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...

Harlis Sweetwater is a Southern California rock n' roll/blues/soul musician. His latest single, "Won't Be Satisfied," is just a pure no nonsense rock n' roll song. It has a little bit of a hyped up blues and Southern rock thing going on, but more in a ZZ Top way than anything else. Or it's like a heavier/more punk version of JD McPherson. "Won't Be Satisfied" also features guitar from David Hidalgo of Los Lobos and John Doe from X on bass. If that doesn't make you want to listen, I don't even know who you are any more. Harlis Sweetwater says of his new song: "I wanted to write a real rocker. A song that had an old school rock n' roll vibe but with a more aggressive kind of punk rock feel to it...something that had a lot of movement. David was recording at the same studio in Santa Ana that I was and of course I've loved everything he has done with Los Lobos, so I thought, why not take a shot and ask him if he would rock a guit...

Photo by Jim Herrington Legendary L.A. punk band X always had a country/rockabilly side, and when John Doe has done solo music he has tended to go full on country/rockabilly. His upcoming solo album is made up of songs that take place in the 1890's, and the first single, "Never Coming Back," is going to be beloved by X fans. It has all the edge of anything Doe's band has done, but just a less in-your-face version of that sound. Maybe it's just Doe's iconic voice, but "Never Coming Back" sounds like a stripped down version of an X song. When one of your favorite punk legends announces a solo album, this is exactly what you want. It still sounds like what you've always loved from them, but doesn't just sound exactly like their band. You can watch the video for "Never Coming Back" below. Fables in a Foreign Land is due out May 20 on Fat Possum, and can be pre-ordered here . For more on John Doe, check out the artist's website .