This is the final gig of Cheater Pint as we know it. Come on down!

TT the Bear's Place
10 Brookline St. map
Central Square
Cambridge, Mass.

with:
Miskatonic 9pm
CHEATER PINT 10pm
Downbeat 5 11pm
The Dollyrots midnight

Da 'Pint is featured in today's (August 1) Boston Herald, in the "Meet the Band" section. Just in time to forget about us!

http://bostonherald.com/entertainment/music/general/view.bg?articleid=1110267

[From the Summer issue of Limelight Magazine, which just hit the newsstands.]

They won't cheat you out of a good time
By Jessica Botelho

As their name directly suggests, Cheater Pint is a bar band who refers to themselves as "an independent brewer of choice rock music." Playing mostly in the Boston area, Cheater Pint brings a frothy blend of music to their fans.

"I would say, we're a combination of a lot of things," said Lauran O'Neal, the band's founder and female vocalist, who goes by the nickname, "Pickles." "We're a little bit of pop, a little bit of punk, even a little garage. We call ourselves 'The Pint' for short, which we like better."

Drawing from bands like The Replacements, The Pixies, and Superchunk, O'Neal originally formed the band several years ago with a female bass player and two males. These days, O'Neal is the only woman, backed by three men.

"You might say [Lauran's] the only original member, but I've been in the band for about five years now," said Mark Simon, who shares guitar duties with O'Neal. "Lauran and I definitely share the responsibilities for rhythm and leads. I don't think we really make a distinction in this band, but we do comprise the dual guitar attack of 'The Pint.'

O'Neal and Simon met through a mutual friend -- a pal who actually used to be in the band.

"I was buddies with someone who was in the band before [me] and I do websites and graphic design, so I built their original website," said Simon. "Then, I joined the band. How or why it happened, I don't know, but that's how it went down."

Dan Weddle plays drums for 'The Pint' and Todd Giles is the bassist. Weddle joined by answering an ad O'Neal posted on Craig's List in March 2005 and Giles joined the group last fall.

All three men have a very high opinion of their female lead singer. In fact, they each possess a large amount of respect and admiration for O'Neal and even credit her for being the heart and soul of 'The Pint.'

"Our band would not be without our female," said Giles. "She is the reason the band is."

"Unlike a lot of other women in rock bands, she really is the band," agreed Simon. "It's hard to describe what that means, but what she brings to the table is everything she's got. She leads the band in spirit, in style, and the way we approach our work as a band. In that sense, a lot of other bands have a sort of figurehead that's nothing more than just that -- there's other people pulling the strings. That's not the case with us."

Weddle, who cites hard-hitting drummers like John Bonham, Keith Moon, and Stewart Copeland as his major influences, feels exactly the same way Simon does. He acknowledges the fact that having a female fronting the band is a huge part of what makes their music great.

"The songs are really grown out of a female point of view," he said. "Even though males can sing such songs, when you hear the humor from a gender perspective along with the notes and harmonies, males just wouldn't do the songs justice in my humbled opinion."

Praise for "Pickles" does not stop there. Simon thinks she inspires him and the rest of the band with her unique guitar riffs and sound.

"Pickles is a profound influence on me because she comes up with all these kooky ideas, which are great," said Simon, "She is a very innovative guitarist and that just sort of comes out of not having any pre-conceived ideas. Obviously, influences are very important, but I don't think we ever set out to be this type of band or that type of band. I think once it came together, we ended up being the type of band we are, if that makes sense."

As much as O'Neal contributes to the group, she refuses to take all the credit. With all four members supplying vocals and their respective instruments, O'Neal says they influence her as well.

"Mark's really good at getting it to sound better and have some melody," she said.

Weddle also plays a big part in helping out musically. He provides his ability to stretch the harmonies, as well as his vibrancy on stage and his openness to O'Neal and Simon's ideas, while Giles not only brings his bass skills, but also his playful personality to the band, adding to the fun they like to have while performing live.

"We're regular people, we have jobs, we're not trying to make it as rock stars," said Simon. "We'd like to travel for tours, but we don't want it to be our lifestyles."

"We're having fun," reiterated Weddle. "We're not 21, we don't have delusions. We are all good people balancing life with this passion called rock. Is there anything better?"

Despite our good looks and winning ways, we concluded the gig by congratulating The Men on their fine performance, their victory and their advancement to the semi-final round of the WBCN Rock 'n' Roll Rumble.

We had a great time with many friends. Many thanks to Harper's staff, WBCN, Kevin P., and all who rocked onstage and off!

Pickles hanging with Duggan D of The Men:

Us rockin':

I didn’t say it:

http://www.bostonherald.com/entertainment/music/general/view.bg?articleid=1084830

We’ve reemerged onto the Noise Top 30 Radio Chart for April at the 20 slot! Also, BOTH our rehearsal space roommates -- Dirt Mall and Miskatonic -- are on the chart too!

1. Neptune – Gong Lake
2. December Sound – The Silver Album
3. Black Fortress of Opium – Black Fortress of Opium
4. Dirt Mall – Got the Goat by the Horns
5. Hallelujah the Hills – Collective Psychosis Begone
6. A.K.A.C.O.D. – Happiness
7. Chris Pearson/Ekranoplan – Soundtracks
8. Mobius Band – Heaven
9. Pants Yell! – Alison Stratton
10. Guillermo Sexo – Guillermo Sexo
11. Ball and Pivot – Heart in the Sky
12. Bobb Trimble – Iron Curtain Innocence
13. The Doom Buggies – The Doom Buggies
14. Hot Box – The Histone Code
15. Me and Joan Collins – From Behind EP
16. Miskatonic – Let Us Entertain Us
17. Passion Pit – Chunk of Change
18. While Rome Burns – The Beauty In Violence
19. Apple Betty – Let’s Play
20. Cheater Pint – Cheater Pint
21. Concord Ballet Orchestra Players – Flying Together EP
22. Cuddle Magic – Cuddle Magic
23. Dear Leader – Dear Leader
24. Fire on Fire – 5 Song EP
25. Freezepop – Future Future Future Perfect
26. Gondoliers – Gondoliers
27. Paper Thin Stages – Flying Hearse
28. Gregg Porter – Final Final EP
29. Pulse Prophets – Breathe
30. Turpentine Brothers – Turpentine

The Noise Top 30 Radio Chart is based on the amount of radio airplay given to locally released CDs. It’s compiled by RadioTony using playlists from WAAF, WBCN, WFNX, WMBR, WMFO, WTCC, and WZBC.

We may have fallen from our peak position at number 2 last month, but we're still pretty surprised to be here! Thanks for spinning the 'Pint!

Noise Top 30 Radio Chart: February 2008

1. Bobb Trimble - Iron Curtain Innocence
2. A.K.A.C.O.D. - Happiness
3. Fire on Fire - EP
4. Hallelujah the Hills - Collective Psychosis Begone
5. Cheater Pint - Cheater Pint
6. Concord Ballet Orchestra Players - Flying Together
7. The December Sound - The December Sound
8. Freezepop - Future Future Future Perfect
9. Campaign for Real-Time - LA Tracks 1933-1969
10. Black Fortress of Opium - Black Fortress of Opium
11. Emergency Music - You'll Be the Death of Us All, Honey
12. Max G & the Spots - Shiny New Apartment
13. Mobius Band - Heaven
14. The Shills - The Shills
15. Sunburned Hand of Man - Fire Escape
16. Wild Light - Wild Light
17. Vagiant - Public Display of Infection
18. The Atlantics - Atlantics Live
19. The Doom Buggies - The Doom Buggies
20. Drug Rug - Drug Rug
21. Major Stars - Mirror Messenger
22. Polyethylene - What Goes On Inside Houses
23. The Set of Red Things - Who Touches the Pitch Defiles Herself
24. Tristan Da Cunha - Instanter
25. MeandJoanCollins - "Maybe You Can Breathe Underwater, Tracy"
26. Paper Thin Stages - CP/Magnum Puce Version 8.0
27. Annette Farrington - "Know Your Heart"
28. Dear Leader - The Alarmist
29. Various - Boston Underground 1979-1982
30. Chandler Travis Philharmonic - Kitty at 30

Considering the album cover, a not-so-clever Pink Floyd parody, I had relatively low expectations for Cheater Pint. It didn't take long for the music to change that though. Cheater Pint play raw tunes that at times conjure up images of X, the Replacements, the Ramones, Cheap Trick and late-Angry Samoans even. The common denominator is that all of these influences strip away the pretensions of more complex bands, exposing honest what-you-see-is-what-get music.

The simple melodies are delivered with an edge that is engaging and even angry at times, but never bitter. The musicianship isn't what comes from a book or a school, but from playing together and knowing each other and its loose ramblings must work even better live. Like the cover implies, there's a drunken, devil-may-care nature to Dark Side of the Pint, but while that's often shakey ground, Cheater Pint manages to stay on solid footing throughout. This isn't an album that will change the face of rock music, but it may just remind you of why you started listening in the first place.

Rating: 7/10

http://rnrnonsense.toomanyvoices.com/2007/11/review-cheater-pint-dark-side-of-pint.html