If It's Too Loud...

Photo by Matt Burgos Friends of the blog Sapling have a new single out credited to Sapling & Friends. In this case, Friends are members of Anchors Away Brass Band, which means "No Shirt, No Shoes, No Service" includes a horn section. Even by Sapling's standards, this new single is bonkers. They claim it's their most fun single yet, and we're certainly not arguing. The horns just seem to go off in their own directions, and the result is an out of control party. It's a wonderfully unhinged song, partially about tequila and bodega cats. It's noisy in the best possible way, and there's no other band that could pull this off besides Sapling. You can listen to "No Shirt, No Shoes, No Service" below. The song is available over at Bandcamp . All proceeds will go to New England Justice For Our Neighbors, which "provides free, expert legal aid to Massachusetts immigrants seeking humanitarian-based visas. Our clients include unaccompanied minor...

As much as I love Halloween, I didn't end up doing a lot of Halloween things this year (except for watching more horror movies than normal). For some reason, most of my holiday activities seem to be happening in November. This included Sapling's Halloween Hangover show at Electric Haze in Worcester with Miracle Blood, The Freqs, and Nicholas Burgess. Plus, it was a matinee, and who doesn't want to check out a rock show and be home for dinner? Opening up the show was Nicholas Burgess, playing as a duo with a second guitarist. His set was the most Halloweeny by far, with songs about Frankenstein and his new single written for the occasion, "The Day After Halloween." It was my first time seeing Burgess perform live after discovering his more spooky music, and it was as fun as I expected. He was also decidedly the most mellow artist of the afternoon, which was a good way to ease everyone into a daylight rock show, especially as the crowd was still wandering in off the...

Just in time for their Halloween Hangover show tomorrow afternoon, Sapling has a new single out inspired by the 1991 classic (?) film Drop Dead Fred . "Drop Dead Fred" is particularly chaotic, even by Sapling standards. Our favorite art rock/bitch pop trio out of Worcester and Rhode Island add some metal riffs to their typical noise rock/punk noise, and "Drop Dead Fred" is a noisy and also oddly catchy song. If you have any nostalgia for the film, you'll love the song just for the references throughout. If not, there is still plenty of riffage and heavy bass lines trying to reign in the chaos to love. The sounds of breaking plates and possibly glasses at the end of the song do have me wondering if I should bring eye protection tomorrow... You can listen to "Drop Dead Fred" below. The song is available now on Bandcamp  with 100% of the proceeds going to food banks and/or pantries in southern New England. For more on Sapling, check out the band's web...

Somehow I've gone decades into music fandom without seeing Mike Watt live. His current musical project is mssv, which stands for Main Steam Stop Valve, and not only includes the legend that is Mike Watt (Minutemen, Firehose, The Stooges) on bass, but also includes Mike Baggetta on guitar and Stephen Hodges (Tom Waits, Wanda Jackson, Twin Peaks: Fire Walk with Me ) on drums. It's obviously a band I need to see live, so when I saw they were playing the magical new-ish venue Myrtle in East Providence, RI, I knew I had to make it. The three members of mssv were setting up their equipment, tuning, and getting ready to play. The audience was milling around, talking, and enjoying their drinks when, with quite literally no warning, this burst of noise and furious playing erupted from the stage. The house music had still been on at that point. And that's how mssv started their set. While noise was definitely a factor, it wasn't all art rock and punk from the Myrtle stage that ni...

Despite being a further drive than Boston, I love getting down to Providence for shows. It's nice to not drive on the exact same road every time, and everything about that city is just more laid back. Plus, Sapling and Miracle Blood were playing a brewery where some people were going to be just looking to have a drink and conversation with friends, but would be subjected to Sapling and Miracle Blood. How could I resist that? First up was So Over It!, a "queer punk band from Rhode Island." I was completely unfamiliar with them, but they made a great impression on me. Their music had such a raw energy and sound to it. It wasn't quite noise punk, but it stopped just short of that level. It was a set filled with angst and aggression, but they somehow made it fun. This was one of the rare times that I went into a band's set completely clueless about them, and they reminded me of the rewards of discovering a band at a show and not by hearing two or three songs before th...

Sapling are beloved around these parts, with every release adding to their legend. The Worcester/Providence trio just released a new EP, Full Moon. The release features remastered versions of two previously heard singles ("Eris Worship" and "Hoping Mechanism") and three brand new tracks. Full Moon is the first of a pair of EPs to be released, with Full Moon being "Rainy songs" and New Moon being "Amber songs." According to the Bandcamp description of this EP, "These songs are products of trying to go about daily life in 2024 and 2025 and reflect as much." The result is a collection of songs that are much more melancholy than we're used to from Sapling. A song like "Power Fault Theory" is at times the most mainstream we've heard Sapling and the most experimental. There are moments where the song sounds like it could be a fairly mainstream radio friendly hit, and then the song ends up devolving into a bizarre noise exper...

The latest from Sapling might be their most straightforward song yet, but that doesn't necessarily mean it's mainstream or accessible. "Hoping Mechanism" seems like a fairly simple song, until you realize that it includes djembe, flute, shruti box, ukulele, and more. This is one of those songs that gets more complex with every listen, which allows you to uncover more and more. It's quiet, but it still might be the angriest we've ever heard Sapling. "Hoping Mechanism" just barely contains pain and rage with lyrics like "The world is a dadaist bullshit generator." It's also the type of song that slowly builds without you even noticing. Sapling has always been an experimental band, but only they could somehow increase the experimental factor while coming the closest they've ever come to mainstream. You can listen to "Hoping Mechanism" below. The song is available now via Bandcamp . For more on Sapling, check out the band'...

Some triple bills are just impossible to resist. When Miracle Blood announced they would be holding their album release show at Deep Cuts, I knew I had to make it. Mostly because Miracle Blood are a fantastic band and great live, but Sapling and BEDTIMEMAGIC were also playing the show. I try to see Sapling every chance I get, and I've been meaning to see BEDTIMEMAGIC for a while. BEDTIMEMAGIC opened the show wearing matching pug singlets. I don't believe I knew they were a duo, but they made some of the biggest racket I've ever seen two people make. Both members (Nicholas on bass and Morgan on drums) shared vocal duties. Their sound was like a mixture of art/noise rock and hardcore. It was loud, it was impossible to ignore, and it was great. The floor of Deep Cuts rumbled during their entire set. BEDTIMEMAGIC aren't going to be accessible for everyone, but for those of us who enjoy this sort of thing, we're going to become enamored. I've seen Sapling live a dece...

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 20 John Hovorka, Crow Follow, and Connor Storms & His Bouquet at The Burren, Somerville, MA Whitehall and TIFFY at Barewolf Brewing, Amesbury, MA Daughter of the Vine, Minibeast, and Ruff.Feechers at Myrtle, East Providence, RI Kimaya Diggs and Avery Joi at The Iron Horse, Northampton, MA Jolie Holland at The Word Barn, Exeter, NH Nervous Eaters, Robin Lane, and Tiger Bomb at The Middle East, Cambridge, MA Divine Sweater and Benet at The Drake, Amherst, MA Ans...

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 August 2 The Downhauls, Duck & Cover, CE Skidmore, and Gossip Collar at Deep Cuts, Medford, MA Emperor Norton's Stationary Marching Band at Aeronaut Brewing Company, Allston, MA Michael Kane & The Morning Afters, Cheap Cassettes, and Highwater Haulers at Hotel Vernon, Worcester, MA Sun June and allie at The Word Barn, Exeter, NH Saturday August 3 Mario Fest featuring Black Helicopter, Blood Lightning, Blood, Guts, & Beer, Darryl Shepard's Blackwolfgoat, ...

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 June 28 Emily Grogan Band, Crow Follow, CATWOLF, and Galaxy Cake at The Jungle Community Music Club, Somerville, MA Dry Cleaning and Frog at The Paradise Rock Club, Boston, MA Buffalo Nichols and The Glass Hours at Askew, Providence, RI Cathedral Bells, Video Days, Middle Part, and Ex-Hyena at O'Brien's Pub, Allston, MA TELL, The Daylillies, and Church & Puppets at Warp and Weft, Lowell, MA Saturday June 29 Wes' Rib House Block Party with Sage Francis, Provi...

For Sapling's latest single, they go off in an interesting new direction while also sounding the most Sapling possible. "Eris Worship" starts off as a fairly straightforward alt-rock song, albeit a fairly noisy one. The song could have stayed sounding like this and been a great song that would have been a huge local hit in the 90's. But this is the bitch pop and art rock of Sapling, so the song changes into this groovy and noisy track that has an odd sense of foreboding lingering just out of reach. This is the type of single that makes me miss local modern rock radio, because this deserves to be a local summer hit. You can watch the video for "Eris Worship" below. The song is included on the stellar ask me about my dumb band, volume 1  which is available through Bandcamp . The compilation also includes favorites like Orca Bones, The Jacklights, Double Star, and more. If you're in the Boston area today, head on over to The Midway in Jamaica Plain at 3:00 ...

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 May 31 The Wolff Sisters and Molly O'Leary at Askew, Providence, RI Zip-Tie Handcuffs, Kal Marks, and Idiot Genes at Deep Cuts, Medford, MA Buffalo Tom at The Drake, Amherst, MA Hubby Jenkins at The Porch Southern Fare & Juke Joint, Medford, MA The Promised End, Origami Summer, Miniluv, and One Fall at Koto, Salem, MA Abigail Lapell and Helen Hummel at The Parlor Room, Northampton, MA Saturday June 1 Abigail Lapell and Audrey Pearl at Club Passim, Cambridge, MA Fiel...

This past weekend saw the return of The Town and The City Festival to downtown Lowell over Friday and Saturday. With such a stacked line up and so many bands to see, it was impossible to see them all, or even every band you wanted to see. I tried to take in as much as possible, had to make some tough decisions (or had some made for me), and had a fantastic two nights of music. I started off my night at Smokehouse Tavern to see The Only Things, , Muck and the Mires, and Linnea's Garden. I've been listening to The Only Things for years now, but this was my first time finally seeing the Lowell band live. I missed a few songs of their set, but from what I saw they out on a great show. Just some solid punk and garage rock and roll played by a group of guys just having fun with it. They closed with a cover of The Replacements' "Bastard of Young," which fit right in with their own songs. Next up for me was Muck and the Mires. I'm always shocked that the Boston garage...

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 April 26 The Town and the City Festival, Lowell, MA      Tysk Tysk Task, One Fall, Subpunch, and Burp. at The Old Court     Frank Morey, Sofia Talvik, and Evan Goodrow at Gallery Z     Cuidado, Linnea's Garden, Muck and the Mires, and The Only Things at                   Smokehouse Tavern     Orbit and D-Tension & The Secrets at Warp & Weft Kid Gulliver and The Smallest Town Ensemble at Exhibit 'A' Brewing Company, Framingham, MA Screaming Dead, Gretchen Shae & The...

This weekend marks the return of The Town and the City Festival on Friday and Saturday. The festival is spread throughout downtown Lowell, MA with many of the venues within a block or two of each other. The festival is always a well run great time with something for virtually every music fan. Here's a guide to what we consider to be the highlights, which include many of our favorite artists! Friday night features Sofia Talvik at Gallery Z. The singer-songwriter is on tour throughout the US all the way from Sweden, and has been a favorite of ours before we started If It's Too Loud... She'll be joined by Evan Goodrow and Frank Morey. Christ Church United features the legendary English singer-songwriter Robyn Hitchcock. Any time he plays in the area is an official Big Deal. You can tell The Town and the City know what they're doing since this is a return to the festival for him. He'll be joined by Syd Straw, making this a legendary bill in the making. If you're loo...

I loved Sapling's 2020 album No Sequoia , and I was looking forward to amor fati to be released in May. I wasn't quite expecting to love this album as much as I did. The songs on amor fati are somehow both more pop and more experimental than the previous album. Sapling's sense of humor isn't as apparent this time around, but it's more biting. Plus, it's noise punk masquerading as prog rock?  amor fati gets better and better with each listen, as you always discover more to like each time. "A Fox Upon the Tomb" and "11:37" are the songs that initially grab you, but others slowly grow on you until they become favorites. "The Little Monkey Who Wasn't Very Good at the Accordion: A Bedtime Story" is a spoken word story by Amber ToiletFire Tortorelli over accordion that was amusing the first time, but is now one of my favorites on the album. "Inaction in Action" might be the best example of a song that is both more pop and mo...

As easy as it is to mock Worcester, MA, it is a city that is rebounding. It's the home of the Worcester Red Sox, a bunch of new restaurants, cool shops, etc. The one thing I'm hoping for more of is live music. Central Massachusetts has always been cover band country, but that is slowly changing. Sunday night Electric Haze, which is a venue I've been hoping would start booking more shows, hosted the fantastic triple bill of Crow Follow, Tysk Tysk Task, and Sapling. Electric Haze seems to host a lot of jam bands, and that was evident as the three bands Sunday night were given up to seventy-five minutes to play. These three are more used to a tight thirty minutes, so some experimentation was very welcome. Sapling opened the evening and had time to go back into their catalog a bit more than usual. While their set did include plenty of favorites from the recently released (and excellent!)  amor fati, the trio broke out "Nice Guys" for the first time in a while, and eve...

As any long time reader of If It's Too Loud... knows, I try to get out to see Walter Sickert & The Army of Broken Toys every chance I get. They don't play a ton of shows, so when they do, it's always An Event. Friday night was being billed as the party of the summer, and seeing how Sapling, Astral Bitch, and dropbear were also on the bill, that claim was hardly hyperbole.  dropbear opened the show, and... just... wow. I really enjoyed last year's Spiralized EP, but I was unprepared for just how great they would be live. Rachel Bacon's vocals were lost in the mix during the first two songs, but once that issue was corrected, it turns out the power in her voice is only matched by the power of the band. Musically, dropbear combines shoegaze with metal and post-punk into this sonic mix that is mind-blowing, particularly live. There were guitar sounds coming from the stage Friday night that were simply jaw dropping. As with all four bands on the bill, dropbear are of...

I've been a huge fan of Sapling for a while now, and as much as I loved their albums (both 2020's No Sequoia and this year's amor fati are both spectacular), but there's just something about their live show that can't quite be captured in a studio. This week saw the release of Live on WMFO 91.5 FM Medford , which captures Sapling's first time performing live on the radio. It's a very loose recording that includes "mistakes" that actually add to the listening experience. It contains all of the fun that comes from seeing Sapling, albeit minus the visual props, paint, confetti, glitter, and anything else that might come out of Amber ToiletFire Tortorelliu's clown box. There is a lot of more improvisation in these songs, some great in between song banter, and changed lyrics to accommodate FCC regulations that end up being hilarious in a "stranger in the Alps" kind of way. This is a fun performance and release from one of our local favorit...