People love lists – lists of favorites, least favorites, etc., etc. The Wailing City thought it would be interesting to ask some figures from the local music scene who their favorite all-time local bands are. This is strictly SouthCoast, not Providence or Boston. The bands are listed in no particular order.

***The first list comes from Jamie Despres, Editor of SouthCoast247.com, and an occasional deejay at 89.3 WUMD-FM on Thursday nights...

IMMORTAL ALICE:

I may be partial because the lead singer is my uncle (James Reilly) and they practiced in my grandmother's basement, but Immortal Alice quenched the thirst of the angsty post-Nirvana teens of the late nineties with their pop-rock melodies and thoughtful lyrics. Alice even managed to play some local gigs with Magnapop and The Mighty-Mighty Bosstones. But perhaps their most important contribution to the local music scene was their ability to garner large, diverse crowds every single weekend at all-ages venues in New Bedford. Imagine that.

GASKILL:

It was always a treat to see Gaskill's front man Kevin Grant (most recently from The Hidden), tear up the stage, ceilings, floors, people's faces...you get the picture...while performing on stage. If you call yourself a New Bedford music fan, and you never had the chance to see this Bad Brains-esque band perform, you seriously missed out. Gaskill shows surely meant things were getting broken, people were losing their voices, and clothes were going to be soaked with sweat. Damn I miss that band. But there is a secret society of die hard Gaskill fans who still rock the cassette tape at private Gaskill dance parties.

SMACKIN' ISAIAH:

Of course they needed to make the list. Again, this is a bit biased because Trevor is my cousin, and was my partner-in-crime growing up, but Smackin' Isaiah undeniably knew how to play, have fun, and party hard afterwards. Now known to the masses as A Wilhelm Scream, Smackin' Isaiah rode the coattails of Immortal Alice during the late nineties, playing all of the same venues and to the same crowd, but with a record deal, a shift in band members, and a dose of maturity, upped the ante in 2003 when they began to embark on an international grueling tour schedule that has yet to screech to a halt.

THE LADS:

The man who started it all in the Reilly family, uncle Joe, dominated the New Bedford music scene in the early eighties with his band, The Lads. As a tot bopping around to his records in my parents living room, I knew no difference between the local fame that the Lads held and the fame of those on MTV (of course, this is back when MTV was void of The Hills and plump with artists like The Cars, Dire Straits, and Talking Heads). Favorite tunes included "Downtown Start" and "Neighborhood Kids".

SHIPYARD WRECK:

To put this trip down memory lane to an end and include a contemporary favorite, I would have to say that Shipyard is the go-to band when you want to be guaranteed a great night of local music in the SouthCoast. Offering a mix of eclectic covers and catchy originals, Shipyard Wreck can force any crowd to have a great time. Look for them at their weekly gigs, or check them out at a local festival this summer.

***James Gagne is the frontman for "The Hardest Working Band in the City" Shipyard Wreck. He's shared stages with tons of other local talent and is a good source for reflection on who has impressed him in the past...

First off, I'd have to say picking five favorite local bands is not an easy thing due to the fact that this region, the SouthCoast alone, has so many talented musicians, songwriters, entertainers, etc. But if I had to pick five, my list would probably look like this:

NEAL MCCARTHY PROBLEM:

Neal's songwriting, musicianship and unique blues style is second to none. With influences definitely coming from Tom Waits, Ryan Adams, Eric Clapton, B.B. King, The Grateful Dead and probably so many more, his sound gets that unique, raw blues & country feeling. Whether he's playing with Kenny Richards, who is also a phenomenal guitarist, songwriter & musician, or Neal is playing with his ever evolving cast, sometime including myself, his approach to it all brings that improvisational-but-concrete mindset and tone to his music. Aside from that, Neal's stage presence is great and his songs, covers and originals, are all very well performed. The revolving cast of amazing musicians he incorporates is also a big factor in making him one of my local favorites.

ROOFTOP SUICIDE CLUB:

I haven't heard this band for some time now, but I always enjoyed their melodic & harmonic songwriting. Their voices blend well together with overtones from guitars and keyboards that enlighten the whole sound to make a really cool sound. I know that Jeff Gobush and Mike Almond have left the band now and I am interested to see what they sound like after losing such an integral part of the band, but as I remember them, their sound, songwriting and especially some lyrics always brought something unique and special to me. I would have to say that they are one of my local favorite bands because they can really put a song together whether it be cover or original and I'm a sucker for both vocal and instrumental harmony, which they always seemed to nail pretty good. Kudos as well for their song " Arizona " touching on risqué subjects such as pedophile men of the cloth.

PEARLY BAKER BAND:

I love the Dead. They play the Dead, Dylan, Stones almost better than the actual bands did. They are local legends and great musicians. They know how to keep an energy going and how to control that energy during a song's breakdown. I mean, who can say that one of their local favorite bands isn't Pearly? I'd have to say they are one of my local favorites because of their great sound, fun energy and excellent musicianship.

CRAIG DEMELO BAND:

Craig DeMelo is a unique local favorite of mine with his beautiful acoustic guitar work and Matthews-Mayer-like vocals. His song writing, which as you can see from my prior local favorite choices seems to be a pertinent area for my decisions, is very interesting and well laid out. His songs have great lyrics, great twists, great space for harmony and other additives and construe thoughtful ideas and visions. His talent for "flowing" or basically rapping is used in a very cool way that often embraces a crowd. I'd have to say Craig is one of my local favorites because of his great songwriting, his entertaining style and musicianship. Again, a sucker for harmony I am, so Craig can definitely fall into that crowd.

BOB'S DAY OFF / TODD & THOM:

BDO hasn't really played a whole lot lately, but I hear there is a reunion coming up. You can always hear Todd & Thom at Kirby's Pub (formerly Irish Immigrint) and other local watering holes. One way or the other, the entertainment and musicianship that the guys from Bob's Day Off bring to the stage is unique and very fun. Their songwriting with very well put together pop songs like "Just to Reach You" or the humorous "Paper Bag" make the band or duo something to remember and cherish. I would have to say that they are one of my local favorites because of their drive to entertain, songwriting skills, great harmonies and musicianship.

I would also like to give kudos to Beyond the Embrace for kicking ass in the metal department with multiple guitars and great singing. Also, I think the Dancing Dogs & Pumpkinhead Ted can't be left behind in this opinionated reflection of local bands for their amazing guitar work from Jim Robitaille, cool harmonies, interesting songs and over musicianship.

***When you walk into Circa Vintage Wear on Coggeshall St. one thing is a constant – owner Chris Duval has the radio tuned to WUMD-FM. Duval has been listening to the station since he can remember, and it has given him a great opportunity to hear a lot of local music. In this time he's also been able to catch a lot of shows from local bands. The Wailing City thought it would be interesting to ask Duval what his five all-time favorite local bands are...

HOLY COW:

These guys are local legends. They'd put on the craziest shows. Chris Means is an awesome frontman.

COLEUS:

I loved these guys with B. Greene playing at Gilda's Stone Rooster in Marion. That's still a cool place to hang out.

THE PROLETARIAT:

A powerful band out of Assonet. We'd go crazy at their shows. I still have some of their vinyl from the 80's. They stood apart from the punk rock of their time – non-commercial raw power.

GLAZED BABY:

I really liked Dale Cunningham's drumming. They were all good musicians. They were such aggressive noise rock.

THE HIDDEN:

With Kevin Grant as a singer they took things to another level. They were really tight and used the two-guitar format really well.

***Manuel Souza has been a fixture on the local music front for more than 40 (yes, forty) years. He is remembered fondly for opening and running the club Graffitti's in the late 70's and early 80's and the Kurfew in the late 80's, early 90's. He has booked shows in New Bedford on a regular basis and is a significant proponent of local music.

FAT JACK & THE PLEASANT STREET BAND:

These guys were great funk rock from the 70's. New Bedford residents in their 40's and 50's will remember these guys.

TAVARES:

A band with good visuals and hot vocals. They began as Chubby & The Turnpikes and they're still going today.

BALTIMORE KID & STREET:

The band that featured Jack Jennings in a Rod Stewart-type fashion. Great vocals and instrumentalists from the mid-70's and early 80's..

THE GLUONS:

With their off-tunings they were a predecessor to U2. They had a style that fit well with British New Wave bands.

BOB JENKINS & THE BAU BAXTER BAND:

The late Bob Jenkins fronted a great local bar band that was funky and danceable. They fit in with Little Feat and the Allman Brothers.

***As the bass player and lyricist for the New Wave giants The Gluons (and eventually Blue Hollow), Poitras also ran a flourishing Open Mic at the New Wave Cafe for seven years. He is currently entertaining children with the group The Toe Jam Puppet Band.

HOLY COW:

Chris Means was as good a frontman as any band, local or national. He had an amazing voice. I loved watching and listening to this band.

ASTOVEBOAT:

Two guys who were one of the most unique sounding bands you'd ever want to hear. One guy played the inside of a washing machice while the other guy played an effective-laden bass guitar. An amazingly creative-sounding band. Very interesting.

GALA JIVE JUT:

A bunch of wonderful musicians, I loved their variety. They would include snippets of cartoons in their songs, done in a jazz style.. A great fun band.

KRISS BLISS:

A very unique performer and a good songwriter. He had a great voice and you never knew what he was going to do next. At one show he decorated himself head-to-toe in Christmas lights. Memorable.

JEFF GOBUSH:

A great songwriter with a wonderful voice. I always enjoyed what he did with Rooftop Suicide Club or just solo with an acoustic guitar.