boston

Well, thank God for Jimmy Fallon. I know, strange way to start a live show review, huh? But, it’s related. Hear me out. Back in the day when late night television was worth watching (your John Stewarts, your David Lettermans), there was a little show called Late Night with Jimmy Fallon. It had decent comedy, good guests, and great music. The Roots were the house band, after all. But, they also had some pretty amazing musical guests. The Pixies played...

Photos by Richard...

Photos by Hailey...

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...

Photos by Jen Vesp...

I often admit to being late to the game with a lot of bands, but I think I got into Jenny Lewis at just the right time. I had often been exposed to her whenever my wife controls the music on long drives, and I had found that it varied from powerful to uninterestingly derivative. My wife, being a huge fan, wasn’t going to miss out on a performance when Jenny Lewis came to town, and seeing that her new...

As an old school Against Me! fan, let me just say that I’m getting excited about them all over again. Particularly because they’ve recently welcomed old bassist Andrew Seward back to the lineup. This band is resembling more and more the one I fell in love with all those years ago. All they need now is the return of Warren to the lineup. Is that gonna happen? Who knows. But what I do know is that they’re playing 4 albums...

Astral Weeks by Ryan H Walsh There are many questions floating around in my head after reading Astral Weeks. Near the top are “Should I finally put in the time with Van Morisson’s Astral Weeks” and “How did I miss all this!”. Astral Weeks is more than just history, it deserves to be studied. And really, you shouldn’t complain because Ryan Walsh did all the hard work for you. In this deceptively dense book, Walsh focuses on a particular location...

Swingin’ Utters Middle East Downstairs – Cambridge, Massachusetts, October 18, 2018. Live Behold the Swingin’ Utters. I mean, seriously, look at them. Have you ever sat down and thought about this band? They’ve been around for nearly 30 years and have managed to stay active and relevant throughout their entire career, despite the name. And they really have a lot going against them. The Utters got their chops as a street punk band, who would not necessarily cater to an...

I don’t know if Brooks Wheelan will ever shake his time on SNL, but I for one am glad his appearance on the show put him on my radar. Since leaving, Wheelan has been responsible for some of the best stand up shows I’ve seen. His departure from the show helped him focus on his album This is Cool, Right? which is simply a phenomenal debut. As solid as that album was, Wheelan has continued to focus on his stand-up...