: Baby's Arm. His songs were often angst-ridden
and full of unveiled frustration, but they never lost their sense of humor
as they detailed the sometimes-ups but mostly-downs of Frank's "Wimp"
alter-ego. At the time Frank had plenty to be frustrated about. By day
he toiled at the Bra Factory next to East Boston's White Stadium, by night
he traded the stifling sweatshop for the sweaty nightspot. He penned wonderful
tunes such as "Heart Attack", "Kulture Wars", "Nyquil Stinger" and the
song he claimed was autobiographical and which became the band's best
known number: "I'm A Wimp". When Billy Cole left the band to join the
Real Kids Frank threw in the Baby's Arm towel and soon regrouped
with a new project. He formed the Classic Ruins in 1979, taking
a good chunk of the Arm's songbook with him and enlisting all new personnel.
The Ruins became eclipsed the accomplishments of Baby's Arm, becoming
one of the most popular bands in town among the rock cognoscenti.
Frank
Rowe writes great songs. When I played in the bones we covered
"I Can't Spell Romance", later recording it for our cassette-only LP Discover...
the bones. Crowds loved it, and we didn't play it near as well as
the Ruins. Most of Frank Rowe's songs are like that- infectuous. Recently
(Sept. 11, 1998) I went to a reunion show that the Classic Ruins played
at the Kirkland Cafe in Cambridge. As I looked around the room I saw a
lot of folks I haven't seen in a long time. There were a number of steadfast
fans that would once have been part of the core group of clubgoers described
as "the Boston 500". People who don't go to clubs anymore showed up for
a chance to hear those great songs once again. I got there just as the
Ruins were about to go on, then realized like a bananahead that I left
my money and bank card at home, so I had to drive back to Everett with
my girlfriend cajoling me the entire way. When I got back we were late,
and the set had started, but as we walked in I got hit full in the face
by "Heart Attack"- a sentimental favorite, as it was the first song I
played onstage with an original band in Boston, when I earned a whole
dollar sitting in with Baby's Arm at the Club. And it sounded just a vital
as it ever did, the true mark of a good song. But then so did the rest
of the set...including the Ruins' cover of Cream's "Tales of Brave
Ulysses".
The
photo to the left is Frank sitting (standing?) in with the bones at Maverick's
one very snowy winter night in 1982, when a few dozen folks (bands included!)
ventured out into a near blizzard to patronize the strip-club-by-day,
rock club by night. We had to wait for the dancers to vacate the bar top
before we started. Once we did, though, it was a cool show, with the Dogmatics
opening for us, and then Frank showing up for a cameo vocal appearance.
The only problem was our arrangement was nothing like the one he'd been
playing with Classic Ruins at that time, and much closer to the
original Baby's Arm rendition, so there was a wee bit of confusion. To
make up for it we gave away a bagfull of old watches and a half dozen
instamatic cameras I had been pack-ratting. The night ended with the Dogmatics
and their girlfriends dancing to our set, taking mock photos of each other
and dancing with their arms in the air, proudly modeling their new watches.
Frank Rowe - vocals, guitar
