If It's Too Loud...

Photo by Shervin Lainez Rubblebucket covering The Moldy Peaches' iconic "Anyone Else But You" might not seem like an obvious choice... but it's absolutely perfect. The band have always straddled this interesting area between indie rock and a more hippie style, and are right at home playing Americana or jam band based festivals. Their version of "Anyone Else But You," recorded during a SiriusXM session, isn't anywhere nearly as gentle or twee as the original. Sure, it starts out that way but slowly builds into a much more raucous and celebratory song. A Rubblebucket show is always a hippie/hipster party, and they turn this Moldy Peaches favorite into just that. The band says about their choice of cover: "We have always loved the  Moldy Peaches  song 'Anyone Else But You.' The lyrics are so poetic and the song is so simple. Despite being so soft the performance has a punk ethos in its level of carefreeness. The vibe really captures our spirit ...

Photo by Shervin Lainez Rubblebucket are one of those bands that can be hit or miss for me, and their latest single is one that definitely hits. "Go All the Way With Me" is a celebratory art-pop track, which defines most of the band's music. This is a mid-tempo dance track that sounds like a modern version of 80's New Wave, particularly a band like The Human League. To keep in the spirit of Rubblebucket, it also has that confusing feeling where it's somehow going to appeal to both indie rock fans and jam band fans at the same time. Usually only artists like Wilco and My Morning Jacket can pull that off, but Rubblebucket expertly do the same with alt-pop that commands you to dance. I truly can't think of any other bands with that ability, but no other band is Rubblebucket. Frontwoman Kalvia Travers says of the new single: "Working on this song with Alex was like going through a portal. I struggled a lot with the vocal part on this song. I was coming off 2 ...

Photo by Shervin Lainez I was too old for Britney Spears when she first broke. I had just graduated college and was too inside my own world of indie rock to care about anything happening on TRL. (So... pretty much the same as now.) Eventually even I had to admit that "Toxic" was a pretty great song, even if I could only admit it ironically. Nowadays I have an odd nostalgia for her music, and fully agreed with the #FreeBritney movement. I developed an appreciation of Britney mainly through covers of her songs, so I was thrilled to find out Rubblebucket had released a cover of her breakout hit "Oops!... I Did it Again." The art pop/indie rock group has a stripped down version (comparatively, as anything is truly stripped down from the original) that is completely faithful to the original with Rubblebucket adding enough of their dance friendly artsy pop to make it sound like their own. It's a light and fun song that is going to be beloved even by the oldest, snobbi...

Photo by Amanda Piquotte Kalbells (featuring Kalmia Traver of Rubblebucket along with members of Sad13, Okkervil River, and more) have released a new single from their upcoming album. "Pickles" features that laid back dance groove we've come to cherish from Kalbells. It's a dance track, but one that lives in a world where disco and trip hop melded into one sound. Plus, it features a verse from Miss Eaves, giving it a feel of 90's R&B when every song would inject a hip hop verse in the middle. Kalmia Traver says of the new song: “ The song is about escaping a romantic pickle by grudgingly accepting getting one's ego chopped down, or at least chopped back.... and then realizing the whole experience can be kind of fun, sadistically, but also existentially thrilling and weirdly healing. For the second verse Miss Eaves and I had a long conversation about fuckbois and then she turned around this glistening cave of pickle puns and our mouths all dropped to the fl...

Photo by Amanda Picotte Kalbells are best known as the side project of Rubblebucket's Kalmia Traver, but the band also features members of Sad13, Okkervil River, and more. They have a new single out, and it's going to really demand your attention. "Purplepink" is great for fans of Rubblebucket. The song has that indie rock goes hippie party feel, but "Purplepink" has a chilled out, spacey feel, even without the accompanying video. It's a modern day version of Parliament's spaced out funk, with a few more electronic sounding elements sprinkled in. You can watch the video for "Purplepink" below. Max Heart  is the upcoming album from Kalbells, and will be out on NNA Tapes on March 26. You can pre-order a copy here . For more on Kalbells, check them out on Facebook and Twitter .

A much busier week than we've been used to! Artist : Jain Album : Souldier Quick Description : Second album from the French pop singer is better than the first. Why You Should Listen : Jain is odd and unique and fun all at once. Overall Thoughts : I forget how I tripped up on Jain's last album, but she has a very unique style that is very appealing. Her new album is somehow better than her previous efforts, with "Flash (Pointe Noir)" being an instant classic and a song, "Inspecta," that is sampling Inspector Gadget ? I'm in. This is probably my favorite listen of the week, and there are too many fun things going on here to ignore. Recommendation : A solid pop release with a lot going for it. Artist : Whitney Ballen Album : You're a Shooting Star, I'm a Sinking Ship Quick Description : Debut from a new favorite here. Why You Should Listen : Ballen is upping the singer-songwriter game here. Overall Thoughts : Ken and I have both b...

Back in May we brought you a handful of some of the smaller music festivals you should be checking out. It's been a couple of months, so we have some updates for you! Here are three late summer/early fall festivals that should be worth your time! The Cranking and Skanking Fest August 25, Worcester, MA If you're like me, you spent many years attending the Warped Tour, only to quit as you seemed to age out. My last year was 2002 (?), when I realized I was only there to see four bands (The Mighty Mighty Bosstones, Bad Religion, Circle Jerks, The Damned). When they announced that this would be the final year of the tour, I hoped they'd reach out to some of the more classic bands that have played in the past, and maybe they did, but you'd never know it by looking at it. This might be why I'm so excited about The Cranking and Skanking Fest. Sure, it's in the parking lot of the Palladium in Worcester which isn't the most glamorous location, and I prefer when ...

2017 has been an interesting year for Rubblebucket. January saw the release of the If U C My Enemies  EP, followed up by Alex Toth releasing a garage rock album under the name Alexander F in February. It's now singer Kalmia Traver's turn to go solo for a bit. She's releasing a solo album under the name Kalbells, and right now we can listen to the first song from it, "Craving Art Droplets." While Alexander F's album sounded nothing like what I'd expect from a Rubblebucket member's solo album, "Craving Art Droplets" is exactly what I'd expect. It's a chilled out sounding song that is equal parts hippie and electronica. And yes, I used the term "electronica" because it reminds me heavily of late 90s bands like Sneaker Pimps and Morcheeba, but, you know... really artsy. I'd hope you'd expect artsy with a name like "Craving Art Droplets," plus the fact that Rubblebucket have always brought a level of artines...

Ever since 2009 when Mission of Burma and Buffalo Tom played the Orpheum, Boston's First Night has had a layer of cool to it. Since then, First Night celebrations have included blog favorites like Mavis Staples, Yo La Tengo, The Magnetic Fields, Walter Sickert & The Army of Broken Toys, and more. This year... not so much. I know their budget is drastically lower this year, but when every single Boston area blog I read has no idea who any of these bands, and most seem to be provided by Berklee, it's not really enough to get us to head into town. Luckily, there are still some If It's Too Loud... approved options in and around Boston to make getting a sitter and staying up far too late worth it. Hallelujah the Hills, Great Scott, Allston, MA Hallelujah the Hills were fantastic when I saw them at this year's Harvard Square Mayfair , and that was playing mid-afternoon on a makeshift stage in front of a beer tent that seemed to be more interested in listening to the in...

Photo by Ken Sears Rubblebucket was a band that I somehow decided were a jam band without ever hearing their music. That was my mistake, as instead they're this super fun indie dance band. I know some people consider them ska, but I'm not buying that. Ska adjacent, sure. Regardless, after I saw them at the Green River Festival this year, I'm officially a convert and I recommend their live show for all. Fugazi, on the other hand, were this super-serious D.C. post hardcore band that while I love them, I wouldn't consider them a party band. That's why I'm not completely sure how I feel about this cover of "Waiting Room" by Rubblebucket. While I'm really late to the party on this one (it came out in June), I just discovered it and can't tell if it's brilliant or a total trainwreck. Either way, it's a really interesting take, and it's probably a blast and I'm just being a grumpy middle aged curmudgeon. Check out the video for...

Rubblebucket Photo by Ken Sears Green River Festival is something I've been meaning to get to for years now and just haven't gotten around to. This year, I finally made it to the festival on Saturday, and I doubt I'll be missing it ever again. In its 29th year, it's quietly become western MA's prestige festival, drawing national and local acts. The festival is insanely well run, with a wide variety of food trucks numbering in the dozens, free water stations, and alternate activities besides just music. They had an arts and crafts area for kids, shuttle buses to bring festival goers to a swimming area, and hot air balloon rides. Saturday was sold out, but at no point did the grounds feel claustrophobic at all. There was still even room in the fields for frisbee games and kids to run around. It was also the only festival I've ever been to where beer wasn't just limited to a cramped tent way off in the corner. Beer was allowed everywhere you were. It's ...