Boston Rock Photos And Stuff
Last night’s Parlour Bells set at TT’s was intoxicating. The band was well prepared for their showdown in the Rumble prelims. Parlour Bells drew the crowd in with their glamourous, sultry pop. The performance was dynamic and engaging. Their songs are superb. They are one of the finest bands in town, yet somehow get better with every show. They may not have won the night, but don’t count them out yet.
Preliminary Night #4 Winner: Cask Mouse
Never Got Caught performed a punishing set on Preliminary Night #4 of the 2012 Rock ‘N’ Roll Rumble. Never Got Caught brought the heavy to TT’s on a diverse night of music. These guys can play.
Preliminary Night #4 Winner: Cask Mouse
After a much needed day of rest, the Rumble returns with Preliminary Night #4 (Cask Mouse, Never Got Caught, Parlour Bells and The Fagettes) tonight at TT’s. Before I head out, here are a few thought on the first half of the week…
Old Favorites
It was great to see strong showings from some old favorites in the 2012 edition of the Rumble. The Rationales and Garvy J. took their nights, so I’ll be catching them again next week. Thick Shakes put on a raucous show to kick off their night. Cooling Towers did the same to close out theirs.
New Faces
One of the best things about The Rumble is being able to check out bands you haven’t see before. I’ve managed to catch 5 new bands so far. Ghosts Of Jupiter took Preliminary Night #3 and left me eager to check them out again next week. The Susan Constant was fantastic. I know they made some new fans on their night. The Tin Thistles brought with them the same devil-may-care attitude Mellow Bravo had last year. In the end, it’s just a big party, right? I also got my first exposure to Letterday and Grey Valley Ghosts. The biggest disappointment of this year’s event was not being able to catch The Grownup Noise. I’ve heard great things about them, but Paul Hansen slipped a disc in his back and they had to withdraw from the competition. Get well soon, Paul!
Lada Vs. Lada
This is my favorite story of this year’s Rumble. With Garvy J. and Ghosts Of Jupiter advancing to the semi-final round, Tommy Lada will be competing against himself on Friday the 13th. How much fun is that going to be to watch?
Fun With Numbers
Play Me Out
Animal Talk’s “Into The Sun” is just too damn catchy. That song, and a few of the other songs that have been stuck in my head after these first few Rumble nights, are below. Check them out, and then come out for the rest of the action. Here’s the schedule. Get thee to TT’s!
* The Rationales were scheduled for the third slot, but moved to the second when The Grownup Noise had to cancel. I’m still going to allow this little “fact” to stand.
** Letterday covered “Holiday” by The Get Up Kids. The Tin Thistles busted out The Misfits’ “Skulls”. Garvy J. had musical references to other songs, but no true covers.
*** Letterday and Garvy J.
Letterday’s Rumble set was tight. Really tight. These guys came ready to play and delivered exactly what their fans wanted: heavy, energetic, melodic indie-rock. Their amped-up cover of The Get Up Kids’ “Holiday” will give you a pretty good idea of their sound. It’s hard to imagine too many bands doing this kind of thing better than Letterday.
Preliminary Night #3 Winner: Ghosts Of Jupiter
Ghosts Of Jupiter just floored me. Their Rumble set was a clinic in heavy ’70s groove. Sure, huge sonic blasts of retro-riffage may not please everyone. Some people may write off their throwback style. That’s OK. Ghosts Of Jupiter probably can’t hear those people over the wall of awesomeness coming from the stage.
Ghosts Of Jupiter take Preliminary Night #3.
The Tin Thistles may have been playing up the “token punk band” angle for their set during Preliminary Night #3 of the 2012 Rumble, but there was nothing perfunctory about their performance. These guys came out and gave the TT’s crowd a kick in the pants. It may not have been what everyone wanted, but it was what everyone needed. They just didn’t know it.
Preliminary Night #3 Winner: Ghosts Of Jupiter
Night #3 of the 2012 Rock ‘N’ Roll Rumble was the only night where I hadn’t seen any of the bands before. The Rumble is a great way to check out new bands. This night would be very fruitful.
The Susan Constant opened the proceedings with a long slow build of a number. It certainly caught my attention. Before long the band was banging out some pretty great indie rock tunes. A friend (who also happens to have won Preliminary Night #1) comments that The Susan Constant walk a line between The Jayhawks and Death Cab For Cutie. It’s an unusual combination – not one I would have thought of – but I get where he’s coming from. It’s a great sound. My friend walked away a big fan. I did too.
Preliminary Night #3 Winner: Ghosts Of Jupiter
Animal Talk closed their Rumble set with a killer version of their song “Into The Sun”.* It was an early Rumble highlight for me. They may not have won the night, but their rock/pop/dance hybrid got some bodies moving. That seems like a win to me.
Preliminary Night #2 Winner: Garvy J. And The Secret Pockets Of Hope And Resistance
* A song I love so much I put it on my most recent Spotify playlist (which you can listen to here).
Rumble Preliminary Night #1 closed out with the heavy groove of Cooling Towers. Eric Donohue and Pete Gamache are one killer rhythm section. Ronan Fahy knows when to attack his guitar and when to let it sing. Judy Margo’s backing vocals and synth parts are the icing on the cake – a cake that Commodore Vic slithers all over like some kind of rock n’ roll prophet with a sweet tooth.
When a good rock n’ roll band finds its groove, it’s a wonderful thing. It becomes as much about what you feel as what you hear. I feel good right now. I just heard something great. It was a wonderful thing.
The Rationales just played their Rumble preliminary set. By the time they got to “No Guarantees”, a personal favorite of mine, they were so locked in nothing could derail them. The last three songs of their set felt like a victory lap. That’s the beauty of the Rumble. Win or lose, bands rise to the occasion. Bands like The Rationales.
My gut is confirmed. The Rationales take night #1.
