If It's Too Loud...

Year after year, Moon Over Salem is an incredible showcase of local artists in Salem every September. They're scaling back this year due to Moon Base One losing their all ages space earlier this year, but they're still putting on a great all day festival! Instead of multiple locations throughout downtown Salem, this year's festival takes place at Cinema Salem on September 12, and will include performances from Bad Idea USA, Belly Porba, Big Time, Cape Crush, Catnap, Couch Sex (playing a reunion set), Earthlore, In/Shreds, Jude Ivy, Pintail, and more to be announced. Digital Awareness will also be providing live analog visuals. The whole thing benefits The Moon Rising Artist Scholarship, which is a great bonus besides the fantastic day of music. Tickets for Moon Over Salem are on sale now, and are $25 in advance and $30 day of show. You can find tickets here .

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 September 13 Jedediah Parish and Mike Gent at Q Division Studios, Cambridge, MA DeVotchka and Savoir Faire at The Sinclair, Cambridge, MA Buffalo Tom and Belly at State Theater, Portland, ME Bongwish, Mother Fungus, The P.A.'s, and Little Miss Echo at Deep Cuts, Medford, MA Feminine Aggression, Perennial, and Juana B Ontop at Holyoke Media, Holyoke, MA Saturday September 14 Moon Over Salem Festival featuring Actor Observer, Hell Beach, dropbear, The Freqs, Oldsoul, Astr...

I'm a huge supporter of early fall festivals. It's still warm enough to comfortably spend the day outside, but you most likely won't be profusely sweating all day. There tend to be less obligations on the weekends than there are in the summer. Considering how many festivals are packing the weekends this September, organizers are finally agreeing with me. Here are festivals we're curious about coming up next month! River Roads Festival September 7 Millside Park, Easthampton, MA Western Massachusetts has been a favorite festival destination for me from back in the Warped Tour days in Northampton. River Roads takes place in a park in Easthampton and boasts an amazing folk/singer-songwriter oriented line up. You get well established artists like Dar Williams, Iris Dement, Jill Sobule, and Paula Cole along with favorite up and comers like Haley Heynderickx and Sunny War. Listening to amazing artists in a park on the side of a river is one of our favorite things to do, and Ri...

I'll use just about any excuse I can find to go hang out in Salem, MA, especially in the Fall. Looks like I'll be clearing my calendar to head up there in mid-September for Moon Over Salem. Formerly Hope Fest, Moon Over Salem is going to be taking over six venues (Bit-Bar, Gulu Gulu, CHAGALL PAC, Cinema Salem, Koto, and Ames Hall) from 1:00 pm to 11:00 pm for a full day of music. How great is the line up? It features Actor Observer, Oldsoul, One Fall, Radio Compass, Astral Bitch, dropbear, Molly O'Leary, The Freqs, and many, many more, including a few to be announced later this month, which includes a national headliner. Plus, it's September 14, which is just late enough to truly be Fall without Salem becoming too crazy (although it will still be pretty crazy, even in September!) September has quietly become the best month for music festivals of the year in New England, but you're going to want to drop everything for this one. Moon Over Salem takes over downtown Sal...