The Jungle in Union Square was abuzz with locals waiting for the 4 artists to get started on a warm day in Somerville. As soon as the first band, Winkler, went on stage, you could feel the anticipation coupled with excitement and hear the background noises of people getting drinks, talking about the merch, or eating tater tots (me).
Winkler was formed right here in Boston and the rest is history! Everyone in the band loves Jonathan Richmond and they all like music from Boston (a shout out to our local artists!). When people hear Winkler’s music, the band wants them to dance, laugh, smile, think about their loved ones, and dance with them. Winkler has an album For You, Now that’s out everywhere. They started the show off with a bang and got the whole crowd moving on their feet with their chill rock energy, especially with their song Call It Good Times. Winkler also had cute merch with cassettes and tiny lyric books, so if you want to jam out with them at Nice Fest in Davis Square happening July 20-23, you should start practicing now!
The second artist of the night, nellie, started her music journey here in Boston and has played at The Lizard Lounge, Bow Market, and now The Jungle. Having recently released her third single Marguerite with Christian Sparacio last summer, nellie is working on new music back in New York with MA-formed band, Toledo. She wants to lift people up through her music and wants everyone to have a good time. She played with a full band and her acapella college friend, Aly, who added gorgeous harmonies and vocals to the set. nellie got us all in our feels through the hard-hitting lyrics of her unreleased song Garden, but had us back to our pop punk days with her cover of In Too Deep. You can catch nellie at Sofar Sounds shows around New York, so keep an eye out on her socials for her next show announcements. Also, if you’re looking to get a tattoo but aren’t ready for the commitment, nellie has some temporary floral tattoos as part of her merch!
Our 3rd artist, Fetch Tiger, played their second show here in Boston, but they’ll definitely be back for more! When Fetch Tiger started their band, their vibe was more singer-songwriter, but they have now moved to wanting people to feel enthused when listening to their music. Fetch Tiger just put out an EP Flamethrower, which they played for us. Some of their songs were definitely by-the-beach vibes, but the song that had the crowd vibing and dancing the most was Sunroom. The star of their set, though, was the guitar playing, which blew us all away. Fetch Tiger recently got new merch that consists of fun t-shirts, and the band mentioned it would be cool if people other than their mom bought their merch! They’re playing a show back in New York on May 31st through The Luna Collective Magazine, so if you’re in the area, check them out!
Our last artist of the night, Vern Matz, was no stranger to the Boston music scene and has been playing at all the venues in the Boston/Cambridge area. He’s a second-year law student and wants people to feel like they’re on the same wavelength as him, connecting to him through his music. He released an album, Reality Bites, back in December and is putting out a new single, Rattlesnake, on 5/12. Vern Matz also got us in our feels through his lyrics and folk melodies, and he even played us a song called Fox, which he had just written earlier that week. The most entertaining part of his set was the pedal steel player, James, who was giving Vern letter grades on napkins for his jokes. If you want to hear more of Vern Matz’s jokes, he’ll be in New York this summer playing a lot of shows!
Overall, my night was filled with good vibes, good music, and yummy tater tots, and I will definitely be back at The Jungle for all three very soon!