If It's Too Loud...

Tom Morello and Chuck D Photo by Ken Sears Sunday was the day I was most excited for this year at Boston Calling. Tom Morello and Public Enemy back to back were something that made my inner high school self thrilled, and I was planning on doing everything in my power to get as close as possible. Of course, there was still an entire day of music before we got to the Blue Stage finale, and it ended up being a great end to a great weekend! Snacktime With Sunday's theme being fairly jam band-y, Snacktime might have been the perfect opener. A seven piece band out of Philadelphia, they combine funk, soul, jazz, hip hop, and R&B into a fun musical combination. They were at their best when they were at their most raucous, but also did a great job with some songs that were more almost pure R&B. They got the Dave Matthews Band crowd up and dancing, and truly won the crowd over when one of their songs turned into Kendrick Lamar's "Not Like Us." That sample hit and the cr...

We're a few weeks away from Boston Calling, where Vivid Bloom are sure to melt a few hundred faces off Sunday afternoon at the Orange Stage. The Boston shoegaze quartet just released a new single last week, and if you're new to them, this is the perfect introduction. "Under the Sound" is pure shoegaze goodness, with a wall of feedback sure to blow your mind, and truly beautiful vocals. This song is everything you love about classic shoegaze, with vocals that you might find more in a dream pop setting. Vivid Bloom have quickly become a favorite here at If It's Too Loud..., and "Under the Sound" will show you exactly why. You can listen to "Under the Sound" below. The single is out now on Bandcamp . For more on Vivid Bloom, check out the band on Instagram . If you're going to Boston Calling, be sure to head over to the Orange Stage Sunday at 4:00 to see their fantastic live show. Under the Sound by Vivid Bloom

After watching some wild speculation the last few weeks on Reddit, Boston Calling has announced their 2025 line up, and, dare I say it... it's pretty great! The headliners are Luke Combs and Megan Moroney on Friday, Fall Out Boy and Avril Lavigne on Saturday, and Dave Matthews Band and Vampire Weekend on Sunday. Personally, I'm most interested in Sunday's headliners, more out of curiosity than anything else. After that, we've got quite literally something for everyone with legends like Sheryl Crow, TLC, The Black Crowes, Sublime, Public Enemy (!!!!!), Tom Morello (playing the same day as Public Enemy, so I think we need a collaboration...), and Spin Doctors, along with newer favorites like Thee Sacred Souls, Lucius, and more. Once again they've outdone themselves with local bands that include Latrell James, Megan from Work, Battlemode, Rebuilder, sidebody, Pinklids, and Vivid Bloom! This is the strongest Boston Calling line up in years, and we're thrilled for th...

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 May 17 Nuggets Celebration featuring Lenny Kaye & Friends (Jon Wurster, Ted Leo, Bill Janovitz, David Minehan, Clint Conley, Tanya Donelly, Barrence Whitfield, & more) at The Cut, Gloucester, MA Miracle Blood, Spiritkiller, Deprogrammer Cult, and Jiddo at O'Brien's Pub, Allston, MA Twin Foxes, Her Head's On Fire, and Salem Wolves at Wes' Rib House Upstairs, Providence, RI Willi Carlisle and Aaron Jonah Lewis at 3S Artspace, Portsmouth, NH Jon Snodgra...

Taking place in Somerville, NICE, a fest has been slowly growing and becoming one of the go-to festivals every year despite an increasingly stacked festival schedule. This will be their fourth year, and hyperbole aside, they've grown even bigger and more impressive for 2024. This year will see over eighty bands with ties to Boston playing over four days. They're back to Crystal Ballroom at Somerville Theater and The Rockwell for 2024, but they've added a larger outdoor stage for Saturday at the Grove Street lot. The line-up is stacked and features many of our favorites. Vundabar, Palehound, Model/Actriz, Dutch Tulips, Hannah Mohan, House of Harm, Burp, Jake McKelvie, Sweet Petunia, Noble Dust, TIFFY, Vivid Bloom, Zip-Tie Handcuffs, and many, many more are playing. Every single time I look at the poster I notice a band I had previously missed and get even more excited for! And there are still two unannounced bands that are pretty high up on that poster, so let the speculatio...

Sometimes shows are announced that you know you can't miss. The venue is one of your new favorites. Two bands are playing that you've wanted to see for a while but haven't gotten around to it yet. One of your local favorites is playing. And the fourth is a band that you've never heard of before but is oddly buzzy. Everything came together Friday night for Consumer, Tysk Tysk Task, Vivid Bloom, and Little Fuss at Deep Cuts in Medford. Little Fuss opened the show, and are one of the bands I've been meaning to see for a while. I wasn't well versed in their music, but last year they seemed to be everywhere, so I wanted to check them out. They play a 90's inspired version of indie pop. Their songs have all the fuzz of the 90's with a more modern sense of pop music. (It's the kind of sound that we never would have admitted was pop back then because we were all too snobby.) Little Fuss is just a fun live show and brought in some absolute die hard fans that ...

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: March 22 Consumer, Tysk Tysk Task, Vivid Bloom, and Little Fuss at Deep Cuts, Medford, MA Cody Nilsen and Abbie Barrett at Lizard Lounge, Cambridge, MA Jake Xerxes Fussell and Alex Dupree at Club Passim, Cambridge, MA Marc Valentine, The Chelsea Curve, and Little Billy Lost at The Burren, Somerville, MA March 23 Mephiskapheles, Mamadou, and The Riki Rocksteady All-Stars at Old Town Hall, Salem, MA Happiness, Julie Rhodes & The Electric Company, and How's About Charlie at Askew, Providence, RI Galaxy Cake, The Daylilies, Lonely Leesa & The Lost Cowbo...

Photo by Sasha Pedro You ever start listening to a new band and know you're going to love it within the first twenty seconds? That's how I felt listening to Vivid Bloom. The Boston based shoegaze band recently released a three song EP that has blown me away. The opening song, "Believe," had barely even begun when I knew I found a new favorite. It's shoegaze that drifts into the dreamy side of the genre, but it also has this unexpected crunch to it that you don't normally hear in shoegaze or dream pop. Out of Focus  is made up of songs that give you that warm embrace you expect, but also have this biting edge to them at the same time. It's kind of like if Sonic Youth tried shoegaze out, but got distracted. As any of our readers know, there is a 90's rock revival that's been going on for a while now, and Vivid Bloom are going to hit a nostalgia button for you despite being a brand new band. You can listen to "Believe" below. Out of Focus  i...