If It's Too Loud...

Half Dizzy is a ska-punk band out of Long Island, NY. Their latest single is part of a Halloween themed split 7" with The Boy Detective. Half Dizzy's contribution is "The Faceless, which features Vic Ruggiero of The Slackers providing vocals and Jess Debellis of Skapossitory (either the best or worst ska band name of all time) on organ. A ska-punk Halloween song is a perfect fit, and "The Faceless" is as much fun as it should be. It's a bouncy and gruff song that is going to demand dancing from the audience. Seriously, if you can't enjoy this one, you just hate all joy and fun. The song is just pure Halloween song perfection, and aside from that, it's just a killer ska song. Dan Marchelewski says of his band's new single: "The song began as a simple spooky ska idea back in 2022. It evolved into a gripping thriller about a fictional nameless government agency chasing the listener. With input from everyone in the band, we crafted some of our b...

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. If you're looking for last minute plans this weekend, we recommend: Friday May 3 The I Want You and Crow Follow at Midway Cafe, Jamaica Plain, MA The Iron Roses, Lowest of the Low, and One Fall at Deep Cuts, Medford, MA Saturday May 4 Kid Gulliver at Luther's Coop, Easthampton, MA Rock and Roll Rumble Finals featuring Other Brother Darryl, The Ghouls, and Gut Health with special guest Halfcocked at Sonia, Cambridge, MA Folk Collective Annual Concert featuring Alastair Moock, Almira Ara, Anju, Audrey Pearl, Cliff Notez, Gabriella Simpkins, Kim Moberg, Lydia Harrell, Maxfield Anderson, Naomi Westwater, Peter Mulvey, and Steph...

A four band ska bill on a Sunday night? Sometimes when it's this good, you have to suck it up and go out on a work night, pretending you still have the energy you used to. The Slackers and Mustard Plug have bands I've been meaning to see for a while now, and The Freecoasters and Stop the Presses ended up being happy discoveries!  Stop the Presses opened up the show with an upbeat blend of horn free ska. They were cheery and upbeat, since this is ska and all, but the band had a bit of a hidden edge to them. They might not have been the most punk band of the night in their sound, but they were in their attitude. They even busted out a ska cover of Bikini Kill's "Rebel Girl." (Ska covers ended up being a theme of the evening.) Unfortunately, I missed some of their set as they started before the advertised start time. Hopefully next time... Up next were The Freecoasters out of southern Florida. They included a trombone player, and my first thought when I saw them was ...