If It's Too Loud...

Coming back to downtown Lowell for the evening portion of The Town and The City Festival, I knew I had to move between The Old Court and Thirst First. I started out at The Old Court just before Escape Durgin took the stage. The Old Court was a showcase for Lowell artists Saturday night, and Escape Durgin started it off with an eclectic set that spanned multiple genres, usually within the same song. The first song started off as more of a 90's second wave grunge power ballad in the vein of Candlebox, and quickly veered off into 70's psychedelia territory. They reminded me of a modern take on the college bands that dominated central Massachusetts in the 90's, and I don't mean that as a bad thing. Gross Girls were up next, and they may end up being my favorite musical discovery of 2025. You know how most music is either happy, angry, or sad? Gross Girls' songs seem more annoyed than anything else. It's like they took the overall vibe of the 90's and recreated i...

One of the nice things about The Town and The City Festival is that the music starts early in the afternoon on Saturday, which leads to more music. There were many great choices throughout the day, but I decided to stay put at Thirsty First for the triple bill of The Chelsea Curve, Girl with a Hawk, and The Deluxe Fiasco. I arrived at Thirsty First just as The Deluxe Fiasco was starting their set. I was completely unfamiliar with them but was pleasantly surprised to see that they are led by Scott Matthew Pittman, who I've seen play with many other bands. The band has that ramshackle folk sound we tend to like around here, equal parts polished and rough, and included so many members that Pittman was set up next to the stage in the doorway. A highlight was when the band passed around lyrics to their brand new single, "Art is the Handmaid of Human Good," for a sing-a-long. They referred to the song as the "national anthem of Lowell," which was perfect for this fest...