The Nickel & Dime Band

about April 6th + opening for

the violent femmes October 13th!

The tornado descended on our rehearsal space, lifted the 5 of us - Ricky McLean, Matt Bailin, Savannah Marshall and David Goodchild - outa there (without Toto) and landed us lock, stock n gear at THE MGM MUSIC HALL at Fenway, Friday afternoon (essentially Oz for bands).

Out of this world, this show, all magic and all thanks to Gordon Gano and THE VIOLENT FEMMES! Who, of course killed it. The entire room singing all those incredible unforgettable songs.

The room was packed to the rafters, and the crowd so damn generous to us and our songs that, at most, 100 people knew, the other 4,900? Not a note, but gave us their full hearts right from the start. Love at first sight.

The on stage sound was The Best any of us had ever heard. Crystal clear, full, not weird. (Thank you VF for a full sound check!) Hearing each other on a stage that size can be a nightmare. No sense of tempo or pitch. A fool’s errand and a crowd who can’t ‘get it’.

MGM was the precise opposite of that. On stage and out in the house. The MGM crew was hi-end pro, and, given union rules, we were never allowed to lift a finger to move gear or set up. Odd, funny and cool. Poor people suddenly with ‘help’.

One of ‘em, John Cassidy, was working the show. John had been a full on roadie for #BerlinAirlift back in the day, so it was great to be able to hit him up for the unpredictable. #1 helping @Andrea Juan handle our merch. #2 Pointing the way thought the MGM backstage maze.

A major shout out to Shamus Moynihan for showing up early and solving the Riddle of The Square for Andrea.

The list of friends and fans who showed up and made us proud is way too long to thank properly, but we felt ya. No question.

Lastly, thanks to all you guys who took photos of our moment up there. Without you we’d have had nada. These I’m posting are all Berlin shots. Rehearsal, the roof, the spotless dressing room, sound check, a couple of friends in the crowd, and some back stage, balcony shots of the Femmes.

All 5 of us THE NICKEL & DIME BAND idiots love you. Without you, we would not exist.

Comments about the night:

Gordon Gano: Figure you are excited…are you a little nervous? Do you get nervous anymore?! Either way can be ok I think. I seldom am nervous anymore before a show - but sometimes depending on the show I still can be-maybe a lot!

Rick Berlin: In a way im nervous if im NOT nervous. 

That was fucking incredible. You were so great! 😂😂 Gordon called me the next day. We talked for half an hour and most of that was him raving about your set. - Shamus Moynihan

So FIng good!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! - Margie Nicoll

You were great. If ur coming out into the crowd lmk. We prob won’t be here long. Awesome to see you up there. What an awesome experience. - Matt York

Yo that rocked. You crushed it, band was tight, drummer kicked ass! Hell of a performance. That was an incredible show! - Andrew Fetigan

That was fucking incredible. You were so great! 😂😂 Gordon called me the next day. We talked for half an hour and most of that was him raving about your set. - Shamus Moynihan

 First I would like to apologize for missing your MGM show. I was ill . A sickness I got after attending a Rancid show that I was brought to by a 29 year old straight guy who says he loves me but that I have the wrong equipment. Natch. However Dave Clark saw your show and said he was blown away by your performance. Your artistry, your command of the stage, the moving emotions expressed etc. The audience loved you Dave said. I missed an opportunity of a lifetime by not seeing you that night compounded by the fact that the Violent Femmes was my sound track when I quit college a few credits short and headed back to my hometown in turmoil. - Michael O’Brien

Slayed it! Amazing performance as always! You are fucking fire! - Beth York

Absolutely brilliant!!! Gawd!!! - Paul Letarte

Dude you fucking killed it. Bravo. Give my love to the group You guys were the best last night. - Al Radzikowski

Congrats on a great gig! - John Cassidy

What a great show! - Chris Plunkett

You guys were fucking amazing last night!!! - Jessica Murtha

Amazing amazing job tonight Rick!!❤️❤️ you’re music was so amazing! We were all so happy and amazed to see you! You played so well and it made me so happy to see you dancing and singing!!! - Maddy York

Killed it. Stage presence huge. For real. Congrats to the group. Jesse Adams-Lukowsky

Hi Rick! I just wanted to wish you the very best for your show tomorrow night. I’m sorry that work prevents me from being able to bear witness but please know how truly thrilled I am for you and the boys!! - Vice V’Ersatile

Such fabulous news about the Femmes, wish I could be there. - Eddy de Syon

I know you are properly freaking out, but have a great time tonight. We both Love you lots xoxo - Lyndon Fuller

If pride comes before the fall, I’m headed for a cracked skull on the sidewalk, because I’m so damn proud of the other night. Not of myself, but of all who made it come together: on stage, at rehearsals, the staff at the venue who patiently micro-managed each needlepoint stich of a complicated sequence, the three spectacular bands: THE SHEILA DIVINE, HALLELUJAH THE HILLS, and THE NERVOUS EATERS, the inimitable Vice V’Ersatile (who insisted on introducing me before I ‘mounted the stage’ in my Big Daddy filthy white linen suit), and you guys who showed the fk up - a tidal wave of love and emotion rising from the floor – you guys reached all of us – arrows of cupid.

Sarah Davey, who waitressed with me at Doyles, put it this way:
‘it was the most fun I’ve ever had at a concert where I didn’t know the words to 95 percent of the songs!’

Says it all.

There’s something about an event, an experience, that is one-NIGHT-only and achieves a surreal imagination recall years later. Maybe this will be like that. Maybe not. That room was filled with love, heart, humor and emotion, and no comment, photograph, video or recording can capture the truth of that night for those of us lucky enough to have been there:

THE NICKEL & DIME BAND: CHRIS ANTONOWICH TOM APPLEMAN MATT BAILIN RICK BERLIN KEN DIAZ MIKE DELI SAM DUDLEY DAVID GOODCHILD DINO GOVONI JESSE ADAMS-LUKOWSKI JANE MANGINI ROB MANOCHIO SAVANNAH MARSHALL RICKY MCLEAN AL RADZIKOWSKI TOM STEPSIS TJ WENZL ORCHESTRA LUNA: SCOTT CHAMBERS LISA DUDLEY LIZ GALLAGHER BARRY KEATING RANDY ROOS (PETER BARRET & DON MULVANEY RIP) BERLIN AIRLIFT JOE PET (STEVEN PAUL PERRY & CHET CAHILL RIP) THE SHEILA DIVINE: BRIAN CHARLES AARON PERRINO HALLELUJAH THE HILLS: JOSEPH BARRETT RYAN CONNELLY DAVID MICHAEL CURRY BRIAN RUTLEDGE RYAN WALSH NICHOLAS WARD NERVOUS EATERS: STEVE CATALDO BRAD HALLEN DAVID MCLEAN ADAM SHERMAN SPECIAL GUEST: SIR DAVID MINEHAN MC: VICE V’ERSATILE AUDIO: PHIL ADLER JEFF MORLEY JOHN SONGDAHL VIDEO: MAGNUS JONSSON BILLY SQUIRE STAGE MANAGER: MARC WATERFALL MERCH: GAVIN JUAN PETER RINNIG Hi5 TO ALL WHO MADE IT OR WISHED THEY COULD LIGHT OF DAY RECORDS

With heart,
Berlin

The Nickel & Dime Band has been recording and performing for 14 years, and is as Jamaica Plain, MA a band as you can be (sort of - 3 of us live and work here. Jane lives in the Poconos).

How we began and where we are today:

Rick Berlin w/ THE NICKEL & DIME BAND

The Nickel & Dime Band is as Jamaica Plain, MA a band as you can be (sort of - Jane lives in the Poconos). 13 years ago Berlin bumped into McLean at the Brendan Behan Pub (one short step from where they rehearse). 3 months later they co-opted the name after their (at-the-time) ferocious live karaoke band (Berlin figured: If they could play 300+ cover songs, they could easily learn some of his.) A kickass, killer, funny, danceable, deep (lyrically) and total pro buncha rock n roll idiots. Five in all. 2 guitars, bass, keys, kit, 4 vox. Jane Mangini (principle keybordist with the Trans-Siberean Orchestra when not with us), Ricky McLean, Dave Goodchild, Matt Bailin and Savannah Marshall. They recorded ALWAYS ON INSANE at Dimension Sound with Joe Stewart. Released their second CD, WHEN WE WERE KIDS (at Woolly Mammoth Sound with producer and Replacements guitarist, David Minehan. The BADVILLE EP was produced by Pete Weiss (Verdant Studio in VT). The band released their 4th record, THE COURAGE OF THE LONELY recorded at BITCH KITTY STUDIOS (TJ Wenzl on the desk) and 5 with Joe Stewart at his home studio. And w 5th cd GREAT BIG HOUSE here at home and again at BITCH KITTY STUDIOS (TJ Wenzl on the desk). Our sixth CD (7 SONGS)! 7th CD: TRUE STORY! Mixing WTF!? (record #8) at Rare Signals with Brian Charles. Release date 4/19/25.

We had a tremendous retrospective at THE BRIGHTON MUSIC HALL on April 6th, 2023 and we opened for THE VIOLENT FEMMES at THE MGM MUSIC HALL on October 13th.

T-SHIRTS by Peter Rinnig QRST HERE

And while I’m at it: awhile back, every person who’s played with The Nickel & Dime Band for the last 12 years and the last 6 records (the 7th is in the can, but as yet unreleased), each of us voted on which songs to include in a compilation of those recordings. They coalesced into this group and Chris Antonowich strung them together and put ‘em up on Spotify. So proud of ‘em all.

LISTEN HERE

The Brighton Music Hall (superb venue scored by our drummer/Light Of Day exec, Chris Antonowich). 18+ (w ID). $20.

Door at 7. Show at 8.

FBK event with advance tickets HERE:

We are honored to have the hottest of the hot: The Sheila Divine, Hallelujah The Hills and The Nervous Eaters share this rare night with us, as well as long time friends Gary Cherone and Sir David Minehan. Jane Mangini (Trans-Siberian Orchestra member from the get go) has been with us all along contributing hi-art piano/synth parts to all Nickel & Dime records (as well as the full-on Cha Cha Club - Jane played all instruments and mixed the ‘Cha’).

This night is a partial, exciting, and emotional retrospective of Berlin’s 50 + years of musical life (full catalogue). A wide screen, ambitious show that will amazingly include all living members of the first Orchestra Luna and of Berlin Airlift.

OL: Lisa Dudley, Liz Gallagher (the original Lunettes), Randy Roos (guitar), Scott Chambers (bass), and Barry Keating (choreographer). Peter Barrett (1946-1991) and Don Mulvaney (1952-2015) are no longer with us. Barry will read Faye Wray’s letter. Chris Antonowich and Savannah Marshall will take the kit.

BA: Joe Pet, Jane Mangini on stage with me. Steven Paul Perry - guitar (1956-2013) and Chet Cahill + bass (1954-2009) have left this life.  Sir David Minehan (guitar) and Gary Cherone will kick in all the help I’ll need with vocals. Tom Stepsis (bass). Matt Bailin (guitar).

The Nickel & Dime Band (12 years running) will perform 2 songs from each of our 7 discs. The guys who played on those records will take their turns on stage and will be folded into the overall production.

The one-of-a-kind Vice V’Ersatile is our MC! Evan Scales will shoot the full night on video. Phil Adler (Professionally Damaged - engineer/mix) will record audio for the night.

IN THE BOSTON HERALD Saturday April 1st:

Boston rock scene star Rick Berlin reunites bands for Brighton show

Local music icon Rick Berlin brings his current Nickel & Dime Band, and reunites his ’70s band Orchestra Luna and his ‘80s band Berlin Airlift at the Brighton Music Hall next week. (Photo Craig Johnston - @craigmadeit )

By BRETT MILANO |

April 1, 2023 at 12:54 a.m.

He’d be the last one to say so, but Rick Berlin is one of the longtime heroes of the local rock scene. Over the years he’s led some of Boston’s most artful bands, three of which will be playing at Brighton Music Hall Thursday.

Along with his current Nickel & Dime Band, Berlin will be reuniting his ‘70s band Orchestra Luna and his ‘80s band Berlin Airlift; both for the first time in decades. He’s reunited all the surviving members (each band has sustained a couple of losses), and he’s pulled in a star lineup of guest bands– the Sheila Divine, Hallelujah the Hills, and the Nervous Eaters — who between them represent a good half-century of Boston music history.

““I can imagine all the white-hairs in the audience, and I’m worried I’ll be keeping them up past their bedtime,” Berlin laughs. “It’s a lot to ask of an audience to take in four hours of music that one guy wrote, plus three awesome other bands. I just hope there’s somebody there when we get to the finale.”

Even in the ‘70s, the proudly theatrical Orchestra Luna stood out from the crowd. And they got a major-label deal six months after their debut at Berklee; future hitmaker and Broadway composer Rupert Holmes produced their album. ”I don’t know what the label was thinking– Maybe they thought we’d be like the Tubes. But my sister [singer Lisa Dudley] had this ethereal presence that was really captivating live, and our guitarist Randy Roos [now a Berklee professor] could play an entire movement from Beethoven’s Ninth onstage. We played at Frank Zappa’s 10th anniversary party, and Frank came over, picked Randy off the ground and hugged him.”

Berlin Airlift marked his step into a more rocking ‘80s sound  — perhaps best remembered for the bad-vibes anthem “I Hate Everything But You,” which will be played this week. “It was definitely pop/rock. Someone said to me ‘Rick, you’ve got to write hit songs,’ and I was pretty unskilled in that area. Everyone wanted to be like [guitarist] Steven Paul Perry — He was a charismatic singer and an amazing guitar player. We were like the Glimmer Twins — When you have a relationship with somebody in your band, you’re probably asking for trouble. And we were wildly into drugs, which ate away at the band.” Perry passed in 2013 after struggles with cancer and HIV; his place will be taken by a prominent fan, David Minehan of the Neighborhoods.

The rootsier Nickel & Dime Band is his longest running and most prolific band by far, with seven albums in 12 years. “To my mind it’s pretentious to even think of yourself as an artist. I’ve written two books and all these songs but I didn’t have a plan to be unique, it’s just the ridiculous person that I am. I just get an endless fascination out of walking down the street, something hits you in the face and you say, ‘Oh, I find that interesting. Let me say something about it’.”

Now 77, Berlin doesn’t see this gig as any kind of milestone. “It’s really more like a little perk. Now would be the perfect time to stop, but I still have all these songs I want to play.” And he does enjoy the more surreal moments of being a rocker of a certain age. “I was at Doyle’s recently and this kid asked me, ‘Rick, were you ever good looking?’ I thought that was the greatest question I’d ever heard.”

In The BOSTON GLOBE Tuesday April 4th, 2023

A punk-era class reunion, with Rick Berlin as its maestro

Photo of Berlin: Craig William Johnston - @craigmadeit

It’s been said that there’s nothing scarier than an old punk rocker. But some of those same rockers of a certain age are creating remarkably vital music today, often with a freshness that rivals and sometimes surpasses the muscle of their original groups.

“I’m scary alright. I just have to look in the mirror,” jokes keyboardist-singer Rick Berlin (born Richard Kinscherf), who has assembled a bill of acts originally formed up to five decades ago for a show at Brighton Music Hall on Thursday.

“We’re All In This Together: A Celebration of the Music of Rick Berlin” will feature a few of Berlin’s groups from over the years, including Orchestra Luna in a rare reunion appearance; Berlin Airlift; and his present-day Nickel & Dime Band, which will be joined on guitar and vocals by the Neighborhoods’ Dave Minehan (another punk-era hero), Gary Cherone (Extreme, Van Halen), and Jane Mangini (Trans-Siberian Orchestra). Berlin also recruited resurgent punk-era rockers the Nervous Eaters. Sharing the overstuffed bill are two popular local bands that formed two decades back, the Sheila Divine and Hallelujah the Hills.

The evening’s performers have enjoyed varying degrees of success. But as longtime players in the world of rock, they all hold one thing in common: Their staying power comes from their passion for the music, not the paydays that groups get in tours.

In the late 1970s the term “punk rock” provided a broad stylistic umbrella for groups with a new independent energy, before being divided into descriptors like hardcore, new wave, art rock, and more. Even with such inclusive categorization, Orchestra Luna’s punk-cabaret-choreographed pop stood out, enough to attract a major label for the release of their eponymous LP and develop a significant fanbase in New York as well as around Boston. Their last reunion was two decades ago.

“Orchestra Luna was my first ever and most innocent band,” says Berlin. The group began with Liz Gallagher and Rick’s sister Lisa Kinscherf, the original Lunettes, before expanding from a trio into an eight-piece group.

Berlin Airlift, a solid rock-pop quintet, received substantial airplay on local rock stations in the early ‘80s, and their tune “Hunger Strikes” was the top local song of 1983 on Boston’s WBCN-FM. The Airlift split shortly after appearing on a regional tour with the J. Geils Band.

Besides revisiting the lasting allure of their music, Berlin sees the Thursday show as “a chance to honor those no longer with us from both bands.”

He reached out to the groups’ past members, and though some had dispersed across the country, all living members from both Orchestra Luna and Berlin Airlift agreed to perform.

The condensed retrospective of Berlin’s varied music career will show off his appeal as a consummate, personable entertainer. He has over a dozen albums in his discography; he led the Rick Berlin: The Movie and Shelley Winters Project bands; wrote two books, “The Big Balloon (A Love Story)” and “The Paragraph”; produced 70 videos; co-presents the Jamaica Plain Music Festival; had a “day job” at Doyle’s Café in Jamaica Plain until the pandemic; and recorded the “Cha Cha Club,” his duet with Mangini. For their set on this evening, the eight-piece pop-rock Nickel & Dime Band will feature tracks from all seven of their albums, including the new “True Story.”

“As long as I still have ideas for songs, even some no one ever hears, I’m inspired,” Berlin says. “I never made it to the big time, but I’m proud of what I’ve done these last 50 years and of my band, 12 years strong. I feel lucky. Even playing in front of tiny audiences, this ol’ coot flouncing about onstage, is a blast. When I run out of gas I hope I’m hip to it and throw in the towel.”

Berlin says that the Nervous Eaters have an “oblique history with us. Guitarist-singer Adam Sherman, their newest member, was part of Private Lightning when they played the Orpheum with Orchestra Luna decades ago. I’m honored that they agreed to be on the bill,” he says, aware that the Eaters could have headlined the evening in their own right.

The Nervous Eaters were a major presence on the Boston punk scene and had a local hit with their 1976 indie rock-pop sing-along “Loretta.” Singer-guitarist Steve Cataldo, who holds down a day job, has kept the band alive through various incarnations. The latest came together about four years ago and has made a splash with the tuneful snarl of their pandemic project, “Monsters + Angels,” released in November.

The album demos, which captured a tuneful energy reminiscent of the original band, caught the ear of Little Steven Van Zandt. He released the album on his Wicked Cool label and regularly features tracks on his Sirius XM channel, “The Underground Garage.”

That the band has had such staying power is a tribute to the still-hungry musicians that fuel it. Eaters drummer Dan McLean is a prime example. “Having a regular career outside of music, in my case I’m a finance guy, was a compromise,” he says. “I sacrificed time away from my instrument to provide some balance to other parts of my life, and my life is rich and full because of that.”

Bassist Brad Hallen, who co-produced “Monsters + Angels” with Cataldo, has worked only as a musician since playing in Pastiche more than four decades ago. His resume is impressive: Duke Robillard, Roomful of Blues, Susan Tedeschi, James Cotton, Hubert Sumlin, Billy Boy Arnold, Johnny Winter, Jimmy Vaughan, Otis Clay, and others in the blues and R&B world, “not to mention all the pop and rock artists.”

“I worked with Steve in the ‘80s in both the Nervous Eaters and his Lionhouse Blues Band. His vocal phrasing sets him apart from other singers in the punk genre,” Hallen says. “Steve called me literally a couple days after I had left Duke Robillard after 12 years asking me if I knew any bass players looking for work. I said ‘Well’ . . . It was good timing.”

“Constantly playing is the only way to keep our chops up,” adds Cataldo. “Both Adam [Sherman] and I write all the time, there’s always lots of good material to choose from.”

Though rock clubs have disappeared left and right over the years, the Eaters are lucky to have a record label that is “really behind” them and a booking agent who keeps them busy. “The band tries to get in front of as many new faces as we can,” Cataldo asserts. It helps that “Monsters + Angels” gets airplay on “The Underground Garage” channel. Three songs from the album — “Superman’s Hands,” “Chad,” and “Wild Eyes” — made it to the weekly “Coolest Song in the World” status in 2022. Does Cataldo still get a kick hearing his songs on the radio? “You bet I do, that has never stopped, it’s still a thrill,” he says.

The Nervous Eaters have most of the new songs ready for the band’s second project for Wicked Cool and start recording the album later this month. Among the tunes is “Into the Shadows” by guitarist Sherman. “I’m really looking forward to recording that one. If that song is not a smash hit, I will move to California,” Cataldo says.

‘We’re All In This Together’: The music scene raises a glass to Rick Berlin’

By Michael O'Connor Marotta on April 6, 2023 - VANYALAND

A wise man once said that when it comes to life and music, survival is success. So it stands to reason that there’s perhaps no more successful product of the Boston music scene than Rick Berlin. The local mainstay takes center stage tonight (April 6) at Brighton Music Hall in Allston, raising a glass to 50 years of musical creativity, artistic measure, and rock and roll perseverance at We’re All In This Together: A Celebration of the Music of Rick Berlin.

“As long as I still have ideas for songs, even some no one ever hears, I’m inspired,” Berlin tells the Boston Globe this week. “I never made it to the big time, but I’m proud of what I’ve done these last 50 years and of my band, 12 years strong. I feel lucky. Even playing in front of tiny audiences, this ol’ coot flouncing about onstage, is a blast. When I run out of gas I hope I’m hip to it and throw in the towel.”

We’ll all need a towel when tonight is said and done, as there’s a lot packed in to one night, but that’s understandable when celebrating a half-century of art and expression. Berlin’s bands, which have lined listings pages over the years as print turned to digital, will be on display, from reunion to reinvention, including Orchestra Luna, Berlin Airlift (1982’s “Over The Hill” still leaps out of the speakers 40 years later), and his current Nickel & Dime Band, with special guests including collaborators Gary Cherone of Extreme, David Minehan of The Neighborhoods, and Trans-Siberian Orchestra’s Jane Mangini.

Others coming together to further fuel the evening are indie headliners The Sheila Divine and Hallelujah The Hills, as well as rebooted punk pioneers The Nervous Eaters. The evening will be emceed by Vice V’Ersatile.

“I can imagine all the white-hairs in the audience, and I’m worried I’ll be keeping them up past their bedtime,” Berlin joked to the Boston Herald. “It’s a lot to ask of an audience to take in four hours of music that one guy wrote, plus three awesome other bands. I just hope there’s somebody there when we get to the finale.”

For Berlin, the notion of a “finale” is just a casual idea.

WE’RE ALL IN THIS TOGETHER: A CELEBRATION OF THE MUSIC OF RICK BERLIN :: Thursday, April 6 at Brighton Music Hall, 158 Brighton Ave. in Allston, MA :: 7 p.m., 18-plus, $20 :: Event info :: Advance tickets

WE’RE ALL IN THIS TOGETHER: A CELEBRATION OF THE MUSIC OF RICK BERLIN

With Orchestra Luna, Berlin Airlift, the Nickel & Dime Band, the Nervous Eaters, the Sheila Divine, and Hallelujah the Hills. At Brighton Music Hall. April 6 at 8 p.m. $20. crossroadspresents.com

COMMENTS ABOUT THE SHOW (APRIL 6TH)

Hey Rick. That was quite an event you put on last night. I found the Orchestra Luna segment especially moving. Congrats! – Jay Hepburn (guitar – Sand Machine)

GREAT EVENT LAST NIGHT!!   Congrats!! So special and fun!! – John Cassidy

Thanks for putting together an excellent show last night. Enjoyed myself thoroughly. Sorry I couldn’t stick around till the very end. Had an early morning today. Thanks again for having me. You the man. – Tom Appleman (bass: Nickel & Dime, professor of bass – Berklee School of Music)

Rick, thanks for sending these pics along. But way beyond that, thank you for creating the opportunity for us to reunite. What an incredible, heartfelt, loving experience it was for me and, I can only assume, for everyone else. Every bit of devotion we put into Luna all those years ago came bubbling back up to the surface effortlessly. I would have been happy to play to an empty room, just to be back with  you all, but the response from the audience made it all the more satisfying. The winged heart continues to soar! Thank you so much”. – Scott Chambers (Bass/vbox - Orchestra Luna, Bette Midler)

Great show last night! Good job. – Tristram Lozaw (The Boston Globe)

You are amazing Rick and a true inspiration to artists anywhere and everywhere! - Howie Cusack (Pretty Polly Productions. Howie booked Orchestra Luna at 3 Orpheum shows, 1 Boston Symphony Hall show & countess other gigs. He was our Main Man back then. And the guy sent a full case of beer to us backstage that night!)

I (S)harted at least 3 times up there with yü and was soooo glad that I chose not to wear my white jeans after all! Are the love of you, my friend will never die, thankfully, my traumatic application of lipstick helped me buttress my complete failure of guitar rig on stage. But flouncing always wins in the end you have made us all fall in love with you, and crave your attention continuously to the next my barrel fun, luv and light xo – Sir David Minehan (Woolly Mammoth Sound, The Neighborhoods, The Replacements)

That was AMAZING. Thank you so much, Rick!! What a beautiful night. – Adam Sherman (Guitar/Vox - The Nervous Eaters)

If you’ve come down from the fabulousness that was the show at the Brighton music hall, it’s too soon. What a great night that was for everyone - you, the musicians, we kids in the cheap seats. I still can’t believe that you got those OL songs up and running. Bravo and much love. - Lesley Bannatyne (author ‘Unaccustomed to Grace’)

Your show at the Music Hall was Berlintopia!  A pure joy to watch you radiate pure joy.  You introduced me to Boston for which I am very grateful - and it made me so happy to be there as Boston celebrated you that night!  - Mark Baxter (voicelesson.com, and the man who paddled my vocal canoe thru the anxiety rapids approaching that 4/6 show. It really made an enormous difference.)

I wanted to personally thank you for having The Eaters on the bill. Such a fun and beautiful night and you were really organized with all those moving parts and also managed to sing your ass off and put on one hell of show. Last but not least if you ever need a bass sub for nickel and dime if I’m available I’d love to work with you. I’m a quick study and could do a rehearsal if you wanted. Thanks again and all the best. – Brad Hallen (bassist - Nervous Eaters)

Also I'm still at a loss of words from the other night. That was one hell of a performance, you rock. - Seth Gomez (guitar/vox - The Chops)

Always feel damn special to call this music legend a friend. Thanks for sharing your whole damn career with us tonight. Suit is fire as always. - Jannae Knospe

Hope the solo intro was cool. You sounded great all night. Your energy is outstanding! – Dino Govoni (Sax, Nickel & Dime, sax professor Berklee School of Music)

Let me be the first (10th? 100th?) to tell you how much fun this has been! – James Sullivan (Author, The Boston Globe)

Rick, I was so thrilled to be there and catch up with some of the people that helped shape my life and my love of your music/art. I admit there were emotional moments that touched me, especially your first Orchestra Luna song with Lisa. Thank you for another memory of a night with your light. Love to you and our friends that have passed. – Dave Rubin (BA roadie, guitar tech)

I love you Rick and I love all your creations.  I am so happy and proud to have been part of your world of friends, family, and music, and to still be part of it.  My whole trip from beginning to end was full of life, joy, and fulfilment.  And I have a feeling everyone involved including the audience had that kind of experience.  Thank you for including me and making it possible to play my part in Rick Kinscherf Berlin’s Universe. – Barry Keating (OL choreographer and reader of the Faye Wray Letter, Starmites – Broadway production, collaborator with Jim Steinman)

Did I tell you that as I watched N&D from the back of the crowd EVERYONE who passed by had joyous remarks and thanks for the show, you, & the bands. I was a happy receptacle in Lisa’s brilliant choice of bold stripes for the Lunettes! I am so grateful for your Herculean efforts, for this beautiful event, and really, your lifelong gifts to me and so many others. I’ve struggled to say all that’s in my heart. Be assured that you are a person who has made a shining mark in the world and blazed a path of love through the hearts of soooo many. - Liz Gallagher (Lunette in both Orchestra Lunas)

What I was composing to address the crowd at the concert: In and through that tiny break in the wall let the light shine from Isabel blanket this room and help us to do our part. In 1970 Rick posted a sign next to the stage at The Zircon bar in Summerville - ‘Starting a band. Looking for a bass guitar drummer and possibly a Tuba’. Lisa (Kinscherf) Dudley (Lunette)

You are a serious rock star, Rick – Erin Keane

Thank you so much for making that happen! It was such a joy to reconnect with everyone and was an amazing night of music. You are quite a fountain of creativity, not to mention all you did to create such a wonderful experience for all. Are there some pictures and/or vids? Congrats on an incredible achievement, and thanks again! – Randy Roos (guitar: OL, Grammy Award winner)

Rick. That show was a TRIUMH! Wonderful job. You were spectacular! What a great show. I am so happy to have been there to help. Thanks for everything! I have as much content as I could capture. I can find you after Easter to hand it over. Peace man! - Billy Squire (Videographer, drummer, guitarist)

Such an outpouring of love for you last night. Such a beautiful thing to see. Loved seeing you play in front of a massive crowd. Loved watching T.J. dancing/singing backup. I'm sure there was a lot of stress leading up to the gig, so I hope you got to enjoy it and are now able to exhale. Jane looked wonderful as always. Got to give Sammy and TJ big hugs. Funny that I've never met your sister before, but saw her as well. The sound was great. I love how Aaron Perrino of Sheila Divine has literally not aged in 25 years. Weird. Maybe it's the glasses. I don't think I've seen him this century. I’m here. You sound awesome. What a turnout. Congrats! – Matt York (Musician, Songwriter, Author, Highwayman Tour)

I figured I’d wait until you came down off of your “concert high” to tell you that I thought you were really great the other night. It’s funny because when we used to rehearse as the “Doylettes” I couldn’t wait for the show to be over, but the other night I didn’t want it to end. When you brought out your sister to sing and she sang that song about Sammy it melted my cold dead heart. Sarah Davey said it was the most fun she’d ever had at a concert where she didn’t know the words to 95 percent of the songs and I completely agree. It was very heartwarming to see you get the recognition you deserve, and I’m glad I could be a part of it. – Jill Petruzziello (server, cop)

Rick, have a blast tonight! Enjoy every second as you acknowledge and celebrate your life's musical work. Such a remarkable career you have had to date. Fully aware it is still going strong! You are a special human, Rick. Truly a dedicated artist at every level. Amazing! – Marc Arsenault (Landscape architect)

It was back on an August afternoon, when Adam played that little show in JP, and you told me to put April 6 on my calendar. Great advice! Seriously, it was such a special night. I had a blast, as did my whole family. And more importantly, I reconnected with some of the dearest and most significant people in my life. I'm forever grateful that Harry heard you banging on that piano, and I'm so glad you took his advice and started a band. You and your little band changed the course of my life, and I know for a fact I'm not alone. You've touched many lives, my friend, and you're still doing it. Thanks again for putting together an amazing night of friends, family, music, and memories. – Gene Amoroso (Actor, Roadie for OL and part of our show back then)

Shamus Moynihan:

         Did I ever tell you how my uncle used your version of “gotta have heart” for a political campaign in the 90s?

 Rick Berlin:

         Did he lose?

 Shamus Moynihan:

         Yes Haha I’m kidding. They actually won. The candidates name was Jack Hart They drove around South Boston for months blasting it out of a loudspeaker attached to the roof of a car. Blues brothers style. Just had a flashback lol

Rick Berlin:

         Wow!

Shamus Moynihan:

         Just called my uncle Bobby to see if I remembered it right. We used to play it from a flatbed truck too. Drove around the neighborhood handing out ice cream. I was maybe 12-13. Someone said to him “I’ll vote for him if you stop playing that fucking song”!

Great show Rick, really inspiring on a bunch of levels. Rock on! – Brett Milano (Author, The Boston Herald)

Yo, Rick! Fantastic show last night!! The memories of many visits to Jack’s to see Orchestra Luna when I had a natural food store a block away, and my ’70’s crush on Lisa came back in full focus. In spite of my ancient legs struggling like crazy to endure a four and a half hour standing stint, I would do it all again. Thank you putting together a really fantastic show! - Charlie Christopher (Toad, Cambridge Common, The Lizard Lounge: Owner)

On behalf of the boys I would to say thank you so much for including us last night. Also, our congratulations to you for such a great, smooth running  and successful show! Everyone we encountered was super nice. And so many lefty drummers, who knew. It was truly a great night and we were pumped to be a part of it. – David McLean (The Nervous Eaters)

Sorry I did not get to say hello but I thoroughly enjoyed the evening. Very kind of you for the shoutout. Many thanks. Loved seeing Jane, although briefly, (still carry her in my heart) and others whom I haven’t seen in years.Great hearing “Bowery Bums” live and the dedication to Seymour and Hilly. The Nervous Eaters were terrific and you my friend have still got it. Much obliged for a wonderful night of music and friendship. – Oedipus (PD at WBCN, Mass Broadcaster Hall Of Fame)

Congratulations old friend. A wonderful night and well-deserved tribute. You rock!  - Susan Nardone

I know I gushed with Linnea when we saw you at the Rumble hahaha but one more time I am here to say HOW WONDERFUL YOUR SHOW AT BRIGHTON MUSIC HALL WAS/just INCREDIBLE!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!  - Linda Viens (Songwriter/Musician)

All the love and respect,

Such a fun night, rick. Congrats again on pulling it off. You were electric all night. – Matt Bailin (Guitar/Sax/Vox - Nickel & Dime, The Party Band, Wildcat Slim)

The honor is mine Rick. I’m very lucky to have been swept up in your universe. I loved every minute of it and was particularly moved by Sam’s Song and your sister’s lovely and ethereal vocal. But really just everything. - Vice V’Ersatile (MC/singer/actor)

I really enjoyed  being at the show, the energy was incredible…and it was nice to see you playing outside of the studio!!! – Brian Charles (Zippah Recording Studios, The Sheila Divine)

Was a really special night! – Aaron Perrino (The Sheila Divine)

I was so impressed and moved by the whole thing, Rick, truly. What a joy to be a part of it. Thank you. Ryan Walsh (Hallelujah The Hills, Astral Weeks)

Thanks again for having me play some tunes at the gig. So fun, it was such a great night! It was healing for me in many ways. I can still feel the energy and I think it was the balm that we all needed after so much craziness in the past few years. Great job! - Mike DeLi (Bass/Vox - Nickel & Dime)

Always inspiring to get taken to church by the most reverend and revered Rick Berlin + The Nickel-and-Dime Band along with The Sheila Divine, Hallelujah The Hills and the amazing Nervous Eaters. Great show! – Vice V’Ersatile

Last night was… something else. - Shamus Moynihan (Co-Producer The JP Music Festival)

Was it worth the trip from California to see the Rick Berlinstravaganza? You bet your ass it was! This fine man’s music is artful, affecting, sad, funny… and insistent. It’s both familiar and original, surprising and inevitable. And it’s been part of my life for more than four decades. Seeing and hearing it all laid out, with many of the original musicians from each phase, was overwhelming. Unmissable. So glad I didn’t miss it! – Valerie Watson

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