Boston Rock Photos And Stuff
Aloud
“Love Is A Losing Game”
2015
Here we have Jen and Henry of Aloud covering Amy Winehouse’s soulful, Burt Bacharach-style heart-breaker “Love Is A Losing Game.” Aloud’s version is a quiet, understated display of music’s ability to express complex emotions. Less mournful and dramatic than the original, this arrangement unfolds with a sense of knowing and acceptance. It’s a sincere take on a great song.
Where to get it:
Ruby Rose Fox
“Good Friday / Gloria”
2015
Sometimes you have to burn it all to ashes and hope that, deep down, you’ve got it in you to build it all back up again. That’s exactly what Ruby Rose Fox does on “Good Friday / Gloria.” The sound is stripped down to its bruised bones. It has weight. Ruby Rose Fox sings. It has soul. A chorus of heavenly harmonies rain down. It has majesty. The song will rise again.
Where to get it:
These Wild Plains
“Break Your Heart”
2015
These Wild Plains have just released a new single. “Break Your Heart” glows with a warmth that could comfort the coldest soul. Delicately layered guitars and a lilting melody ride atop a fluttering beat. The song draws you in even as you’re being pushed away. Welcome home.
The band also revisits “Waves” and “Plains,” the songs that first had These Wild Plains haunting my dreams.
Where to get it:
Weakened Friends
“Won Yet”
2015
Remember when Weezer was good? Remember when a big hook, some fuzzy guitars and snappy groove could make you smile? If you do, Weakened Friends is about to make you very happy. This boisterous spawn of The Box Tiger and The Field Effect is supercharging ’90s nostalgia and making it feel fresh. If you don’t fall in love by the end of the first chorus, wait until the guitars bust loose at the 2:30 mark. Pure joy.
Where to get it:
Every time I see Abbie Barrett play with her band, I walk away a bigger fan. Her voice and songs have impressive depth. Her wit is keen. Teamed up with the talented folks that make up The Last Date she may be unstoppable.
Worshipper
“Place Beyond the Light” b/w “Step Behind”
2015
Two more tunes from Worshipper? Yes, please. I won’t hide my love for this band. They play a kind of no-frills metal that emphasizes riffs, groove and melody over all out heaviness. Take a listen to “Place Beyond the Light.” The hook is soooo good. “Into the night / I will carry you / To the place beyond the light!”* It’s classic metal reborn. It’s powerful. The raw and muscular “Step Behind” comes next. Half way through, Worshipper build a majestic cathedral from whence they deliver the most ferocious guitar solo they’ve conjured yet. Save us.
Where to get it:
*Note: It’s hard typing lyrics while you’re throwing horns and singing along.
The good people of Gloucester were spoiled with a great double bill at Mile Marker One to close out July. After Sidewalk Driver livened the place up, Jenny Dee & The Deelinquents took to the corner of the tent and ripped out a fantastic mix of originals and covers. This is one heck of a band.
It’s fun watching people experience Sidewalk Driver for the first time. I’m not sure what the folks drinking under the tent at Mile Marker One on a beautiful summer evening expected when they pulled up a stool, but they got a nice long set from one of the most entertaining bands around. There were lots of smiles in Gloucester that night.
The time has come to say goodbye to T.T. The Bear’s Place. To say the club was important to me would be an understatement. I spent countless hours standing in front of bands in that room. Making friends. Being entertained. It’s funny to think there will be no new songs heard there. No new pictures taken. I’m left with a bunch of (mostly good) memories and 392 sets of photographs from the bands I’ve seen up on that stage since this site launched.
So long, TT’s. Here’s one photo from each of the times (in order) I was lucky enough to watch a band make music within your walls over the past four and a half years. This will likely be my last post about you. Well, at least until I start going back through all the pictures I took before this site went up…
This photo set is too big to display all of the thumbnails here. Click on Ad Frank to check it out on Flickr.
