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Click Here to read the article in The Boston Phoenix on the Lunch Records 4X4 Compilation.
Click here to read a review of the 4X4 at The Noise (scroll down past 13 reviews).
A week ago I was attempting to enjoy a tuna fish sandwich during lunch when excited whispers broke out amongst my dining room friends: "Wolversmolin! It's Wolversmolin!" They pointed to a young-looking man standing against the wall on the other side of the cafeteria. To me he looked somewhat ordinary, with dark pants, a sweater, and a head of thick brown hair, but to my friends he seemed to represent something much darker: "I think he's looking at me!" echoed my companions with urgency in their voices.
What exactly was so intimidating about this man leaning casually against the wall I did not know, but if so many of my acquaintances were concerned, I knew that something must not be right. Nonetheless, I put aside the humorous incident as the bell rang. It wasn't until the next day walking through the hallway to class when yet another acquaintance of mine mentioned this "Wolversmolin," that the situation caught my full attention; obviously yesterday's incident had not been an isolated one. Just who was this "Wolversmolin?" And what had he done to catch the attention of so many ARHS students? I decided to investigate.
This "Wolversmolin" character has been noticed by ARHS students in the hallways and cafeteria for quite some time. Earliest sightings go back to November and December, though some have only noticed him recently within the past few weeks. This man, whose real full name is unknown, has been nick-named Wolversmolin by ARHS students. "[He] looks sort of like Hugh Jackman and Brian Smolin," commented Jenna Carino, who co-created the nickname.
What exactly Wolversmolin's reason for being in the lunchroom is, students have only been able to speculate: "I thought he was a psychology major observing people in the lunchroom. He was taking notes," remarks senior Alex Krogh-Grabbe. Other students have hypothesized (with varying amounts of imagination) that he may be an undercover FBI agent, or possibly an X-Man. Several ARHS students have concurred that he appears in the lunch room "pretty much every day," and have seen him taking notes as well. Others have said that he sometimes peers through the hallway windows at students in the cafeteria. "I've seen him, like, walking around the school too. With a purpose, not just randomly," says junior Kaye Sevier; "He scares the bejesus out of me." Though Wolversmolin instills fear in some, others are less concerned.
When it comes down to actually uncovering Wolversmolin's true purpose, few have dared to try. Krogh-Grabbe, despite warnings from fellow students, decided to make his own effort to solve the mystery, making an inquiry to co-principal Ms. Hannigan. However, according to Krogh-Grabbe, "...she said she didn't know who this guy was." Not to be let down, he courageously went up to Wolversmolin himself. "He said his name was Jesse, and that he was monitoring the lunchroom in case fights broke out."
Krogh-Grabbe wasn't the only student who wanted answers: "After I came back [from talking to Wolversmolin], five people came up to me and said "We were about to talk to him too!"" Krogh-Grabbe was also able to name two additional ARHS seniors who had attempted to talk to Wolversmolin, but did not know what they knew. Two juniors, who wished to remain anonymous, attempted to write a letter to the mysterious lunchroom monitor, asking questions such as "Are you Australian?" The students have not yet received a response.
With little progress ahving been made by other students, the mystery around Wolversmolin remained strong. Would Krogh-Grabbe's account measure up? I made several attempts to contact Wolversmolin during the week to schedule an interview, but was oddly unable to find him during lunch hours when he is most often seen. I have attributed this to coincidence, but others have found this "coincidence" disturbing. While one can only hope that someday we will know for sure who exactly Wolversmolin is and what his purpose is, at present the puzzle continues.
- Heather Wick, The Graphic, Amherst Regional High School
The sleepy village of Marstons Mills was home to one of
the Cape's best bands in the late '90s. After rehearsing
in a couple of basements, Cast of Lyndon, a quartet of teenagers,
made a CD that belied the group's youth. "Farming the Sea"
was a powerful disc of Pavement-style noisy, melodic rock.
Then the four young men graduated from Barnstable High School
and scattered.
Two of the band mates will play under one roof tonight,
when they bring their new bands to the Prodigal Son in Hyannis.
Guitarist Jesse Lee Pietroniro's band Red Door Exchange,
headlines the show. Also playing is bassist/keyboardist
Mike Nastri's group, Harris. (Another Cast of Lyndon member,
guitarist Ryan Thompson formed the Fading Epigones, a band
whose past members include Cast of Lyndon drummer Josiah
Cuneo.) Tonight's show will be the first time Red Door Exchange
and Harris share a stage on Cape Cod. Pietroniro's band
is based in Western Massachusetts and Nastri's group is
headquartered in Boston. The two have worked together to
set up double-bills in each other's home turf.
Pietroniro says Red Door Exchange has been described as
"sneaky pop" though he adds, "I'm not sure what that means."
The quartet's EP, "Sidestreets," calls to mind indie-rockers
Galaxie 500, "OK Computer"-era Radiohead and Elton John
in his most feisty moments. Harris' CD, "New Morning Pulse,"
is closer to the sound of "Farming the Sea," although Nastri
seems more aligned with Weezer than Pavement.
The closing song, "Selling Dirt to Deadbeats," sounds like
the prog-rock group Yes having a temper tantrum. Harris
won the WFNX/Newbury Comics Christmas Song Competition with
"I Dropped the F Bomb on Christmas" and won a battle of
the bands in New Hampshire last fall.
-Bill O'Neill, Lifestyle Editor, Cape Cod
Times
Archived Press: 2003 |
