Live Shows: Olivia Dolphin and Yonks, Myrtle, East Providence, RI 1/3/26

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I've been a fan of Olivia Dolphin's for a while now. The Providence artist has nailed the "piano driven witchy pop" genre perfectly, and I've been meaning to get out and see her live show for a while now. Unfortunately, it's taken far too long, but the stars finally aligned this past Saturday for her release show for her excellent EP All the Time We Spent. The fact that it was at Myrtle, one of my favorite venues, only sweetened the deal.

Opening the show was Yonks, a band I was completely unfamiliar with. They play a blend of alt-rock, blues rock, and pop that initially seemed fairly straightforward, but really great. After their first song, I expected a good, solid set to help warm up the crowd. But as they played, I got sucked in more and more. As their set went on, it became more and more engaging, with subtleties that set them apart from other artists in their genre. It didn't hurt that Yonks fans showed up in force to sing and dance the night away. Providence bands always seem to have friends and fans that show up in force, especially at Myrtle. It was a delightful start to a magical evening.

I'm having a hard time deciding how to write about Olivia Dolphin's show without overly gushing, but I think that might be impossible, so here we go. I'm a fan of Olivia Dolphin's music, so I expected a good show. She's a local artist playing a small venue, and there's usually a certain level that those shows get to. Olivia Dolphin and her band completely blew that away. There was something truly mesmerizing about her performance. As soon as they started playing, I was hooked. Turns out Dolphin is a vocal powerhouse, and her band might secretly be the tightest band in the Providence scene. Her fans are also diehards, exploding into applause at the end of every song. She played the entire new EP, some older favorites, and the just released single "make it through." Even though a lot of Dolphin's songs tend to be on the more depressing end, there was so much joy in the room Saturday night. My modest expectations were completely surpassed. Anyone in attendance this past weekend have now been made into Olivia Dolphin superfans.

On Repeat...

Minibeast - "High Sea"

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Somehow Peter Prescott of Mission of Burma and Volcano Suns has another band that I never knew about. Minibeast already released an album that I completely missed back in 2012, and they are currently at work on the follow up, Free Will. Based on a track from the upcoming album, "High Sea," Minibeast shares some common sonic ground with Mission of Burma, but with an added emphasis on the groovy side of things. It's basically the noise and dissonance of Burma but heard through a 60s surf groove, as if Frankie and Annette were punks. You can listen to "High Sea" below. Minibeast currently have a Kickstarter to help fund the final production of Free Will. You can get more information on that here . It should be out sometime in June.
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Monday Mix: Newport Folk Festival 2014 Must See Bands

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With this weekend's upcoming Newport Folk Festival, we thought we'd highlight some of this year's can't miss acts. We're focusing on the bands playing smaller stages and earlier in the day. I mean, you're obviously going to see Ryan Adams and Jack White. Instead, these are the acts worth getting there early for, and seeking out the smaller stages. Phox Friday, 1:50, Quad Stage Phox hails from Baraboo, WI, the winter home of the Ringling Brothers' Circus. I'm not sure if that is connected to their music or not, but Phox has an otherworldly charm and a magical feel. They come across as a more grounded St. Vincent or a less intense version of early Tori Amos. Their music is simply beautiful and uplifting.  Reignwolf Friday, 2:55, Quad Stage Truly pushing the boundaries of what can be considered "folk" are Reignwolf. Reignwolf is Jordan Cook, who sounds like a mixture of The Black Keys and Queens of the Stone Age, mixed with just a lit...
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There's a new Limp Bizkit video, because sure, why not?

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Earlier this week I was expressing sympathy for Limp Bizkit. Limp Bizkit just don't seem to be riding that surge of 90s nostalgia that all sorts of other terrible bands from that era are. Sure, they're terrible. But are they really  that much worse than Filter, Alien Ant Farm, and other bands on those 90s nostalgia packages. And then this video is released. The first lyrics to the song are literally "Go fuck yourself." It then features Fred Durst sitting on a toilet, bikini clad chicks pretending to fellate garden hoses and leaf blowers, and Fred Durst talking about fucking bitches, all while wearing a hoodie and a backwards red baseball hat. Then Lil Wayne comes out. Please keep in mind Fred Durst is a 42 year old man.
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