Song Premiere: Choke Up “Hart” – Appearing on Disposable America’s 'SPECIAL INTEREST' Mixtape

Disposable America's 'SPECIAL INTEREST' out July 15th, pre-order now.

Celebratory fist pump. Bishop & Rook is pleased to premiere the new Choke Up track “Hart", recorded at Converse Rubber Tracks and off Disposable America's upcoming benefit mixtape. As expected, Choke Up continues to maintain rank as an exceptionally talented Boston band.

"For Adam" - A Two-Night Local Music Showcase to Benefit Dog Days Adoption Event Inc.

'For Adam' is a two-night event in memory of musician Adam Haut (Civil Warblers / Matt & Adam) who passed away suddenly last summer from an undiagnosed heart condition. The showcase happens at Great Scott in Allston on Friday, May 6th and Saturday, May 7th, features 14 local bands and musicians, and benefits Dog Days Adoption Event Inc., a non-profit that assists small rescues and pounds to raise awareness of adoptable dogs by way of pop up events.

"We are beyond adequately expressing our gratitude for being chosen as the recipient of this great outpouring of love and joy, in memory of a young man who adored dogs, nature, music and his friends and family," the organization's Facebook page states. "Proceeds from this event will go to a fund started last year named "LETS GO" in honor of Adam, and used to pay for dog care expenses when owners can't afford them. Our deepest and most profound "thank you" to the event organizers for including us in this great honor and we wish you the greatest joy as you share memories and create new ones with friends by your side and Adam in your heart."

MAY 6 @ Great Scott - 9PM - 21+ Ticket Link | Event Link

Choke Up
Tied to a Bear
Great Lakes USA
Save Ends
Ken Valentine


MAY 7 @ Great Scott - 8PM - 21+ Ticket Link | Event Link

Matt Murphy
Piss Dogs
Pinecone Teeth
Shatner
Mic King
Radio control
The Alrighters
Erik Petersen of Mischief Brew
Jeff Rowe

Cambridge BYOB Ordinance Starts March 31st

The City of Cambridge Bring Your Own Bag (BYOB) Ordinance takes effect March 31st, 2016 and affects retail establishments that provide a checkout bag to customers at the point of sale. Retail establishments such as grocery and convenience stores, pharmacies, restaurants, liquor stores, and other retailers must comply with this ordinance.

The purpose of the Ordinance is to reduce the use of disposable checkout bags by retail establishments. Under the ordinance, plastic bags with handles are prohibited. Any reusable, paper, or compostable bag with handles provided at the point of sale must charge a checkout bag charge minimum of $0.10/bag. Businesses must show this as the “Checkout Bag Charge” on the receipt and collect sales tax on each bag. Bags exempt from the Ordinance include produce bags, laundry, dry-cleaner and newspaper bags, and bags used to wrap meat or frozen foods.

Learn more at cambridgema.gov/byob.

Head vs. Heart Tapes' 'Paws, Rewind' Benefits the Animal Rescue League of Boston

'Paws, Rewind' benefits the Animal Rescue League of Boston.

Discover new music and help out some animals in need.

Head vs. Heart Tapes, a recently launched boutique label out of Waltham, has released their first benefit compilation ‘Paws, Rewind’ with 100% of the proceeds going to the Animal Rescue League of Boston.

The 17-track compilation features a mix of HVHT artists and other local bands spanning a wide range of genres with contributions from Lady Bones, The Fake Boys, The Digs, Nashoba, Kal Marks, Pile, Deacon Bill, Psychic Dog and more. You can purchase ‘Paws, Rewind’ as a limited edition, hand numbered purple cassette tape ($5, shipping February 26th, run of 100) or digital download ($3) via Bandcamp.

A release show celebration is scheduled for Friday, February 26th at Club Bohemia in Central Square, Cambridge and will feature Idle Pilot, NICE GUYS, DCDR, Think Tank and Great News. (9PM doors // 21+ // $8 // event details).

Follow Head vs. Heart Tapes on Facebook and Twitter for additional information about ‘Paws, Rewind’, the record release show, and upcoming releases.

Flyer art by Dug McCormack ART.

It’s a Brenefit Show – Benefit Show for Trophy Lungs’ Drummer Brendan Guerin

Intimate space, burgers, beers, punk rock and unisex bathrooms.

Hey kids, let’s go to a benefit show. Before you start thinking “Monday night, SMH”, understand Charlie's Kitchen ONLY hosts live music on Monday nights, and it’s a pretty damn awesome time.

One day before Boston punks, Trophy Lungs, returned from tour, drummer Brendan Guerin received news that his apartment in Jamaica Plain (that he moved into less than a month ago) caught on fire. Although everyone made it out okay, water and structural damage rendered the apartment unstable and emergency relocation was a must.

The scene came together and to form the Brenefit Show at Charlie’s Kitchen (10 Eliot Street, Harvard Square, Cambridge) featuring Trophy Lungs, Save Ends, Fucko and Rebuilder (essentially, it's an O'Brien's show, but at Charlie's). The evening also serves as a send of for some bands heading to FEST14. Charlie’s Kitchen is 21+ // $5 cover // 8PM // Facebook event link. Additional donations accepted throughout the night. Every dollar that comes through the door goes directly to helping Bren and his girlfriend Kerri find a new place/pay outrageous moving fees.

Related Stories:
Trophy Lungs Premier Music Video for “Bathroom Graffiti”

Bandcamp Reports Fans Have Given Artists $100 Million USD

Dolla Dolla Bill, Y'All. Bandcamp reports major milestone.

Bandcamp took to Facebook to announce a major milestone. Per the music streaming website, fans have now given artists $100 million USD through Bandcamp. Fans give artists $3.5 million every month on the site, and buy more than 16,000 records a day, which works out to about one every five seconds, 24 hours a day, 365 days a year.

"So a big, big thanks to everyone supporting artists on Bandcamp, and to all the artists and labels posting great music too. We wouldn’t be here without you. P.S. We worked out of the public library for the first four years of Bandcamp’s existence. In May 2009, fans gave artists $12,823.12. It was the first time we’d crossed the $10K-in-a-month mark."

Read more via the Bandcamp blog.

Hardcore Helps the Homeless – March 22nd

O’Brien’s Pub in Allston will be the venue for Hardcore Helps the Homeless on March 22nd. The event features several local hardcore bands including Lunglust, Kimachi, Empty Vessels (CT), Vultures and Mass Graves, and benefits the Somerville Homeless Coalition.

Anonymous Post-Hardcore Band Premiers New Track Off Debut EP

At the Heart of It debut EP out March 3rd. Pre-order available now.

New Hampshire’s At the Heart of It revolves around the belief that music is a tool for social awareness and a means to open the lines of communication with their listeners. Looking to keep the focus on the music and message, rather than on the band as individuals, ATHOI chose to be interviewed as a single entity. “We are a five piece, and will go by our first initials for identification's sake. R. A. J. T. N.”

Coach & Sons Olde Time Family Booking Presents 'Coach Comp Vol. 1'

Download the 47-song comp for $3 on Bandcamp now.

Coach & Sons Olde Time Family Booking has released their first local music compilation.

The 47-song digital download entitled Coach Comp Vol. 1 features new songs from Animal Flag and Fall Risk (who you can see at Charlie’s Kitchen on March 2nd), as well as tracks from Soroity Noise, Sports., St. Nothing, Survay Says! and more. You can grab the comp on Bandcamp for $3, proceeds go to participating bands.

The DRAX Record Pre-Sale Is On

Pledge now, get an advanced copy of the new DRAX record, see the show in February.

2014 Rock ‘n’ Roll Rumble champions and all around nice dudes, Goddamn Draculas, have partnered with crowd sourcing platform Pledge Music (dot com) to pre-sell their upcoming debut record.

Pre-order the physical album for $20 now and snag an advanced digital copy. Merch is also available including apparel, posters and package deals. All items are in limited quantities so hop on it and get new music in your hand-ears.

Catch The Drax during their highly anticipated record release show on February 7th at Middle East Downstairs with special guests. Buy your tickets in advance and save $3. See the official Facebook event page for complete details.

Watch a video of Duggan telling you how you can pre-order and score some sweet DRAX stuff now.

Local Punks Organize Benefit Compilation for Black Lives Matter

100% of the proceeds go toward Black Lives Matter. Get your copy now via Bandcamp.

42 punk rock bands donated tracks to Solidarity Mixtape Volume 1, a compilation to help raise money for Black Lives Matter. A unique contribution that goes beyond the narrow nationalism that can be prevalent within Black communities, #BlackLivesMatter is working for a world where Black lives are no longer systematically and intentionally targeted for demise.

Bishop And Rook Joins Boston Scene Party

Join the party at www.bostonsceneparty.com

Ermahgerd you guys! We’re making friends and making history! Bishop And Rook is proud to announce our involvement in Boston Scene Party, a community group of local bloggers brought together by a shared commitment, enthusiasm and genuine love for the Boston music scene.

Rebuilder Plays WMBR's Pipeline! November 11th During Pledge Week

Rebuilder plays WMBR's Pipeline! 11/11 8p-10p during Pledge Week. (image credit)

Days after recording their upcoming LP (due out early 2015 via Panic State Records), Boston’s self-proclaimed “gnarly rock” band and 2014 Boston Music Awards "Punk Artist of the Year" nominee (vote now), Rebuilder, will be offering up some brand new music live and on air tonight during WMBR’s local music segment Pipeline! with the one and only, don’t get him started on the best ice cream in town, Mr. Jeff Breeze, as pledge week continues for the free format community radio station.

Keep Safe Boston Benefit Show and Compilation

Download your copy of the entire compilation today.

"Everyone worries about what we should be doing​. Do whatever you can,"
-Gloria Steinem

Keep Safe Boston, an upstart community organization founded by Boston radio deejay and local music scene advocate, Anngelle Wood, has announced its inaugural event to benefit Planned Parenthood League of Massachusetts on Wednesday, December 10th (Human Rights Day) at Brighton Music Hall in Allston, MA. In support of the upcoming show, the organization has also released a 50-song music compilation comprised of local musicians and previously unreleased tracks.

It’s WMBR's Annual Pledge Week!

Donate to the BEST free-format community radio station in the Boston area.

The community radio station we turn on EVERY.SINGLE.DAY to provide us with the latest and greatest in all genres including punk, rock, ska, indie and local music, as well as giving us a heads up of what's happening in the clubs around town with their daily concert reports, is asking for your help.

One of the only existing free-format community radio stations in the Boston area, WMBR 88.1 FM (located on the campus of MIT in Cambridge) is noncommercial radio, offering many hours of programming that cannot be found on any other radio station anywhere. They are 100% volunteer, with no paid staff. Roughly 5% of the station's budget comes from MIT, but the primary source of income is listener donations. Donations are used to improve the station in order to provide you with high-quality radio close to 24 hours a day.


If WMBR was a man, I’d marry him. But it is in fact a radical radio station with many different shows that make choosing impossible. From the British duo Nick Saloman & Paul Simmons of The Scene (Fridays 7a-8a), who I may or may not have geeked out to hard when I ran into them at TT’s over the summer, to all of the Breakfast of Champions and Late Risers Club DJs that get us through the week day mornings (M-F 8a-10a, 10a-12p respectively), and to our good friend Jeff Breeze who supports the local music scene from the depths of the basement of the Walker Memorial Building on Pipeline! (Tuesdays 8p-10p), WMBR is an institution. A historical entity. A damn good cup of coffee in the buffet of radio frequencies.


Pledge week happens today, Thursday, November, 6th through Wednesday, November 12th. You can donate by calling the station directly during on-air hours at 617-253-8810 or online using their secure online pledge form. And to say thank you, WMBR is offering cool premiums for your donation.

Learn more about pledge week.

Donate online now.

Listen to WMBR online now or download the Apple app and listen on the go.

Support Music Education, Feed A Zombie

One day only in Central Square, Cambridge.

On Sunday, October 12th from 3-6pm, (ONE DAY ONLY YOU GUYS!!!), two zombies will be humanely chained to the patio at Thelonious Monkfish 524 Mass Ave, Central Square, Cambridge (the best damn sushi place in town) to benefit the Johnny Hodges Fund, a program designed to support the musical aspirations of Cambridge students.

Synopsis: It has been 10 long years since the Zombie Apocalypse. 80% of the human population has been infected, most succumbed to a dead-fall life...a life of the same boring routine of working day in and day out. Work, Eat, Sleep, Work, Eat Sleep. A life in which creativity, fun and joy were a long lost dream.

How can you help? You can buy Zombie Bits for a minimum donation of $5 and feed the Zombies.

Thelonious Monkfish in association with Trapped in a Room with a Zombie presents: Feed Our Zombies. A 1-Day Event in Cambridge, Massachusetts. Proceeds for the event will be used to support local musicians through the Johnny Hodges Fund...because Music Cures Zombism.

Learn more about the event at the official Thelonious Monkfish website.

My Heart Belongs to the Boston Music Scene

We support local music. Follow Bishop And Rook on Instagram for more pictures.

Shoe string guitar straps, punks playing violin, $4 Coors Lights and impromptu sing-alongs. Kids, this is what I live for. The Clear Channels and the big box stores can have their corporate recommended listens and curated compilations; I’ll take my music genuine.

The streets they’re singing about? You’ve walked on them. The bars you frequent? They’re drinking there with you. This show tonight? This show is happening for you.

Every day you support local music, you grow closer to a community, its people, its quirks and inside jokes. Its struggles. Its inspiration. The humble camaraderie. And the savvy ambition of a person who never gives up. By a steady amount or observation you begin to realize everyone around you is drunk off of passion, respect and gratitude. This is the scene. You can go to any no name place in any town, buy a drink and have no purpose. These venues have purpose, you have purpose. If you just show up.

Everything is better in person. Just go to a show.
Submit your music to Bishop And Rook.

Announcing the 2nd Annual Punk N Roll BBQ

Happening 8/3. All proceeds go to Rawkstars Inc., purchase your tickets now.

Do you like punk? Do you like BBQ? Do you like special announcements?!

Bishop And Rook is proud to announce the 2nd Annual Punk N Roll BBQ and Fundraiser!

Local boutique label, Ocelot Records (formally Boston Bloghead), will continue the trend of all-day punk rock music and good food at Allston’s O’Brien’s Pub Sunday, August 3rd with performances by The Down and Outs, Zip-Tie Handcuffs, A Minor Revolution, Dead Cats Dead Rats and more.

We're Nominated for The Boston A-List Best Local Blog - Vote for Us!

Oh hey hey now. We managed get ourselves nominated for the 2014 Boston A-List Best Local Blog. We're honored that late nights, cheap beer, and an endless supply of earplugs could result in such recognition. What can we say, we do it for the scene.

Show us your love and vote for Bishop And Rook - Best Local Blog. Because...music and kittens. Hurry, voting ends August 1st.

Design WMBR’s Fundraising Swag

2013 30th anniversary Breakfast of Champions T-shirt design.

Calling all artists - local college / community / OUR FAVORITE radio station 88.1FM WMBR is in search of designs for this year’s fundraising swag.

WMBR, situated on the campus of MIT in Cambridge, is a 100% volunteer station with no paid staff. “This is rare - even among other local college and public stations. Our only sources of income are listener donations and a small stipend from MIT,” states the station’s Facebook page.

Each November, WMBR hosts a week-long fundraising drive to replenish their capital budget and keep the station on air for another year, typically offering various WMBR-branded premiums such as T-shirts and bumper stickers to donors.

“Each year we choose different designs for these premiums, which is where you come in! We are reaching out to the local artist community for logos or other images. While we can't provide cash payment, any designers whose images we use will receive publicity via on-air mentions and on our website, as well as ample samples of their work on the actual premiums. In addition, you'll be helping out one of the premiere radio stations in the region.”

Interested artists can respond by Friday, August 22nd to premiums@wmbr.org with a jpeg or link to a proposed design. Rough drafts are welcome if accompanied by examples of other finished work.

Check out examples of previously used artwork 

Tune into 88.1 first on your FM dial or listen online for an array of excellent radio shows including the all local music segment Pipeline with DJ Jeff Breeze Sundays 8p-10p.