If It's Too Loud...

I've been a huge fan of Hilken Mancini, Jen Trynin, and Mary Lou Lord's for roughly thirty years now. I've seen Mancini in her various projects countless times, and even though it's been a while, I've been lucky enough to watch Lord perform a number of times. Somehow I've never seen Trynin, but for the album release for Hilken Mancini Band's excellent self-titled album all three were playing, so I obviously needed to go. It just took a little extra time after the original November date was rescheduled.  First up was Mary Lou Lord with a short five or six song set. It was a delight to see her perform after all these years, and she still sounds amazing. One personal highlight was a cover of Lucinda Williams' "Metal Firecracker," which I've always loved. She brought out her daughter, Annabelle Lord-Patey, for a few songs, and even had her sing her new unreleased single. It was stellar (and if you're reading this, be sure to send it to us o...

Artist : Rain on Fridays Album : Death to Affection Quick Thoughts : This came out of nowhere and blew my socks off. It's indie alt/punk, sometimes on the screamy side, but the angst and noise comes across so well and in such a great, fun way that I didn't expect. "Banshee" is a true highlight, but the whole album is not only one of the best of the week, but perhaps one of the best of the year. Songs of Note : "Phonophobia," "We Are So Alike," "Banshee," "Clusterfuck," "Knock Out" Artist : Tyler, The Creator Album : CHROMAKOPIA Quick Thoughts : Tyler, The Creator doesn't always work for me. The sort of doomy dark rap isn't always my thing, but people genuinely love this guy. CHROMAKOPIA makes it make sense for me - it has mood vibes similar to My Beautiful Dark Twisted Fantasy , but with some of the sonic stretches we've seen from more recent Childish Gambino records. I love this album, and if...

Photo by Kathy Chapman I've been a huge fan of Hilken Mancini's since I first discovered Fuzzy way back in the 90's. Since then, she's also been in Shepherdess, Andy California, and The Monsieurs, released an album with Chris Colbourn of Buffalo Tom, co-founded Punk Rock Aerobics (which led to her appearance in the video for Green Day's "Here Comes the Shock"), and co-founded Girls Rock Camp Boston. Now, she's back with a new musical project, Hilken Mancini Band. If you're familiar with any of Mancini's musical work, you're going to love her new single, "Weight." The song is reminiscent of her work from the 90's with Fuzzy, but a little less bubble grunge and more punk. The song is filled with fuzzed out guitars and a harder edge, but still with all of the melody and pop hooks that are a trademark of Mancini's songs. "Weight" is a killer alt-rock song that sounds like it's straight from the 90's, but with...