If It's Too Loud...

Photo by Kendall Bessent Every so often you go see a live show on a whim, more out of curiosity than fandom. You just get a feeling about an artist, and you want to check them out just to see. That's how it was this past Wednesday night with Adi Oasis at The Middle East in Cambridge. Adi Oasis performed as a three piece band with herself on bass along with a drummer and a keyboard player. I was wondering how her blend of neo-soul with a modern pop flair would translate to the live stage, especially one I'm used to seeing indie rock and punk bands on. The answer was she did it impeccably.  At one point during her performance, Oasis mentioned that the last time she played here it was to twenty people. This time the place was packed. I'm not sure if it was at its two hundred capacity, but if it wasn't sold out it sure felt like it. And Adi Oasis wasn't playing in front of a curious audience who wanted to see what the buzz is about. This crowd adored her, and knew all t...

Artist : Steve Mason Album : Brothers & Sisters Quick Thoughts : It's funny, I was spending some time recently thinking about The Beta Band and wondering what the lead singer was up to, and it turns out he had a new album out. He's done a few solo records that I missed and I'm looking forward to getting caught up with, because this is a really good listen that is reminiscent enough of Beta Band without feeling like just a BB solo effort. Has a lot of interesting influences throughout, and it's not one to miss. Songs of Note : "I'm On My Way," "Pieces of Me," "Upon My Soul," "Brothers & Sisters" Artist : Hello Mary Album : Hello Mary Quick Thoughts : I fell for "Spiral" a few weeks/months back as one of those songs that just stuck with me, and I'm happy to say that the self-titled album provides a great slice of alt-rock with a stack of songs that will get stuck in your head. "Spiral" is ...