Aerosmith Memories of Dana Francis    I lived in Hopedale from the summer of 1963 until the fall of 1968. One of the bands that I remember seeing at the Hopedale Town Hall was called "Flash." If my memory serves me, it was a power trio with Joe Perry on guitar, Dave Meade on bass and Dave Carchio on drums. There was also Joe Perry's Jam Band which may have been the last incarnation before Aerosmith began. Dave Carchio and I both got our Eagle Scout awards at the Hopedale Community House on December 28, 1968. He was a great drummer as I recall.     In October of 1968 I moved to Mendon and was at the Aerosmith gig on November 6, 1970 at what was then Nipmuc Regional High School. I had Carl Olson for history both junior and senior year. The one song I distinctly remember them playing that night was a cover of "Cold Turkey" by John Lennon. (I suppose that was a portent of things to come in another ten years or so). The other thing I remember was the sense of fun and swagger in their music. Lots of cover tunes with a few originals thrown in. Back in those days they were covering Rolling Stones tunes (Live With Me) and old Peter Green era Fleetwood Mac (Oh Well). Also Johnny B. Goode and Blue Suede Shoes were show stoppers at the end of the night. These were songs that they played at what was then Lakeview Ballroom on the shores of Lake Nipmuc. And the famous Nipmuc Phys Ed T-shirt can be seen in one or two photos in the Walk This Way autobiography and also very briefly in the photo collage that ran during the larger video collage shown during their induction into the Rock 'n Roll Hall of Fame back a few years ago.     I will be 50 this year and I play in a band that does covers of "Walk This Way" and "Same Old Song and Dance." I have a day job as a hospital social worker and two young kids, but it was the thrill of watching Joe and Steve and Tom and Ray Tabano and Joey play way back then that inspired me to want to play rock n' roll to this day.    Thanks for the memories!     Dana Francis    Nipmuc Regional High School    Class of 1973, (Class President)     In an email a day or two later, Dana added, "I was disappointed to see (in "Walk This Way") that Tom Hamilton remembered their first gig being in Hopkinton. Oh well.    "Re: that Aerosmith gig, I had some vague recollection that Judy [Scribner] Robbins had something to do with arranging that event since she lived right there at the end of Dana Park  and I figured she knew Mary and Tony Perry."                               Mr. Know-it-All Aerosmith Story             Bill Wright's Aerosmith Memories                                                               Memories Menu               HOME