First-class mayhem

2nd Class Citizen enjoy a hot
CD and a loud regional buzz

by Shaun Suhoski

"All right, let's get started. You may learn something," intones a scratchy, dubbed-in voice at the beginning of So Much Class (G-Vegas), an impressive six-song debut recording by hard rap-rockers 2nd Class Citizen. The matter-of-fact intro belies the wild, in-your-face journey through mayhem that ensues. But, mayhem seems to follow these boys from Gardner around. Guitarist Mike "Leon" Maillet was sporting a bloody knuckle when I ran into him at a local watering hole recently. Apparently the guys were just out having some fun at Stooges Pub, a regular gig spot in Fitchburg, where Maillet says he assisted in quelling a boozy uprising. "We're all wound up!" was Maillet's still-excited description of the altercation. Oh, well. That's rock and roll. And if 2nd Class are a little bit tightly wound, so be it. Their angst-filled songs only benefit from the intensity of Maillet's wall-of-guitars sound and the frenetic spasms of vocalist and frontman Jeff "Fro Show" Knowlton. The pounding rhythm is managed by Matt "Six Pack" Fruit on bass and drummer Mick Short.

On Saturday, 2nd Class Citizen bring the spectacle to Worcester's Lucky Dog Music Hall, where they'll join Seven Hill Psychos, Controlled Aggression, and Bent for a legitimate slam-fest.

With WWF wrestling blaring from the TV, and band friend Jordan Girouard (also from Gardner, or "Gahdna-hey" as he put it) hanging around and being generally annoying, the group assembled for an interview at the Mahaki Island. They answered the usual questions about when they formed (two years ago) and where the band's name came from (Fruit heard WAAF jock John Osterlind say it on the air "and thought it was cool").

2nd Class started as a typical hard-rock band practicing in Short's mom's basement in Gardner and covering songs by Rage, Limp Bizkit, and Korn. According to Fro Show, when he joined the band, "the shit was on and we moved the gig to Fitchburg."

Now the band rehearse in the famed Jam Place, a dark and dank mill building nestled on the shore of the Nashua River in the Cleghorn section of Fitchburg. The Jam Place houses between 10 and 16 bands (plus countless rodents) and can spark pangs of terror when the uninitiated enter the gloomy, gaping corridors in search of the right rehearsal space.

"Yeah, there's bats flying around and holes in the floor," said Fro Show.

"And the toilets are plugged," added Fruit.

"We'll leave our door open and blast practice throughout [the building]. We've got naked chicks on the door," was Fro Show's further explanation.

Okay, so the guys from 2nd Class might talk like kids, but damn, their music shows a maturity beyond their tender years.

The ranting cut "Pathological Liar" is getting some airplay on WAAF (107.3 FM), WBCN (104.1 FM) and WGIR (101.1 FM), and the group is slated to appear live on Carmelita's "Bay State Rock" program on 'AAF in the near future.

"`Pathological Liar' is primarily about people talking shit all the time," said Fro Show, cutting directly to the point. "I know a bunch of people where everything they say is bullshit. If you can't tell the truth, shut up."

Other solid tracks from So Much Class include the brooding and funky "Walking Backwards," the caustic "Empty Head," and the appropriately-titled "That's Fucked Up." (The band ignored their management's suggestion to change the title to "That's Funked Up" in the liner notes.)

On the CD, you can actually hear Fro Show's primal raving. At live shows, 2nd Class Citizen owe their success more to energy and volume than to lyrics. And there are lots of opportunities to experience that. The growing buzz about the band has the group playing clubs from central Massachusetts to Boston.

Saturday's show at the Lucky Dog follows on the heels of appearances at Exit 23 and Oasis, in Haverhill, and the Fitchburg Autumn Airfest. The band return to Boston on October 2 for a set at Bill's Bar ("the only rock club still going," according to Fro Show).

So Much Class has sold more than 300 units since its June release, according to the band, and remains available at all shows, at Stop & Cop Records, in Gardner, and at Action Music, in Leominster, Gardner, and Acton.

The CD was recorded, mixed, and mastered earlier this summer by John Little at his (presumably soundproof) Upside Sound studio, tucked in the quiet hills of Ashburnham. The recording was produced by Steve Gaetz and Beau Tremblay.

As Fro Show says, "Game on." Second Class Citizen appear with Seven Hill Psychos, Controlled Aggression, and Bent on Saturday, September 23, at the Lucky Dog Music Hall, 89 Green Street, Worcester. Call (508) 363-1888.