Kal Marks is the kind of band that sneaks up on you. Whether you’re experiencing them at some basement show in Allston, or in an opening set for Pile at Great Scott, you may not see them coming, but they’ll immediately click. The combination of heavy sludgy riffs and lead singer Carl Shane’s unique crooning bowls you over. It’s dark and it’s compelling, but most importantly, it’s really earnest. More
What has Dorchester given us? Well, Whitey Bulger, the Wahlbergs, Herb Chambers, and Mayor Marty Walsh for starters. Take the good with the bad there, but essentially all of Boston’s royalty hails from Dot.
One thing we can all agree on is that Dorchester’s food is very, very good. The city’s largest neighborhood is diverse, which offers the opportunity to grab some great options that you can’t seem to find within such close proximity anywhere else.
Sometimes being in a band can be frustrating.
“I am the only original member, we’ve had a couple of different line ups for various reasons,” laughs Erica Sutherland, the lead singer and guitarist of Littlefoot. More
New Highway Hymnal’s second full length album Reverb Room, starts off in full gear with a barnburner called “Loaded Fun.” It’s a fuzzed out sort of rockabilly track, reminiscent of the halcyon days of early 2000’s indie rock. Their music incorporates elements of psych, ’60s rock, and, aptly, endless reverb. Over the five years the band has been making music, they’ve developed a sound that envelops into a trance– what I would imagine walking into a smoke filled basement party in the ’60s would feel like. More
In the middle of a stroll down Harvard Ave last spring, something caught my attention as I passed by Refuge Cafe in Allston. It was nice out, and the sounds of a band setting up drifted through the open windows. I’d never seen bands play there, nor had I often seen places with live music in Boston have their windows open. I bumped into a friend of mine who said that Nice Guys was about to play, so I walked in to check it out. More
“I think I’m Michael Cera, I might be Jonah Hill – I might be awkward still, I might be out to kill.” More
Jamaica Plain is one of the most interesting and leafy neighborhoods in Boston. It’s home to tons of local bands, cool galleries like Aviary, aging hippies, and most importantly, a bunch of great food. Getting there is a little tough, driving on the Jamaica Way is scary as hell and there is no T in the heart of JP, but it’s just one of those “charming” transportation quirks about getting to the different neighborhoods of our great city. It’s worth the trek, though. Head down to Centre Street and then go for a walk around Jamaica Pond or the Arborway. While out there, you may get a little hungry. If you don’t have the cash to shell out for an expensive meal, check out one of these local hidden gems, similar to our hidden gems of Allston piece from earlier this fall. More
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CreaturoS are busy practicing at their space in Somerville when I stop by to take pictures. Their space, a tiny room in bassist Joe Marrett’s basement, was built by the old owner of the house to play drums in without bothering the neighbors. The quartet is working on a new groove that sounds like it could have been a Temptations song. Marrett is climbing a scale up and down his bass while drummer Dom Mariano pounds out a trudging 4/4 beat on the high hat and snare. Guitarists Spenser Gralla and Noah Bond play matching chords with an accentuated high chord on the fourth beat. For a second, you can imagine the guys in matching powder blue suits doing choreographed moves around one microphone at the Apollo. More
For the past few years one of the most prevalent bands in Boston has been Chicago transplants, Krill. The three-piece has quickly become one of the most beloved acts in town. They will soon be coming out with a new, as of yet untitled, album and begin a tour this week that will take them up and down the east coast, to the midwest, and up to Canada. You can catch them tonight, September 29, at Great Scott before they head out, and you probably should. More
