If It's Too Loud...

One of my favorite things is going to see a diverse live bill. Anyone can put together a show with three pop punk bands on it, but it's a challenge (and far more interesting) to put three unique bands on the same show and have it work out perfectly. Saturday night at The Sinclair saw the steamcrunk of Walter Sickert & The Army of Broken Toys, doombrass heroes Eight Foot Manchild, and the baroque pop of Lovina Falls, and it was perfect. Opening the show was Lovina Falls, the current musical project of Valerie Forgione of Mistle Thrush. This was my third or fourth time seeing them in just a few months, and I'm still entertained every time. It's been interesting to watch Lovina Falls adjust and discover their sound over the past two or so years, and I think they've nailed their current sound down. It's an engaging blend of the baroque pop they started out with mixed with a more rock based sound. Songs like "Ellery Way" and "Vaulted" continue to ...

One thing I love about seeing newer bands multiple times is watching their sound evolve. The first time I saw Lovina Falls live was their 2024 appearance at the Rock and Roll Rumble, where they showcased a more baroque pop sound. I've seen them a few times since then, and each time they've adopted a more rock based or dream pop sound. Friday night they played Deep Cuts for a release party for the excellent "Light and Low" single. I had to head out to Medford to see where their evolution is currently taking them. Opening the show was Roser, a band I know from some local compilations but I don't believe I've formally covered before. They're a Lowell based band that plays a sound that combines the bounciness of pop punk with the haze of dream pop. At some points they were more one genre than the other, and others their sound was a combination of both. It was a set that was fun but with just a hint of darkness to the music to keep things interesting. Lowell ba...

Photo by Joan Hathaway Lovina Falls, the new musical project of former Mistle Thrush singer Valerie Forgione, has a new single out that expands on their baroque pop sound. While other recent singles have moved more towards the alt-rock of Forgione's former band, "Light and Low" is more along the lines of Lovina Falls' first few singles. There is still plenty of rock in this new single, making it land somewhere in the middle of rock and pop. It's also much more fast paced than we've heard from this newer project, creating a swirling sensation that almost forces the listener to want to dance. Lovina Falls have mostly been a laid back band with more chill songs. "Light and Low" is their first that requires the audience to move, and that demand gets more and more intense as the song progresses. Valerie Forgione says of her latest single: "'Light and Low’ is about recognizing that as time goes on, it’s ok to let go of old and 'historic thinki...

The second night of The Town and The City Festival was the traditional style for the festival with multiple bands playing venues all over downtown Lowell. For me, the night started out at Koto Asian Fusion, a relatively new music venue and a sister venue to Koto in Salem. The stage for the shows Friday night was in the main restaurant, which led to some awkward milling about before the music started. Up first was The Shallows, a Boston band I was unfamiliar with. They play a blend of gorgeous shoegaze inspired alt-rock that was for the most part laid back, and was the perfect way to ease people into an evening of music. Their set inspired some slow dancing to break out periodically, and it's easy to see why. The Shallows play shoegaze, but a version of the genre that is pop leaning, at least in that late 90's alt-rock leaning into pop way.  Lovina Falls played next. It was my third time seeing Valerie Forgione's baroque pop project live, and what strikes me is how different...

The Town and The City Festival is one of our favorite events of the year. Some of our favorite bands play every year, and wandering from venue to venue always reminds me of going to CMJ during my college radio years. Three nights of music can be tricky to navigate, so here are our recommendations of the must see artists for 2025! Thursday April 24 Lady Lamb (9:30 pm) and Ezra Furman (8:15 pm) Taffeta, 122 Western Ave at Western Ave Studios Lady Lamb and Ezra Furman are two of our absolute favorite artists at If It's Too Loud..., so we're thrilled to see them playing together. As The Town and The City Festival expands to three nights, this is the only Thursday night show, but it would be a huge deal no matter when it was. These are two of the most compelling alt-rock/indie singer-songwriters around these days, and two of the most engaging performers I've had the pleasure of seeing. Friday April 25 The Sheila Divine (10:00 pm) Taffeta, 122 Western Ave at Western Ave Studios I...

We love The Town and The City Festival that takes over downtown Lowell annually, and this year's line up has been extra crazy great. Today they announced the individual show line ups, and there are choices to be made. Thursday is easy not only because there's one show, but because it features Lady Lamb, Ezra Furman, and Class President at Taffeta. After that, good luck deciding. Ken will probably be at Zorba Music Hall at 10:15 for The Sheila Divine, but that night also features performances from Jennifer Tefft & The Strange, Twisted Pine, Lovina Falls, The PA's, The Freqs, and many, many more. Saturday is just as crazy with Girl with a Hawk, The Chelsea Curve, Loudon Wainwright III, Hilken Mancini & Melissa Gibbs, Senseless Optimism, Gross Girls, The Ghouls, and many, many more. Good luck deciding! The Town and The City Festival runs April 24-26 all throughout downtown Lowell. Multi-day passes are on sale now. Individual show tickets go on sale this Friday, Februar...

The Town and The City Festival once again takes over downtown Lowell this year, and once again it keeps getting bigger and better. Expanding to three days over April 24 to 26, the festival starts on Thursday with Lady Lamb and Ezra Furman at Taffeta Music Hall. That's enough to get us there front and center, but there are also a ton of our friends and favorites playing the rest of the weekend! Playing this year are indie rock stalwarts The Sheila Divine, Maine/Boston lifers Heretix, bluegrass fusion favorites Twisted Pine, garage rockers The Chelsea Curve, genre busting singer-songwriter Senseless Optimism, Hilken Mancini & Melissa Gibbs, Lowell's new favorites The Ghouls, Lovina Falls, Girl with a Hawk, The Freqs, The PA's, Jennifer Tefft & The Strange, and many, many more! The Town and The City Festival runs April 24 to 26 all over downtown Lowell. Multi-day passes go on sale Friday January 17. For more information, check out the festival's website .

Photo by Joan Hathaway Lovina Falls (the new baroque pop project from Valerie Forgione of Mistle Thrush) has released a new single today, ahead of playing this Friday at The Sinclair with Chameleons. "Ellery Way" shows off a new side of the evolving project. The song starts off in a hazy, dreamy way that will remind many of Kate Bush. Slowly, the rock side of the song increases with an almost industrial touch. "Ellery Way" turns into a heavier song that keeps all of the beauty it started with intact. Lovina Falls have taken their latest and created a sound that keeps the roots of Forgione's 90's music and updated it for today.  Valerie Forgione says of her latest single: “‘Ellery Way’ is about being blissfully unaware of external chaos and breathing in a beautiful moment. It’s about navigating unfamiliar places with someone and embracing them fearlessly. It’s about taking control of your world – not letting the world take control of you.”  You can watch the ...

Fourth of July is a weird weekend in Boston. The city is chock full of tourists, a lot of locals are on vacation, and those that stay in the area can be wiped out. I was in the wiped out category, but I couldn't let myself miss the triple bill of Happy Little Clouds, Lovina Falls, and Parlour Bells! Parlour Bells opened the evening, and it was my first time seeing them. For a show like this, The Rockwell will keep the floor free for standing/dancing and have the seats available on the sides and back for anyone that prefers sitting. It could be that the audience attracted an older crowd, or everyone was still recovering from the Fourth, but everyone decided to hang out in the seats. (That's not to say that the crowd wasn't great, as there was more lively applause for all three bands than I usually see at a local rock showcase.) Singer Goddamn Glenn is always a joy to see perform live and is one of the most natural frontpeople in Boston. Their set is just killer glammed up ro...

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...

Photo by Joan Hathaway We really enjoyed last year's Calculating the Angle of Our Descent from Lovina Falls, and each time I've seen Valerie Forgione's (Mistle Thrush) new musical project, I've heartily enjoyed myself. But, her latest single is blowing all my expectations away. "Tragedy" takes the baroque pop of her album and makes it rock out. This new song starts off how we'd expect a new song from Lovina Falls to go with lovely instrumentation and harmony. And then the song takes off into a more 90's style, noisy and chaotic burst, all while keeping all of the melody and harmony intact. "Tragedy" is an intense and beautiful track that has us dying to hear even more. Valerie Forgione says of her latest single: “‘Tragedy’ is loud and crunchy, but it's authentic and still comes from the same place. There are similar elements that exist on  Calculating the Angle of our Descent , but here they sit more at the forefront. I’m not a particular...

More and more music venues are starting to pop up in the suburbs of Boston, and the latest discovery is Fireseed Arts Center in Framingham. It's mostly a studio of "... makers of fine hand-crafted products made from recycled and repurposed materials." Many of their products include 420 paraphernalia and musical instruments, so it makes sense that they would also dabble in live music. Once I saw that Jennifer Tefft & The Strange were holding their album release show there, I jumped at the chance to see the new venue. Lovina Falls opened the show, and it was the first time I had seen them since the Rock & Roll Rumble. Valerie Forgione's new musical project took the stage with nine members (I believe, could be off by a person or two) including a violin player who came and went and two backup singers. Lovina Falls plays a dark version of pop music that the average fan of pop certainly would not consider pop. With so many members on stage it was quite easy to get l...

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: June 14 Jennifer Tefft & the Strange, Lovina Falls, and Little Billy Lost at Fireseed Art Studios, Framingham, MA Vudu Sister and Savoir Faire at Myrtle, Providence, RI Linnea's Garden, Ruby Grove, Cindy Lawson, and Lovewhip at The Jungle Community Music Club, Somerville, MA Bikini Whale, Speedfossil, and Cold Expectations at Faces Brewing, Malden, MA Kid Gulliver, True Jackie, and The Satch Kerans at The Square Root, Roslindale, MA Matt Woods, Ted Russell Kamp, and Matt C...

The Rock & Roll Rumble has been an institution in the Boston music scene for over forty years, showcasing the best up and coming bands in the Boston music scene. I try to go as often as possible, and made it to night three of the first round which featured one of the most diverse line ups in recent memory: Lovina Falls, Wire Lines, Other Brother Darryl, and Condition Baker. Condition Baker opened the night with a set of 90's style pop punk. They were playing at a disadvantage Saturday night without their lead singer who had to miss the show because of a family emergency. The remaining trio soldiered on (which is pretty punk rock) and delivered a solid thirty minute set. Considering how many lead singers have trouble remembering their lyrics, it was impressive that the guitarist and bass player of Condition Baker were able to fill in so well. They played the only cover song of the evening, which was Sublime's "Santeria." Unfortunately, they weren't at one hundr...

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: Friday April 5 Tree, Scissorfight, and Inverter at The Vault, New Bedford, MA Rock & Roll Rumble Preliminary Night Two featuring Type 66, Trailer Swift, Gut Health, and JATK at The Middle East, Cambridge, MA Hammered Saint, Diablogato, and The Shang Hi Los at Faces Brewing, Malden, MA Saturday April 6 Rock & Roll Rumble Preliminary Night Three featuring Lovina Falls, Wire Lines, Other Brother Darryl, and Condition Baker at The Middle East, Cambridge, MA 2nd Annual Townes Van Zandt Night featuring Paul Basile & Pete Camerato, Jake McKelvie, Dan Lambe...

Photo by Joan Hathaway Mistle Thrush are one of those bands I keep forgetting about, and then rediscover every few years. If you've wondered what members have been up to lately, we now know that singer Valerie Forgione has a new musical project. Lovina Falls sees Forgione going in a new sonic direction. The latest single from her new album, "On Your Side," is more baroque pop than alt-rock. There are still the basic elements of 90's indie rock sprinkled throughout "On Your Side," and even some of the more pop focused side of trip hop. It's an interesting new direction for one of our favorite Boston 90's artists, and we're looking forward to see what other directions Lovina Falls goes in. Valerie Forgione talks about what she's been doing since Mistle Thrush ended and her return to indie rock: "I love writing, recording, and performing music, and have spent most of my life doing so. Since Mistle Thrush, I've been scoring for theater, ...