Mass Hysteria - 93 Local Bands Contribute to the Terrible Masshole Mashup

Penalty Kill, Viva La Hop and Krill walk into a bar... Listen to the encompassing 'Masshole'.

Roughly a year in the making, NYC transplant mashup artist Terrible (AKA Max Schaffer) has put the finishing touches on his 20 minute mix comprised entirely of local music; 93 bands, 138 sources, and 1 cameo by Frank Oglesby (the voice of the T) to be exact.

The New England Deli - Best of 2015 Local Artist Poll

That punk category though. vote.

The New England Deli has released their year-end Best of 2015 Local Artist Poll, segmented into genres covering Alt Rock to Garage/DIY, Punk Rock and “Other”. Nominated by anonymous music contributors and presented to the public to vote on, here is your chance to voice your opinion.

But there can only be one champ per category, and the punk noms are contenders: Choke Up, Tied to a Bear, The New Warden, Mall Cops, Rebuilder, Psychic Dog, Trophy Lungs, Warn the Duke.

Vote now.

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An All Call for New England Bands - We Want Yo' Music For A Terrible Mashup

It's about to get wicked Terrible up in here.

Calling all bands. Bishop & Rook is partnering with local mashup artist, Terrible, to create a very special localz only, all-encompassing Boston music scene remix. In an effort to celebrate the diverse and talented music community that we strive to champion on a daily basis, Bishop & Rook and Terrible are looking for tracks to sample.

To get on board with this project, email your isolated instrument and vocal tracks and contact information to Terrible at musicterrible@gmail.com. Current participants include Mr. Fritz, Viva La Hop, LA Jeff, Penalty Kill, and Zip-Tie Handcuffs. Deadline is July 1st.

Terrible is the curator of 'Bike.Barista.Bullshit' and 'Going van Gogh'. When Terrible isn’t producing tracks, he’s Max Shaffer, studying nerd stuffs in Cambridge, and when Max isn’t hitting the books, he’s spinning the records in the underground rock department, The Record Hospital on WHRB 95.3 FM (Harvard Radio Broadcasting).

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'Bike. Barista. Bullshit.' This is Terrible Music

The New Punk Is Coming...

Fuck yeah punk rock! (image credit)

Several local punk bands holding prime positions on our music radar are revealing that new music is in the works for 2015.

Great Lakes USA finally confirmed after years many months of hearsay that their next LP Stumbling Distance is in the works with a tentative release date of June.

The Black Cheers uploaded an ominous teaser video to their Facebook page yesterday.

And word on the street is Grenades in the Archives have some new jams on deck.

Get ready. Do you have new music you want to submit to Bishop & Rook? Learn how here.

First Batch of Awesome Day Fest 2015 Bands Announced

So ominous it must be important. Coming May 30, 2015.

The first batch of participating Awesome Day Fest 2015 bands has been announced! It’s happening! The annual neighborhood music event will be held on Saturday, May 30th, 2015 in “The Aspen of the East” beautiful Allston, Massachusetts, curated by Jesse Sherman and Midriff Records.

“Awesome Day Fest is a day long party celebrating the music, art and spirit of Allston “Rock City”, MA. With bands and BBQ during the day and rock at night we hope that folks will come out, spend the day with us and experience what makes Allston, MA so special. Make a day of it!” states Midriff Records.

Confirmed to participate in this year’s event is Weird Womb, Sidewalk Driver, Kudgel, Shatner, Vic Firecracker (reunion), Petty Morals, Guillermo Sexo, Crooked North, Eldridge Rodriguez, Party Bois, Codetta (reunion) and Diablo Gato. More to come.

Additional information including individual show tickets, “all venue” wristbands and a full lineup of participating bands will be added to Midriff Record’s blog regularly. Follow Awesome Day Fest on Facebook and Twitter for announcements and attend the all-day event May 30th.

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Allston Gets a Bit More Awesome During Awesome Day Fest

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.

Bishop And Rook, The Offseason, Sound Lion, All January Long

Special price, special discount, special in-store. We special yo. (image credit)

Here's some fun, exciting, pop punky news!

Bishop And Rook is part of the local music blog super group collaboration, Boston Scene Party, along with your favs like Allston Pudding and Boston Ska Dot Net.

Each month, a participating blog chooses a band to feature at the Sound Lion audio retail store in Harvard Square. Buy that band's record and get 10% off your entire Sound Lion purchase (no minimum). So like, buy ALL THE HEADPHONES, or just a pair of ear buds, still get 10% off and score new music.

Bishop And Rook kicks off 2015 as the January blog and our pick for new local music, fresh off the O'Brien's stage, your very own, power pop punk quartet, The Offseason!

Bishop And Rook's Local Picks of 2014

It's Bishop And Rook's Local Picks of 2014! Ta-da!

Oh man, 2014. We went to all the shows! We drank all the beer! But most importantly, it was another year of meeting extraordinarily passionate and talented music folks in Boston. Here's to the record release shows, the new singles, the networking, the collaborations, the venues, the local radio stations, the fans, and all the bands that submitted music to Bishop And Rook. These are some of our favorite local tracks of 2014. Let's do it all again next year.

4 Bands and 1 Rockin Holiday Flea Market to See in December

Support local music, go to a show.

So successful in October, we’re doing it again! What any self-respecting music lover will tell you is, “you gotta see the live show man.” Spontaneous, interactive, at some points vastly different from the recordings, you can’t have a true opinion about a band until you catch them live. Also cocktails, mingling and sometimes fancy outfits. Here are 4 bands and 1 rockin holiday flea market to see before the end of December.

The Offseason / Losing Streak "Split" Record Release Show

The Offseason / Losing Streak "Split" is now available for purchase digitally via Bandcamp and on Transparent Electric Blue (limited to 125) and Transparent Kelly Green (limited to 125) vinyl via Barret Records, JUST IN TIME FOR CHRISTMAS YOU GUYS!

In celebration of the new album, The Offseason will be performing a record release show at O'Brien's Pub in Allston on December 14th with The Losing Streak (NJ), Off & On, Trophy Lungs and Agree to Disagree. 8p/$8/18+. Event details.

Rock Out With Your Cocktail Out Vol. XXX

Hey guys, it's our 30th #ROWYCO playlist! Cheers! (image credit)

Hey man, holidays, whaddyagonnado. No matter how many times you’ve done it, nothing can quite prepare you for the onslaught of meaningless questions and passive aggressive accusations about your alternative life style. When are you going to get married? Is that another tattoo? You’re in band? I love Bruno Mars. He's great. Is your band on the radio yet? Here, hold the baby. Seriously guys, it’s a universal discomfort. That is why we are here to provide an escape via new, sometimes local, but always awesome music and a drink to match.

Doom Lover Breaks Secrecy Pact to Discuss Debut EP, Provides Cryptic Message, Returns to Secrecy

Purchase Doom Lover's debut EP, Until Everybody Dies now on Bandcamp.

Until Everybody Dies is a record that deserves dedicated listening time to accurately uncover the hard packed layers of emotion. From romance and heartbreak to desperation and determination, 2014 Rock N Roll Rumble alumni Doom Lover hopes their signature style is moving people with their debut 5-song EP.

Vundabar Releases Music Video for UK Track "Ashes in The Sun"

In conclusion to their European Tour, Boston’s indie/surf rock trio, Vundabar, premiered a music video on Artrocker for new single “Ash in The Sun” off of their self-titled EP released in the UK early November. The 5-song EP, which consists of four previously released songs on 2013’s Antics in addition to the new single, can be purchased on Amazon and iTunes.

The 3:12 video follows the story line of drugs, cross dressing and fun facts about common household pugs. The interior duffel bag camera really ties this adventure together.

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.

Music Video: Banditas - "When He Comes Home"

In case you missed it, Somerville’s retro garage band, Banditas, premiered a video for “When He Comes Home” off of their 2012 Save the Rats LP (Hard to Kill Records). Directed by local filmmaker Ben Phillippo, the video won Best Music Video at the Atlanta Shortsfest in October.

Sinister in pearls, a disgruntled Stepford Wife takes matters into her own hands when she suspects the worst of her husband, and the outcome is dire.

You can purchase 'Save the Rats' on vinyl for $12 or digital for $9 at Bandcamp today and see them live at The Plough and Stars in Cambridge on November 15th.

Banditas - When He Comes Home from Ben Phillippo on Vimeo.

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.

Chandos Sign to Carpark Records, Plan to Release Debut LP in 2015

Chandos sign to DC label, Carpark Records. (image credit)

Chandos (formally Chandeliers) of Allston Rock City have some big news. The band took to Facebook earlier this morning to announce they have signed with DC label Carpark Records (Cloud Nothings, GRMLN, Speedy Ortiz) and are releasing their debut LP, Rats in Your Beds, on January 27, 2015.

To celebrate, the band has shared a track from the LP, the electrifying “..Pretty Sure it’s ‘Tang Top'” via Impose Magazine. Per the label’s website, “Expect shows in the Northeastern U.S. this winter and a larger tour in January.” You can pre-order the 11-track LP at Carpark Records now.

Music Video: The Offseason - "I'll Never Leave"

Local pop punk band, The Offseason, has premiered their first music video for “I’ll Never Leave” on music blog, More Than Sound Collective. The track is off of the upcoming 7” split with New Jersey's Losing Streak, which Bishop And Rook reported on back in October, and due out 11/11, pre-order available now via Barrett Records.

Directed by Erik Rojas and Matt Ciampa, the video sees its protagonist being literally haunted by a Jack Skellington look-alike that…get ready for this…never leaves.

Catch The Offseason at O'Brien's Pub in Allston on November 15th with Rebuilder, Up For Nothing (NY) and Bottlecaps. Event details here.

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The Offseason / Losing Streak Split