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. If you're looking for last minute plans this weekend, we recommend: Friday May 3 The I Want You and Crow Follow at Midway Cafe, Jamaica Plain, MA The Iron Roses, Lowest of the Low, and One Fall at Deep Cuts, Medford, MA Saturday May 4 Kid Gulliver at Luther's Coop, Easthampton, MA Rock and Roll Rumble Finals featuring Other Brother Darryl, The Ghouls, and Gut Health with special guest Halfcocked at Sonia, Cambridge, MA Folk Collective Annual Concert featuring Alastair Moock, Almira Ara, Anju, Audrey Pearl, Cliff Notez, Gabriella Simpkins, Kim Moberg, Lydia Harrell, Maxfield Anderson, Naomi Westwater, Peter Mulvey, and Steph...

The Rock & Roll Rumble has been an institution in the Boston music scene for over forty years, showcasing the best up and coming bands in the Boston music scene. I try to go as often as possible, and made it to night three of the first round which featured one of the most diverse line ups in recent memory: Lovina Falls, Wire Lines, Other Brother Darryl, and Condition Baker. Condition Baker opened the night with a set of 90's style pop punk. They were playing at a disadvantage Saturday night without their lead singer who had to miss the show because of a family emergency. The remaining trio soldiered on (which is pretty punk rock) and delivered a solid thirty minute set. Considering how many lead singers have trouble remembering their lyrics, it was impressive that the guitarist and bass player of Condition Baker were able to fill in so well. They played the only cover song of the evening, which was Sublime's "Santeria." Unfortunately, they weren't at one hundr...

Part of the great thing about the return of the Rock & Roll Rumble is seeing bizarre four band bills that end up working perfectly. I doubt we'll ever see the likes of Tysk Tysk Task, Kooked Out, One Fall, and Not Bad Not Well all playing together again, and that's a shame. Sometimes the most oddball groupings of bands make the most cohesive shows. Tysk Tysk Task opened the evening, and I was a bit nervous for their performance. Their regular drummer was unavailable that night, and they had to use a fill in drummer, which is never ideal... unless that drummer is Cutty from Paper Tigers. With only five days of practice, the show should not have gone well at all, but five seconds into their set and all trepidation I had was gone. Cutty seemed to inject a new sense of excitement into the band, and Samantha Hartsel and Amy Gee seemed to up their game to match that excitement. Plus, turns out Cutty is a phenomenal drummer. Tysk Tysk Task's songs are ever evolving, even from ...

There's just something about the first really nice day of the year in Boston. Winters can be brutal, and even if an eighty degree day comes early and we know it's going to get chilly again, there's just a certain energy in the city on that day. Plus, we're in the middle of the first Rock & Roll Rumble in three years, so there was magic in the air Thursday night at The Middle East. First up were The Freqs out of Salem, MA. I've been enjoying the trio's recorded music since discovering them last year, but I wasn't prepared for their live show. They are a monster live, with a very specific blend of metal meets alt-rock that is always much better in a club than a computer speaker. "Witch" is my personal favorite of theirs, and they both opened and closed with the song. The Freqs make fast and loud rock that is actually clever and interesting, which can be rare in the genre. They definitely made my list of bands I'll need to see again and again....