If It's Too Loud...

Last year's New England Americana Festival was one of my musical highlights of 2025. There's just something great about hanging out in a field watching folk, bluegrass, country, and any other branch of Americana that's out there. Plus, I love Bellforge Arts Center, and try to get down there to see virtually anything at that wonderfully underrated venue. Today the festival announces their 2026 line up, and it's simply great. There are a ton of If It's Too Loud... favorites, plus a few new bands we can't wait to explore. This year's festival includes hosts and 2025 Boston Music Awards Americana Artist of the year Kier Burns & The Kettle Burners, Nate Perry & Ragged Company, Other Brother Darryl, Elisa Smith, Jennifer Tefft & The Strange, Tigerman Woah, berm, Regals, Dirt Road Souls, Autumn Hollow, Beware the Dangers of a Ghost Scorpion, Comanchero, Consuelo's Revenge, and damian and the displayers. It's a great selection of some of our favo...

Photo by Sam Tassey Manchester, NH/Portland, ME country rock band Regals released a new single last Friday. "pissin in the wind" is the perfect style of alt-country or country rock. It's a laid back song with gruff vocals and guitars that twang and feedback at the same time. Although it's a laid back song, there is still a surprising intensity to it. It's reminding me of early Deer Tick and Drive-By Truckers, but with some Pixies thrown in. If the terms alt-country or country rock appeal to you, "pissin in the wind" was made for you. Even if the song doesn't grab you immediately, stick with it until the end. In four minutes, Regals could very well make you a superfan. You can watch the video for "pissin in the wind" below. For more on Regals, check out the band on Instagram and Facebook .

As much as I love curated shows, I also love shows that ignore all genres and throw three completely unrelated bands on a bill together. An all ska band show can get boring, same as four or more punk bands. Saturday night was one of the most wildly diverse three band shows I've ever seen, featuring Haasan Barclay, Tysk Tysk Task, and Regals.  According to their Facebook profile, Regals are "New England's finest Country Rock band." Even if they are not the very finest, they are certainly up there. They land smack dab right in the middle of country and rock, which makes them one of the better examples of alt-country in the region. Their sound is between The Deslondes and early Deer Tick. They seem to specialize in mid-tempo ballads that are just a showcase for their sound. It's a great combination of gruff vocals, pedal steel guitar, and rock guitar solos. Seriously, check out their song "Fresh Pack," and you won't be disappointed. Coming up next was t...