If It's Too Loud...

Reggae-punk supergroup The Kilograms (featuring Joe Gittleman of The Mighty Mighty Bosstones/Avoid One Thing and Michael McDermott of The Bouncing Souls) have released two more singles before their debut album is released next month. "Battles" is a rocker that shows off the band's punk side more. It's a hard and fast pub rocker that's going to inspire many a shout along session at live shows, and sounds the most like the members' previous bands that we've heard so far. "Lorelei" shows off The Kilograms' ska roots in the way that The Clash played ska. Both songs are fantastic and show off what The Kilograms can do. If you love reggae-punk and want to hear masters of the genre, this is the band for you. You can listen to "Battles" and "Lorelei" below. Beliefs and Thieves is due out April 4 on Weights and Measures and Rad Girlfriend Records. For more on The Kilograms, check out the band on Facebook and Instagram . Upcoming t...

Reggae-punk supergroup The Kilograms (featuring members of The Mighty Mighty Bosstones, Avoid One Thing, The Bouncing Souls, and more) just released a single that is the first to truly sound like the members' previous bands. "Faith & Love" leans heavily to the punk side of their sound, and with the gravelly vocals and "Woah-oh!" gang vocals, it sounds like a mixture of the Bosstones and Rancid... just a little more mellow 2025 version of those bands. This is a great song that defines what ska-core for grown ups can sound like. If you had your teenage ska phase in the 90's (or never really had it end), "Faith & Love" is a dream come true. Sammy Kay (guitar and vocals) says of his band's latest single: "Faith and Love feels like a conversation between two folks who have walked a similar path at different times." You can listen to "Faith & Love" below. Beliefs & Thieves is due out April 4 on Rad Girlfriend Recor...

The Kilograms are the reggae-punk supergroup consisting of Joe Gittleman (The Mighty Mighty Bosstones, Avoid One Thing), Michael McDermott (Bouncing Souls), Sammy Kay, J Duckworth, and Craig Gorsline. The band is following up their 2024 EP and double single with their debut album. The title track, "Beliefs & Thieves," is everything you'd want from a band with their pedigree in 2025. It's a laid back but upbeat song that practically defines the reggae-punk genre. You're going to want to groove to this one, and it's begging to be heard and danced to live. If ska is the music a thirteen year old hears in their head when they get an extra mozzarella stick, "Beliefs & Thieves" is what their parents hear when they get an unexpected overpayment refund check in the mail. You can listen to "Beliefs & Thieves" below. Beliefs & Thieves , the album, is due out April 4 on Rad Girlfriend Records and Weights and Measures, and is available ...

Joe Gittleman has been the most prolific of his ex-bandmates since The Mighty Mighty Bosstones split up, and he's back with a new single. "Hold Up" picks up where his former band left off. It's a laid back ska song with some of the ska punk edge, but in an easing into middle age kind of way. This isn't a song for ripping it up in the pit, but it's perfect to play when you need to feel cool on a weekend rip to Target. It's a fun song that is just meant for aging ska fans, and it even features Dave McWane of Big D and the Kids Table for added Boston ska scene coolness. You can listen to "Hold Up" below. Hold Up , the album, is due out June 21 on Bad Time Records, and is available for pre-order here . For more on Joe Gittleman, check out the artist on Instagram .

Since The Mighty Mighty Bosstones broke up back in January 2022, Joe Gittleman has been shockingly prolific. The former Bosstones bass player has released three solo songs on a split with Bad Operation, formed The Kilograms and released a five song EP with that band, and now he has a new solo single and an upcoming solo album. "Plastered in the Rafters" is an upbeat ska song that would sound perfectly at home on a new Bosstones album if that was possible. It has that ska enters middle aged sound Gittleman's former band was working their way into, but "Plastered in the Rafters" has done it much better. You can listen to "Plastered in the Rafters" below. Hold Up is due out June 21 on Bad Time Records, and is available for pre-order through Bandcamp . For more on Joe Gittleman, check out the artist on Instagram . Upcoming tour dates are below the video. Hold Up by Joe Gittleman 5/9/24 @ Northside Tavern - Cincinatti, OH 5/10/24 @ Smalls - Detroit, MI 5/11...

Back in October we brought you the debut single from The Kilograms, which is the new musical project of Joe Gittleman (The Mighty Mighty Bosstoners) and folk singer Sammy Kay. Since then the band has added two new members: Michael McDermott (Bouncing Souls, Joan Jett) and J Duckworth (Newport Secret Six). They've released a new single, and if you liked "Who Am I (To Say)," you're going to love "I Swear." Both are laid back and soulful ska/reggae songs, with "I Swear" having a bit more pep. If ska is the sound a thirteen year old hears when he gets an extra mozzarella stick, The Kilograms are the sound a forty something hears when he has enough Starbucks points to get a free drink. You can listen to "I Swear" below. The Kilograms self-titled debut EP will be out February 9 on Asbestos Records,  and is available for pre-order through Bandcamp . For more on The Kilograms, check out the band on Instagram and Twitter . EP by The Kilograms

Since The Mighty Mighty Bosstones broke up last year, bass player Joe Gittleman has been the busiest member. He's been releasing new music as a solo artist, but now he's back with a new band. The Kilograms are a new project with folk singer Sammy Kay. Their debut single, "Who Am I," is an ultra-chill ska song that lives in both the worlds of ska and folk. This certainly isn't the skacore of the Bosstones. It's a laid back and soulful version of the genre, and has us looking forward to where they go next with their sound. You can listen to "Who Am I" below. The song is available on Black Sand Relief - A Benefit for Michelle Ska and The People of Maui to help victims of the devastating Maui wildfires. The compilation also features tracks from Westbound Train, The Slackers, Bite Me Bambi, and more, and is available through Bandcamp . For more on The Kilograms, check out the band on Facebook and Instagram . Black Sand Relief - A Benefit for Michelle Ska...

Joe Gittleman, who you might know as the bass player of The Mighty Mighty Bosstones, has a new single out that is the most Bosstones sounding song he's released so far. "Carrie O" is a laid back ska song with plenty of horns (provided by members of Big D and The Kids Table) and ska style guitar. This is what a band like the Bosstones should have aged into. It has all of the fun of classic ska-core, just in a much more chilled our form. It's the perfect song for everyone that now puts orthopedic inserts into out checkered Vans. Plus, all of the talk in the song about the South Carolina shore gives "Carrie O" the perfect laid back summer vibe. You can listen to "Carrie O" below. The song will be included on a split 12" with Bad Operation due out June 16 on Bad Time Records. This is available for pre-order here . For more on Joe Gittleman, check out his Instagram .

After the implosion of The Mighty Mighty Bosstones earlier this year, many of us wondered what was next from the members of Boston's favorite skacore band. I think one of the last members we expected to go solo first was Joe Gittleman. The Bosstones' bass player has released a new single, "I'd Give it All to You." The most surprising aspect of the song is how much it sounds like the Bosstones, albeit a more laid back version. While When God Was Great was fairly mopey, "I'd Give it All to You" is upbeat and chill. It's a chilled out ska love song, and probably what a guy in his mid 50's that used to be in the Bosstones should sound like in 2022. You can listen to "I'd Give it All to You" below. The song is available as a single via Joe's Records here . For more on Joe Gittleman, check out his Instagram .

Photo via Facebook It's been interesting seeing the reaction of Bosstones fans to the band's new singles. The first two ("The Final Parade" and "I Don't Believe in Anything") have been fairly divisive, with fans either loving or hating the songs. For the record, personally I loved "The Final Parade" but didn't really care for "I Don't Believe in Anything," and I've seen others declare the exact opposite. For their latest single, "The Killing of Georgie (Pt. III)," fans seem to be united in appreciation for the song. It seems to be making even the crankier, older fans happy, which is interesting since it's definitely a more mellow, less raucous song than their early material. Maybe it's just that "The Killing of Georgie (Pt. III)" seems to embody the spirit of the early ska-core favorites, just an older, more mellow, middle aged version. Which pretty much describes us all at this point. Plus, it...

Photo via Facebook The word "epic" doesn't usually apply to The Mighty Mighty Bosstones, but their latest single is epic in both length and scale. Coming in just shy of eight minutes long, "The Final Parade" is about three to four times the length of the ordinary Bosstones song. Dicky Barrett has called this new song "a love letter to ska music and the people that make ska music," and "The Final Parade" is certainly more ska than anything else the Bosstones have ever put out. This isn't ska-punk, and it's certainly not ska-core. And then there's the amount of guest stars involved in this song. It's a tired joke that ska bands consist of huge amounts of musicians, and the Bosstones alone have nine members ordinarily. How many guest stars could "The Final Parade" possibly have? If my count is correct, it's thirty one: Tim Armstrong (Rancid) Aimee Interrupter & The Interrupters Stranger Cole Angelo Moore (Fishbo...

Back in May we brought you a handful of some of the smaller music festivals you should be checking out. It's been a couple of months, so we have some updates for you! Here are three late summer/early fall festivals that should be worth your time! The Cranking and Skanking Fest August 25, Worcester, MA If you're like me, you spent many years attending the Warped Tour, only to quit as you seemed to age out. My last year was 2002 (?), when I realized I was only there to see four bands (The Mighty Mighty Bosstones, Bad Religion, Circle Jerks, The Damned). When they announced that this would be the final year of the tour, I hoped they'd reach out to some of the more classic bands that have played in the past, and maybe they did, but you'd never know it by looking at it. This might be why I'm so excited about The Cranking and Skanking Fest. Sure, it's in the parking lot of the Palladium in Worcester which isn't the most glamorous location, and I prefer when ...

Photo via Facebook The first new album from The Mighty Mighty Bosstones since 2011's The Magic of Youth  gets a little more real with the release of the second single from While We're At It , "The Constant." The new song is a very horn driven, mid tempo ditty that showcases the Bosstones's more groovy side. The hard edge and skacore is gone with "The Constant." If commercial rock radio was still a thing, this could have been a crossover hit and even earned some adult contemporary play. I know it sounds like an insult to the song, but I personally love the Bosstones's more sensitive side. Even though it may seem like the type of song the crowd patiently waits to so the moshing can begin again, at this point in the average Bosstones fan's life, we could all use a song to mellow out to during their shows. You can watch the video for "The Constant" below. While We're At It , the new album from The Mighty Mighty Bosstones, will be ...

Photo via Facebook For the past few weeks, The Mighty Mighty Bosstones have been teasing a big announcement coming up. Last week, the announcement of new music was made. The Bosstones unveiled a new single, "Wonderful Day for the Race." It continues in the Bosstones's current theme of positive music that truly started with their 2016 cover of "What the World Needs Now is Love." In this case, "race" means "human race," and is a message of love and understanding. "Wonderful Day for the Race" also continues the Bosstones's sound. There is no deviation from vintage Bosstones with their new song, which is pretty much perfect. This feels like the kind of song that we'll all like but not love, until we see them play it love. The Bosstones have always been a band you should see live, and I'm looking forward to getting to see this one played in person. Plus, it boasts one of the best false stops in recent memory. You can wa...

This past year's Hometown Throwdown was the first I had missed in about five or six years. I felt like taking a break, none of the opening bands were all that intriguing to me, and I felt the money for my ticket should probably be going to Christmas presents. Of course, once the shows came I was filled with regret and missed going. When it was announced that The Mighty Mighty Bosstones were going to be touring this summer, I knew I had to go.  Being a music snob, Let's Face It  would be the album I'd want to see The Bosstones do from start to finish. It's the big hit album, and they have other albums that mean a lot to me. Plus, I'm a music snob. But, 2017 is the 20th anniversary of Let's Face It  and it makes the most economic sense to do this album over their others. A funny thing happened as I went back to listen to the album in the weeks before the show. I remembered how great it really is, and how much I love so many of these songs. Plus, a good chunk ...

Well, those are words I never thought I'd ever type. Boston's ska-core heroes The Mighty Mighty Bosstones have covered Dionne Warwick's easy listening classic "What the World Needs Now is Love." Bosstones frontman Dicky Barrett has this to say about their choice of covers: "It's a message and/or a reminder that we would like to share with the world for the holidays during these seemingly difficult and trying times. The song doesn't take a side but it definitely takes a stance."  The weirdest part of the song is how well it actually works. It's a shockingly true rendition of the song, unlike their old school covers that hardcore up every song. It's quite beautiful, and has more of a reggae swing to it than anything else. What could have been just a silly throwaway song is actually a beautiful, heartfelt attempt to heal all the hurt so many of us are feeling as this shitty year comes to an end. You can get your own free copy of The ...

The week between Christmas and New Year's is usually a pretty dull one, but it holds what has become one of my favorite holiday traditions: My now annual trip to the House of Blues to see the Mighty Mighty Bosstones for their Hometown Throwdown. This year they lessened the usual holiday theme and instead dedicated their entire three show run to The Rat, the legendary Boston punk club that used to be located across the Mass Pike from the House of Blue in Kenmore Square. For their openers, they chose bands they knew from their days of playing The Rat. For Sunday night, their openers were The Real Kids and The Queers. As I walked in, I noticed a list of set times posted at the door. The Real Kids had to drop out at the last minute due to John Felice being hospitalized. It was a huge disappointment, especially because I had never heard of their replacement, Unnatural Axe. Turns out Unnatural Axe are the  Boston punk originators, and started playing shows at The Rat in 1978. As th...