HomeTown Rocks Revere

Dana West has given so much Rock & Roll entertainment to us all over his career, it's not easy to note everything in a brief post. His influences include all of the great guitarists that we know; Jeff Beck, Eric Clapton, Jimmy Page, Steve Howe. The list goes on. We recall Sass Mania in the early years, where they were featured on the very first Live at The Rat compilation album, when WCOZ and WBCN often played Sass recordings before the band was even signed to Roulette, and when they sold out two shows per night for two consecutive nights at The Paradise. We must include the Sass/West continuous years on Revere Beach's Bill Ash's club, where we could listen to Dana and Vernon West original songs and a remarkable set list of Rock & Roll covers. More about Dana West can be found at the HomeTown Rocks exhibit at the Revere History Museum.

What an unforgettable evening at yesterday’s Decades of Rock & HomeTown Rocks benefit concert for the Revere History Museum! Decades of Rock planned the event and did an amazing job bringing it all together, and HomeTown Rocks had a wonderful time performing as a group. We want to extend a huge thank you to everyone who came out, supported the museum, and made it such a fantastic night. Lined up from left to right in the photo are Jim Fabiano, Joe Merullo, Chuck Vitale (co-founder of HomeTown Rocks), Bob Nesom (co-founder of HomeTown Rocks), and Joni Scimone. Jim, Joe, and Joni are featured in the museum's HomeTown Rocks exhibit. Thank you all again for a truly great time!

Stephen was an incredible fellow Revere musician comrade. A humble man, he was in awe of the talents of others, with never an ounce of self praise. As a true fan of Rock & Roll, he loved discussing new album releases, classic bands, and guitar chord structures with us all. You are missed Stevie.

A vivid memory of Jimmy Butts takes us right back to 1973/74 and our teenage band, Haven. Fellow young musicians Chuck Vitale, Bob Nesom, Lee Leffler, Steve Coffill, and Louis Selvitella all had the privilege of having Jimmy behind the drums, driving our sound. As the photo shows, Jimmy wasn't just our rhythm section—he was also a vocalist. Much gratitude to have shared a conversation with him just a couple of months ago. Rest in peace, our old friend.

https://www.legacy.com/legacy/james-butts?ttm_pid=212224256&ttm_affiliate=legacyremembers&ttm_affiliatetype=standard&ttm_campaign=legacy

HomeTown Rocks' primary interest is history. We feature people, places and things connected to rock music, keeping memories alive. This cool baby from 1968 actually came with "penlight" 𝙗𝙖𝙩𝙩𝙚𝙧𝙞𝙚𝙨 𝙞𝙣𝙘𝙡𝙪𝙙𝙚𝙙. Fun stuff!

HTR has been very fortunate to be in contact with Freddy Cannon's sister Mary Lou since Freddy's recent passing. Mary Lou has shared some vintage photos 𝑎𝑛𝑑 stories of Freddy with us. Freddy made his recording debut as a singer in 1958, singing and playing rhythm guitar on a single, "Cha-Cha-Do" with the Spindrifts, which became a local hit. And to top it off, the song was recorded at Revere's own Fleetwood Recording Studio. Freddy Cannon appeared on Dick Clark's American Bandstand 110 times!

Cha Cha Doo > https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=v35DHbJX9bI

Frederick Anthony Picariello Jr.
December 4, 1936 - July 17, 2026

Gary Cioffi's seat at the set was his throne. He loved music. Influenced by the styles of Led Zeppelin's John Bonham and The Who's Keith Moon, Gary developed into a powerful drummer who served as an integral musician within all of the bands that he played with. Gary's sons are also musically talented. Don't forget his music store right on Broadway Revere, The Music Gallery. You will be remembered for a very long time, our friend.

Great article:
https://www.welcometohellworld.com/last-call/
😐

A requiem for a Revere Beach dive bar Change hovers on the horizon

And the information keeps pouring in; right up to posting time for today's Spotlight of the Week. HomeTown Rocks is all about Revere rock & roll history, and Chaz Mackin certainly has a lot of history. During his decades as a musician, he produced original material 𝘢𝘯𝘥 played guitar for a year and a half in both Greece and London. Yes! Revere goes international! Thanks for the entertainment, Chaz!

We celebrate Joe Merullo for his musicianship and his friendship. Joe played bass on the 2007 Bob Nesom album 𝘔𝘢𝘥𝘦 𝘪𝘯 𝘙𝘦𝘷𝘦𝘳𝘦, which was the inspiration for the HomeTown Rocks exhibit located at the Revere History Museum.