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Seeing a good opener can be a cathartic experience. Sometimes it’s interesting, and you check them out when you go home, but most of the time it’s forgettable. I can count on one hand when an opener has blown me away, and I don’t even need all my fingers. When I caught the last few songs of Die Spitz at an OFF! show years ago all I could think of is how loud it sounded. Then, watching them put their...

Few bands are flying the hardcore flag these days as successfully as OFF! It’s a mix of things that makes this band stand out. Sure, it’s fronted by Keith Morris of Black Flag and the Circle Jerks, who is still at the top of his game both vocally and lyrically. But, the appeal OFF! has for me are the hardcore riffs provided by Dimitri Coates. They are both musically innovative and undeniably hard and catchy. This band has already released...

Photos by Brittany Rose QueenIG:...

Photos by Richard...

The Pale Lips should be the biggest thing in punk rock right now. There’s absolutely so much to love about them: they bring the riffs, they’ve got the melodies, their songs are catchy, they sing about the things we care about (like romance and the spooky stuff) and everything about them sounds fun. They’re one of those bands that you feel glad you discovered and can’t wait to tell people about. I know for me, with it being Halloween and...

Mannequin Pussy Great Scott – Allston, MA – September 19, 2019 One of the joys of being an avid music listener is getting absolutely blindsided by a band you’ve never heard before. I try never to pay too much attention when listening to new music, which is a perfect way to let an album kick your ass out of nowhere. This year that album is definitely Mannequin Pussy’s Patience. It turns out I had actually heard of them before, having...

Photos by Brittany QueenIG: @rosequeenphotography...

Bad SportsO Brien’s –  Allston, Massachusetts – April 4, 2019Photos: Brittany Queen If you were to ask me to name some of the best pop punk bands active today, I could probably narrow it down to an essential handful. And in that handful I would definitely include Bad Sports. This is a band that seems to boil pop punk down to the essentials. They’ve got the hooks, they’ve got the riffs, they’re masterful with their instruments, and they...

Jon Spencer should be worshipped. There, I said it. But I think he should be worshipped in 30 years, because right now the man is too busy being an underappreciated living legend. How great is he? Well, when Marc Maron interviewed Steve Albini he specifically singled out Jon Spencer as a man who’s work ethic he admires. He knows exactly what he wants and knows how to get it. Another reason is that Jon Spencer is purely a music man....