Doing Anything This Weekend?: April 26-28

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 April 26

The Town and the City Festival, Lowell, MA

    Tysk Tysk Task, One Fall, Subpunch, and Burp. at The Old Court

    Frank Morey, Sofia Talvik, and Evan Goodrow at Gallery Z

    Cuidado, Linnea's Garden, Muck and the Mires, and The Only Things at                Smokehouse Tavern

    Orbit and D-Tension & The Secrets at Warp & Weft

Kid Gulliver and The Smallest Town Ensemble at Exhibit 'A' Brewing Company, Framingham, MA

Screaming Dead, Gretchen Shae & The Middle Eight, and Low Lives at Ralph's Rock Diner, Worcester, MA

Saturday April 27

The Town and the City Festival, Lowell, MA

    Minibeast, Tell, and The McCritters at Thirsty First

    Sapling, Roger Miller, MFDJR and Friends with Benefits at Thirsty First

    Clap Your Hands Say Yeah, Dengue Fever, and Colleen Green at Taffeta

Green Heron at Firehouse Center for the Arts, Newburypost, MA

All Feels, Early Day Miners, and True Jackie at JJ's Tavern, Florence, MA

Spring Heeled Jack, Typhoid Rosie, Dunia & Aram, The Going Rate, and Futon Lasagna at The Marigold Theater, Easthampton, MA

The Dogmatics, Stop Calling Me Frank, and Diablogato at The New World Tavern, Plymouth, MA

Circus Trees, Bugslam, and Man Must Destroy at Arlington Theater, Arlington, MA

Sunday April 28

IV and the Strange Band, Diablogato, and Driftwood Soldier at Askew, Providence, RI

Mama's Broke with Eliza Edens at The Press Room, Portsmouth, NH

David Wax Museum at The Parlor Room, Northampton, MA

Frenchy and the Punk - "Hypnotized"

Photo by Nicola Bee

Frenchy and the Punk is the current musical project of Samantha Stephenson and Scott Helland (Deep Wound, Guitarmy of One). The duo get compared to Siouxsie and the Banshees quite a bit, but that's mostly due to Stephenson's vocals. Their latest single, "Hypnotized," is based in post-punk, but it's a little more straight up rock than a lot of post-punk. This is a song that will instantly mesmerize you as soon as the guitar kicks in, and Stephenson's vocals will refuse to let you go. As dark and goth as a song like "Hypnotize" is, it's also refreshingly upbeat. Once you get past the comparisons, there's a lot to like about any Frenchy and the Punk release.

Scott Helland says of his band's new song:

"The song sprung from the opening grungy bass line that I played with an electro-acoustic hybrid guitar through octave and distortion pedals. The groove pulses beneath Samantha’s soaring vocals and lets up occasionally to allow me to growl the word 'Hypnotized'. I love that it’s a confounding track in that it hypnotizes you to move. We love to work with contrasts".

You can watch the video for "Hypnotize" below. Midnight Garden is due out June 28 on EA Recordings. For more on Frenchy and the Punk, check out the band's website. Upcoming tour dates are below the video.

APR 25  Greenbelt, MD - New Deal Cafe
APR 27/28  Holly Springs, NC - Festival of Legends
APR 30  Richmond, VA - Black Iris Social Club
MAY 4  Washington, NJ - Rock n Roll SteamFest
MAY 18  Milton, PA - Reign of Terror Presents: World of Fae
MAY 19  Berkeley Springs, WV - Bringing in the May
MAY 21  Bristol, UK - The Exchange (with Miranda Sex Garden)
JUN 1  Wareham UK - Alice’s Wicked Tea Party
JUN 7  Morecambe, UK - A Splendid Day Out Festival
JUN 8   Newcastle, UK - Little Buildings
JUN 9  Edinburgh, UK - Banshee Labyrinth
JUN 14  Leicester, UK - Firebug
JUN 15  London, UK - Dublin Castle
JUN 17  Oxford, UK - Botley Taproom
JUN 22  Salem, MA - Darq Salem
JUL 11  Pomeroy, OH - Starwood Festival
JUL 13  Pittsburgh, PA - TBA
JUL 14  Columbus, OH - Dirty Dungarees Alt Music Space
JUL 17  Cincinnati, OH - The Comet
JUL 18  Detroit, MI - Corktown Tavern
JUL 19  Akron, OH - Buzzbin
JUL 20  Maple Heights, OH - Maple Grove Tavern
JUL 21  Dayton, OH - Blind Bob’s
JUL 23  St Louis, MO - Crack Fox
JUL 25  Cleveland, OH - Wizbang Theater
JUL 26  Sherman, NY - Sirius Rising Festival
SEPT 6   Pittsburgh, PA - Pitts Art Fest
SEPT 22  York, PA - Enchanted Festival
SEPT 26 Dark Castle Festival, Louisville, KY
OCT 5/6  Attleboro, MA - Jewelry City Festival
OCT 12  Upper Lake, CA - Hexenfest
OCT 25  Shepherdstown, WV - TBA
NOV 16  Baltimore, MD -  Fairy Scary Ball

Las Nubes - "Would Be"

Hailing from Miami, Las Nubes formed in 2017. The duo count Iggy Pop and Thurston Moore as fans (Ale Campos of Las Nubes also plays in Iggy's band), and that's enough to get our attention. Their latest single, "Would Be," starts off as a beautiful lo-fi dream pop track, and if that's how the song stayed, it would be a great song. But then suddenly everything changes without any warning and "Would Be" turns into a 90's alt-rock and punk inspired song. It's reminiscent of artists like Veruca Salt and that dog, but somehow more underground and more mainstream than either of those bands. This is just loud alt-rock at it's finest, unless Las Nubes are playing gorgeous dream pop, and then it's dream pop at its finest.

Ale Campos (guitar/vocals) says of the band's latest single:

“There was a rumor going around about a live-action Power Puff Girls series being made by Diablo Cody. It was going to be set in the future and have them portrayed as adults looking back on their lives as crime-fighting little girls who missed out on being kids. I grew up in the ‘90s and PPG was one of my favorite cartoons, so I was really excited about this. One day Emile and I were talking about how cool it would be to write the theme song for the show, so 'Would Be' was the result of that. 

 

"It took about 20 minutes to write. At the time I felt like my best years were flying away before my eyes and I used that as inspiration for what it might feel like to be an aging ex-superhero. For the video I edited an old home movie of my father in his late 40s doing tricks with a soccer ball. Growing up in Argentina, he always dreamed of going pro. Soccer was his first love and he finally had his chance and played professionally for a year before getting seriously injured. He wasn’t able to continue his career in soccer after that, but he always carried the love for the sport in his heart. I felt like the video captured the essence of the song, which is the desire to take back those years you lost and just cherish them.”

You can watch the video for "Would Be" below. Tormentas Malsanas is due out June 14 on Sweat Records Records, and is available for pre-order through Bandcamp. For more on Las Nubes, check out the band's website.

girl in red Covers Talking Heads

Photo via Facebook

Recently A24 announced Everyone's Getting Involved: A Tribute to Talking Heads' Stop Making Sense which sees current artists covering songs from Talking Heads' classic concert film. The latest we can hear from the compilation is girl in red's take on "Girlfriend Is Better." girl in red's version is fairly faithful to the original, but it's also a modern take on the New Wave classic. It sees the artist stretching out of her normal sound to a more high energy and dance friendly party jam. It's a fun cover of a fun song, and that's all we can truly ask for.

girl in red says of Talking Heads:

“Talking Heads is an iconic band that helped define my identity when I was a teenager and they continue to inspire young people all around the world. Being a part of this tribute is so sick and I’m super grateful I was given the opportunity. Talking Heads forever!!!!”

You can listen to girl in red's cover of "Girlfriend Is Better" below. Everyone's Getting Involved: A Tribute to Talking Heads' Stop Making Sense is due out May 17 on A24 Music, and is available for pre-order here. For more on girl in red, check out the artist's website.

Soraia Covers Blondie

Photo by Cassandra Panek

It feels like it's been a while since we brought you a cover song, so we can't pass up the latest single from Soraia. The Philadelphia rockers just released their version of "Union City Blue," which is a song I didn't recognize by name but instantly recognized as soon as it started. I've been a huge fan of their high intensity garage rock for a few years now, and this shows off another side of the band. Their version of "Union City Blue" stays intensely true to the original, just a little louder and and with slicker/more modern production. If you're unfamiliar with the fantastic sound of Soraia, this new single will have you delving deep into their back catalog.

Frontwoman ZouZou Mansour says of the band's latest single:

"I've wanted to cover 'Union City Blue' since I first heard it on the 'Sid and Nancy' soundtrack album I bought back in 2016. I loved that movie--starring Gary Oldman and Chloe Webb. We were in Sweden touring in fall 2023, and decided that was the time to do it. We self-produced the song this time, bringing more of a 'We Got The Beat' vibe to the tempo and approach. Hope you dig it!"

You can listen to Soraia's take on "Union City Blue" below. It's available as a single via Wicked Cool Records. For more on Soraia, check out the band's website. Upcoming tour dates are below the song.

April 25: Hamden CT @ The Cellar on Treadwell

April 26: New London, CT @ 33 Golden

April 27: Denville, NJ @ Sweet Vinyl Cafe (electric set)

April 28: Levittown, PA @ Positively Records (acoustic set)

Billy Tibbals - "Out of Touch"

Photo by Miranda Penn Turin

London born and Los Angeles raised Billy Tibbals is set to release his new EP this Friday, but we can't resist bringing you one last single before then. We've compared his previous singles to T-Rex, and "Out of Touch" is no exception. This is glam rock meets power pop at its very finest. Everything about "Out of Touch" is huge. I don't know if any artist came out and immediately sounded ready made for arenas quite like Billy Tibbals does. In fact, if you told me this was from some lost 70's megastar that history forgot, I would completely believe you, even with the mentions of emails and texts. For an added bonus, "Out of Touch" might be Tibbals' most theatrical single yet (if you're into that, and we definitely are!)

Billy Tibbals says of his latest single:

"The track is sung from the perspective of a deadbeat businessman in an office on the 10th floor of a crumbling skyscraper."

You can listen to "Out of Touch" below. Nightlife Stories is due out April 26 on Silver Arrow Records. For more on Billy Tibbals, check out the artist's website.

Hallelujah the Hills featuring Patrick Stickles - "Here Goes Nothing"

We're huge fans of Hallelujah the Hills here at If It's Too Loud..., so we're obviously thrilled whenever we can bring you new music from the Boston band. They have a new single out from their upcoming DECK project (this song is the king of diamonds). "Here Goes Nothing" features Patrick Stickles of Titus Andronicus, and as far as Hallelujah the Hills songs go it's pretty straightforward. It's a folk punk anthem with a chorus just perfect for yelling out at the band's upcoming live shows. It's the type of song that is great on record, but you just know it's going to be killer to see live, especially with the perfect shout along chorus of "Fuck, I'm starting over again." Despite being ballad adjacent, "Here Goes Nothing" straight up rocks.

You can watch the video for "Here Goes Nothing" below. DECK, the four albums of thirteen songs each to represent a deck of cards, doesn't have a release date, but you can find out more information here. For more on Hallelujah the Hills, check out the band's website.

Staples Jr. Singers - "Lost In a World of Sin"

Photo by Adam Wissing

We're hardly a gospel music blog, but there are always exceptions. In 2022 Luaka Bop reissued their 1975 album When Do We Get Paid, and now the family group (consisting of Edward Brown, R.C. Brown, and Annie Brown Caldwell) are coming out with their first new album in almost fifty years. The first single off that album, "Lost in a World of Sin," is this perfect slice of vintage soul and folk. Even if you're not particularly into gospel, this is going to work for you. The band also consists of the band's children and grandchildren, and the upcoming album was recorded over two nights in a single room church in West Point, Mississippi. If that's not an organic way to record music, I don't know what is.

Producer Ahmed Gallab says of his recording process with Staples Jr. Singers:

“The process was very easy. There’s nothing like a family bond/band. It was so special to watch how locked into each other everyone was. You can hear and feel that on this record."

You can listen to "Lost in a World of Sin" below. Searching is due out June 14 on Luaka Bop, and is available for pre-order here. For more on Staples Jr. Singers, check out the band's website. Upcoming European tour dates are below the song.

Sat. June 29 – Paris, FR @ TBA
Sun. June 30 – Manchester, UK @ Band on the Wall
Tue. July 2 - London, UK @ 229
Thu. July 4 – Roskilde, DK @ Roskilde Festival
Fri. July 5 – Haarlem, NL @ Patronaat
 Sat. July 6 – Rotterdam, NL @ BIRD
Wed. July 12 – Barcelona, ES @ Jamboree -
Thu. July 13 – Martorell, ES @ PAS
Fri. July 14 – Oldenburg, DE @ Kultursommer
July 16 – Frankfurt, DE @ Palmengarten
Tue. Oct 15 – Prague, CZ @ Palac Akropolis
Fri. Oct 18 – Stockholm, SE @ Stockholm Jazz Festival
Thu. Oct 24 – Oslo, NO @ Cosmopolite

First Listen: New Releases for 19 April 2024

Artist: Taylor Swift
Album: The Tortured Poets Department
Quick Thoughts: I mean, it's fine. I think that was my feeling on first listen, and I think a lot of more casual Taylor Swift fans are coming around to that position. There are 30 tracks when you include the Anthology tracks, and about half of them are good-to-great. There's not a bad song here, but it's not a fun two hours the way some of the (Taylor's Version) ones have been. I also think, in a take that it turns out is not nearly as hot as I originally thought, that Jack Antonoff's production here is doing a disservice to a record that's more Evermore than Midnights. But this is a lot of words for an album that you've probably already heard and already have opinions about, so...
Songs of Note: Too many to list, but "I Can Do It With a Broken Heart," "The Prophecy," and "The Bolter" are the highest highlights.

Artist: Pearl Jam
Album: Dark Matter
Quick Thoughts: Aging grungeheads probably see Eddie Vedder as the titular tortured poet, but that Pearl Jam has effectively slotted themselves into the adult-alternative landscape without sacrificing a lot of what makes them special is worth noting. As a more casual fan (after decades of resistance), this is up there with any of their post-Yield work, but longtime fans might still wonder why it doesn't rock as hard as we might want. Songs of Note: "Wreckage," "Dark Matter," "Upper Hand," "Waiting for Stevie," "Running," "Something Special," "Got to Give"

Artist: Paraorchestra
Album: Death Songbook
Quick Thoughts: A great British music project featuring musicians with disabilities and getting a ton of star support on the side. Organized by conductor Charles Hazlewood, the album features Brett Anderson of Suede along with a bunch of guest spots, it's a solid orchestral listen with a lot going for it, musically and socially.
Songs of Note: "The Killing Moon," "Wonderful Life," "He's Dead," "Enjoy the Silence," "The End of the World"

Artist: Pillow Queens
Album: Name Your Sorrow
Quick Thoughts: Pillow Queens have been great for their entire run, but the Glasgow-based foursome made something a little bigger and bolder this time around and we all benefit as a result. "Suffer" in particular is a highlight, featuring the best the band offers and leaving you wanting to slam the repeat button. Don't miss out on this one.
Songs of Note: "February 8th," "Suffer," "Blew Up the World," "The Bar's Closed," "Heavy Pour," "One Night"

Artist: Buzzard Buzzard Buzzard
Album: Skinwalker
Quick Thoughts: One we missed from earlier this year, it's loud and it's messy and it's absolutely glorious. Songs like "National Rust" feel like controlled chaos, and "Therapy" drips with feeling throughout its entire runtime. The album is pretty great, and is worth your time.
Songs of Note: "National Rust," "My Star Sign is a Bassett Hound," "Leatherbound," "In My Egg," "Therapy"

Artist: BIG|BRAVE
Album: A Chaos of Flowers
Quick Thoughts: Another one we missed, this is a Canadian act that's probably best described as alt-experimental, but that makes it sound weirder and more out-there than it is. There are so many layers to so many of the songs that it's probably the album I'm most excited to get back to this week. Check them out.
Songs of Note: "not speaking of the ways," "chanson pour mon ombre"

Artist: Agent blå
Album: STAB!
Quick Thoughts: It's hard to talk about Swedish rock without talking about The Hives, but this album reminded me a lot of the feeling of when Veni Vidi Vicious landed on American shores, in that there's an excitement and newness to the entire approach that's endearingly awesome. Agent blå's brand of indie pop/alt-rock is certainly of the moment, but there's something special here that doesn't always land right when other bands do it. A great listen.
Songs of Note: "Ebb and Flow," "Mind Mapping," "The Fascination of Self-Sabotage"

Of note:

* Half Past Two - Talk is Killing Me (Ska is not dead!)
* Griefcat - Late Stage Capitalism (Think if Garfunkel and Oates were terminally online shitposters.)
* Ysr Gramz - So Much Enrgy & Sav
* Couch Slut - You Could Do It Tonight
* Melvins - Tarantula Heart
* Kindsight - No Shame No Fame
* Sarah Siskind - Her Rites
* claire rousay - sentiment
* The Baby Seals - Chaos
* Brainstory - Sounds Good
* A Certain Ratio - It All Comes Down to This
* Grocer - Bless Me
* Eyedress - Vampire in Beverly Hills
* Cloud Nothings - Final Summer
* Cadence Weapon - Rollercoaster
* ekko astral - pink balloons
* Tei Shi - Valerie
* Tourist - Memory Morning
* Salami Rose Joe Louis and Flanafi - Sarah
* Martin Howth - Distant Dissonance
* Chanel Beads - Your Day Will Come
* Charm of Finches - Marlinchen in the Snow
* Kooley High and Tuamie - All Infinite
* Seafood Sam - Standing on Giant Shoulders

EPs:

* Hot Joy - Small Favor (Far and away the best power pop I've heard in ages.)
* MIDDLEMAN - John Dillinger Died for You
* Prima Queen - Not the Baby
* HighSchool - Accelerator
* LOVERS - LOVERS I
* Creature Comfort - The Honeymoon EP
* Bear McCreary - The End of Tomorrow
* Marika Hackman - Little Sigh (Acoustic)
* Menomena - The Insulation EP
* Sofia Bolt - Martini
* Moonpools - Hide and Seek

Live albums/Compilations/Reissues:

* Orbital - Orbital (The Green Album Expanded)
* William Shatner - So Fragile, So Blue (Live at the Kennedy Center)

Also out:

* notVisible - Movie Scene
* DJ Smokey, Christ Dillignger, and RXKNephew - THIS ALBUM IS TERRORISM

The Town and the City Festival is This Weekend

This weekend marks the return of The Town and the City Festival on Friday and Saturday. The festival is spread throughout downtown Lowell, MA with many of the venues within a block or two of each other. The festival is always a well run great time with something for virtually every music fan. Here's a guide to what we consider to be the highlights, which include many of our favorite artists!

Friday night features Sofia Talvik at Gallery Z. The singer-songwriter is on tour throughout the US all the way from Sweden, and has been a favorite of ours before we started If It's Too Loud... She'll be joined by Evan Goodrow and Frank Morey.

Christ Church United features the legendary English singer-songwriter Robyn Hitchcock. Any time he plays in the area is an official Big Deal. You can tell The Town and the City know what they're doing since this is a return to the festival for him. He'll be joined by Syd Straw, making this a legendary bill in the making.

If you're looking for something a little heavier, Smokehouse Tavern has a quadruple bill that would make any independent venue in Boston jealous. Lowell's own The Only Things open the night with their noisy alt-rock. They're joined by garage rock luminaries Muck & the Mires, glam punks Linnea's Garden, and post-hardcore thrashers Cuidado.

On the other side of the block is a punk/grunge/heavy rock show that also can't be missed. Lowell's own noisy pop punks Burp. kick off the show. Alt-rockers Subpunch (also of Lowell) play after them, with 2023 Rock & Roll Rumble winners One Fall playing their can't be missed melodic punk. Closing out the night is Tysk Tysk Task (so you know where we'll be) playing their last show before Boston Calling next month!

Warp & Weft hosts 90's indie rock legends Orbit, who have been much more active as of late (not that anyone is complaining). They'll be joined by Boston hip hop legend D-Tension with his alt-rock project D-Tension & the Secrets.

Saturday starts early in the afternoon at Thirsty First with Boston's Tell performing their dark indie rock. They'll be joined by Minibeast (aka Peter Prescott from Mission of Burma's current musical project). If you've never seen them live, do yourself a favor and check them out this weekend. Also playing is New Hampshire's The McCritters with their roots rock sound.

If you're into Americana, you can't go wrong with Fantastic Cat. I discovered them playing In Between Days last summer, and their live show is... fantastic. (I apologize.) They're playing with Bandits on the Run in the evening at The Overlook at Mill No. 5.

Taffeta hosts the other big show of the weekend, with indie rock legends Clap Your Hands Say Yeah headlining. Also playing are Dengue Fever with their Cambodian rock of the 60's meets 70's psychedelia sound. Make sure you get there early for Lowell's own Colleen Green providing the best lo-fi set of the weekend. 

We're sure to be back at Thirsty First for Sapling's art rock/bitch pop. It's been far too long since we've seen the inside of their clown box. Also playing is Roger Clark Miller of the legendary Mission of Burma. Prom Night Dumpster Baby open the show, and all we need to know about them is their name and we're in.

If you want to take a break from live music, The Town and the City has you covered for that, too. Friday night sees an edition of EARFULL featuring a discussion with comedian Dave Hill and author and Blake Baby Freda Love Smith. Saturday starts with a record show at Mill No. 5, and also includes stand up comedy at Cobblestones and storytelling and poetry at Luna Theater.

The Town and the City Festival takes place in downtown Lowell April 26 and 27. You can find information and tickets (both festival passes and individual tickets) here.