Rock in the New Year with some of the best New England Bands

Dave Glannon; Downtown Dave & The Deep Pockets

Some of you may still be undecided where to go hear great local music around New England this New Year’s Eve. Even at this late day, you still cannot make up your mind where to go ring in the new year with a rocking band. So, BillCopelandMusicNews.com would like to recommend the following New Year’s Eve band events:

If you’re way up north, you may wish to join the Maine-E-acks in the great state of Maine for PARDON ME, DOUG—A Tribute To Fish at the Portland House Of Music And Events in Portland, Maine. This is going to be a long night, with three huge sets of the music by Phish. The band is also participating in the “Hippies For Hunger” food drive on New Year’s Eve. They request that fans and revelers bring non-perishable or canned goods to help support those who need it this winter. So, you’ll be ringing in the new year while supporting a humanitarian cause swaying to the funky jam music.

Second, if you’re still up north, check out DOWNTOWN DAVE & THE DEEP POCKETS at The Vault in Hampton, New Hampshire. The Vault is Downstairs at Ron Jillian’s. Downtown Dave & The Deep Pockets, headed by singer-harmonica man Dave Glannon, recently won the Granite State Blues Challenge hosted by Granite State Blues Society and will be representing his home state of New Hampshire in the International Blues Competition in Memphis next month. Downtown Dave & The Deep Pockets will also play the Blues Summit on Cape Cod this coming spring. This New Year’s Eve event will give blues fans a chance to see this band swinging wild as they help usher in a new year, although this past year has been very good to them.

If a band show isn’t your cup of tea when you’re in the Granite state, perhaps you could celebrate the new year with NICOLE KNOX MURPHY at the Holy Grail in Laconia, New Hampshire. TOM DIXON BAND will be performing a New Year’s Eve gig at Country Strong Saloon at Union Square in Milford, New Hampshire, if you like your country music in a band format.

LOVEWHIP will be performing at The Dover Forge Restaurant in West Dover, Vermont on New Year’s Eve. And, speaking of Vermont, DUST BELOW PARIS invades The Matterhorn in Stowe, Vermont to help ring in the new year.

Roomful singer Philip Pemberton

The world’s biggest blues band, ROOMFUL OF BLUES, based out of Providence and Boston, will be playing the Bull Run in Shirley, Massachusetts. The nine piece jump, swing, blues ensemble have been around for about five decades now and they tour all over the world. What better chance to see the awe-inspiring chemistry between these nine guys than a New Year’s Eve celebration at the comfortable, spacious Bull Run Restaurant in Shirley. There is plenty of room for dancing too for those who cannot resist moving their feet to the multiple grooves emanating from the speakers during every Roomful number.

If you’re in the North Shore area on New Year’s Eve, you’ve got a handful of things to choose from. One is KREWE DE GROOVE with HENLEY DOUGLAS and Special Guest ERIC REARDON. This combo will perform at the spacious Knights Of Columbus Hall in Salem, Massachusetts. This should be one heck of a funky night. Also in Salem will be BIG OL DIRTY BUCKET, playing at Opus Underground. BODB was reviewed in BillCopelandMusicNews.com this past year and they were commended for their ability to transform a room into a non-stop dance par-tay.

If you’re in the historic, world class city of Boston, Massachusetts this New Year’s Eve, it doesn’t get any hipper than RUBY ROSE FOX at Once in Somerville, Massachusetts. If you haven’t heard of Ms. Fox and her band by now, check your pulse, you’re dead. Winner of the Boston Music Awards two years in a row, Ruby Rose Fox is working on a full length CD while plotting to take over the world. Other bands featured that evening will be SOMERVILLE SYMPHONY ORKESTAR, CASK MOUSE, and CACTUS ATTACK. All eyes and ears will likely be on Ruby Rose Fox as she and her band keep making the news.

DWIGHT & NICOLE will be at the Regatta Bar in Cambridge on this New Year’s Eve.

Kit Holliday; Booty Vortex

BOOTY VORTEX will play their final New Year’s Eve gig at Johnny D’s in Somerville, as Johnny D’s will be closing its doors for the last time early in 2016. Farewell Johnny D’s. The disco funk 1970’s focused band Booty Vortex has a solid reputation for getting those booties shakin’ on the dance floor as they strut their stuff in glitter, shiny white boots, and bright red spandex. Yawser, yawser, yawser.

ULTRASONIC ROCK ORCHESTRA will close out 2015 with a classic rock concert tribute at the Regent Theatre in Arlington. They will, they will rock you.

WAY UP SOUTH, the Northborough, Massachusetts improvisational southern style rock band, celebrates a “Big Sky” New Years Eve at Union Street in Newton, MA on December 31, 2015.

Way Up South is a northern band with deep southern rock roots. Way Up South’s music goes in directions and to places beyond the Southern Rock or Jam Band genres, and has earned them the right to call their music “Big Sky” sound, incorporating a maturity and musicianship that weaves in and out of southern, blues, country, jazz, and Americana rock songs with precision and finesse that still retains the loose spacey qualities that are the hallmark of improvisational rock. (I stole that from Simon Says Booking’s press release). Psst, Grateful Dead tribute band PLAYING DEAD will also perform.

If you’re still having a blues jones, SHOR’TY BILLUPS AND HIS FOXX BAND will get you off at Chili Head BBQ in West Bridgewater, Massachusetts. Ring the new year with old school blues, R&B, and soul.

If you’re located somewhere in between Boston, North Shore, and New Hampshire, you might want to groove with the DAVE MACKLIN BAND at Polcari’s in Saugus, Massachusetts. Dave Macklin Band has an impeccable reputation for playing some the best R&B tunes and playing them well at some of the best rooms around greater-Boston. DMB have six shows lined up for January of next year, but you can help them close at this year at one of the best Italian restaurants in New England. The food at Polcari’s is out of this world good and their lounge is comfortable and spacious for dining, drinking, and dancing. Saugus rocks at Rolcari’s, especially when Dave Macklin Band is in their lounge.

Folks at little further north could catch THE BEN COTE BAND at Uncle Eddies Oceanside Tavern on Salisbury Beach. Everyone who has ever partied on Salisbury Beach knows that Uncle Eddies has some of the best bands and some of the best fans around. Plus, the spacious room has a great acoustic flow for their sound system.

Ruby Rose Fox

If you’re heading out toward the other side of Massachusetts, you might want to ring in the New Year with WALKIN’ THE LINE at Toby Keith’s Bar & Grill in Foxboro. Walkin’ The Line is one of New England pre-eminent Top 40 country tribute bands. I suspect they also play some Johnny Cash tunes, like, say for example, “Walk The Line.”

If you’re a bit south of Massachusetts, and I’m talking about the great state of Connecticut, you might want to party with The HEMPSTEADY’S at Oasis Pub in New London. This 11 piece band swings wild with elements of ska, punk, afro beats, and a lot more. The Hempsteady’s are known for turning any Connecticut event into a huge party. Oasis Pub will also have CHUMZILLA on deck too.

If you’re in Lil’ Rhody, you would probably enjoy seeing 5 FLAVOR DISCOUNT at The Narragansett Café in Jamestown, Rhode Island. It is the band’s final performance ever, so it will be your last chance to see them play their crazy, eclectic mash up of classic rock, disco, pop, 70’s funk, and whatever else turns them on in the moment. Plus, the Narragansett Café has been voted Best Local Venue For Live Music by Rhode Island Monthly magazine in 2015. Rhode Islanders cannot go wrong with this New Years Eve music event.

Well, folks, that’s my highly opinionated wrap up of the best shows available this New Year’s Eve.

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