If It's Too Loud...

Taking place August 24, Dream a Better World Fest is an "... interdisciplinary arts, music, activism, and social justice festival" that takes place at Warehouse XI in Somerville. Curated by Ruby Grove, the tagline on the poster states "How do we free ourselves and each other from oppression and create a world worth living in?" I feel like that mission statement is going to appeal to many people these days, as it seems like the world is going absolutely haywire around us with no obvious solution in sight. Performing at Dream a Better World Fest are bands that we've previously covered and love, such as Evan Greer, Ruby Grove, Lonely Leesa and the Lost Cowboys, and Linnea Herzog, as well as two we have yet to discover: Why Try and Chris Walton. Music seems to be the rare thing to help bring people together and lighten the mood this year, and Dream a Better World Fest is sure to do both while helping us all to figure out what we can actually do. Dream a Better World...

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 5 Bella's Bartok at Gallery Walk, Brattleboro, VT The Downhauls, Hammered Saint, Stars Like Ours, and Lonely Leesa and The Lost Cowboys at Koto, Salem, MA Fresh, Ogbert the Nerd, Mint Green, and Oldsoul at Deep Cuts, Medford, MA Saturday July 6 Happy Little Clouds, Lovina Falls, and Parlour Bells at The Rockwell, Somerville, MA Tysk Tysk Task, Tetchy, Gross Girls, and Wildfeuer at Taffeta, Lowell, MA Kimaya Diggs at Antenna Cloud Farm, Gill, MA Brainstory at The St...

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 22 Consumer, Tysk Tysk Task, Vivid Bloom, and Little Fuss at Deep Cuts, Medford, MA Cody Nilsen and Abbie Barrett at Lizard Lounge, Cambridge, MA Jake Xerxes Fussell and Alex Dupree at Club Passim, Cambridge, MA Marc Valentine, The Chelsea Curve, and Little Billy Lost at The Burren, Somerville, MA March 23 Mephiskapheles, Mamadou, and The Riki Rocksteady All-Stars at Old Town Hall, Salem, MA Happiness, Julie Rhodes & The Electric Company, and How's About Charlie at Askew, Providence, RI Galaxy Cake, The Daylilies, Lonely Leesa & The Lost Cowbo...

Photo by Chuck Losey CW: Domestic violence "Stayed 2017" started off as a b-side to "Reckless" seven years ago, but Lonely Leesa & the Lost Cowboys have decided to re-release the song and pair it with a new video to highlight the fact that the Supreme Court is ruling this spring on whether a domestic abuse order can prevent abusers from owning and possessing handguns. "Stayed 2017" is a powerful alt-country power ballad that defies that genre. It's a little bit rock and pop, and is an absolutely epic track tackling a tough but vital subject. The video, which was shot on an iPhone, is intensely personal and intimate, maybe even more so than the song. Lonely Leesa & the Lost Cowboys have released a powerful and unfortunately timely song that you're going to need to pay attention to. Leesa Coyne says of her new video: “I hope this video helps someone else who has been suffering in silence to feel less alone and that it raises awareness of the ...

Photo via Facebook "Sway Little Player" may be the debut single from The Shang Hi Los, but this band is comprised of Boston garage rock 'n' roll royalty. The band features  Jen D'Angora (Jenny Dee & The Deelinquents, The Dents, The Downbeat 5), Dan Kopko (Watts), Lee Harrington (The Neighborhoods), and Chuck Ferreira (Eddie Japan, Lonely Leesa & the Lost Cowboys). "Sway Little Player" is classic rock 'n' roll. It's as groovy as humanly possible and has the same earworm quality the best pop songs of the 60's have. But, as 60's vintage as this song is, it somehow still has the tiniest bit of a modern edge to it. It could be that Jen D'Angora keeps a little punk edge to her voice that would have been missing five decades ago, but The Shang Hi Los have given us a modern garage pop classic. You can watch the video for "Sway Little Player" below. The song is available as a single now via Rum Bar Records. For more...