If It's Too Loud...

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...

Razor Braids have been one of those bands I've enjoyed and have wanted to see them live since discovering their music last year. When I saw the Brooklyn quartet were playing The Rockwell, I wanted to go but was kind of on the fence. Once they announced Mint Green was opening, I immediately bought a ticket. Despite them being local and playing around a lot, seeing them just hadn't worked out yet. Turns out I made the right decision since I also got to discover the fantastic Matilde Heckler, too! Recent Berklee graduate Matilde Heckler opened the show with a short set. They played an electric violin shaped like a flying "v," and with their band played a great set of violin based indie rock/alt pop songs. I believe they only have two songs out to date (with a third due on Friday), so they're in the very early stages of a music career. But sometimes even this early on, you can just tell someone is going to be great someday. They also busted out a cover of Olivia Rodri...

Mint Green can be a lot more pop than I typically get into, but there is something about the band I can't seem to resist. Even the snobbiest of us love a great melody and a catchy song, and even at their most pop Mint Green still have just enough edge to their guitars to keep it from going too pop for me (personally). Since we first discovered them back in 2018, they just keep releasing amazing single after amazing single. Plus, singer/guitarist Ronnica just has that little something special to her voice, especially when she really goes for it. Not many bands can pull off covering artists as diverse as Katy Perry, Phoebe Bridgers, and Yeah Yeah Yeahs, but most bands aren't Mint Green.  You can watch the video for "Body Language" below. For more on Mint Green, check out the band's website , and be sure to catch them at In Between Days on Sunday the 20th on the Arbella Insurance Stage at 1:00. For more information and tickets, head over to the festival's website...

Photo via Facebook We've been supporters of Mint Green for a few years now. The Boston band have mastered this phenomenal blend of angsty pop that occasionally borders on punk, although they've been leaning more heavily into pop territory lately. Their covers have been stellar as well, and their latest is a take on Yeah Yeah Yeahs iconic "Maps." Sure, "Maps" is the obvious Yeah Yeah Yeahs cover, but that's because it's a ridiculously great song. Mint Green's cover is almost perfectly spot on. When I first started playing it, I barely noticed that it wasn't the original. Mint Green singer/guitarist Ronnica sounds shockingly similar to Karen O, and even the guitar work and drums are spot on. Occaionally Ronnica adds in some original vocal flourishes, but this might be the most faithful cover we've ever brought you. You can watch the video for Mint Green's cover of "Maps" below. It was recorded at JK Not Kidding Studios for Bir...

Boston's Mint Green are letting us all hear one final new song before their album comes out. "What I'm Feeling" continues their move to a more pop sound and away from an alt-rock/punk influenced one. However, there is a stronger rock vibe with this one than with the previous singles. It's a ridiculously catchy and melodic almost power ballad that adds some crunch to the guitars and a little edge into the vocals. It's a little too pop to be rock but definitely too rock to be purely pop. It even has too much of an edge to truly be pop rock. "What I'm Feeling" is that kind of indie pop that indie snobs are just starting to admit to liking. You can listen to "What I'm Feeling" below. All Girls Go to Heaven is due out June 3 on Pure Noise Records and can be pre-ordered through Bandcamp . For more on Mint Green, check out the artist's Facebook and Twitter . All Girls Go To Heaven by Mint Green

Photo via Facebook We've been fans of Boston's Mint Green for a while now. Their "Summery, angsty, alt-rock with punk influence and catchy choruses" just works for us. Their latest single, "Trying," goes even further into the pop sphere of things. This may be alt-pop in that it isn't aiming for the top 40, but "Trying" is a pop song. It's an absolutely beautiful mid-tempo song that is somehow being an anthemic banger (do the kids still say banger?) at times and a power ballad at others. If bands like Mint Green don't stop releasing songs this good, I'm going to have to stop pretending that I hate pop. You can watch the video for "Trying" below. All Girls Go to Heaven will be out June 3 on Pure Noise Records, and can be pre-ordered here . For more on Mint Green, check out the band's website .

Photo via Facebook It's been a while since we've brought you an original song from Mint Green. The Boston band has been releasing a bunch of covers lately, and no complaints from us but it's great to have a new original song from them. "Body Language" puts the pop in pop punk. It may have the crashing drums and guitars you would normally associate with pop punk, but the vocals, especially the harmonizing, is pure pop. I may tend to be the anti-pop guy here at If It's Too Loud..., but "Body Language" is nearly impossible not to love. It's all the angst and edge associated with punk but the beauty you get in a pop song. Seriously, punk is not known for beauty, but Mint Green's vocals, especially when harmonizing, and mesmerizing.  You can watch the video for "Body Language" below. The song is available as a single via Pure Noise Records, and can be found here . For more on Mint Green, check out the band's website .

We're obviously huge fans of cover songs here at If It's Too Loud... We loved Something Merry's TV Tunes: A Retrospective of TV Theme Songs that was released last year, so we're thrilled to find out this year they've released One-Derful! It's another Boston based compilations of bands covering songs, this time one hit wonders! There is a lot to like here, with some bands making the songs all their own and others doing quite faithful versions. Some work better than others, with some more faithful versions killing it and other less faithful ones working perfectly. I recommend checking out all the songs, since some covers I thought I'd hate I ended up loving. We have existing favorite artists here, with Mint Green (Natalie Imbruglia's "Torn"), oldsoul (Harvey Danger's "Flagpole Sitta"), and Kitner (Semisonic's "Closing Time"), along with some artists I need to check out more of like Rat Tally (Wheatus' "Teenage...

Last time we brought you new music from Boston's Mint Green, it was a cover of Katy Perry's "Teenage Dream." For Halloween they've given us not one but two Phoebe Bridgers covers! The first is a cover of "Motion Sickness" from 2017's Stranger in the Alps. It's a very true to the original cover, but maybe a little more dreamy and poppy than Bridgers's original. The second cover is "Kyoto" from this year's fantastic Punisher. This cover keeps the vast majority of the original intact, bit with a little more of a lo-fi vibe. These are adoring covers by obvious fans of Phoebe Bridgers, and we're 100% on board for that! You can listen to Mint Green's cover of "Motion Sickness" below. Both covers are available on the band's Bandcamp . For more on Mint Green, check out their Facebook and Twitter . Phoebe Bridgers Covers by Mint Green

I'm admittedly not a Katy Perry fan. Nothing personal against her, it's just not my style. In fact, when I started playing Mint Green's cover of her hit "Teenage Dream," I wasn't sure I had ever heard it before. Of course, once the chorus hit, I realized that I have heard this song literally countless times. That could be at least partially that while the Boston band's cover is poppy as hell, it's not exactly Katy Perry poppy. Their Ban dcamp profile describes their music as " Summery, angsty, alt-rock with punk influence and catchy choruses," and this cover captures that description perfectly. It's on the pop end of alt-rock, but it has an attitude and edge that Perry didn't have hers, while still having all the fun of the original. You can listen to Mint Green's take on "Teenage Dream" below. The song is available for free on the band's Bandcamp . For more on Mint Green, check out their Facebook and Twitter . ...

Today two fantastic mostly local music festivals were announced in the Boston suburbs. Both have plenty of If It's Too Loud... approved artists and are highly recommended.  Brite Lites Music Festival Night Shift Brewing, Everett, MA 7/27/19 Happening just over two weeks from now is the second edition of the Brite Lites Music Festival at Night Shift Brewing in Everett, MA. Headlining the day's festivities are longtime blog favorite Weakened Friends. Far from just being a showcase of 90's inspired indie rock, the festival also features the folk/Americana stylings of The Wolff Sisters and two "how are they not international megastars?" Boston hip hop artists Cliff Notez and Oompa. Oompa in particular is ridiculous live, so make sure you get there early enough to catch her. There are also a few artists we're not familiar with, but what's a festival without a few discoveries? Speaking of getting there early, the event is free before 11:00 am, and $10 at...

This week we bring you a double header for Friday Freebie. Both bands are from the Boston area, both bands are playing a show on March 7 at Once Somerville with one of our favorites The I Want You, and both bands have releases available for free right now on Bandcamp! Cold Expectaions - Supper Prayers According to their Bandcamp bio, Cold Expectations took their name by combining songs from Hank Williams and The Rolling Stones. Can you imagine that in your head? Yup, that's basically what Cold Expectations sound like. Track 1 on Supper Prayers is called "Waterin' Down the Whiskey (With Our Tears)" and another called "Lately I've Been Wearin' My Heart On My Sleeve" in case Hank Williams/Rolling Stones hybrid didn't quite explain it enough for you. Although it's not all early country and 60's country rock on Supper Prayers. There is also quite a bit of 90's alternative influence here, but more the 90's alternative that was stro...