If It's Too Loud...

Doing Anything this Weekend? is a feature here at If It's Too Loud... where we feature some live shows in and on the far outskirts of the Boston area. Our main rules are that they have to be reasonably priced shows that you can attend last minute. They'll feature If It's Too Loud... approved bands, and we'll provide event links when possible. And since we're in outdoor music season, these events are weather permitting. If you're looking for last minute plans this weekend, we recommend: Friday May 24 Jake Blount, Nic Gareiss, and Sammy Wetstein Trio at Epsilon Spires, Brattleboro, VT Scissorfight, Viqueen, and Condition at The Press Room, Portsmouth, NH Glacier, Circus Trees, and Lesotho at Koto Asian Fusion, Salem, MA Stephanie McKay and Cliff Notez at Uncommon Stage, Boston Common, Boston, MA Saturday May 25 Carissa Johnson, The Fatal Flaw, and The Callouts at Askew, Providence, RI Minibeast, Fugue State, and Shirese at Gallery X, New Bedford, MA Sunday May 26 ...

"Beast," the latest single from Cliff Notez, came out last week, and I wanted to take some time to fully digest the song before writing about it. Cliff Notez is primarily known as a spoken word artist and an MC, and "Beast" doesn't fit into either of those categories. It has elements of jazz, folk, indie rock, trip hop, Adult Contemporary, and others (along with some light remnants of hip hop). Somehow, by incorporating so many musical elements, Cliff Notez has crafted something that is truly without a genre. It's both high art and able to appeal to mainstream audiences. Before you take a listen, I'm going to ask you to be sure to listen at least a few times. This is the type of song that reveals more to you the more you listen. You can listen to "Beast" below. For more on Cliff Notez, check out the artist on Instagram and Facebook . Beast by Cliff Notez

Doing Anything this Weekend? is a feature here at If It's Too Loud... where we feature some live shows in and on the far outskirts of the Boston area. Our main rules are that they have to be reasonably priced shows that you can attend last minute. They'll feature If It's Too Loud... approved bands, and we'll provide event links when possible. If you're looking for last minute plans this weekend, we recommend: Friday May 3 The I Want You and Crow Follow at Midway Cafe, Jamaica Plain, MA The Iron Roses, Lowest of the Low, and One Fall at Deep Cuts, Medford, MA Saturday May 4 Kid Gulliver at Luther's Coop, Easthampton, MA Rock and Roll Rumble Finals featuring Other Brother Darryl, The Ghouls, and Gut Health with special guest Halfcocked at Sonia, Cambridge, MA Folk Collective Annual Concert featuring Alastair Moock, Almira Ara, Anju, Audrey Pearl, Cliff Notez, Gabriella Simpkins, Kim Moberg, Lydia Harrell, Maxfield Anderson, Naomi Westwater, Peter Mulvey, and Steph...

Doing Anything Fun this Weekend? is a feature here at If It's Too Loud... where we feature some live shows in and on the far outskirts of the Boston area. Our main rules are that they have to be reasonably priced shows that you can attend last minute. They'll feature If It's Too Loud... approved bands, and we'll provide event links when possible. If you're looking for last minute plans this weekend, we recommend: Friday February 16 Avi Jacob, Jessye DeSilva, and Jake Blount at Askew, Providence, RI The Rock Dwellers and JVK at 3S Artspace, Portsmouth, NH Perennial, Blind Mellencamp, Burn Kit, and PV at Ralph's Diner, Worcester, MA Julie Rhodes, Sinnet, and Jon Nolan at Lizard Lounge, Cambridge, MA Saturday February 17 Bedtimemagic, Crowfeeder, Karate Steve, and The Endorphins at Deep Cuts, Medford, MA Scissorfight, Blood Lightning, Evil80, and Catching Hell at Ralph's, Worcester, MA Mephiskapheles, The Prozacs, Threat Level Burgundy, and Green Street Fiends ...

I've long believed that Super Bowl Sunday is the best time to do virtually anything else. Grocery stores are empty, if people are at the movies it's because they really want to see a movie, and the same goes for live performances. Sunday night was also the second night of the inaugural We Black Folk Festival. This is going to be a hard night to describe since words can't truly convey how special of a night it was. Curated by Cliff Notez as part of Passim's The Folk Collective, We Black Folk Festival showcased black folk artists and the history of folk music through black culture. Sunday night's edition featured seven artists: Cliff Notez, Anjimile, Kemp Harris, Naomi Westwater, Gabriella Simpkins, Chris Walton, and Grace Givertz. It started off with all the musicians walking to the stage together and singing which gave the evening a true sense of community. After that, Cliff Notez acted as an MC for the night, introducing each artist who then played two to three son...

Photo via Facebook Cliff Notez is one of the most unique hip hop artists in all of hip hop. The Boston based artist is the kind of hip hop artist that can be part of legendary folk club Club Passim's The Folk Collective and it just makes sense. Their latest single, "Could Be Normal," is one of the most inventive rap songs out there today. It incorporates a multitude of genres while still being pure hip hop. It's a laid back track with a quiet beat that has a sort of drum and bass feel to it. "Could Be Normal" keeps the same vibe throughout its three minute run time while cycling through genres and styles seemlessly. If you feel that hip hop has become stale, check this one out and get ready to have your mind blown. You can listen to "Could Be Normal" below. For more on Cliff Notez, check out the artist's website .

Photo by Jaina Cipriano I don't think it's possible for me to be more excited about a song than I am about this one. I come from a generation where the lines of rock and rap were just starting to be blurred by artists collaborating. It started with Run/DMC and Aerosmith, continued with Anthrax and Public Enemy, and peaked with the Judgement Night  soundtrack. For some reason, that kind of pairing seems to have faded in the past couple of decades but it looks like Boston is singlehandedly bringing it back! The latest is Carissa Johnson pairing with Cliff Notez on "Running Uphill." The new song is the ultimate Carissa Johnson song. It's pure garage rock with a strong, catchy as all hell pop element. Johnson has mastered dabbling in both rock and pop at the same time, and "Running Uphill" is the pinnacle of that. In perfect rock/rap collaboration tradition, Cliff Notez comes in towards the end and drops a verse. The music slows down for him, but unlike the ...

Fuzzstival is one of those festivals I've been meaning to get to for years now, but it just has never worked out for me. In its eighth year, it moved to a new location and with the promise of NOVA ONE and Cliff Notez playing on Saturday night, I was finally going to be able to go. The new venue was amazing. Charles River Speedway is a multi-use property on the grounds of a former bicycle racetrack. The event was held in Garage B, a concrete and metal garage with six or so open garage doors along the side of the venue, keeping the inside nice and cool and well vented. The sound engineers deserve a medal for keeping such a show sounding this well. The stage was the widest I've ever seen at a smaller venue, allowing ample room for one band to set up on one set while another band played on the other. Every band had thirty minutes to play, giving the entire show an early Warped Tour feel, except a lo-fi ultra-indie version of the Warped Tour. Eight bands played Saturday night, but I...