If It's Too Loud...

Every year when The Town and the City announce their line-up, we say that it's their best ever, and every year we truly mean it. 2026 keeps their unbeaten streak alive with a line-up that's going to thrill all music fans in the Lowell area. This year, the festival once again takes over downtown Lowell April 30 through May 2. Individual shows haven't been announced yet, but you'll get to see John Doe of X and David Lowery of Cracker and Camper Van Beethoven performing together, as well as Tanya Donelly and Chris Brokaw with their "modern interpretations of medieval music." Also playing this year are folk rockers The Felice Brothers, along with local favorites GA-20, Future Teens, JVK, Megan From Work, The Wolff Sisters, Tysk Tysk Task, Dee Tension & The Secrets, Other Brother Darryl, Tell, Phantom Ocean, and many, many more. In an interesting move, two Lowell favorites will be performing cover sets this year, with The Ghouls performing Black Sabbath and Bur...

Photo by Fancey Pansen "Stranger Blues" is the third single from GA-20 featuring their new guitarist/vocalist Cody Nilsen, and the first showcasing his slide guitar playing. It says a lot that a band can change their lead singer and still sound like themselves, but "Stranger Blues" sounds like pure classic GA-20. It's a rocking blues track that pays homage to the history of blues while crafting their own way forward. This is the type of song that will almost instantly suck you in, particularly the slide guitar. Although it sounds like it could have been released anytime in the past sixty or so years, "Stranger Blues" somehow still sounds completely modern. You can listen to "Stranger Blues" below. Volume 2 is due out April 29. For more on GA-20, check out the band's website . Upcoming tour dates are below the song and include April 5 at Taffeta in Lowell and May 17 at The Met in Pawtucket, RI. Mar 30 Sun - Central Market House - York, PA ...

Photo by Elizabeth Ellenwood Boston blues trio GA-20 recently switched up their line up with vocalist Cody Nilsen joining guitarist Matthew Stubbs and drummer Joshua Kiggans. Their first single with the new line up was a cover of Billy Boy Arnold's "Cryin' & Pleadin'" which stayed true to the band's blues sound. Now they're back with a new single/cover, this time of Lazy Lester's "I Love You, I Need You." This new song is still heavily blues based, but adds quite a bit of soul to the trio's sound. It took me a few listens to adjust to this change. It may be slight, but it was a bit unexpected. Now that I've adjusted, I'm fully on board with this new direction for GA-20. "I Love You, I Need You" may be a bit more laid back and contemplative than what we've become used to from GA-20, but it's certainly not a bad sound. You can listen to "I Love You, I Need You" below. Volume 2 is due out April 29. For...

Photo by Elizabeth Ellenwood Earlier this week, Boston blues band announced they had parted ways with singer/guitarist Pat Faherty. Yesterday, they announced their new lead singer and guitarist is Cody Nilsen and released a new single. The first release with the new line up is a cover of Billy Boy Arnold's "Cryin' & Pleadin'." It's always a little iffy when a band replaces a lead singer since the singer helps define many bands. GA-20 still sound exactly like GA-20 even with a new vocalist. It's still the same electric blues sound we've come to love from the band, just a little different, more of a tweak than anything else. "Cryin' & Pleadin'" has us even more excited to hear where the new line up goes sonically from here. You can listen to GA-20's version of "Cryin' & Pleadin'" below. GA-20 EP Vol. 2 is due out on Colemine Records. For more on GA-20, check out the artist's website .

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 March 15 GA-20, Muddy Ruckus, and Troy Mercy at starlite, Southbridge, MA Miracle Blood, The Freqs, Psychic Weight, and Billy at Deep Cuts, Medford, MA Viv & Riley at Charles River Museum of Industry & Innovation, Waltham, MA Cloudbelly, Jake McKelvie, and TIFFY at O'Brien's, Allston, MA Burp., Tysk Tysk Task, Night Visions, and Cross Girls at Thirsty First, Lowell, MA The Shirts and Shoes, The Roscoes, and WLKRZ at Faces Brewing, Malden, MA Saturday March 16 Matt Charette and the Truer Sound, The Roland High Life, LoboHombre, and Christi...

Photo by Matthieu Joubert GA-20 have an upcoming 7" featuring their cover of Dolly Parton's iconic "Jolene," and for the B-side they chose to cover another country classic. Lee Hazelwood wrote "Still as the Night" and the song was popularized by Sanford Clark in 1958. GA-20's version features Andie Bell on vocals as a duet. Even though GA-20 are more known as a blues band, and this is more of a country song, the trio go in more of a vintage surf rock or 60's spy/noir sound than either of those genres. It's a surprisingly stripped down sound for the trio, as they normally play amped up dirty blues. As far as covers go, GA-20 once again nailed this one. Guitarist Matt Stubbs says of his band's choice of covers: "As much as we love traditional blues music, we also have a soft spot for traditional country and songs that tell a story. These are two great storytelling songs." You can listen to GA-20's version of "Still as the Ni...

Photo by Jessica Calvo Blues albums can be great, but live blues albums always seem to be the best. It makes sense that GA-20's upcoming album would be a live one. The Boston blues rock trio are a powerhouse of a live act, and that just can't be recreated in a studio. The latest single off of the album is "By My Lonesome," and it captures the energy and oomph of a GA-20 live performance. You get the feeling that the guitar is threatening to escape the confines of the song at any moment, but keeps getting reeled back in by the drums. This is a really fun one, and shows why GA-20 are quickly becoming one of the favorites in the current blues scene. Guitarist Matthew Stubbs says of the upcoming live album: “There is a special type of energy that is exchanged when we play in front of a live audience, and we definitely feed off of that and wanted to capture that. I love the power and energy of the best live blues albums. Historically, some of the most iconic blues and jazz...