If It's Too Loud...

For what has become an annual trek for me, the day after Christmas I headed into Boston for the 17th Hometown Throwdown put on by the Mighty Mighty Bosstones . I am pretty much guaranteed to go every year at this point, choosing which date solely based on the openers. This year's winner was Fishbone. Fishbone opened unbelievably strong, with their first song being "Party at Ground Zero." It's always a bold move to open with your most well known song, but since I have a feeling a good chunk of the crowd was unfamiliar with the ska-punk pioneers, it made sense. They tore into "Ugly" next, followed by "Lyin' Ass Bitch." From there, the show seemed to tone down quite a bit. Some youths behind me remarked that Fishbone wasn't bad, but they were ready for them to be done. Since they only played 8 songs total, I hate to admit I agreed. I'm sure a full headlining set would be a better choice instead of an abbreviated opening set. They clos...

For the inaugural Outside the Box Festival taking place in Boston July 13-21, the organizers have planned an amazing spectacle including just about every art form in and around the Boston Common, completely free of charge. There are family friendly activities, theatre events, world music, and more. Since Boston has always been an amazing rock town, music is one of the main attractions. I’m going to focus on a couple of particular events that I can’t recommend highly enough. The first up is Thursday, July 18 at City Hall Plaza which features David Wax Museum . David Wax Museum take the stage at 6:30 with their blend of Mexo-American indie roots folk hybrid. I’ve seen them at least 5 times in the past 2 years, and they never play the same show twice. They are the rare band that fits perfectly in any stage they take on, from a dark, candlelit basement to a huge summer festival stage. They may just be one of the best live acts out there today.  David Wax and Suz Slezak ha...