John Shakespear - "Sound Museum"

Photo by Tory Corless

In a very short time, it was announced that Boston would be virtually without rehearsal spaces for musicians. To say that a major American city that has long prided itself on being a place for musicians to thrive to suddenly be without rehearsal spaces is disappointing is a gigantic understatement. John Shakespear recently came back to Boston from Nashville and has released a new single about that. "Sound Museum," named after the long term Allston rehearsal space that is scheduled to close next month, sees Shakespear switching to a more indie pop sound than the folk/Americana of 2019's Spend Your Youth. It's an ode to Boston's DIY communities which are becoming more vital as the city's more traditional musical outlets get more limited seemingly every day. It's taking soul crushing news and finding something to celebrate, and we could really use that these days.

John Shakespear says of the Sound Museum:

“It was in those spaces, and in Somerville’s Pink Noise Studios, that I made some of my best friends and figured out who I wanted to be as a person. I wanted to see if I could put that into a song–the way a room with a couple amps and half a drum kit in it can save your life.”

You can listen to "Sound Museum" below. On February 22 John Shakespear will be holding a single release show/benefit for Art Stays Here Coalition at Atwoods Tavern in Cambridge, MA. For more on John Shakespear, check out the artist's website.