If It's Too Loud...

Ever since I stumbled on the music of Little Hag back in 2020 or so, I've made it my mission to see the Jersey Shore band any time they roll through New England. Friday night they swung through The Lilypad in Cambridge, which let me see them for the third time, and let me discover two new favorites: Blvck Hippie and Grocer! Little Hag took the stage a little before the listed 8:00 start time, and started just as I walked in the door. They played a fun and energetic set focusing on their newer music (and leaving off 2020's "Tetris!"), but luckily they keep releasing killer songs. Their sound is a pop-ish blend of indie rock, and they shone with favorites like "Blood" and "The Machine." Avery Mandeville is the perfect frontperson for this style of music, and has an awkward charm that is irresistible and just adds to the fun of their live show. They included the just released this week "Watchlist Rock," which is a companion piece to last yea...

My love of Tysk Tysk Task is heavily documented here at If It's Too Loud..., so I try to get out anytime they play. The Ghouls have been quickly becoming another favorite due to their fun and energetic live shows, and I've heard good things about Makeout Palace. Once these three bands announced a show together at The Lilypad (a beloved venue I don't get to nearly enough), I obviously needed to attend. Makeout Palace opened the show, and are fairly hard to define. Their sound was all over the place, especially from song to song. It was mostly alt-rock with a side of pop, but some songs were more punk, and another was almost straight up ska. They played a few songs as a guitar/bass/drums trio before they were joined by a saxophone player for the rest of their set. They were a bunch of fun with a solid set, and their die hard fans were well represented in the crowd. It's always great to discover a band like this, since now I have new-to-me albums to check out, and a new ba...

I've long considered Chris Brokaw to be one of the most underrated musicians out there today. Besides his solo work, he's been a member of Codeine, Come, The New Year, Consonant, The Lemonheads, Thurston Moore's band, Martha's Vineyard Ferries, and more. His 2021 solo album Puritan was my #8 album of that year, so obviously I try to get out to see him play live as much as possible. As soon as he announced that he was playing shows as Chris Brokaw Rock Band with his Consonant bandmate (and member of the legendary Mission of Burma) Clint Conley on bass, I knew I could not miss that. Playing songs mostly from Puritan , Chris Brokaw Rock Band played with an incredible tightness usually not seen in bands that have only played a small handful of shows together. I could be wrong, but this could also have been Clint Conley's third or fourth time on stage since Mission of Burma ended in 2015. (Aside from the music, it was great to see much a legend playing again, and my fing...

I almost didn't post about this show. I went mostly because it was a Hallelujah the Hills show at the eighty person capacity Lilypad, and that just can't be missed. But, I'm completely unfamiliar with Cassie Berman, and I'm embarrassingly unfamiliar with Silver Jews or the music of David Berman despite it being right in my musical sweet spot, including time period. The evening started off with Cassie Berman and Silver Jews touring guitarist Peyton Pinkerton playing music, and then slowly joined by members of Hallelujah the Hills as her backing band, coming and going as was necessary. Eventually Berman and Pinkerton left and it became a Hallelujah the Hills show, with both Berman and Pinkerton rejoining at various times. As I decided I wouldn't be posting about this show during Cassie Berman's set so I didn't embarrass myself, a funny thing happened. Slowly the enthusiasm the majority of the crowd became contagious. I may have not been a Silver Jews disciple ...

Back in February (which seems like it was roughly fifty years ago) I was lucky enough to attend a night of improvised rock with The Sheila Divine and Hallelujah the Hills  at Lilypad in Somerville. It was a unique (obviously) and special night, and it felt like something that would be gone forever once it was over. Luckily Hallelujah the Hills recorded their performance and have now made Bootleg: LIVE Improvised Set - February 3, 2018 available on their Bandcamp. This isn't the type of release that's going to propel them to superstardom, but for fans of experimental music it's a treat. It's always fun to hear a band try new things, especially if they're typically a pretty straightforward rock band.  You can listen to Bootleg: LIVE Improvised Set - February 3, 2018  below. If you like what you hear, it's only a dollar at their Bandcamp . For more on Hallelujah the Hills, check out their website . If you prefer their more mainstream work, you can pre-order th...

It's very rare that two artists with two of my favorite albums of the year tour together, but when that happens I know I have to go out, even if it's a late night show on a work night. Obviously this is what happened when I saw that Molly Burch and Olden Yolk were playing together at the ultra-tiny Lilypad. Olden Yolk played first as a duo. They invited the crowd to move forward and sit on the floor, creating an even more intimate experience. Olden Yolk are a quiet, mellow band, and are even more so as a duo, so luckily the crowd was impeccably attentive without any chatter. I forgot just how great their debut album from earlier this year was. "Gamblers On a Dime" and "Vital Sign" could not have sounded more perfect. Sometimes quieter indie rock/folk doesn't translate live, but for Olden Yolk it couldn't have been more of an ideal setting. I saw Molly Burch back in 2017 opening for Sallie Ford. The past year has seen her grow as a performer. On...

After ten years of following the musical exploits of The James Rocket, one of their rare trips up to the Boston area finally worked out for my schedule. Not to mention that our new discovery Amanda White was also playing the show, and I knew I had to head out, despite unseasonably cold temperatures and showtime confusion made worse by whoever was working the door. Amanda White started off the show with her backing band, which also includes Joe Elliott, drummer for The James Rocket. She had some sound issues for the first two songs, which is a little disappointing since her classically trained vocals are one of the main selling points. She stuck mostly to songs off her latest album, Kittens Give Zero Fucks , mostly so she could say "Kittens give zero fucks" as much as possible. (Her own admission, not my speculation.) As someone who tends to go to very earnest indie rock shows, sometimes it's just fun to see an artist that just rocks out and has fun with it. And live, ...

Photo via Facebook This year I'm making a point to try to go to more unique shows. Sure, the two or three band bill of bands I know playing songs from their albums at a rock club will happen, but I'm seeking out more one time experiences this year. Last Saturday, I found one when Hallelujah the Hills and The Sheila Divine played the absurdly tiny Lilypad Inman for an evening of improvised music. The Sheila Divine have crafted some of the greatest alternative rock in the history of Boston. When you see them live, it's just hit song after hit song from my college years. Since they tend to be such a straightforward rock band, I was curious how an all improvised set would work. I worked surprisingly well, with some trainwrecky moments, of course. Instead of going the experimental noise rock route, The Sheila Divine crafted Sheila Divine songs on the fly, with actual singing and lyrics from Aaron Perrino. This kept the experimentation reined in a bit, with some great jam s...