If It's Too Loud...

Photo by Danielle Head It used to be easy to describe new music from Pokey LaFarge. He always had a vintage folk/Americana style, and while that's true of his latest single, it's hard to put "Rent Money" in a tidy little box. The song still has a great vintage folk/Americana style, but it branches out into so many styles within that umbrella. LaFarge is including some early rock and roll, some funk, some soul, and maybe even a little ska into "Rent Money." He's always included plenty of groove in all of his music, but this might have his strongest groove to date. LaFarge went from being a pure folk revivalist, and has now modified that into a sound that's all his own. Pokey LaFarge says of his latest single: “‘Rent Money’ is a little bit more of a tougher tune, but it’s not going to totally bum you out. It’s just a classic country blues song. The good lord giveth and Uncle Sam taketh away.” You can watch the video for "Rent Money" below. Th...

Photo by Eliot Lee Hazel Back in March of 2020, Pokey LaFarge put his belongings in storage and left his Los Angeles home. He was heading to Austin, TX for SXSW, and was preparing for a tour after that. We obviously know what happened there, and LaFarge was stuck in Austin. Instead of just binge watching like most of us did, he started working on a new album. The first single, "Get It 'Fore It's Gone," may be one of the most positive quarantine songs out there. It doesn't feel old timey like a lot of LaFarge's music does. Instead, it just feels classic. It's a modern take on folk, and it also sees some experimenting with African and South American sounds. It has that perfect happy and lazy summer sound to it, hitting just as summer really gets started up. You can watch the video for "Get It 'Fore It's Gone" below. In the Blossom of Their Shade  is due out September 10 on New West Records. You can pre-order/pre-save a copy here . For more ...

Photo via Facebook Pokey LaFarge has been our go to guy for old timey Americana, and we've been smitten with his take on blues, swing, folk, and country for years. After fourteen years as a solo artist, we know what we're getting. Until we don't. He recently moved to Los Angeles, and that prompted a huge change in sound. "Fuck Me Up" still sounds like Pokey LaFarge. I don't think his voice is ever not going to sound like old timey blues and country. But this new song has a new feel to it. It's not a modern sounding song by any stretch, but it's certainly not old fashioned. Plus, while still having LaFarge's trademark sense of fun and joy, this song is decidedly darker than anything we've heard from him before. "Fuck Me Up" is a great and unexpected song. We can't wait to hear more. You can watch the video for "Fuck Me Up" below. (And, seriously, watch it. It's great!) Rock Bottom Rhapsody , the upcoming album...

Photo via Facebook I've had the chance to see Pokey LaFarge in various incarnations over the last eight years or so, but I've never seen a fully solo performance. While being in between albums and bands, he decided to do a solo tour with fellow Midwesterner Jake La Botz, who is also performing solo. While both fall firmly into the folk/Americana genre, the pair have very different sounds which complemented each other perfectly. First up was Jake La Botz, taking the stage two minutes early. Playing seated for his set, La Botz went through ten of his songs about addiction, struggle, and heartache. He has this downtrodden, lived in sound in his music, but somehow keeps things uplifting. His is more on the style of folk and country meets early rock 'n' roll, which went over very well with the still entering crowd. Despite being seated for the entire performance, La Botz is an incredibly captivating performer. He stays laid back, but puts on more of a rock show than a...

A busy release week, but also a busy weekend for me, so this is somewhat truncated. Still, some real highlights: Album of the Week : Artist : !!! Album : Shake the Shudder Quick Description : Latest from the dance-rockers. Why You Should Listen : !!! is always amazing, and they've really hit their stride as a band. Overall Thoughts : It's rare for an album to both be album of the week and for me not to have a lot to say about it, but here is the new !!!, and they've got a pretty solid sound going at this point. They're not weird anymore, and they kind of have a great type of sound that doesn't take a ton of risks anymore. So, while we don't get legendary tracks like "Pardon My Freedom," we do get songs that hook you in immediately like "Dancing is the Best Revenge." !!! are a band out of time in a way - I'm into it. Recommendation : Always wonderful, and this is a must-listen like all of their stuff. Artist : Cayetana Al...

I've been a huge fan of Prescott Park's live music line up for a few years now. It's live music from insanely great nationally touring bands in a beautiful waterfront park for next to nothing. Seriously, since it's a public park they technically can't charge an entrance fee, so instead they charge a $8-$10 "suggested donation." Trust me, though. You're going to be more than happy paying the suggested donation since it's usually a fraction of the band's normal ticket price and you'll want them to keep putting these on. I make the extra long trip whenever I can since I enjoy the venue more than some Boston theaters, and I've seen a few artists that tend to charge more than I like paying here for $10. Usually there are a handful of If It's Too Loud... approved bands every year, with the majority of the artists being more suited to our parents. This year though... wow. Here is a small selection of bands I think our readers will be exc...

Not the greatest week... The Mountain Goats - Beat the Champ : On the surface, this album should be my favorite thing in the world, combining The Mountain Goats with professional wrestling. The unfortunate truth is that the album peters out really quickly, with the high points being "The Legend of Chavo Guerrero" and "Foreign Object," and the rest being kind of unmemorable. I may have gone into this with higher expectations than I should have, but this is an album I wanted to love and barely like at this point. It's unfortunate. Say Lou Lou - Lucid Dreaming : Say Lou Lou (formerly Saint Lou Lou) is the project of the twin daughters of the lead singer of The Church from back in the 1980s. Lucid Dreaming is sort of the low-key electro-pop I love, and the album is generally good but never seems to take that leap into something greater throughout. I've liked what I've heard up to this point, and the album isn't bad at all (especially in a b...

As the Newport Folk Festival slowly starts rolling out there 2015 line up, and we sit under 4 feet of snow in the Northeast, it's a great time to look back at last summer's Newport Folk Festival. Suddenly, the absurd amounts of rain on Sunday start to seem quaint, and we start looking forward to this summer and this year's Newport Folk Festival. You can check out our Newport Folk Festival 2014 photo diary over at our Facebook page . Here's hoping to see you all at the Fort this year! For more information on this year's Fest (Friday tickets still remain), head on over to the Newport Folk Festival website . If you can't make it, there are some great Newport Folk Festival Presents shows coming up, mostly in Boston but also in Chicago, Nashville, Napa, and New York City. Check out these here .

After missing Friday's edition of the Newport Folk Festival, I entered Fort Adams State Park on Sunday determined not to miss a single thing. Of course, with 4 official stages all going at once, such a thing is impossible, as I re-learn every year. Starting the day off at the Quad Stage, The Haden Triplets came on bright and early at 11:05 am. Considering the last time I saw Petra and Rachel perform live, it was at the Middle East in Cambridge with That Dog, the circumstances couldn't have been more different. Instead of 90s post-grunge guitars, they performed beautiful 3 part harmonies over classic country and folk songs. Dedicating their set to their father, the recently departed Charlie Haden, they covered classics like Bill Monroe's "Voice From on High" and The Carter Family's "Single Girl, Married Girl." After The Haden Triplets, I headed down to the Harbor Stage for John Reilly & Friends. Yes, it's that John Reilly of such films a...