Once a Rocker Always a Rocker

My first book came out at the end of 2019. A 326 page Diary that explains how I managed to join Joe Perry and his Project... and the 2+ years I spent singing, writing & touring all over the place with Joe & the Project during '82 -'84.  These are true-life, rock'n'roll bedtime stories!

In 1979, Joe Perry shocked fans by abruptly leaving Aerosmith and his fellow Toxic Twin Steven Tyler. Opting out during the difficult recording sessions for what became "Night in the Ruts," the guitarist of Aerosmith formed his Joe Perry Project and released the first of three albums. Each record featured a new lineup of the band, the final one enlisting the talents of Boston singer Mach Bell, who had become a local legend as the frontman for the hard-rockin' Thundertrain. Since his band looked at Aerosmith as their prime inspiration, the choice made a whole lot of sense.Mach Bell joined up in 1982 and recorded the third Joe Perry Project album , "Once a Rocker, Always a Rocker," and headed out on an, often-tumultuous series of tour dates. 

Those experiences have been chronicled in a new book penned by 'Cowboy' Mach Bell titled after the album he made with Joe Perry, "Once a Rocker, Always A Rocker.” I've known Bell since the dawn of the Boston punk scene in 1976-77 when Thundertrain was in the thick of it riding that blurry line between hard rock glory and punk rock's ethos of grit and humility. This is an exciting look into what was a blurry time for a lot of rockers; good thing someone was writing it all down!

CARTER ALAN - Author and Music Historian and WZLX-FM iHeartRadio Personality,

“Even though it’s in diary form, most of the entries read like prose and tell full stories. Mach often relates things back to the Thundertrain days. So there are many references to the Rat and the 70’s punk scene all the way through. We found all the stories engaging and entertaining…One entry has Joe Perry rolling around on the floor having a fit. The story of their Caracas, Venezuela concert is almost surrealistic. Mach’s writing flows smoothly and makes for an easy read. He has scored with this one.”

BOSTON GROUPIE NEWS