If It's Too Loud...

Willie Watson, Photo by Ken Sears Old Crow Medicine Show are one of the giants of modern folk music. Earlier this year, Willie Watson released an excellent solo album that sucked me straight into fandom for the modern traditionalist. When it was announced that Watson was touring behind that album, I couldn't resist checking out his show at The Sinclair. It wasn't until just before the show that I found out Viv & Riley, one of my favorite folk duos, was opening the show, which just sweetened the deal. Willie Watson, Photo by Ken Sears Playing as a trio with a standup bass player and a fiddler, Willie Watson took the stage in front of an adoring crowd. Throughout the set, Watson had to battle a loud HVAC unit (New England in the winter...), but I don't think it bothered the crowd as much as he was concerned it did. Playing in support of September's self-titled album, Watson chose to play more traditional covers instead of the usual playing the new album that most arti...

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 March 15 GA-20, Muddy Ruckus, and Troy Mercy at starlite, Southbridge, MA Miracle Blood, The Freqs, Psychic Weight, and Billy at Deep Cuts, Medford, MA Viv & Riley at Charles River Museum of Industry & Innovation, Waltham, MA Cloudbelly, Jake McKelvie, and TIFFY at O'Brien's, Allston, MA Burp., Tysk Tysk Task, Night Visions, and Cross Girls at Thirsty First, Lowell, MA The Shirts and Shoes, The Roscoes, and WLKRZ at Faces Brewing, Malden, MA Saturday March 16 Matt Charette and the Truer Sound, The Roland High Life, LoboHombre, and Christi...

For their latest single, folk duo Viv & Riley (aka Vivian Leva and Riley Calcagno) go a little lighter than their previous single about the climate apocalypse. "Imaginary People" is the kind of light and cheery traditional folk meets pop that we came to love about Viv & Riley. It's an uptempo and dreamy folk song that really gives the pair a chance to shine, both musically and lyrically. Leva's vocals instantly grab your attention, and the song is of the impossible to resist variety. It seems like we're in a resurgence of great folk duos lately, and Viv & Riley are one of the finest ones. Songwriter Vivian Leva says of the new single: "‘Imaginary People’ is about evaluating and juggling all of the different versions of myself. Was I adventurous and a little reckless? Or was I grounded and measured? Am I kind to myself or too judgemental?" You can listen to "Imaginary People" below. Imaginary People , the album, is due out September ...

Viv & Riley, the duo of Vivian Leva and Riley Calcagno, make some of the prettiest and most endearing modern day traditional folk pop out there. Their latest single, "Is It All Over," gets much more serious than what we'd expect from the North Carolina group. The song is about the climate apocalypse and billionaires racing into space. The song is more restrained and dour than we're used to from from Viv & Riley. It's still beautiful, but much more serious and somber. It's also interesting that the climate crisis is more of a subject for traditional and folk artists than punk rockers. You can watch the video for "Is It All Over" below. Imaginary People is due out September 15 on Free Dirt Records, and is available for pre-order here . For more on Viv & Riley, check out the artist's website .

We adored Viv & Riley's (aka Vivian Leva and Riley Calcagno) 2021 self-titled album. It's blend of classic folk and modern folk delivered with gorgeous harmonies hits us right in our sweet spot, so we're thrilled to bring you a new single from the duo. "Kygers Hill" doesn't reinvent their sound. This is vintage folk meets modern pop folk, but it does show off some growth in Viv & Riley. The new song has more than a little sun-drenched California AM radio vibes, which somehow make their music even more lovely than their previous album.  You can watch the video for "Kygers Hill" below. Imaginary People is due out September 15 on Free Dirt Records, and is available for pre-order here . For more on Viv & Riley, check out the artist's website .