If It's Too Loud...

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 July 19 The Dollyrots and The Boreouts at Sonia, Cambridge, MA Eye for an Eye, Deprogrammer Cult, Wire Lines, and Ancient Domains at Deep Cuts, Medford, MA Double Star, Foolish Relics, Futon Lasagna, Skaleton Crew, and Solgyres at Hotel Vernon, Worcester, MA Saturday July 20 Oneida, E, and The Spatulas at Deep Cuts, Medford, MA Field Day, Lupo Citta, and Tinkertown at Lizard Lounge, Cambridge, MA Sunday July 21 The Dollyrots, Heather Rose in Clover, and Gamma Rage at Alchem...

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 29 Kate Clover and Brad Marino at The Middle East, Cambridge, MA CLAMB, Talk Chalk, and Honey Cassette at Faces Brewing, Malden, MA Bella's Bartok at The Word Barn, Exeter, NH Will Dailey, Aubrey Haddard, and Bethany Killian at Askew, Providence, RI March 30 Circus Trees, Pray for Sound, Sleep Jumper, and Vallory Falls at Taffeta, Lowell, MA Ex-Hyena, The Shallows, and CMB at Deep Cuts, Medford, MA Sexcoffee, Heather Rose In Clover, and Planet Bog at Askew, Providence, RI Lincoln Durham, The Devil's Twins, and Sophia Carreras at The Rockwell, Some...

Not many songs are going to nail the feeling of winter in New England quite like the latest one from Heather Rose In Clover. The Rhode Island based band just released "Welcome to New England" about just how cold it is this time of year. It's a 90's alt-rock style ode to having to bundle up and scrape off your car. Sure, they do mention the part of how it's beautiful around here when the seasons change, but it's mostly us threatening to move away and for some reason not going it. It's a noisy, angsty power pop song with just the exact right amount of humor needed to get through yet another month (or more) of this awful, awful weather. You can listen to "Welcome to New England" below. The song is available as a single via Pitch & Prose. For more on Heather Rose In Clover, check out the band's website .

The travelling Whistlestop Rock Festival was derailed along with everything else this spring. The festival featured local New England bands  The Chelsea Curve, Cold Expectations, Field Day, Heather Rose In Clover, Justine and The Unclean, Kid Gulliver, The Knock Ups, Linnea’s Garden, and Tiger Bomb  playing in different cities throughout New England with special guests. Keeping the spirit of that festival alive is "Queen of the Drive-In" which features an all-star line up of Whistlestop Rock bandmembers. Kid Gulliver's Simone Berk takes on lead vocals. This is a wonderfully fun song that is a little too poppy to be garage rock and a little too upbeat to be dream pop, even though it's all of these. Plus, with a chorus that features the lyrics " I'm the Dry Hump Queen of the Drive In /  Squeeze over the handbrake and we'll both win," this is just a simple, fun rock song, just the kind we need in a summer like this one. You can listen to "Queen...

The winter is a fairly dead time for live music in New England. A storm can derail a live show at any time, and who really wants to deal with being cold and carrying around a big, bulky coat inside a sweaty, packed club? Whistlestop Rock Festival is going to change that for the better. Simone Berk (Kid Gulliver, Sugar Snow) reached out via a group message to women in bands about doing a show together. That idea expanded into a regionally touring festival featuring eight bands plus special guests in each city. As you can tell by the name, Whistlestop Rock Festival sticks with the rock side of things and features the retro-mod punk of The Chelsea Curve, the Rolling Stones meets Hank Williams of Cold Expectations, Boston rock veterans Field Day, heavily 90's alt-rock infleunced Heather Rose in Clover, the power pop punk of Justine and The Unclean, Kid Gulliver's power pop, power trio The Knock Ups, the impossible to classify Powerslut, and Tiger Bomb's garage pop. Any thre...

The PVD Fest takes over downtown Providence this weekend. It's a free, multi-stage, multi-genre, all ages festival that showcases virtually all forms of arts, but since we're a music blog, we're going to stick with music. The website/schedule is more than a little unwieldy, so here is what we've found that you're going to want to check out! Leyla McCalla Saturday, 5:45-7:15 Mural Stage, 120 Mathewson St We're huge fans of Leyla McCalla here, and I personally can't recommend her live show enough. Her blend of traditional folk is completely unique and uses a cello in ways I've never heard before. For a festival that is focusing mostly on local Rhode Island artists, this is a huge booking and a treat for everyone that can attend. Downtown Boys Saturday, 7:45-8:45 Arcade Stage, 35 Weybosset St Most free outdoor all ages shows aren't going to book a band that flaunts their Communism as openly as Downtown Boys, but PVD Fest doesn't seem t...

Another slow week. Artist : Laura Stevenson Album : The Big Freeze Quick Description : Newest album from a favorite here and elsewhere. Why You Should Listen : Laura Stevenson continues to pull together compelling record after compelling record. Overall Thoughts : The Big Freeze is ultimately an exercise in managing expectations. Stevenson comes from a punk background, she hit our radar with some great indie pop in “Master of Art,” and some of her best songs have been more upbeat and louder on a whole. This new album is very introspective and, in many cases, definitely isn’t shielding anything from the meaning or intentions behind the music. This does not make for a bad album; in fact, it’s a very good one. But my struggle, on first listen, was trying to balance what I want from Laura Stevenson compared to what this album is. This is more her Sea Change , in a sense, and it absolutely works (and the soaring harmonies alongside some stark instrumentation is just gorgeous), ...

Providence's Heather Rose in Clover are basically tailor made for us here at If It's Too Loud... Their latest single, "Satellite," openly flaunts its 90's influences. "Satellite" is packed with mid-90's alternative power pop, and I'm hearing similarities to bands like Fuzzy, Velocity Girl, and Belly all over this song. It's filled with swirling, slightly distorted guitars and some insanely catchy hooks. Heather Rose in Clover explains the song like this:  "'Satellites'  was written as an expression of that deep-seeded longing to reconnect with those we have lost through distance, time, and even death. Inspired by Houdini's fascination with the afterlife, coupled with the extraordinary relationship that exists between mathematics and outer space, Satellites is rich in imagery of hope, searching and discovery." You can listen to "Satellites" below. Canyons , the debut album from Heather Rose in Clover, will...