If It's Too Loud...

The second night of The Town and The City Festival was the traditional style for the festival with multiple bands playing venues all over downtown Lowell. For me, the night started out at Koto Asian Fusion, a relatively new music venue and a sister venue to Koto in Salem. The stage for the shows Friday night was in the main restaurant, which led to some awkward milling about before the music started. Up first was The Shallows, a Boston band I was unfamiliar with. They play a blend of gorgeous shoegaze inspired alt-rock that was for the most part laid back, and was the perfect way to ease people into an evening of music. Their set inspired some slow dancing to break out periodically, and it's easy to see why. The Shallows play shoegaze, but a version of the genre that is pop leaning, at least in that late 90's alt-rock leaning into pop way.  Lovina Falls played next. It was my third time seeing Valerie Forgione's baroque pop project live, and what strikes me is how different...

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: Friday August 30 The Sheila Divine, Arto Vaun, and Dyr Faser at Deep Cuts, Medford, MA Cakeswagg and DJ Whysham at Sonia, Cambridge, MA The Rock Dwellers, Modern Fools, and Noble Dust at Auspicious Brew, Dover, NH Highwater Haulers, Brightwire, and Wyn & The White Light at Askew, Providence, RI Coral Moons, Talk Chalk, and Lady Pills at The Sinclair, Cambridge, MA Smif-N-Wesson, STL GLD, and Tem Blessed & Blessed Energy at Off the Common, Greenfield, MA Burp, SuckerPunch, ...

Ever since Aaron Perrino announced that he would be releasing and performing music under the sole moniker The Sheila Divine from now on, I was wondering what The Sheila Divine would sound like. He had been exploring a darker, more moody sound lately, and "I Know There is Happiness," released last month, continued in that direction. Yesterday he released a new single, "Satan Got My Soul," that is distinctly more rock. The song recalls vintage 90's The Sheila Divine, albeit with a slightly more metal edge... but you kind of have to be at least a tiny bit metal with a title like "Satan Got My Soul." As much as I've loved Perrino's recent releases, it's pretty great to hear him get back to the rock. It also has us even more curious which direction The Sheila Divine are headed in next. You can listen to "Satan Got My Soul" below. There is a new album from The Sheila Divine expected in October. For more on the band, check them out on Fa...

The Sheila Divine have been around since the late 90's, but we are just entering a new era for the band. Back on June 12, Aaron Perrino announced that The Sheila Divine is the only musical moniker he will be releasing and performing under, and that name will now encompass all of his previous musical endeavors (Aaron & The Lord, No Hope No Harm, and Dear Leader). He's released his first single from this new era, and it doesn't sound like your typical The Sheila Divine song, but it's certainly an Aaron Perrino one. "I Know There Is Happiness" continues the darker sound that Aaron & The Lord had been exploring while keeping the more melodic sound of The Sheila Divine. It's a darker alt-rock song that is stunningly beautiful. Perrino has created a sound that is an introspective power ballad that also straight up rocks. I've been a diehard Sheila Divine fan since 1999, and I'm thrilled that Perrino can still surprise with creativity and by bring...

The Sheila Divine and Orbit are bands I've been a fan of for roughly a quarter of a century. They're not fully active bands, so seeing them can be spotty. The Sheila Divine seem to be playing annual shows around Thanksgiving at this point, and while Orbit has played live somewhat recently, I believe the last time I saw them might have been at The Sheila Divine's very first farewell shows at the Paradise many, many years ago. When I saw the pair were playing together the night before Thanksgiving this year, it became a can't miss show. Orbit came out to a clip of them on 120 Minutes where Matt Pinfield introduced their video for "Come Inside." It's kind of easy to remember that Orbit were a pretty big deal and quite buzzworthy in 1995, and this was a great reminder. Opening with "Come Inside" and following that with "Bicycle Song" made me feel like Orbit was frontloading their set a bit too much, but it's easy to forget just how many...

In the wake of the end of The Sheila Divine (although maybe not, since Aaron Perrino announced he will still use the name and the band was listed for this year's obviously cancelled Boston Calling), Aaron Perrino has finally released some music as a solo artist. Dystopian Demos doesn't sound like The Sheila Divine at all. Some of the songs on the EP have more of a pop sound and less of a guitar. "The Sun Will Grow" and "Dylan the Villain" have a lo-fi New Wave feel to them. "A Love Uncertain" sounds a little more like newer Sheila Divine, but still not quite exactly the same. "Virus Got Me Doing Vaporwave" is nearly an 80's style electronic ballad.  You can listen to "A Love Uncertain" below. Dystopian Demos  is now available on The Sheila Divine's Bandcamp . For more on Aaron Perrino, check out The Sheila Divine on Facebook and Twitter . Dystopian Demos by The Sheila Divine

On the anniversary of the release of Nevermind , The Sheila Divine released a new single, "Kurt Cobain." According to a Facebook post from singer Aaron Perrino: " I remember the first time I heard Smells Like Teen Spirit on WBNY in 1991. I drove to the record store the following day, which was September 24th 1991, as they were unboxing Nevermind. Nirvana was my favorite band after that for quite some time. I wrote this song called Kurt Cobain imagining what he might be like if he were alive today." "Kurt Cobain" is a mid-tempo song that sound optimistic, but asks if Cobain were alive today " Would he be a middle aged legend slightly balding /  Railing against corruption and the greed /  Or a millionaire rock st ar with a winery /  Island hopping on a yacht at sea." It also asks if Jimi Hendrix would be " An elder statesman with a sound of rage /  Railing against all that we’ve become /  Or a baby boomer me too what is mine is mine /  D...

I've been going to see The Sheila Divine for twenty years now. Back when they were signed to Roadrunner Records, it seemed like they were always playing somewhere in Boston. Between the night they won the WBCN Rock n Roll Rumble until the end of the year when my time in college radio was over, I think I saw them monthly. In the past few years they've played a few local shows per year, and it seemed like I'd be able to check out one of my favorite Boston bands live twice a year or so. However, with Jim Gilbert deciding to leave the band, it appears that The Sheila Divine might be calling it a career. Obviously I had to head out to see them one last time. Friday night it seemed that The Sheila Divine "possibly" breaking up has been elevated to The Sheila Divine "is" breaking up. The band had a sense of finality in their performance, and as melancholy as a Sheila Divine show can be, what is most likely going to be their final Boston show was truly a mel...

The Sheila Divine may be about to leave us (Jim Gilbert is leaving the band after their upcoming shows and the rest of the band is undecided about carrying on), but they do still have an upcoming album. Right now we can check out a new song from that album. "Age Is Just a Number" doesn't start out like a typical Sheila Divine song. It's almost New Wave and groovy. It's a cool reverb heavy sound, and just as you're getting adjusted to this new sound from and old favorite, the chorus kicks in and The Sheila Divine revert back to classic form. The song goes back and forth like this, in a weirdly great loud/quiet/loud New Wave meets Springsteen meets classic late 90's alternative mash up. You can listen to "Age Is Just a Number" below. Beginning of the End , the new and possibly last album from The Sheila Divine, will be out in the near future. For more on The Sheila Divine, check them out on Facebook . Age Is Just A Number by The Sheila Divine

With the current political climate and next week's mid-term elections, we've been getting political statements from bands not necessarily associated with political anthems. While The Sheila Divine have been making more political statements in recent years, their latest single is straight up in your face with politics. "Melancholy, MA" is an ode to being a Massachusetts liberal and their reactions to the last few years of politics. The opening verse is " Enemies /  We got baby prisons  /  We’re out of love  /  They rigged the system  /  Enemies  /  The cops are killing  /  We’re out of love  /  They even slay our children" making it impossible to not know exactly which side The Sheila Divine lands on. Plus, musically this is the closest the band has sounded to the glory days of the 90's in twenty years. You can listen to "Melancholy, MA" below. The song will be on a new Sheila Divine album due out in 2019. For more on T...

The JP Music Festival was a free, outdoors, all ages music festival held last Saturday. Despite being eight hours of music, I only made it for the last hour since I was dragging my entire family along. Bands played quickie twenty minute sets, so I did get to see three of my favorite Boston bands: Hallelujah the Hills, The Sheila Divine, and Walter Sickert & The Army of Broken Toys. It's pretty hard to write about a twenty minute set, and I've written about these three bands live fairly extensively, so we're going to keep this more as a photo gallery. It should be noted that The Sheila Divine busted out a cover of Echo & The Bunnymen's "The Killing Moon" and Walter Sickert trying not watch his language might have been the highlight of the day. Hallelujah the Hills: The Sheila Divine: Walter Sickert & The Army of Broken Toys:

Back in my younger days, Jamaica Plain wasn't exactly a hotbed of cool. It was kind of the neighborhood you never went to, and never had any reason to want to. Since the 90's, the neighborhood has completely reinvented itself, and there is nothing that proves this more than the 8th Annual Jamaica Plain Music Festival. The festival "...  assembles a convergence of musical genres, drawing upon the wide-ranging artistic community living in this part of Boston." You would think that might handicap a festival as to what kind of artists they could book, but the line up is bonkers great. It includes blog favorites/must see every time we can bands like Hallelujah the Hills, The Sheila Divine, and Walter Sickert & The Army of Broken Toys. Those three would be enough, but then they include bands we always mean to get around checking out like Merrie Amsterberg (who I have somehow managed to never see), Andy California, and Sidewalk Driver. Plus, there are a ton of other ba...

Last time we saw The Sheila Divine, they were p erforming an all improvised experimental rock set at Lilypad Inman . In case you thought they might be going in the art rock direction, they're back to the poppy alt rock that we've come to love for 20 years now with their latest single. "Time To Set It Off" has a slightly different sound than vintage Sheila Divine, maybe a little funkier than we're used to? It's still a Sheila Divine song with loud, driving and swirling guitars and Aaron Perrino's trademark just short of emo vocals, though, so we're 100% on board.  You can listen to "Time To Set It Off" below, and get your own copy of the song at The Sheila Divine's Bandcamp . If you happen to be in Belgium, you're in luck since they'll be touring your country in May. For all things The Sheila Divine, be sure to follow them on Facebook and Twitter . Time To Set It Off by The Sheila Divine

When I first heard Aaron Perrino's latest project, no hope/no harm, I wasn't as into it as I expected to be. I've always preferred his work when he's a bit louder and more rockin', and the first no hope/no harm songs were a little too mellow for my taste, and almost crooners. With their new EP, no hope/no harm have married both sounds perfectly.  What's interesting is that these songs have a feel like a crooner decided to take on emo inflected 90's alt rock. The fact that you get an anthem like "I Know That You Don't Care" next to the almost country tinged "Punch a Nazi in the Face" and they both flow together in a completely seamless way is magical. Plus, "Punch a Nazi in the Face" might be the angriest power ballad of all time. While the EP is very ballad heavy, it's by no means a quiet or mellow release. The ballads have the most intensity on Swimming in the Charles EP.  You can listen to "I Know That You D...

The same week that Aaron Perrino played an experimental improvised show with his most well known band, his newest band released a new single. no hope/no harm have mostly released some fairly mellow alternative rock. "Toxic Baby" is their liveliest release yet. Complete with "Valentine, your blood turns quick / You love me like a jihadist" it steers dangerously close to emo, but doesn't quite go there. Ok... sure... it does, but in the best possible way. It's a great pop song with catchy guitar riffs, vocals that almost fall into abrasive but keep you sucked in, and shouting background vocals nearly hidden, it's the perfect song for those of us ashamed to admit to our guilty emo pleasures. You can listen to "Toxic Baby" below. For your own copy of the song, head over to Bandcamp . For more on no hope/no harm, check them out on Facebook . Toxic Baby by no hope / no harm

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...

Considering no hope/no harm features Aaron Perrino of The Sheila Divine, somehow this is the first time we've brought you one of their songs. Last Thursday, the news broke early in the morning that Fox News founder Roger Ailes had died. Somehow, later that very same day, no hope/no harm released a brand new song called "Roger Ailes Is Dead." Perhaps they have an entire series of songs about the deaths of celebrities just on file and ready to go, much like news channels already have obituary videos ready to go for multiple celebrities. Just plug in a few facts at the very end, and they're ready to go. "Roger Ailes Is Dead" is a bouncy and mopey song, much in the way that The Smiths and The Cure are both bouncy and mopey. The song even borrows the artwork (and most likely song title) from The Smiths' classic The Queen is Dead. Basically, if you have a jones for both The Smiths and the kind of late 90s pre-emo that will probably get lumped into emo ev...

Living an hour outside of Boston, that gets factored into the choice to go see a show. There isn't a whole lot that makes it out my way. The closest city with any kind of music scene is Worcester, which is mostly for metal and cover bands. This past Saturday, The Sheila Divine and Weakened Friends made the journey out to the distant suburbs. The chance to see two of my favorite local bands at a venue with a parking lot and I could be home before 1 a.m.? Obviously something I couldn't miss. Despite The Sheila Divine and Weakened Friends playing together multiple times in the past year, this was my first chance to see Weakened Friends. Live they're just as raw and fun as you'd want them to be. Lead singer/guitarist Sonia Sturino has mastered the art of awkward stage banter, referencing the garbage bags that mysteriously covered the stage amps, the "Time to Fuck" neon light behind the bar, and bringing the fact that both "Worcester" and "Weaken...

We try to write about new music just before or right after it comes out. Sometimes we get lazy, or life interferes, and we end up waiting two months to tell you all about a new release from one of our favorite bands. Oops.  Way back on October 2 (or two holiday seasons ago), The Sheila Divine released their first album in three years, The Morbs. The album starts off pretty slowly, with "Beautiful Midnight." To be 100% honest, I was a little concerned as "Beautiful Midnight" sounds a bit more like Aaron Perrino's other band, Dear Leader, than The Sheila Divine. As much as I love Dear Leader's more mellow and electronic side, that's not what I'm looking for in a Sheila Divine album. Luckily, two minutes in and it kicks into a more Sheila Divine worthy anthem, with the chanted and repeated chorus of "Take away take away take it all away." For some reason, The Sheila Divine always sound better with a shout along chorus. From there, The Mo...

Besides free music, we also love free concerts. Luckily, being in the Boston area offers a ton of choices. This weekend was the first truly nice weekend since October, and it just happened to be the Harvard Square Mayfair. Harvard Square gets shut down, and they set up vendors and artisans, and multiple live music stages. Club Passim has always had a curated stage, and this year the Sinclair set up 2. It's a great day of street food and live music. Here are some of the musical highlights from 2015 (watched in between shoveling Indian food, barbecue, and ice cream into my face). Photo by Ken Sears The Funeral Advantage I only caught a few of theirs songs, but holy heavily influenced by the Smiths. I don't mean that as a dig at all, just stating an observation. They sounded so much like the Smiths I kept wondering if they were covering the Smiths, which they weren't. Even when they covered the Cure's "Just Like Heaven," it sounded like the Smiths coverin...