21st August 2001

If there’s a louder one-man punk-rock beat-poet than Hamell on Trial I’d like to know about it. He had a record out at the time called Choochtown, a concept record about a bunch of lowlifes in Queens or Brooklyn or, well, I don’t actually know that I think about it. He came onstage and took the roof out of the place. He was obnoxious, he was hilarious, he was absolutely not dull. It was fantastic. I saw him in Whelans again about two months after this. I think I might have seen him once more and that was it. My pal Michael turned me into Choochtown. Hamell on Trial was a VERY Michael Rowland artist. I wonder has he listened to him lately. Three years ago he was back in Whelans for the Choochtown 15th anniversary tour. I couldn’t make it.