BeatleJuice impressed St. Rocco Festival audience in Malden, MA
BeatleJuice rocked the St. Rocco Festival in Malden, Massachusetts yesterday evening with their fine-tuned presentation of material by The Beatles. Selecting songs from throughout The Beatles ten year career, BeatleJuice unveiled one gem after another during their gig in the cordoned off blocks in the neighborhood hosting the festival.
Charlie Farren rocks St. Rocco Festival in Malden, Massachusetts
A cordoned off city block in Malden, Massachusetts became another place that Charlie Farren turned into a concert hall. Maybe it was his knowledge of technology. Maybe it was his mellifluous voice and melodic electric guitar. Maybe it was his strong, vibrant personality at the microphone. Maybe he just had to work hard, following a couple of wild comedians that were on stage before him. Farren put heart and soul into his performance at the Saint Rocco Festival last night.
Hirsh Gardner goes back to the beginnng with upcoming New England reunion concert
Drummer-producer Hirsh Gardner has been a very busy man these days. Aside from his Cambridge studio chores, he‘s been organizing a reunion concert for his once nationally famous band New England. “Don’t Ever Want To Lose Ya” and many other New England originals will come alive. Gardner and his original three band mates will perform a full concert at the Regent Theatre in Arlington, Massachusetts on Friday, August 15, at 8:00 p.m. New England is one of those bands that have been kept alive on the internet and in the memories of fans.
CT musical genius Daphne Lee Martin brings her music to the masses
Daphne Lee Martin just might be a musical genius. The New London, Connecticut Chanteuse released two full length albums in a year’s time. Moxie, released in 2013, and Frost, released in 2014, are companion pieces. Loaded with every influence from 1920s gypsy jazz, to big band swing elements, to modern electronic experimentations, to Appalachian folk, to jump blues, both albums are the product of a very fertile musical mind. Co-owing a record store with her husband reflects the broad musical vocabulary and tastes Martin carries around in her head. How she developed the skill to mesh these diverse elements into her own unique style requires a closer look at the singer-songwriter-composer-arranger‘s history.
Magic Man off to promising start with Before The Waves CD
Magic Man have just released their debut full length CD Before The Waves, and it’s loaded with energetic, synth-pop fun. Just when you thought this kind of music had died out after the 1980s, Boston’s Magic Man comes on strong with this force of nature album.
Daemon Chili off to solid start with Rise Up CD
Daemon Chili released the blues-roots drenched album Rise Up only a few months ago, and it’s already catching the ears of music fans all over New England. It is certainly a must have for any fan of this sort of music. Every note from the Dobro, lap steel, bluesy piano, mandolin, accordion, and every instrument played on this album sounds so real it’s not funny. Authenticity as well as pure joy come through loud and clear on every track. This is the kind of music that will take the listener back in time to a special place in Americana music, until it rocks out in a live setting to liven any concert.
John Hall continues Marshfield Fair blues festivals; 4th day of music added this year
John Hall is a very busy man this time of year. Hall is the creator and director of the hugely popular Green Harbor Roots Festival and North River Blues Festival at The Marshfield Fair. It runs the third and fourth weekend of August. Hall has quite a story to tell about his festival, the history behind it, and his multitude of other jobs, past and present, in the local music industry.
Love In Stockholm & Sarah Blacker Trio rocked Lizard Lounge in Cambridge
Classic rock never really goes away. It just goes into niche marketing corners until the more courageous young bands take it out and unwrap it. Love In Stockholm played a solid set of originals and classic rock covers to a very receptive crowd at The Lizard Lounge in Cambridge last night. After a lovely opening set by the exceptionally strong voiced singer-songwriter Sarah Blacker, Love In Stockholm hit the ground running, beginning with a respectable version of The Beatles’ masterpiece “A Day In The Life.” Most bands wouldn’t have the courage to rearrange The Beatles, yet this band fearlessly began their set with their own rendition. Their solid musicianship and tight chemistry announced itself with every note and chord.
Mike Verge brilliantly comes into his own with Love Is A Tattoo album
Mike Verge’s latest album Love Is A Tattoo comes during a time in the artist’s life when he had to vent, get things out of his system. An outpouring of emotion in every track, Verge not only projects a lot of feeling with his mighty strong voice, he has his backing band sounding effusively beautifully. His slightly rasped voice comes across loud, clear, rangy, sailing over his sprightly melodies and bouncy rhythms. There’s a timeless quality to each song here, making them impossible to attach to any particular era in music. Listeners hearing this album for the first time would likely have a difficult time saying it sounds like modern rock, classic rock, or oldies. The words and music were written with emotion, not trendy styles.
Alison Keslow struts her stuff on instrumental album Bass Dharma
Alison Keslow’s second solo instrumental album Bass Dharma is a collection of jazzy originals she has composed and arranged around the strength of her bass playing. While her guest musicians have exceptional skills, Keslow keeps everything smoothly anchored with her low end finesse. Among lively flights of melodic fancy from the other players, she keeps her persistent talent quite present in her music. An exquisite composer too, Keslow has written truly impressive and likable arrangements.
