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: September 6 Lady Lamb, Hannah Mohan, and Naomi Westwater at Arts at the Armory, Somerville, MA Travels with Brindle at Gilman Park, Somerville, MA Linnea's Garden, TIFFY, Lipsmear, and Lover of Eve at The Middle East, Cambridge, MA Haley Heynderickx and LePond at The Word Barn, Exeter, NH September 7 Sweeping Promises and Zowy at Myrtle, East Providence, RI JP Music Fest featuring Merrie Amsterberg, The Ghouls, Prateek, TELL, Travels with Brindle, and more at Pinebank Field, J...

Photo by Stephanie Houten One thing we love about the singles we've heard from Prateek's upcoming album is how diverse they've been. "Diamonds" was a mix of folk, blues, soul, and early R&B, while "You're Still On My Mind" was soul/jazz hybrid. His latest, "No Fun," is an amped up and rollicking take on country/blues/rock. This is such a surprising turn in an album of surprising turns. The obvious joke here is that Prateek has made an incredibly fun song about not being any fun. But "No Fun" is an absolute blast of a song. This one goes deep into some ZZ Top and Tom Petty territory with an absolutely killer guitar solo in the bridge, and we are completely here for it. You can listen to "No Fun" below. Til June is due out in the spring. For more on Prateek, check out the artist's website .

Photo by Stephanie Houten We've been covering Prateek for a few years here at If It's Too Loud..., and he's always been one of our favorite local singer/songwriters in the Boston area. Lately it seems like he's suddenly writing music on a whole new level and suddenly become one of the most intriguing artists in the city. His upcoming album ( Til June,  due out in the spring) seemlessly incorporates just about every genre within the roots category, and we've been absolutely blown away with every single we've heard. When the opportunity to interview Prateek about his upcoming album via email was presented to us, we simply couldn't pass it up! Q:  With your new album, you jump wildly between genres while keeping the album cohesive. What inspired such changes in your sound? A: The music that I love, for sure. So many of my favorite artists - Foy Vance, John Hiatt, John Fullbight - have recorded albums where all the songs vary wildly in terms of sound and genre a...

Photo by Stephanie Houten Boston's Prateek continues his musical evolution. His latest single, "Diamonds," is still rooted in folk and roots music, but it sees Prateek experimenting with a few different genres. It's a little like a ramblin' folk song mixed with blues, soul, and early R&B. There is also more than a little of a rock edge to this one, especially in the guitar solos which are indie rock solos mutating into blues. This song is an absolute epic. For Prateek to have gone from a fairly straightforward singer-songwriter to "Diamonds" with its meandering between genres and styles shows a huge amount of growth as an artist. If you haven't yet, it's time to join us on the Prateek bandwagon ASAP. You can listen to "Diamonds" below. For more on Prateek, check out the artist's website . Diamonds by Prateek

Photo by Stephanie Houten It's been a while since we've had an original song from Boston's Prateek. Luckily, the drought has ended with the release of "You're Still On My Mind." We had gotten used to hearing Prateek as a solo acoustic artist, but this new song sees him bringing in a full band, including a killer horn section. While there are still folk and Americana elements here, "You're Still On My Mind" is more of a jazz or soul song. This just sounds and feels like an old forgotten standard. I certainly wasn't expecting a fantastic soul song from Prateek, and this is quite a pleasant surprise! You can listen to "You're Still On My Mind" below. The song is available as a single via Bandcamp . For more on Prateek, check out the artist's website . You're Still On My Mind by Prateek

Photo by Collette Auger When we first started this blog, nowhere in my music snob brain did I think I'd ever be writing about anything that involves Kelly Clarkson, but here we are! Prateek has become a master of cover songs, and as part of the Now That's What I Call Heartbreak IV: The 2000's compilation (how has there been a break-up themed Boston music covers compilation that is now in it's fourth year and we're just discovering this now?), he's taking on Kelly Clarkson's "Since U Been Gone." It's a solo acoustic cover, and it nails what I've come to love about Prateek's covers. It lands in that area where it's not a completely serious cover, but it's also not being done fully ironically. Prateek is just having fun with a fun pop song and doing it in his own style, and what more could we possibly ask for? You can hear Prateek's take on "Since U Been Gone" below. Now That's What I Call Heartbreak IV: The 2000...

Photo by Holly Rike Boston's Prateek has released a new single that is much more serious than the previous "If I were a dog." "Wrong" is a song about how racism is ingrained in people more than they realize, and how an offhand remark can haunt someone for years afterwards. Prateek's use of just his vocals and guitars give this song an intensely personal feeling. It showcases the power folk music can have in the right hands. "Wrong" is a powerful and important song, that can be as uncomfortable to listen to as it is beautiful. In a Facebook post, Prateek explains the new song: "In college, I hooked up with a white girl who told me I was the first non-white guy she’d ever 'done anything with.' What seemed like a flippant comment haunted me for the next nine years in ways I couldn’t quite put into words until 1) I learned how to write songs and 2) a global pandemic broke out... POC can’t hide from racism because it is, indeed everywhere. ...

Photo by Haley Hatkey It's going to be easy to dismiss Prateek's latest single, "If I were a dog," as a novelty or comedy song. And it is a funny song. "If I were a dog" sees the Boston based singer/songwriter theorizing about how he'd spend his days if he was a dog. It's a song about wishing he could "piss on every tree stump," "make friends with all the bugs and snails," and "jump in every puddle." It reminds me quite a bit of The Lemonheads' "Outdoor Type" in both humor and musical style. It's the kind of song that is guaranteed to get Prateek some enthusiastic cheers once live shows can come back, but the humor helps mask some of the melancholy of the song, which is that it's preferable to be a dog than a human with a job. You can watch the video for "If I were a dog" below. The video features footage fans sent in of their dogs. The song is available now via Bandcamp . For more on Prat...

Photo by Colette Auger Considering Prateek's latest single is a straightforward song that leans towards the mainstream side of that genre, it's incredibly hard to categorize. It starts off with what sounds like steel guitar, so right away you're going to think Prateek has gone country. But "All the Stars" isn't country. Except when it is. The country side of the song fades out and then back in throughout the song and a more traditional modern folk sound takes over. This is what's great and unique about "All the Stars": It's not a country/folk song. It's a country song and a folk song. With his newest single, Prateek has truly outdone himself and truly deserves our attention. You can listen to "All the Stars" below. You can find the single via your preferred streaming service here . For more on Prateek, check out his website .

Photo via Facebook There aren't many good things to come out of the quarantine era, but one of the very few are artists being bored at home and deciding to record cover songs. Especially fairly silly ones. Prateek has jumped on that bandwagon and recorded a cover of Survivor's 1982 Rocky III anthem "Eye of the Tiger." It's an acoustic version of the song, but Prateek just goes for it. I mean, goes for it. It starts off as a quiet acoustic cover, but eventually Prateek starts belting out the song as if he was inspired by a Rocky training montage. This is the kind of quality not-completely-serious content we need right now. Prateek even throws a bonus cover in the middle at no extra charge.  You can watch Prateek take on "Eye of the Tiger" below. For more content like this, check out Prateek's Patreon where he streams twice a month. For more on Prateek, check out the artist's website .

We love covers here at If It's Too Loud..., and we're always thrilled when one of our favorites releases a pair of covers. The only exception is when it's done as a tribute to an amazing artist's passing, which unfortunately the case is here. I obviously don't need to explain how legendary John Prine and Bill Withers are as artists and how far their influence is felt on modern music. Prateek has covered one classic from each man and put them up on his Bandcamp as a free download. For John Prine he chose "Speed of the Sound of Loneliness" and Bill Withers's "Ain't No Sunshine." According to a Facebook post, they are his favorite song from each man. Prateek's covers are virtually perfect and his fandom is front and center in both.  You can listen to Prateek's take on "Speed of the Sound of Loneliness" and "Ain't No Sunshine" below. You can download For Bill and John at Prateek's Bandcamp. For more on ...

Photo via Facebook Boston's own Prateek is one of those artists we feel obligated to bring to you. He deserves far more attention than he gets, and he's going to explode if he's ever given that attention. His latest single, "All the Stars," is the kind of song that demonstrates this. It's a mainstream acoustic folk song. Your mom would hear this and decide it's nice. You could hear "All the Stars" in literally every coffee shop in America. But, unlike most music that your mom finds nice and gets played in coffee shops, this song is incredibly good. Prateek has this quality that I can't describe that is just so captivating. It could be that is voice, while fitting this genre of music perfectly, has a unique vibe to it that sets it apart and sucks us music snobs in. It also doesn't hurt that Prateek can write a hell of a song. You can listen to "All the Stars" below. For more on Prateek, check out his website .

I know Halloween was yesterday, but we have just one more Halloween related tidbit to bring you. Boston's own Prateek has been steadily winning us over with his unique mainstream-but-just-different-enough-to-be-interesting blend of folk, so when he's going to offer us all two of our favorite things (free music and covers!), how are we to resist even if we're a day late? For Halloween he's released Wolves and Bones , a free two song EP featuring solo acoustic covers of Warren Zevon's legendary song "Werewolves of London" and "Spooky, Scary Skeletons," which I guess is a thing on the YouTube? (Sorry, I'm over forty, so...) They're two perfect choices for Halloween: Just fun songs with a spooky theme, and Prateek does them both to perfection. You can listen to Prateek's version of "Werewolves of London" below. Wolves and Bones is available for free on Prateek's Bandcamp. If you do download the songs for free, be sure to...

Boston's Prateek is the kind of modern folk singer we love. He just released a new live single, "Springtime," which is about seasonal depression. Recorded at the Shalin-Liu Center in Rockport, MA, the single captures one of our region's most underrated musicians at the height of his trade. It starts off with some charming stage banter which eventually wanders into the song. It's the kind of song that can keep both folk purists and more mainstream fans satisfied. As he meanders between speak-singing and more traditional singing, you're sucked further and further into Prateek's tale of dealing with seasonal depression while living in New England, which is probably the worst place to suffer from it. You can listen to "Springtime" below. The song is available for free on Prateek's Bandcamp . For more on Prateek, check out his website . If you happen to be in the Boston area, Prateek will be recording a live album at Q Division Studios in Some...

Prateek is one of those artists that has been on my radar for years but I've never fully given my attention to. For that I owe him (and all of you) an apology. His latest single, "The Gang's All Gone," really deserves all of our attention. Prateek does this style of folk rock that is all his. Traditionally folk rock means one sound and one sound only with very little deviation. Prateek side steps that notion. Sure, "The Gang's All Gone" is 100% folk rock. But Prateek's uniqueness starts with his voice. His voice has the soul of a 90's indie rocker just waiting to unleash itself. Plus, he throws in some guitar licks that sound like a lazy J Mascis which are unexpected but very welcome around these parts! You can listen to "The Gang's All Gone" below. The song is currently available via Bandcamp , where you can currently get Prateek's entire discography for $4.20 (woo!) Plus, all of Prateek's proceeds from Bandcamp are cur...