If It's Too Loud...

Photo by Mike TD Before taking the stage this Saturday at the New England Americana Festival, Jennifer Tefft & The Strange have a new single out. "Silver" is an alt-rocker with more than a few roots in Americana. It's a monster of a song that sounds like it could have been a huge hit back in the 90's. It lives in that range that it could have worked on both modern rock radio and Adult Contemporary (although it might be a little too rockin' for AC radio...) "Silver" feels and sounds like a mini epic, and it's practically begging to be screamed along to at a live show. This song will grab you instantly, and dig its claws into you more and more as it goes on. Jennifer Tefft says of her band's latest single: “This song started out being about the absurdity of the current world and then evolved into also being about the general absurdity of life in general and my life in specific. I don’t really want to specify too much beyond that, as I’d like th...

Last year's New England Americana Festival was one of my musical highlights of 2025. There's just something great about hanging out in a field watching folk, bluegrass, country, and any other branch of Americana that's out there. Plus, I love Bellforge Arts Center, and try to get down there to see virtually anything at that wonderfully underrated venue. Today the festival announces their 2026 line up, and it's simply great. There are a ton of If It's Too Loud... favorites, plus a few new bands we can't wait to explore. This year's festival includes hosts and 2025 Boston Music Awards Americana Artist of the year Kier Burns & The Kettle Burners, Nate Perry & Ragged Company, Other Brother Darryl, Elisa Smith, Jennifer Tefft & The Strange, Tigerman Woah, berm, Regals, Dirt Road Souls, Autumn Hollow, Beware the Dangers of a Ghost Scorpion, Comanchero, Consuelo's Revenge, and damian and the displayers. It's a great selection of some of our favo...

Photo by John Parrillo When we think of Jennifer Tefft & The Strange, we think of their epic alt-rock anthem "Going Out," about the rare opportunity we all have to get out and cut loose as we get older. Today, they've shared a new single that shows off another side of their sound. "A Little More" is a dark, anthemic track. It's a huge track that reminds me of my favorite songs from the post grunge mid 90's, especially songs coming out of Boston. This new song isn't quite goth, but it's at least goth adjacent. "Moody" would probably be the best description. Tefft delivers the song with her powerhouse vocals that don't quite get the appreciation they deserve. Jennifer Tefft & The Strange have long been one of Boston's secretly great bands, and with "A Little More," it might be time that they blow up a little more. Jennifer Tefft says of her latest single: “This song was written during a point in my relationship w...

When the latest single from Jennifer Tefft & The Strange first starts, you'd hardly guess that it's a cover of a Lumineers song. Tefft's version of "Salt and the Sea" is much more rock based than the original folk-pop song. It shares the same dark and moody quality, but this is definitely not a note for note cover. When I saw it performed last month at Crystal Ballroom, I had no idea it was a cover song until Tefft mentioned it was, and I was surprised to find out it was originally by The Lumineers. Tefft's vocals are exceptional on this one, and only add more to the haunting quality of the song. Tefft's version of "Salt and the Sea" sounds more like Heart meets Siouxsie and the Banshees than The Lumineers. Jennifer Tefft says of her latest single: “We wanted to try our hand at a reinterpretation of someone else's work. We've been playing this song live for a few months and it always gets a great response. Recording it allowed us to r...

I miss radio. I originally wanted to work in radio, but got sidetracked by a film major. Being able to choose exactly what song or album you want to hear at all times is great, but I miss the random selection of radio, and I really miss having music curated by a person and not an algorithm. Luckily, BumbleBee Radio exists. Hosted by Kristen Eck, it's a throwback to our favorite Boston radio stations, and if you like what we do here at If It's Too Loud..., there's an awful lot of crossover. BumbleBee Radio held their five year anniversary party Friday night at Crystal Ballroom at Somerville Theater, and since it was also The Peppermint Kicks' album release show, I couldn't resist. First up was Smitt E. Smitty & The Fezztones. The Boston based collective is led by the legendary Smitt E. Smitty. Their blend of garage rock is completely unique to them. It's glammed up and insanely fun, with a giant band to produce their sound. Their songs have a great sense of h...

We love The Town and The City Festival that takes over downtown Lowell annually, and this year's line up has been extra crazy great. Today they announced the individual show line ups, and there are choices to be made. Thursday is easy not only because there's one show, but because it features Lady Lamb, Ezra Furman, and Class President at Taffeta. After that, good luck deciding. Ken will probably be at Zorba Music Hall at 10:15 for The Sheila Divine, but that night also features performances from Jennifer Tefft & The Strange, Twisted Pine, Lovina Falls, The PA's, The Freqs, and many, many more. Saturday is just as crazy with Girl with a Hawk, The Chelsea Curve, Loudon Wainwright III, Hilken Mancini & Melissa Gibbs, Senseless Optimism, Gross Girls, The Ghouls, and many, many more. Good luck deciding! The Town and The City Festival runs April 24-26 all throughout downtown Lowell. Multi-day passes are on sale now. Individual show tickets go on sale this Friday, Februar...

The Town and The City Festival once again takes over downtown Lowell this year, and once again it keeps getting bigger and better. Expanding to three days over April 24 to 26, the festival starts on Thursday with Lady Lamb and Ezra Furman at Taffeta Music Hall. That's enough to get us there front and center, but there are also a ton of our friends and favorites playing the rest of the weekend! Playing this year are indie rock stalwarts The Sheila Divine, Maine/Boston lifers Heretix, bluegrass fusion favorites Twisted Pine, garage rockers The Chelsea Curve, genre busting singer-songwriter Senseless Optimism, Hilken Mancini & Melissa Gibbs, Lowell's new favorites The Ghouls, Lovina Falls, Girl with a Hawk, The Freqs, The PA's, Jennifer Tefft & The Strange, and many, many more! The Town and The City Festival runs April 24 to 26 all over downtown Lowell. Multi-day passes go on sale Friday January 17. For more information, check out the festival's website .

More and more music venues are starting to pop up in the suburbs of Boston, and the latest discovery is Fireseed Arts Center in Framingham. It's mostly a studio of "... makers of fine hand-crafted products made from recycled and repurposed materials." Many of their products include 420 paraphernalia and musical instruments, so it makes sense that they would also dabble in live music. Once I saw that Jennifer Tefft & The Strange were holding their album release show there, I jumped at the chance to see the new venue. Lovina Falls opened the show, and it was the first time I had seen them since the Rock & Roll Rumble. Valerie Forgione's new musical project took the stage with nine members (I believe, could be off by a person or two) including a violin player who came and went and two backup singers. Lovina Falls plays a dark version of pop music that the average fan of pop certainly would not consider pop. With so many members on stage it was quite easy to get l...

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: June 14 Jennifer Tefft & the Strange, Lovina Falls, and Little Billy Lost at Fireseed Art Studios, Framingham, MA Vudu Sister and Savoir Faire at Myrtle, Providence, RI Linnea's Garden, Ruby Grove, Cindy Lawson, and Lovewhip at The Jungle Community Music Club, Somerville, MA Bikini Whale, Speedfossil, and Cold Expectations at Faces Brewing, Malden, MA Kid Gulliver, True Jackie, and The Satch Kerans at The Square Root, Roslindale, MA Matt Woods, Ted Russell Kamp, and Matt C...

Photo by John Parrillo It's Friday, so it's the perfect time for a rock song about going out. Enter Jennifer Tefft & The Strange with their new single "Going Out." The Boston band's latest is an alt-rock song bordering on pop with a little bit of an unexpected twang. It's power pop in all of its glory, and reminds me of a perfect blend of The Donnas, Cheap Trick, and Sarah Shook & The Disarmers. Not all songs are meant to change the world, and "Going Out" is just a rock song about enjoying a rare night out. And sometimes you just need one of those. Jennifer Tefft says of her latest single: “This song is about, and goes out to, all my fellow moms! Especially those that have small kiddos at home and who are staying at home with them. Pulling from my own experience as a stay-at-home mother, as well as a musician who gets to observe people from the stage, there is no group of people who are more likely to go all in on their night out – and even g...

Photo by John Parrillo Alt-rock can be a widely used term to describe a variety of different genres (people forget that Jewel and Squirrel Nut Zippers were originally considered alternative), but there's a certain style of music popularized in the 90's. That sound your hearing perfectly describes the latest from Jennifer Tefft & The Strange. "Caffeine" sounds like it's a track you forgot about from a random 90's soundtrack, but when every single comedy came with a collection of killer alt-rock singles. It reminds me a little of a harder and more shoegaze based version of Belly or Jen Trynin. The song would have been a local radio hit if it had just come out thirty years ago, and possibly even the MTV Buzz Bin if it had a quirky enough video. Jennifer Tefft says of her latest single: “‘Caffeine’ just felt like an end-of-the-night song from the start. So it is an invitation to the people at a show to come back, because we want to see your face again. We appr...

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 February 23 The Foes of Fern, Ruby Grove, Christina Lacoste, and Hot Stenograph at The Jungle, Somerville, MA The Imposers, Jonee Earthquake Band, and Old Rochelle at Thirsty First, Lowell, MA Express Checkout and Matt Charette and the Truer Sound at Lizard Lounge, Cambridge, MA FEEP and Phantom Ocean at Barewolf Brewing, Amesbury, MA The P.A.'s and Mother Fungus at Deep Cuts, Medford, MA Matt Pond PA & Alexa Rose at Club Passim, Cambridge, MA Black Hatch, Tysk Tysk Task, Luxury Skin, and Ashen Veil at Firehouse, Worcester, MA Saturday February 2...