Audio Podcasts created in the Waverley Square Studio at Belmont Media Center in Belmont, Mass.  The views and opinions expressed on the BMC PodCast Network are those of the speakers and do not represent the opinions of Belmont Media Center, the Town of Belmont, Mass., Comcast, or Verizon.

Canadian Award winning trumpet player Darren Barrett was born to Jamaican parents. Darren remembers that, "the first time I heard Miles Davis was on the record 'Round About Midnight, and when I heard Miles' sound and approach, I knew that the instrument I wanted to play was the trumpet."
In 1986, Darren attended Berklee College of Music on a full scholarship, receiving a BA in Professional Music in 1990. He went on to receive an MA in Jazz Performance in 1993, and an MS in Music Education from Queens College in 1995. It was there that he came under the influence of Dr. Donald Byrd, who became something of a father figure for the young trumpeter. My quest for a Doctorate degree was interrupted by a special program that was being developed, called the Thelonious Monk Institute of Jazz Performance, at the New England Conservatory of Music."  In 1997, Darren earned a Diploma in Jazz Performance from the Thelonious Monk Institute where he was a member of the inaugural class. In 1997, Darren entered and won 1st place in the Thelonious Monk International Jazz Competition, the biggest jazz competition in the world, which highlights a different instrument each year. 
Darren went on to release his first album as a bandleader, First One Up in 1999, Deelings in 2001, Wrenaissance Volume 1 in 2004 and A Very Barrett Christmas in 2011. His upcoming release, Darren Barrett plays the music of the Bee Gees will be released in 2013. Darren has performed or recorded with Elvin Jones, Jackie McLean, Herbie Hancock, Roy Hargrove Big Band, Common, Esperanza Spaulding and Antonio Hart, among others. 
Darren is currently an Associate Professor in the ensembles and brass department at his alma mater, Berklee College of Music in Boston Massachuttes. "I'm working on my craft, trying to be as professional and proficient as I can be. I'm just trying to reach people with my music, trying to concentrate on myself as a performer, bandleader and composer. I have many different bands but they all give me the musical platform to pursue anything possible. I want to continue exploring music and the trumpet by being open to the gamut of creativity, incorporating electronics into live shows, and realizing that one must have a great product and a great live show. These are my key principles".

MACH BELL - LEAD SINGER
Mach Bell was born in Yellow Springs, Ohio. He moved east to Holliston MA. and studied the cello as a child, later picking up the guitar. His early influences were Liberace, Leonard Bernstiein and later, the Yardbirds.  In 1968 he saw his first concert, The Jimi Hendrix Experience at the Carousel tent in nearby Framingham.
Mach had already started playing lead guitar and occasionally singing back up with various dance combos: the Mechanical Onions (1966), The Effective (1966) and The Cynics (‘67), followed by Black Sun (‘68), Love It or Leave It (‘69), Joe Flash & the Screamin’ Ya Ya Girls (‘70-’71) and the Piggies (‘72).
At an outdoor Piggies show on the green in downtown Holliston, Bell was filling in on vocals for his ailing singer. After the set Bell was approached by drummer Bobby Edwards who asked Mach to front his heavy-rock trio, Biggy Ratt, not as guitarist but as a lead singer. Bell made the switch to vocals and Biggy Ratt played the local bars and high school dance circuit for two years (‘72,‘73). In early ‘74 Mach, now 21 years old, split the quartet and headed to California where he hoped to make a name for himself in Hollywood.

In the summer of 1974 Mach was summoned back east by drummer Bobby who had teamed with the Provost Bros and New Bedford’s Steven Silva to form the glam-rocking Thundertrain.  The boys all took over a house in Framingham just across the way from the old Carousel tent where Led Zeppelin and Jimi Hendrix used to play. Before long Thundertrain were appearing regularly on the stages of Boston’s Rat, CBGB's, Max's Kansas City and Cleveland’s Agora Ballroom.
The band initially released two singles “I’m So Excited”(‘75) and “Hot for Teacher!”(‘76) which rose to #2 in the British Top10 alternative charts.
Thundertrain followed up that success in 1977 with the album “Teenage Suicide”(Jelly Records). The band was also included on the compilation lp “Live at the Rat”(Rat Records) released that same year.
Thundertrain were written up in Rock Scene, Sounds, Variety, NME, Playboy and the Boston Globe. 16 magazine frequently spotlighted Thundetrain and “18 year old” Mach. Thundertrain even found themselves prominently mentioned in a Time magazine 1977 cover story introducing "Punk Rock" to the world.

In his book “The Sound of Our Town”(Commonwealth Editions) author Brett Milano recalls, “Thundertrain also made an inadvertent bit of rock history. Given the chance to open for the future arena stars Van Halen in Connecticut, they sent VH management a copy of their single, a song well known in Boston at the time: “Hot for Teacher!” A few years later, Bell bought Van Halen’s latest album and saw that they too were “Hot for Teacher”- they wrote a different song, but with the same title and idea. “I can’t say they stole our song, but we did send it to them,” Bell points out. “Though I should mention that our guitar player, Steven Silva, who wrote that song, took it from a pulp-fiction book he got at a yard sale.”

Thundertrain, unable to breakthrough nationally, split up in late ‘79,
The remaining line up, minus guitarist Silva, became the more pop oriented "Hits", scoring radio play on WBCN and WCOZ with their dramatic demo “Storm Brewin.” 
Mach then took a major break from music and joined the circus. Circus Vargas was a traveling three-ring show with 10 elephants and an immense five-pole tent. Bell signed on as a roustabout in Yuma AZ. Eventually working his way into the center ring, helping out in the dog act, leading a llama in the circus parade and occasionally riding a unicycle. Bell was eventually fired after creating a ruckus in the tent at the Circus Vargas annual Hollywood Bowl appearance.
By 1981 Bell was back in Boston singing and once again playing guitar with the new wave power-trio Mag 4 releasing “Mag 4 Go Monte Carlo”(Pure and Easy Records).

In February 1982 Bell was asked to audition for future Rock and Roll Hall of Fame guitarist Joe Perry. Joe had formed his own band after quitting Aerosmith in ‘79, but his lead vocalist Charlie Farren had just split the Joe Perry Project to start his own group.
In the Aerosmith autobiography "Walk This Way"(Avon Books) lead guitarist Joe Perry writes "My new singer Cowboy Mach Bell was a rock 'n' roll guy who grew up in the town over from me, Holliston MA, and had a group called Thundertrain. He loved to rave and be in a band..."
Working alongside Joe (who nicknamed Bell “Cowboy”), Mach wrote a stack of songs, seven of which made it onto their lp  “Once a Rocker, Always a Rocker” (MCA). Circus magazine hailed "Once a Rocker, Always a Rocker", the Joe Perry Project's 1983 release as "One of this years best hard rock albums."
The Toronto Star wrote "Mach Bell is a leather voiced singer in the Bon Scott mold who is more than willing to take the center stage spotlight."
Bell &  Perry  toured continuously for over two years, playing nearly 300 concerts together. On several road trips their lineup included Joe’s fellow Aerosmith guitarist Brad Whitford and Aerosmith’s Joey Kramer filled in on drums on several occasions.
The JPP played at scores of venues including NYC’s Bottom Line, the New England Dragway, Toronto’s El Macombo, the Agora Ballroom circuit, the Hollywood Palace,  Pocono Downs Speedway, Montreal Spectrum and the Poliedro Arena in Caracas Venezuela.
Mr. Bell's stint with the Project occasionally caused controversy. The liner notes of "The Best of the Joe Perry Project - The Music Still Does the Talking" (Raven Records) attest that "If breathless reports of the day are to be believed, a roaring drunk Bell took to periodically parading around in the nude, creating havoc..."

The Joe Perry Project was finally derailed by the reformation of Aerosmith in mid 1984.  Mach quickly assembled the hair-raising Wild Bunch (‘84-’86) that included former members of the Project, New England & Angel and hit the road. The ‘Bunch toured the club and festival circuit in a blue school bus previously owned by a church choir group.
Bell finally quit the band and returned to Hollywood CA in 1987 where he took up residence on the corner of Sunset Strip and Laurel Canyon Blvd. 
In 1989 he wed Julia Channing in London, England at Chelsea Old Church. 

After a prolonged break from the spotlight Bell, who by now had returned east to Marshfield Hills MA, joined forces with Norwood MA guitarist/writer/producer Dave Zolla, launching the acclaimed Last Man Standing. Mach & Dave Zolla, along with bassist Aart Knyff and drummer Jon Gutlon  released the 2001 album “Last Man Standing” (LMS Records) which was called  “superb hard rock played to the hilt"  by the All Music Guide. The music video “Still Dreaming” and a Last Man Standing tour up and down the east coast soon followed.

In 2003 Bell reunited with Thundertrain for a summer tour celebrating the cd re-release of their 70’s nugget “Teenage Suicide”(Gulcher Records). A glowing review from senior editor David Fricke in Rolling Stone magazine followed, spurring still  more press, a follow up album, “Hell Tonite! “(Gulcher Records) and yet another string of Thundertrain reunion shows in 2004.
In his spare time Bell was also doing gigs singing live backgrounds for Columbia recording artist Bleu, appearing at Boston’s Wang Center, the Hatch Shell, Avalon, the Bank of America Pavillion and NYC’s Mercury Lounge.
Also in 2004  Bell launched a popular punk/metal band called Mach 5. The album “Meet Mach 5” (Lawless Records) was released in 2005 but the busy group had to call it quits in mid 2006 after Mach underwent throat surgery.

In March 2012 Mach Bell returned to the stage, regrouping with guitarist Dave Zolla (Last Man Standing) and Zolla’s band Bag O’Nails as lead vocalist.
Bag O’Nails made their live debut at the Providence Colosseum on March 30, 2012

Mach Bell has toured, recorded and performed with a wide range of artists  including: Bo Diddley, Nazareth, The Runaways, Cheap Trick, Iron Butterfly,  Guster, Dead Boys, Greg Allman, Dictators, Bleu, Black Oak Arkansas, David Johansen Group,  Leslie West & Mountain, Teenage Head, Phil Lynott (Thin Lizzy), Joan Jett, Frank Marino (Mahogany Rush), Huey Lewis and the News, Point Blank, Duke and the Drivers, Lou Gramm (Foreigner), The Outlaws, Krokus, the Fleshtones, Marshall Tucker Band, the Romantics, Steppenwolf, Mink deVille, Savoy Brown, James Montgomery, Blackfoot, Lita Ford, .38 Special, the Ramones, Gary US Bonds, Alex Chilton, Johnny A., Dresden Dolls, Clarence Clemons, Willie Alexander, Foghat, Til Tuesday, Andy Pratt, Hanoi Rocks, Kix, Steven Tyler, Killer Dwarfs, the Alarm, Rick Derringer, Stray Cats & the Cars. 

All of Bell's recordings continue to be re-released internationally. In Japan, Geffen Records recently put out a special 25th anniversary edition of “Once a Rocker, Always a Rocker”and both of the recent Thundertrain cd releases are now distributed in Japan via Captain Trips Records. "Black Velvet Pants" Mach’s MTV video with the Joe Perry Project continues to air on VH1 Classics and Bell pops up regularly in various music books, bootlegs and specials.

Mach Bell  DISCOGRAPHY
1975 Thundertrain “I’m So Excited/ Cindy is a Sleeper” United National (45)
1976 Thundertrain “Hot For Teacher!  / Love the Way”  Jelly  (45)
1977 Thundertrain “Teenage Suicide” Jelly  (vinyl lp)  
1977 Thundertrain “Live at the Rat”  Rat  (compilation, double vinyl lp)
1977 Thundertrain “Free Festival”    Jem  (compilation, vinyl lp)
1977 Thundertrain “Hot For Teacher / Love the Way”  Chiswick (UK) (45)
1978 Thundertrain “The Best of WCOZ” Infinity (compilation, vinyl lp)
1981 Mag 4 “Mag 4 Go Monte Carlo / Man w/ No Name” Pure&Easy  (45)
1983 Joe Perry Project “Once a Rocker, Always a Rocker” MCA ( vinyl lp)
1985 Thundertrain “Teenage Suicide” Habla (Spanish/Italian reissue) (vinyl lp)
1993 Joe Perry Project “Once a Rocker, Always a Rocker MCA (cd)
1999 Joe Perry Project “The Best of the Joe Perry Project” Raven (cd)
2001 Last Man Standing “Last Man Standing” LMS (cd)
2003 Thundertrain “Teenage Suicide” Gulcher (cd)
2004 Thundertrain “Hell Tonite!” Gulcher (cd)
2004 Thundertrain “Teenage Suicide” Rockin’ Bones (Italy) (vinyl lp)
2004 Mach Bell and His Elves “Xmas Snertz” Gulcher (compilation, cd)
2005 Mach 5  “Meet Mach 5” Lawless (cd)
2006 Joe Perry Project “Once a Rocker Always a Rocker” Geffen (Japan) (cd)

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