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March 18, 2010
Boston’s Tom Scholz In New Legal Battle
It’s been a while since we’ve heard any Boston news, and unfortunately this latest development isn’t something for fans to be excited about, like the announcement of a new album release or something. Even so, news is news, and it is clear that founder Tom Scholz does not care much for people saying things about him that he says are not true.
In a new lawsuit that has been filed in Suffolk County Superior Court, Scholz and his legal team are accusing Beantown newspaper The Boston Herald of libel. According to court documents, Scholz is accusing Herald reporters Gayle Fee and Laura Raposa “falsely reported that Mr. Delp’s ex-wife blamed his suicide on Mr. Scholz.”
The suit goes on to say that Delp’s ex-wife stated under oath that she did not make any statements blaming Scholz for Brad Delp’s suicide.
Legal documents usually make for pretty boring reading, but often contain tidbits of information that may not have been widely disseminated before. Like all lawsuits, the content of this one is based on what the plaintiff claims is true, and it is up to the court to sort it out and and decide what the truth actually is.
The first portion of the suit lays out the evidence that Scholz and his attorneys are using to build their case upon, while the second portion describes the damage they say has been inflicted on Scholz. This is described in part as “…emotional stress, embarrassment and humiliation, the nature of which no reasonable person could be expected to endure and for which Mr. Scholz is entitled to recover.”
No specific amount is mentioned in the lawsuit, instead, it states that Scholz is asking the court to “…award him damages against the Defendants in the amount determined by the jury, plus statutory interest.” The suit does indeed state that a trial by jury is “demanded,” which I can only presume is the usual way such things are stated within the context of a lawsuit.
Perhaps the outcome of this lawsuit will signal the end of the drama that resulted from disputes among some of the original members of the group, and have dragged on for years. Maybe that’s just wishful thinking, but it would be nice to be able to talk about something positive regarding Boston, a group that earned its place as one of the most successful rock acts to ever emerge from the region.
The entire lawsuit can be viewed on the Boston Globe website.
July 2, 2009
Tommy DeCarlo Audio Interview
From the way Tommy DeCarlo talks about his experience as the lead vocalist for legendary rock group Boston, the appreciation he has for the opportunity has not diminished at all. The former Home Depot employee recently talked to the folks at Melodicrockconcerts.com for about 36 minutes and shared some of his memories from the amazing journey has been on since he was discovered after posting some of his vocal performances on the internet.
You can tell that talking to DeCarlo is not like talking to a veteran rock star, and that’s kind of cool, since he sounds more like the guy next door than the guy on stage in front of screaming fans. Originally from Utica, New York, it’s easy to tell from his accent that he’s not native to the North Carolina home he shares with his wife and wife and two kids.
Although it’s not entirely clear what DeCarlo’s future with wind up being, he’s enormously grateful for the experience he had working with the band while touring with Styx last year. Spending time on the road with them evolved into a friendship with the guys from Styx that continues today. DeCarlo described his recent reunion with Styx at one of their shows as like seeing family.
Boston founder Tom Scholz is said to be working on new material, something DeCarlo would surely be interested in if he is invited to participate. Asked whether he would be willing to go on tour with Boston again, he jokingly says “Let me see. Let me think about that,” and then delivers a very decisive “Yes, I would love to.”
Despite the uncertainty of his future with Boston, DeCarlo is not sitting just around his house waiting for the phone to ring. He has involved himself in some of his own projects and reveals that he has been working with some writers and producers and doing jingles, which gives him some valuable experience in the studio. He describes it as a “great little gig,” and is something that probably allows him to continue to enjoy freedom from his old job at Home Depot.
Although I don’t know the exact details of Tommy DeCarlo’s employment status today and whether or not his musical endeavors earn him enough to pay the bills, I think the thought of returning to Home Depot after touring with Boston would be pretty tough on just about anyone. However, if it had to be done, DeCarlo strikes me as the kind of guy that has the humble, unassuming attitude that would allow him to put that orange apron right back on again and go back to helping customers navigate around the store.
I really kind of doubt that’s something he’s going to have to worry about though.
There’s a lot more in the interview which can be listened to at Melodicrockconcerts.com.
May 1, 2009
Boston’s Tom Scholz Speaks Out Regarding Recent Rumors
It’s always interesting to report developments that involve Boston, since a lot of what has happened with the group over the years would make decent material for a television soap opera. These latest developments are no exception and it will not be surprising if these latest comments posted by Scholz on the group’s official website stir up some new controversy.
According to Scholz, rumors have been circulating recently about plans for performances by Boston or original members of Boston this year. Scholz states that there are no plans for Boston to perform this year and that many of the group’s members are busy with their own projects, including Kimberley Dahme, who is releasing a new CD and Michael Sweet who is touring with Stryper later on this year.
Scholz says that the group would like to do some touring next year, and is currently working on completing the next Boston album. But, that’s just the beginning. There’s plenty more from Scholz for those who like to stay abreast of the latest controversies that always seem to be swirling around some of the people who have been involved with Boston 
through the years.
In an interesting new twist to the whole drawn-out battle that has been raging between Scholz and certain former members of the group, the popular website Wikipedia became a sort of battleground where Scholz says that inaccurate information was posted about the origins of the group, and who actually deserves credit for landing the deal with Epic records which introduced Boston to the world.
As some readers may know, Wikipedia, which refers to itself as “The Free Encyclopedia,” is an excellent source of information on a myriad of subjects. I have consulted it myself on countless occasions, but what’s really unique about Wikipedia is that it welcomes contributions from readers. In other words, I could visit the site and edit the section about former President Richard Nixon to include the fact that he was actually an alien from the planet "Gliese 581 e” (go ahead, look it up!).
Now we all know that Nixon was (probably) not an alien, and the folks who run Wikipedia would probably remove that nonsense pretty quickly. However, when it comes to matters that Wikipedia staff or contributors have absolutely no knowledge of, it becomes much more difficult – if not impossible – to separate fact from fiction. In situations like this, it can boil down to one person’s word against another.
For regular folks like myself, we have little to worry about where Wikipedia is concerned, since there are only a small group of people interested in our lives when compared to the lives of celebrities. There’s little incentive for anyone to create a Wikipedia entry about me, much less use it as a platform to publish their version of some significant event in my life. Basically, nobody with the possible exception of my family and friends would care.
This is not the case with Tom Scholz however, and he goes into some detail on the official Boston website regarding information that was posted on the subject of the group’s origin, who was actually involved and who contributed to the effort. Scholz says that he has made corrections to the information that was posted, only to have it reappear later on in a different form.
Checking the Wikipedia entry for guitarist Barry Goudreau, who was a member of the group, I see that at least some of the disputed information still remains. Perhaps Scholz has simply given up on the back-and-forth over this particular issue and has decided to spend his time doing other things.
As far as I know, there has been no final judgment regarding the lawsuit that Scholz filed back around the beginning of last year, claiming that the wives of late singer Brad Delp and former Boston guitarist Barry Goudreau had defamed him.
Some readers on the Boston Globe website have suggested that all of this nasty business involving current or former members of Boston is all about the money. Ultimately it appears that it will be the courts that decide how this mess gets sorted out.
You can read Tom Scholz’s comments regarding this latest flare-up on the Band Boston website.
March 11, 2009
U2 Return To Boston Area For Exclusive Gig
Exclusive. That’s the word some local media are using to describe tonight’s U2 show at the Somerville Theatre, a 900-seat venue in the city’s Davis Square section. For a group with such a large fan base, the limited number of tickets available for this event has sent local area dignitaries, politicians and other self-proclaimed VIPs scrambling to get their normally-privileged hands on some.
According to Greg Hill, morning DJ for long-enduring local rock station WAAF, tickets to tonight’s show are “toughest ticket” he has seen. Fielding calls from major sports team owners and even major rock band vocalists, Hill doesn’t have much confidence in his chances of bringing any tag-alongs to the show with him. Hill will be there for WAAF, which is broadcasting the show live.
Local reaction to U2’s presence in the area is mixed, which is probably a reflection on the reputation of the group, and particularly frontman Bono, for their activism, which some people view with a skeptical eye.
This is U2’s third and last stop that’s taken the group to a few small venues including Chicago and New York. The Irish rockers have also appeared on national television, including ABC’s Good Morning America and CBS’s Late Show With David Letterman.
The group’s next move is expected to have them in rehearsal for their upcoming tour which is set to hit stadium-sized venues in Europe and North America.
The group’s recently-released album No Line on the Horizon marks the end of a dry spell for U2 fans that has lasted since 2004 when they released How To Dismantle An Atomic Bomb.
For more on tonight’s show, check out the Boston Herald.
Fans outside the Boston area may be able to listen to the show via WAAF’s website, which normally streams their broadcast there.
August 1, 2008
Who Needs An Orange Apron When You’ve Got A Lighted Stage?
The story of how Tommy DeCarlo hooked up with classic rock group Boston is a lot like that of Arnel Pineda, the new lead singer for Journey, although DeCarlo had a much shorter trip to meet up with his new band mates than Pineda who came all the way from the Philippines.
What’s most remarkable about DeCarlo is that the guy wasn’t really a singer. Sure, the guy can obviously sing or he would not be on the road with Tom Scholz & Company, but DeCarlo worked at a North Carolina Home Depot store as a credit manager, and didn’t make his living as a singer.
Pineda, on the other hand, was already working in a band and had experience playing in front of an audience and covering Journey songs with his band. He was eventually discovered by Journey when they found a video of one of his performances on YouTube.
DeCarlo’s singing experience consisted of solo sessions in his bedroom where he would sing a little bit and play keyboards after work. When he decided to create a tribute video to late Boston singer Brad Delp, he unknowingly set in motion a chain of events that would change his life.
When Tom Scholz’s wife saw DeCarlo’s video posted on his MySpace page, she showed her husband who had a hard time believing it wasn’t Brad Delp’s voice on the recording at first. Shortly thereafter, an e-mail arrived for DeCarlo inviting him to come try out for the band. His first performance in front of an audience with Boston, or with any band, for that matter, was at the Brad Delp Tribute last summer.
Currently, DeCarlo is on the road with Boston and he recently did a short interview with The Boston Globe from a stop in Toronto that’s worth checking out.
At the end of the interview, DeCarlo is asked if he has had a chance to meet Arnel Pineda yet. He responds by saying: “I haven’t yet and I would love to. I really would because we have kind of a similar situation, and I would love to sit down and say, “Man, isn’t this crazy?”
