Life After The Band – The Okay Win Frontman Stephen MacDonald to Release ‘Local Divide’

Some fresh singer/songwriter music for summer nights on the beach.

When a lead singer announces his side project but continues to produce songs written and performed by the same person, does it sound any different?

Rock Out With Your Cocktail Out Vol. XXXV

Music and bourbon? We got you. (image credit)

So.many.shows.this.month. If you don’t know, now you know. Pale Angels is celebrating Cinco De Mayo with Fucko at O'Brien's Pub on 5/5. Hop Along will be at Great Scott with Pale Hounds on 5/8, Counterpunch is at Middle East Upstairs with Yo Ticondegroga on 5/13 and Vic Firecracker will reunite during Awesome Day Fest (O’Brien’s stage) with a whole mess of bands on 5/30.

And if that’s not enough, here’s a Fancy Bourbon Punch recipe.

Party with Trophy Lungs this Sunday 3/8

Punk rock party at the Middle East Upstairs 3/8.

It’s his birthday and he’ll drink all the beers if he wants to. Head to the Middle East Upstairs on Sunday, March 8th to celebrate Trophy Lungs guitarist, Kevin Bogart’s, birthday with performances by After the Fall (Albany punks recently signed to Bridge Nine Records), Remnants (NY, ex-members of The Broosevelts), Tied to a Bear (members of Choke Up / collectively decided to be too cool for the internet), Bear Child (NY, Justin from Deep Pockets), presented by Wormwood Joint.

Doors are at 8pm, $10, 18+ with valid ID. Additional details can be found on the official Facebook event page.

Remember, Sunday is Daylight Savings Time, turn those clocks forward one hour and don't miss the first act.

Rock Out With Your Cocktail Out Vol. XXXI

We're getting fancy up in here with Patron XO Cafe. (image credit)

Who else is super excited about new music in the new year?! In this month's playlist we've got local pop punk band The Offseason who are playing an exclusive acoustic set at Sound Lion later this month. Charly Bliss from Brooklyn will be in town in February. And a whole mess of other shows are happening. Get pumped up with the January Spotify playlist and The Onyx cocktail.

Close Out Your Summer With "Gwen Stacy"

Stream single "Gwen Stacy" on Bandcamp today.

If the Cure could collaborate with Arctic Monkeys, “Gwen Stacy” would be that posh and electric love child. The single off of A-C-K by Burlington, VT singer-songwriter and frontman for folk rock outfit Bandleader, Patrick McCormack, is on point with a sleek and sophisticated sound, fitting for roof top cocktail parties to backyard barbeques, available pre-release for your listening pleasures, and an ideal addition to your vacation outro playlist.

Slothrust – Who Here Ever Went to Summer Camp?

Slothrust at O'Brien's Pub 6.21.14 (Instagram)

Not only do I have a giant XX chromosome girl crush on Slothrust front lady Leah Wellbaum, but the New York three piece as a whole is a pretty fucking awesome band and rocked the room at O’Brien’s Pub in Allston during Friday night's As Built Presents show.

Slothrust (Ba Da Bing Records) is a bluesy indie rock band with hints of nostalgia and a bit of a bite, like a fine boxed wine that gives no fucks. And in case your wet dreams weren’t moist enough, dare I say, “Black Sabbath cover?”

Convinced their lyrics are rhetorical non sequiturs, scribbled down on Post-it Notes and rearranged like magnetic poetry tiles, Slothrust’s songs string together these abstract thoughts to create epic singer songwriter brain garble set to tremendously powerful music.

I like cats, do you like cats? Of course you do you sassy motherfucker.
-“Crockpot” (Of Course You Do)

Slothrust is the type of band that seduced me into writing music reviews. Do yourself a favor and see them at TT the Bears (Cambridge) on July 17th with Licious, Mal Blum and Sylvana Joyce & The Moment, because no matter how much you dig them on Bandcamp or Spotify or Soundcloud, nothing compares to the cupid's arrow of their live set.

Follow Slothrust on Facebook and Twitter and purchase Of Course You Do on CD and vinyl via Ba Da Bing Records now.

Allston Gets a Bit More Awesome During Awesome Day Fest

15 Bands, 3 Stages, One Awesome Day in Allston (Poster design by Z*L's Ian Adams)

Jesse Sherman of Boston band, Tired Old Bones, and Cameron Keiber of boutique label Midriff Records, along with O’Brien’s Pub, Regina Pizzeria, Store 54 and Narragansett Beer present Awesome Day Fest in Allston Rock City on May 24th. Originally orchestrated by Sherman, Awesome Day has historically been an all-day affair at the charming O’Brien’s Pub, complete with copious amounts of BBQ on the back patio and a stage full of the best rock Boston has to offer.

This year, however, Awesome Day Fest transforms into a tri-venue experience with the addition of TWO MORE STAGES. Three times the music, three times the beer, just remember to cross with the crosswalk.

The Roadside Dolls Hitchhike onto Our Radar

Grab your free download of Boston's The Roadside Dolls today.

Let the proverbial needle drop for 10 minutes as the nostalgic music of Boston’s The Roadside Dolls drifts through your living room like an inconspicuous breeze.

Patrick Simas - Sweaty Acoustic Folk Punk From Southeastern, MA

Patrick screams punk songs at bars and in basements and we like him.

From the depths of the South Shore comes the lion-hearted, iron-willed Patrick Simas, a one-man show of oi, punk and acoustic bar songs, and he’s ready to bleed and break some strings.

Boston's Whiskey Soaked Honky Tonkers, Civil Warblers

Yee haw.

Leave your studded denim jacket at the door, As Built PR presents the whiskey soaked honky tonk of Civil Warblers at O’Brien’s Pub on Thursday, February 6th along with Old Soul (ME), Vundabar and Derek Teichert.

From the depths of the hipster-saturated streets of Boston comes the Americana twang of Civil Warblers, a folk punk country quartet that has as much internet obscurity as a cowboy hat in Allston.

Mosey on over to Bandcamp for a free download of their 2011 Songbirds of Northern Aggression record and then pull up a stool at OBs for a taste of something different. You need a little rockabilly every now and then. *Note. Drinking whiskey not mandatory but highly suggested. Doors at 8PM, 21+, $7.

We Love Us Some Record Release Shows!

You want some records with that shake?

Boston bands are bestowing onto the town a whole mess of new records this month. Like a debutant’s Bar Mitzvah covered in cheap beer, there’s a rock and roll coming out party almost every week.

M.G. Lederman Has a Story to Tell With 'I'm Ghosts'

M.G. Lederman's I'm Ghosts record release show happens February 19 at TT the Bear's.

Driven by penetrating piano chords and gruff vocals, M.G. Lederman’s I’m Ghosts (Midriff Records) is a composition of confessions and memories, injected with wry humor, resulting in a seemingly hopeless narrative by way of Tom Waits fashion.

#BandcampRoulette

From the band that gives us the killer line, "Broken hearts under flannels," brother/sister duo Great Thunder's (PA) Can't Turn Her Head is your Sunday morning Bandcamp Roulette pick. Stream/purchase their whopping 23-track avant-garde record, Groovy Kinda Love, today.

Play Bandcamp Roulette.

Boston Does Christmas - Local Bands Release Christmas Songs

The Field Effect is offering a free download of their "Blue Christmas" track.

Local bands are getting into the Christmas spirit with original tracks and holiday covers. Take a listen and snag yourself some limited edition EPs, free downloads and festive tunes.

Assembly Required - A Collection of Must See Boston Bands

Assembly Required happens Thursday, September 19. 8pm, $10, Redstar Union, Cambridge.

Richard Bouchard (Indie Rock Ranger Presents) has procured an ensemble of some of the area’s finest entertainers for one night only during, Assembly Required, at Redstar Union in Cambridge, MA. The lineup includes the wildly unusual and diverse carnival sounds of Walter Sickert & The Army of Broken Toys, the celebratory glam rockers of Sidewalk Driver (featured in September's playlist) and profound singer/songwriter Eldridge Rodriguez.

Human Kitten Articulates Your Feelings in Self-Titled Full Length

I'm a sucker for cover art. Whenever I see an album with a kitten on it, I secretly whisper, "Please be good, please be good", despite the complete disassociation between adorable animals and good music. However, we know not all cat cover art works out. Am I right Fake Asian Rolex? Thankfully I also like Bright Eyes, acoustic guitars and brutal honesty, so naturally I gravitated towards folk punk artist, Human Kitten. 

Human Kitten's 2013 self-titled full length. Adorable and awesome.

Rock Out With Your Cocktail Out Vol. IX

I had a very, 'Why didn't I think of that?' moment while at Thelonious Monkfish in Central Square, Cambridge last weekend. Pomegranate juice and moscato wine. I'm sure it has a name that I can't recall at the moment, so we're just going to go with The Pommo Cocktail. It's 8am, that's as creative as I'm going to get. Rock out with your Pommo cocktail out to the March Playlist.