boston

How do you even define Billy Bragg’s music anymore? Nowadays it almost sounds like easy listening, but with a leftist political leaning. The man has always worn his heart on his sleeve and although his political songs can seem a little too on the nose and simplistic, his love songs are simply beautiful. I just love the guy, OK? The Chevalier is quickly becoming the cool spot to see shows. I remember it looking more like a rundown high school...

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In Penelope Spheeris’ Decline of Western Civilization Part I, X are depicted as the gatekeepers or elder statesmen of LA 70s punk rock. It’s hard to say whether that label really stuck, but whatever the case, they never asked for it. One thing is for sure, X have been a machine always on the move for the past 40 years, and the creative juices of “leaders” John Doe and Exene Cervenka’s never stopped flowing. X’s influence in music over the...

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Sometimes you miss the bus. A certain album drops, it creates a splash, it’s on everyone’s best-of lists of the year and FOMO sets in. You check out the album and try to hop on real quick, but for some reason, the inclination to do so never comes. What’s all the commotion about? That was my feeling on the 59 Sound when it came out in 2008. Everyone wearing a scallycap and donning nautical tattoos proclaimed it the second coming...

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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...

The Ergs!/Boris the Sprinkler/EggheadLive @ Crystal BallroomSomerville, MA One of the funnest tours of 2024 might be over, but it’s never too late to find out about it. Huh, I should work on my intros more. But why didn’t I write about the Egghead/Boris the Sprinkler/Ergs! East Coast tour before? Because, hindsight makes fools of us all. But, I’m no fool. This one was special, and if you were there (or WANTED to be there) you know what I’m...

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YOLO. You only live once. And for a music fan that’s important. A few years ago I realized how important it is the seize the moment, get off your ass, and see a band you like, because you only live once. They only live once. I once drove 2 hours to Western Mass to see Lee Scratch Perry and then beat myself up about it a little because I just could have seen him in Boston the next time. But...