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. If you're looking for last minute plans this weekend, we recommend: April 12 STL GLD, ToriTori, and The Blade-Runners at Sonia, Cambridge, MA Minibeast, Major Stars, Rope Trick, and The Endorphins at The Rockwell, Somerville, MA John R. Miller and The Deslondes at Fete Music Hall, Providence, RI Rock and Roll Rumble featuring Never Gonna Make It, The Ghouls, Cold Expectations, and The Roland High Life at The Middle East, Cambridge, MA Beware the Dangers of a Ghost Scorpion, Children of the Flaming Wheel, and Pink Lids at Faces Brewing, Malden, MA Matt Charette and The Truer Sound, The Nightblinders, and Old Rochelle at Thirsty ...

Photo by Bobbi Wernig It's been five years since we last heard from The Deslondes. In that time, Sam Doores and Riley Downing have released great solo albums, but there's something just magical that happens when The Deslondes get together. They've just released "South Dakota Wild One," and that magic is back. The new song is sung by Riley Downing, and it has that folk/Americana sound that we've come to love from the New Orleans band, but with a twist. "South Dakota Wild One" doesn't sound like classic folk, or even remotely old timey. If anything, there is some indie rock fuzz coating the song. It has a great DIY/lo-fi feel to it that we think you're going to love. You can listen to "South Dakota Wild One" below. Ways & Means is due out July 8 on New West Records, and can be pre-ordered and pre-saved here . For more on The Deslondes, check out the band's website . Upcoming tour dates are below the song. July 13 - Athens, GA ...

Photo by Joshua Black Wilkins Last year saw Sam Doores of The Deslondes release a solo album, and in 2021 it's Riley Downing's turn. The first single off the album, "Deep Breath," is generally what you'd expect with a solo album from someone from The Deslondes. It's firmly in the folk/Americana genre, but "Deep Breath" is definitely more of a rock song. There's even a fair amount of electric guitar solos here. There's a distinct Southern rock kinda feel here. It's a fun song that has a little bit of a ramblin' folk feel but with a positive straight up rock edge. You can watch the video for "Deep Breath" below. Start It Over will be out May 14 on New West Records. You can pre-order a copy here . For more on Riley Downing, check out the artist's website .

There are a few factors that can lead to a disastrous live performance. A fully seated venue, tables and waitresses taking orders, an early start time, and technical issues can make any band give a bad show. On Sunday night at the Iron Horse Music Hall The Deslondes faced all of these and shone through. A seated venue might be a perfect place for The Deslondes to perform. Even their most up tempo songs still come across as laid back. It was still a bit tough, since they did remark that they do usually ask the crowd to stand up and dance at one point, and with all the tables, there just wasn’t enough room. A few couples did wander way in the back near the back bar to find some room to dance, but the majority seemed to be fine with just watching the show. Somehow the appreciative crowd was able to keep up enough energy despite the tables and chairs to keep the show staying lively. What might work out in The Deslondes’ favor the most is their complete Southern charm. How many b...

The summer music festival season keeps creeping earlier and earlier every year. Some announcements just started popping up yesterday, and one of them has us ecstatic. Shovels & Rope have put together a weekend festival in their hometown of Charleston, SC (well, NORTH Charleston, but close enough) and the line up might be one of the best of the year. Besides the obvious choice of Shovels & Rope to play their own festival, they're also bringing along some of our favorites including The Avett Brothers, The Shins, Nathaniel Rateliff & The Night Sweats, Dawes, Lucius, Margo Price, Charles Bradley & His Extraordinaires, Deer Tick, JD McPherson, The Suffers, Matthew Logan Vasquez, The Deslondes, and more! If you've been a regular reader of this blog for any amount of time this is pretty much a dream line up for all of us. It's going to be a challenge for any other festival, particularly Americana and roots based ones, to come close to matching High Water this yea...

Photo Credit: Sarrah Danziger The Deslondes (formerly The Tumbleweeds) made my Newport Folk Festival 2014 Must See Bands list , and they were still one of my surprise favorite acts. They're part of the wave of Americana artists coming out of New Orleans, such as Benjamin Booker and Hurray for the Riff Raff. They have a really great roots country and blues sound, and "Fought the Blues and Won," the first single off their forthcoming debut album, fits that since it sounds like classic early rock and roll that's all but disappeared from radio. It's from back when rock and roll first came out of country and western. It's far too country and blues based to be rockabilly. It's from earlier than that. It sounds like it's from a time when Johnny Cash and Buddy Holly shared bills together.  The Deslondes' self titled debut is due June 9 on New West Records. You can listen to "Fought the Blues and Won" below. For more information, check out t...

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...