Boston Rock Photos And Stuff
Hell, yeah, Murcielago! You just smoked TT’s with the heaviest, most rifftastic set of the Rumble so far. That felt good.
Rock ‘N’ Roll Rumble 2015 Prelim Night #5
Nate Leavitt Band
The Dirty Looks
Murcielago
Zip-Tie Handcuffs
The Dirty Looks busted out a set of ebullient indie tunes to keep Rock ‘N’ Roll Rumble Prelim Night #5 bopping along. Also, nice touch with the repeat Rumble ‘stache.
Rock ‘N’ Roll Rumble 2015 Prelim Night #5
Nate Leavitt Band
The Dirty Looks
Murcielago
Zip-Tie Handcuffs (Winner)
The Nate Leavitt Band just gave one of the most gut wrenching Rumble sets I’ve ever seen. It was apparent something really special was happening by a few songs in. Nate was tugging on every heartstring in the room. The unassuming songs were brought to life with beautiful performances and exceptional dynamics. Damn, that was good.
Rock ‘N’ Roll Rumble 2015 Prelim Night #5
Nate Leavitt Band
The Dirty Looks
Murcielago
Zip-Tie Handcuffs (Winner)
You want some honest to goodness prog metal? The 2015 Rock ‘N’ Roll Rumble has you covered. Complex arrangements and impressive technical abilities were the name of the game as Protean Collective close out Prelim Night #4.
Rock ‘N’ Roll Rumble 2015 Prelim Night #4
Mercury On Mars
Dan Webb And The Spiders
Dirty Bangs (Winner)
Protean Collective
I’m still not exactly sure what I just saw, but it was mesmerizing. Dirty Bangs just owned it. They connected with everyone in the room on an individual and communal level. It was uplifting. It was heartbreaking. It was a rock ‘n’ roll moment. That’s how you Rumble. Dirty Bangs take night four.
Rock ‘N’ Roll Rumble 2015 Prelim Night #4
Mercury On Mars
Dan Webb And The Spiders
Dirty Bangs (Winner)
Protean Collective
I thought the Rock ‘N’ Roll Rumble was a Boston tradition, no? There’s a definite Minneapolis vibe so far tonight. If Mercury On Mars had hints of Hüsker Dü, Dan Webb And The Spiders channel The Replacements. Loud, melodic, chord-based garage rock with a punk attitude and solid songwriting is A-OK in my book. These guys killed it.
Rock ‘N’ Roll Rumble 2015 Prelim Night #4
Mercury On Mars
Dan Webb And The Spiders
Dirty Bangs (Winner)
Protean Collective
The Hellacopters and Hüsker Dü just had a baby and I’m in heaven. Mercury On Mars shook away any remnants of my Day Of Rest sluggishness with an absolutely thunderous set to open Rumble Prelim Night #4. Yes!
Rock ‘N’ Roll Rumble 2015 Prelim Night #4
Mercury On Mars
Dan Webb And The Spiders
Dirty Bangs (Winner)
Protean Collective
Three down. Three to go. The 2015 Rock ‘N’ Roll Rumble has been pretty great so far. After the much needed Day of Rest, things get going again tonight at TT’s. Here’s the schedule. Come join us for some rock ‘n’ roll, won’t you? In the meantime, here are a few random thoughts on the first three nights of the preliminary round.
Old Favorites
Checking out bands I’ve seen before shows how The Rumble brings out some great performances. Band Without Hands played like their lives depended on it, bouyed by an amazing crowd. Salita made TT’s feel tiny, which is probably just the way they like it. They fed off of the energy of the room. I’ve seen Drab a few times now. They were at their Rumble best, with some perfect, dry introductory zingers to set up their well crafted songs. Nemes faced stiff competition on Night #1 and walked away with a hard fought win. They could go far.
New Faces
I thought I was prepared for Raw Blow. I was wrong. They blew me away. Their set was so intense I became oblivious to the world around me. I thank them for that. I’m glad I finally got to catch Duck & Cover. That’s a good punk rock band right there. Psychic Dog was a hoot. Eternals, Le Roxy Pro and The Rare Occasions caught me off guard in the best possible way. Loved them all.
Hats Everywhere
Look, I don’t know how my brain works. It’s always looking for patterns and outliers. Sometimes it’s looking for hats. There have been a bunch of hats so far in this year’s event. We’ve had trucker hats and winter hats. There have been all kinds of other hats I don’t know the names of. How do hats affect your chances of moving on? Well, of the six bands that had behattted members, one has punched a ticket to the next round (Eternals). That’s a 17% advancement rate. That’s down from the 33% success rate for bands without hats (not to be confused with Band Without Hands). A wild card pickup for Raw Blow, Duck & Cover, Drab, Salita or Mister Vertigo will even out those odds. Do with this info what you will.
Fun With Numbers
Play Me Out
The Static Dynamic were victorious on Prelim Night #3. When you take a tight, technical band and add a passion for playing and a song like “Relentless,” good things will happen. These are a few of the songs that have stuck with me after the first few nights. See you at TT’s tonight!
When the 2015 Rock ‘N’ Roll Rumble superlatives are handed out, Psychic Dog may be voted “Most Likely To Start Their Own Religion.” The TT’s crows was drinking up their potent home brew of punk, rockabilly and psychedelic revival tent hymnals. What a gloriously bizarre way to head into the Day of Rest.
Rock ‘N’ Roll Rumble 2015 Prelim Night #3
Le Roxy Pro
Salita
The Static Dynamic (Winner)
Psychic Dog
The Static Dynamic punched their ticket to The Rumble Semifinals with precision execution and dynamism. Their heavy, hooky alt-prog and soaring vocals won over the judges on Prelim Night #3. Outstanding.
Rock ‘N’ Roll Rumble 2015 Prelim Night #3
Le Roxy Pro
Salita
The Static Dynamic (Winner)
Psychic Dog
