Tag: Rock ‘N’ Roll Rumble 2012

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The Complete 2012 Rock ‘N’ Roll Rumble Roundup

The Rumble is one big rock 'n' roll party.

The 2012 Rock ‘N’ Roll Rumble is in the books. In the end, Bow Thayer And Perfect Trainwreck were the last ones standing. Congratulations to those guys on a hard fought victory! It was no easy task. There were a ton of great sets during this year’s proceedings. Those that look at The Rumble as more of a festival than a competition have the right idea. It’s a phenomenal way to check out a bunch of local bands at the top of their game. Thanks to all of the bands for nine great nights of rock.

If you see this woman, thank her for being awesome.

Selecting those bands is no easy task. Anngelle Wood has had that responsibility for the past few years now. She’s done a wonderful job. Under her guidance, The Rumble has a renewed spirit of camaraderie. A rising tide lifts all boats and all that jazz. She also takes care of the behind the scenes stuff that needs to happen (prizes, sponsors, being a class act and having The Grownup Noise as the guest band, press and the like). It’s daunting task. I’d say it’s thankless, but a quick look at Facebook reveals quite a few deserving statements of gratitude heading her way. There should be more. I hope Anngelle and her crew (including Richard Bouchard of Boston Band Crush, Kerri-Ann Richard and John Robinson) realize how much fun The Rumble is for us local music fans. I’d like to personally thank Anngelle for having me on board as a photographer this year. It was exhausting, but such a blast.

Lastly, thanks to everyone who has checked out the site the past few weeks. I hope I was able to capture a few memorable Rumble moments. I leave you with photos and recaps of all 35 sets by the 24 bands that participated in this year’s event…

Bow Thayer plucking his way to the Rumble crown.

Finals

Bow Thayer And Perfect Trainwreck (2012 Rock ‘N’ Roll Rumble Champs)
Garvy J. And The Secret Pockets Of Hope And Resistance
Motherboar
The Grownup Noise (Guest Band)

Garvy J. bringing his Semifinal set to a raucous conclusion.

Semifinal Round

Bow Thayer And Perfect Trainwreck (Semifinal Night #1 Winner)
Garvy J. And The Secret Pockets Of Hope And Resistance (Semifinal Night #2 Winner)
Motherboar (Wildcard)
Cask Mouse
Ghosts Of Jupiter
The Rationales
Sherman Burns
Thick Shakes

Motherboar
Andrew Doherty of Motherboar tears it up in the prelims.

Preliminary Round

The Rationales (Preliminary Night #1 Winner)
Garvy J. And The Secret Pockets Of Hope And Resistance (Preliminary Night #2 Winner)
Ghosts of Jupiter (Preliminary Night #3 Winner)
Cask Mouse (Preliminary Night #4 Winner)
Bow Thayer and Perfect Trainwreck (Preliminary Night #5 Winner)
Motherboar (Preliminary Night #6 Winner)
Thick Shakes (Wildcard)
Sherman Burns (Wildcard)
Animal Talk
BrownBoot
The Bynars
Cooling Towers
Endless Wave
The Fagettes
Grey Valley Ghost
The Grinds
Letterday
Never Got Caught
Parlour Bells
Pray For Polanski
Streight Angular
The Susan Constant
The Tin Thistles

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The Grownup Noise @ T.T. The Bear’s Place 4.20.2012

The band that was supposed to play first in the 2012 Rock ‘N’ Roll Rumble has just played last. In a classy move by Anngelle Wood,* The Grownup Noise closed out this year’s festivities as the non-competing guest band. The eclectic indie rock outfit was supposed to open Preliminary Night #1 before Paul Hansen slipped a disc in his back a couple of days before the show, forcing the band to reluctantly withdraw. Thankfully, he’s feeling much better now. The band took to the TT’s stage and played a great set to wrap things up. What a fitting end to a wonderful three week run.

* Anngelle is full of classy moves when it come to The Rumble.

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Bow Thayer And Perfect Trainwreck @ T.T. The Bear’s Place 4.20.2012

Bow Thayer And Perfect Trainwreck’s modern Americana took the 2012 Rock ‘N’ Roll Rumble tiara* on Friday night. It was certainly no easy task. The band faced tough competition on all of their nights. Through it all they won over judges with well crafted songs and an astonishing display of musicianship, both individually and collectively. Swampy, dirty, twangy and heartfelt, these guys can flat out play.

Congratulations to Bow Thayer And Perfect Trainwreck!

* In reality the Rumble tiara is more of an actual crown now.

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Garvy J. And The Secret Pockets Of Hope And Resistance @ T.T. The Bear’s Place 4.20.2012

Garvy J. And The Secret Pockets Of Hope And Resistance’s 2012 Rock ‘N’ Roll Rumble run was dazzling. Dueling EBows, distorted twelve-strings, a massive rhythm section, psych-tinged tunes and a smooth vocal croon all sparkled under the TT’s lights. It was simultaneously joyous, achingly gorgeous and slightly mind bending. Spectacular.

2012 Rock ‘N’ Roll Rumble Winner: Bow Thayer And Perfect Trainwreck

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Motherboar @ T.T. The Bear’s Place 4.20.2012

Brutal. Devastating. Unrelenting. Throw all of those terms at Motherboar’s 2012 Rock ‘N’ Roll Rumble Run. They were the heaviest band in this year’s competition and they didn’t shy away from that distinction. They pummeled the TT’s crowd with three sets of punishing metal. More importantly, they were also a blast to watch. The may not have donned the Rumble tiara (what a sight that would have been), but their Finals set proved why they got the wildcard. Motherboar is one of the best bands in town.

2012 Rock ‘N’ Roll Rumble Winner: Bow Thayer And Perfect Trainwreck

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Random Rumble Ramblings (Part III)

This crew is making the whole thing run smoothly.

We’ve nearly reached the end of the road with the 2012 Rock ‘N’ Roll Rumble. After 31 sets from 23 bands, we’ve got it narrowed down to the final three contenders. Garvy J. And The Secret Pockets Of Hope And Resistance, Bow Thayer And Perfect Trainwreck and Motherboar (wildcard) will play for all the marbles tonight at TT’s. Before you head out, here are a couple of things that have tickled my brain about the Semifinal round.

Bo & Co. know how it goes.

Are You Experienced?

The Semifinal victors know a thing or two about winning over crowds in Boston. Garvy J. And The Secret Pocket Of Hope And Resistance and Bow Thayer And Perfect Trainwreck are both fronted by scene veterans and have top notch players on every instrument. That’s not to say they go about things the same way. Bow and Co. take a more traditional approach, twanging it up with the best of them. Any one of these guys is capable of stealing the show. Together, they’ve formed an outstanding Americana ensemble. The Resistance, on the other hand, has you wondering where the synth players are. Before long, you realize all three guitar players are masters at manipulating their instruments. Having the amazing rhythm section of Scott Fitts and Tommy Lada gives you that kind of freedom.

Lada wins!

Lada Vs. Lada Revisted

Speaking of Tommy Lada, the battle of Lada Vs. Lada was won by Tommy Lada. I’d be lying if I said there wasn’t a small part of me that wanted to see Ghosts Of Jupiter take the wildcard just to see this happen again. It certainly wouldn’t have surprised anyone, as Ghosts Of Jupiter threw down another definitive slab of ’70s classic rock on their Semifinal night.

And then he does this to the crowd.

The State Of Heavy Revisted

In my last Rumble ramble I talked about wanting to see how the two heaviest bands in the festival competition fared in the Semifinals. Well, Motherboar fought their way into the wildcard spot through a shower of beer and metal mayhem. Sherman Burns continued to win over a slew of fans after another rifftacular performance. I love it.

Not just keys, but kazoo and vocals, too!

Fun With Numbers

  • Five keys to success: 5 of the Rumble semifinalists included keyboard based instruments (Thick Shakes, The Rationales, Cask Mouse, Ghost Of Jupiter and Bow Thayer and Perfect Trainwreck).
  • A dozen golden throats: 12 different people sang lead on a song during the Semifinals.
  • Tie One On: There was 1 solitary tie worn in the Semifinal round. It was donned by Tim Scholl of Thick Shakes.

Play Me Out

Once again, I’ll leave you with the songs that haven’t left me. Have a listen and then hit up the Finals tonight at TT’s!

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2012 Rock ‘N’ Roll Rumble Roundup (Semifinal Round)

Classy.

The Semifinals of the 2012 Rock ‘N’ Roll Rumble are in the books. Congratulations to Garvy J. And The Secret Pockets Of Hope And Resistance and Bow Thayer And Perfect Trainwreck for taking their nights. With Motherboar earning the wildcard spot, the Finals are set! After having to withdraw from competition before their prelim night, The Grownup Noise will get to play the Finals as the special guest band. Classy touch, Anngelle.

Finals / Friday, April 20

9:30 – Motherboar (Wildcard)
10:15 – Garvy J.
11:00 – Bow Thayer and Perfect Trainwreck
11:45 – The Grownup Noise (Guest)

Tickets are available at the TT’s website: www.ttthebears.com

The Semifinals had great performances all around. In case you missed any of the action, here are links to the photos and recaps of each Semifinal set:

Thursday, April 12th

Thick Shakes
Bow Thayer And Perfect Trainwreck took the night.
Cask Mouse
Motherboar got the wildcard.

Friday, April 13th

Sherman Burns
Ghosts Of Jupiter
The Rationales
Garvy J. And The Secret Pockets Of Hope And Resistance took the night.

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Garvy J. And The Secret Pockets Of Hope And Resistance @ T.T. The Bear’s Place 4.13.2012

Anngelle Wood is introducing the band, but I’m not really paying attention.* Behind her, Garvy J. And The Secret Pockets Of Hope And Resistance are already stealing the show. Once they have the stage to themselves there will be no stopping them. Garvy J. is in full command of the situation, manipulating the crowd with guitar swells, a cool confidence and sonic bombast.

Garvy J. And The Secret Pockets Of Hope And Resistance take Rumble Semifinal #2.

* During their preliminary round set, Garvy J. And The Secret Pockets Of Hope And Resistance launched into their set before Anngelle could introduce them.

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The Rationales @ T.T. The Bear’s Place 4.13.2012

In case David Mirabella and his bandmates in The Rationales didn’t know it already, a large contingent of their fans sang along to remind them that they have some of the best songs in town. When the band plays them with the fire and passion that they did in the Rumble Semifinal, it’s going to be a good night. Last night was a good night.

Semifinal Night #2 Winner: Garvy J. And The Secret Pockets Of Hope And Resistance

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Ghosts Of Jupiter @ T.T. The Bear’s Place 4.13.2012

Ghost Of Jupiter threw down another slab of vintage goodness during Rock ‘N’ Roll Rumble Semifinal Night #2. The band plays a kind of throwback rock unadulterated by the music of modern times. It’s not ironic. They’re not mocking, mimicking or doing a tribute act. Ghosts Of Jupiter are simply their own child of the ’70s. These guys were locked in Friday night, laying down a heavy groove that would have made their forefathers proud.

Semifinal Night #2 Winner: Garvy J. And The Secret Pockets Of Hope And Resistance