If It's Too Loud...

A few weeks back I started seeing ads on social media for Back Cove Music & Arts Festival in Portland, ME. I always try to keep my expectations low when a new festival is announced, because more often than not the line up isn't in my taste (aka typically filled with jam bands). I was optimistic, but didn't expect much. Today the line up was announced, and it's kind of ridiculously great. Taking place August 2 and 3 in Payson Park, the festival features world renowned heavy hitters like Jack White, Lord Huron, Andre 3000, Turnpike Troubadours, and Lucy Dacus, as well as If It's Too Loud... favorites like Margo Price, Thee Sacred Souls, Madi Diaz, The Greeting Committee, local heroes Weakened Friends, and many more! This is a completely solid line up, and considering it's a festival boasting no overlapping sets, how could you go wrong? Maine is beautiful, and we're always looking for an excuse to get up there over the summer. What better reason is there than a...

Artist : Jack White Album : No Name Quick Thoughts : While there's an inherent level of "why do people grow as artists" quality to a lot of longtime acts, the last decade or so of Jack White solo work has left me a little more confounded than celebratory. Especially 2022's Fear of the Dawn / Entering Heaven Alive duo, neither of which worked for me at all and just made me wonder where the rocking chaos demon of the White Stripes went. Turns out he was just hibernating, because No Name is by and large a return to the form we thought we might see regularly from his initial solo records. It's a lot of bluesy garage rock with familiar overtones while still retaining that Jack White flair, and I really enjoyed this one. A welcome listen from an old favorite. Songs of Note : "Old Scratch Blues," "Bless Yourself," "Archbishop Harold Holmes," "What's the Rumpus," "Terminal Archenemy Endling" Artist : Teenage ...

Artist : Lucius Album : Second Nature Quick Thoughts : We've been fans of Lucius around these parts for some time now, and it's continually great to see them get more and more notice. This latest album is a wonderful, polished effort with some heavy hitting guest spots and a lot of gorgeous harmonies. Longtime fans will find plenty to love here, as will folks finally getting to jump on the bandwagon. Songs of Note : "Next to Normal," "Dance Around" Artist : Wet Leg Album : Wet Leg Quick Thoughts : Wet Leg is probably the buzziest new band to hit the scene in years, and for good reason. "Chaise Longue" is a hit in every sense of the word, and the overall presence of the band is one that feels extremely natural and experienced. For me, Wet Leg is odd because this album feels like it is trying to make 25-year-old-me their new obsession, and they hit a lot of nostalgia triggers for me. Wet Leg is basically what you'd expect middle schoo...

This is apparently the week that every single major festival is going to announce their line ups, and most have been rather... underwhelming. I know that middle aged dads aren't exactly the target audience for music festivals, but we like to think we're "with it" here. Regardless, I've only seen about 3-5 artists per festival that I've cared about, and that has gone down as I realize that the Belly they've booked is the wrong Belly. That's why we're excited about Boston Calling this year. The headliners aren't all that thrilling (pretty sure Eminem is playing every festival this year, but yay for Jack White!) and of course The National are playing,  but as you go down the poster we start getting more intrigued. Fleet Foxes, St. Vincent, and The Decemberists are beloved by young and aging hipsters, plus they booked the right Belly and Pussy Riot. You go even further down and find Big Thief and Charly Bliss, who have been two of our favorites...

None of these things sound like they belong together, but just trust me on this one. Starting on May 16, PBS and BBC will start airing a documentary series called American Epic, which is put together by Jack White, T Bone Burnett, and Robert Redford . It looks back at the 1920s, when record companies would send representatives travelling across the country to record new musicians. The series ends with a film on June 6 called The American Epic Sessions  which will feature Willie Nelson, Beck, Alabama Shakes, and more recording on the same equipment from the 1920s.  Right now you can watch a preview of the series featuring Nas and Jack White reworking Memphis Jug Band's 1928 classic "On the Road Again" as a blues/hip hop hybrid. In the video, Nas explains that he considers this song to be the birth of hip hop, based on the vocal stylings of the original. One of the highlights of the new version might be a musician using a jug to almost beat box.  American Epic  w...

This week saw the debut of Chris Thile (Nickel Creek, Punch Brothers) take over as host of NPR staple  A Prairie Home Companion. I was always shocked that more "hip" bands didn't do the show back when Garrison Keillor was the host, since it's hokey, old-timey format seemed to be a perfect fit for most of the current crop of Americana artists. That might finally be happening with the new, younger host, as Thile's first show featured the big guns of Lake Street Dive and Jack White. Best of all is Jack White brought out Margo Price for a rendition of The White Stripes' "I'm Lonely (But I Ain't That Lonely Yet)." While the original had more of a gospel feel to it, this version felt like the song might have started out as a Carter Family song. Just add some twang and the beyond classic feel of Price's voice, and any song can be an old standard. You can watch Jack White and Margo Price perform "I'm Lonely (But I Ain't That Lone...

After missing Friday's edition of the Newport Folk Festival, I entered Fort Adams State Park on Sunday determined not to miss a single thing. Of course, with 4 official stages all going at once, such a thing is impossible, as I re-learn every year. Starting the day off at the Quad Stage, The Haden Triplets came on bright and early at 11:05 am. Considering the last time I saw Petra and Rachel perform live, it was at the Middle East in Cambridge with That Dog, the circumstances couldn't have been more different. Instead of 90s post-grunge guitars, they performed beautiful 3 part harmonies over classic country and folk songs. Dedicating their set to their father, the recently departed Charlie Haden, they covered classics like Bill Monroe's "Voice From on High" and The Carter Family's "Single Girl, Married Girl." After The Haden Triplets, I headed down to the Harbor Stage for John Reilly & Friends. Yes, it's that John Reilly of such films a...

A few highly anticipated releases, a few surprises, so let's dive in. We've been doing this for a year already? The Fresh & Onlys - House of Spirits : I confess to having never heard of this band before this week, and the type of music they do is appealing, a sort of darker indie rock/pop sound. This album doesn't have any immediate highlights on first listen, but it's still a pretty good album for this week, and deserves to not get lost in the shuffle. Half-Handed Cloud - Flying Scroll Flight Control : Back when I first got into indie rock, a lot of the Elephant 6 stuff I was into was the sort of psych-folk experimental stuff that, frankly, I can't listen to anymore today. That's effectively what Half-Handed Cloud is, and I really don't have anything to say since it isn't really for me at all. Craft Spells - Nausea : Craft Spells is another band I didn't know until this week, and I really liked this album. It's the best parts of a...

A slow new release week as we start looking toward the holiday season. Various Artists - Rockin' Legends Pay Tribute to Jack White : Out of left field for me this week was this tribute album to Jack White (The White Stripes, The Dead Weather, The Raconteurs) with cover versions by old country rock artists. You might not think you want to hear Gary U. S. Bonds performing "Salute Your Solution" or Sonny Burgess doing "Steady As She Goes," but this is a surprisingly fun collection of cover songs, and really highlights the bluesy, rootsy origin of Jack White's songwriting. It's pretty solid, and it's worth a listen if you're a fan of Jack White in any permutation. I'd personally love to see a Volume 2. Beady Eye - BE : In the War of the Oasis Brothers, I am firmly on Team Noel. I'm Team Noel to the point where I really don't want to like Beady Eye, and got disproportionately angry when Beady Eye performed Oasis songs at the Olympi...