If It's Too Loud...

Here's a confession that might make me lose all of my Boston music scene cred: I never went to a show at The Rat. By the time I was going to shows regularly (1996/1997), most of the bands I wanted to see were playing clubs like The Middle East and TT the Bears. And then The Rat was gone in 1997. I've always wished I had gone to that legendary establishment, so once the fiftieth anniversary celebration of The Rat was announced for Bellforge Arts Center, I knew I had to go. Originally scheduled for Saturday but moved for rain, the event took place on Sunday afternoon and was hosted by Boston radio legend Oedipus. A reunion for Boston's premier punk club taking place from 3:00 to 7:00 in the afternoon in the middle of a field where people usually hang out on blankets and folding chairs may seem like a strange location, but considering the average age of the crowd skewed well above fifty, it was probably perfect.  Tree Photo by Ken Sears The day's music moved back in time, ...

As small, independent venues seem to be dying out in Boston proper, breweries in the suburbs seem to be filling that gap. The most prominent one is Faces Brewing Co. in Malden, MA, which has a dedicated backroom with a stage that puts on shows regularly. I've been meaning to check it out for a while, and I finally had a chance to with a killer Boston garage rock punk triple bill filled with bands from two of my favorite record labels: Rum Bar Records and Red On Red Records! In a weekend filled with fantastic shows, I could not pass up seeing The Dogmatics, The Shang Hi Los, and The Chelsea Curve! Opening the night were Boston legends The Dogmatics, who have been kicking around in various forms since 1981. They play a blend of punk and garage rock that has barely slowed down in their forty plus years. It's the kind of gritty rock music that you wouldn't expect to see in a high end venue/restaurant, but that's what happens with a band starts hitting their fifties and sixt...

Matweeds are one of those great forgotten Boston bands. The band was formed in 1987 by Jerry Lahane after the Dogmatics broke up. They opened for the Ramones and recorded at the legendary Fort Apache, but never released any music. That changes in March when Rum Bar Records puts out the never before released album from Matweeds. If you're dying to hear what they sound like, you can check out a single, "Stay." This is going to be one of those difficult to define songs, because it's almost a lot of things but isn't quite any of them. It's a little too mellow to be punk or garage rock, although it's definitely both of those. It might be power pop, but there isn't quite that power needed. It's a lot more melodic than I would have expected, with multiple singers throughout, so it's almost like Bang Camaro before Bang Camaro. "Stay" is a great rock and roll song that is basically timeless, and if you're a fan of power pop or garage rock ...

Boston punk legends The Dogmatics are back with new music! While their previous single, "Automat Kalashnikov," sounded like it could have been from the band's early 80's archives, "Drop that Needle" sounds much more modern. Instead of punk fury, this new song has more of a garage rock meets power pop sound, with some surf guitars thrown in. Of course, this is a Boston band, so it can't be too surf. Instead of lyrics about surfing and bikinis, The Dogmatics sing about Dorchester and fellow Boston rockers Muck & The Mires. This is what Boston punk tends to sound like after four decades, but no one is possibly complaining when it's still this great. You can listen to "Drop that Needle" below. The EP Drop that Needle is due out May 6 on Rum Bar Records, and can be pre-ordered through Bandcamp . For more on The Dogmatics, check out the band on Facebook . Drop That Needle by The Dogmatics

The Dogmatics are one of those Boston bands I know I need to know more about. The band have been around for around forty years at this point. They had stopped releasing music for thirty years, and then released a new song on Rum Bar Records back in 2019. Well, they're back with another single. "Automat Kalashnikov" sounds like pure classic Dogmatics. Everything about it sounds like they just found a tape in a closet from their first run and decided to put it out. Even the name "Automat Kalashnikov" sounds like a song title from the early 80's. Most of the early Boston punk bands have slowed down or gotten a lot more polished if they're still making music, but not The Dogmatics. This is as wonderfully rough and raw as anything released during that era. And we mean that as the highest compliment. You can listen to "Automat Kalashnikov" below. The song is available now as a single from Rum Bar Records. You can get a copy over at Bandcamp . For mor...