Stephen Sanchez came through Roadrunner at the beginning of this month, and Vika Brennick was on hand to take photos of the show. Check them out below.
Here’s Music: The Playful Pink Navel
By Ben Bonadies
Photo by Sherilyn Furneaux
I want to start this by saying that I am not a PR agency. I think the idea in people’s heads of a journalist is someone who only reports on things that can be proven. Really, covering music is only a few degrees away from covering sports. A sports writer is good at two things: observing and analyzing. There’s no way to verify that Kristaps Porzingis isn’t taking sufficient advantage of mismatches in the post, but if you’re really clued in to the Celtics this season you might just agree. When you’re paying attention, you notice things when they happen. Music journalism is like this.
Observation: Pink Navel releases a new album called How to Capture Playful co-credited with Kenny Segal. This is the kind of observation you might call “news.” Many journalists make their mettle covering the news, but to call this observation “news” would be like calling a billboard “news.” I would not call a billboard “news.” I am not a PR agency.
Analysis: This is maybe the highest profile release of Pink Navel’s career. The Pembroke, Massachusetts rapper-producer – born Devin Bailey – has been steadily putting out esoteric hip-hop on Bandcamp since 2016. Their early output, beat tapes that drew heavily on the soundscapes of video games and Internet ephemera, positioned Navel as a producer who proudly repped their dorkiness and only occasionally displayed their own herky-jerky bars. With every subsequent drop, the beats got tighter and the rapping found its focus as Dev’s flow settled into what is now their signature style: taut flows chock full of interior rhyme and Easter eggs for their fellow nerds. The tapes also became increasingly collaborative; Dev wasn’t the only producer credited for beats anymore. In fact, Playful isn’t even the first Pink Navel / Kenny Segal linkup—that came on 2018’s “Born on The Stairs.” Now with a steadily growing cult behind them and cosigns from indie stalwart Open Mike Eagle and Ruby Yacht labelmate R.A.P. Ferreira, Pink Navel is poised to break into the underground’s A-list.
A quick aside about this Kenny Segal guy since he’s something of a star on the rise himself. He’s the producer half of one of the year’s best-reviewed rapper-producer team-up albums, Maps with Billy Woods. He’s also been behind the boards on some beloved albums from milo and Armand Hammer. Attaching himself to Pink Navel at this moment lends an “Oh shit” quality to Playful that the album rides to great success.
When I heard that Navel was going to be performing Playful in its entirety at their homecoming show at Warehouse XI, I had that same “Oh shit” feeling. A beloved rapper fresh off releasing a new album returns to their home turf to play what may be their best work yet? Too big a confluence of cool shit to ignore, the kind of event that it is the sacred duty of Allston Pudding to capture.
The Pink Navel live setup is about as bare-bones as it gets: just Dev (in their signature knit cap) and a controller used to trigger sounds and modify their vocals. For all its simplicity, Dev manages to get a fair bit of mileage out of it. Not only does it foreground Pink Navel as both MC and producer (setting them apart from a sea of rappers content to play their tracks through a PA and call it a day) but the array of effects at their disposal made every song and interstitial interesting. My favorite was a laser beam-like whooshing sound that Dev triggered with a twist of a knob, snapping the audience’s attention to their gently bouncing form hunched over the controller. “Here’s music,” they announced, before launching into opener “Reset.”
Following some early hoe-scaring beats, the instrumentals settle into tasteful boom-bap, but the focus was Dev’s ambling, agile bars. The rapper was pretty out of breath toward the end of the set—17 songs in 46 minutes is a lot to get through. Many, many words came coursing through Dev’s microphone, but a line from their first song of the night seemed to sum it all up: “Favorite questline is the one where I become great at rap.” Through the night’s marathon set, and the seven years of honing their craft that preceded it, that’s exactly what Dev proved they were doing.
Catch Pink Navel touring with Open Mike Eagle this December, and find How to Capture Playful on Bandcamp or streaming.
Slaughter Beach, Dog Kills it at Roadrunner
Jake Ewald has come a long way since his days as a member of the beloved emo-rock band Modern Baseball. After over five years of successful records, world-wide tours, and a growing fanbase for the Philly-based rockers, the band went on a hiatus in 2017, which turned Ewald’s focus on his solo project, Slaughter Beach, Dog. The band stopped by Roadrunner on Thursday for a killer set in support of their new album, Crying, Laughing, Waving, Smiling, which was released in September via Lame-O Records.
Singer Erin Rae put in some serious work throughout the night. She opened the show with her solo performance before hopping back on stage to sing background vocals for the headliner throughout much of their set. The Nashville-based singer-songwriter quickly grabbed the attention of those shuffling out of the cold Boston night into Roadrunner’s warehouse-style concert hall. Backed by only her acoustic guitar, she had to battle for the crowd’s attention and eventually her beautiful, twangy voice won-out. Rae played a set of intimate folk songs that seemed to span the entire world of love and heartbreak, having the vast venue all-ears by the time her set was over.
Detroit-based indie rockers Bonny Doon provided the second dose of music for the night. The four-piece band was cut down to just original members Bill Lennox and Bobby Colombo, each sporting only a guitar and their own voices (except for the addition of a pre-recorded drum and bass track on their closer, 2018 title track, “Long Wave”). Over the chatter of show-goers, the two played a stripped-back set of warm, jangly rock tunes spanning their output over the past nine years. The majority came from Let There Be Music, released in June of this year. The band’s performance can be defined by their two catchy, confessional tracks from their 2017 self-titled album, “Summertime Friends” and “You Can’t Hide,” which translated perfectly to the dual-guitar performance. The best song of the set, “A Lotta Things,” is a witty, Neil-Young-esque banger which saw some Doon devotees sing along in the crowd. Bonny Doon’s extremely laid back sound and simple songwriting was nice on the ears and a great listen.
Slaughter Beach, Dog put on a show. I was skeptical of how Ewald’s quiet, conversational records would translate to a live show at a fairly large and open venue like Roadrunner (one that the singer himself took note of about halfway through his set – “Wow, this room is kinda big!”). He set the vibe early by playing roadie – coming out and tuning up his equipment all by himself before the show started. He said what’s up to a few fans and even hopped off stage to interact with some fans in the front row. He made it clear that the wall between performer and crowd was knocked down and for tonight, everybody was going to be friends.
The band opened with “Bobcat Club,” a storytelling folk song characterized by its fingerstyle guitar playing and strong harmonies, as he was joined by opener Rae for its performance. He kept the groove going with “Strange Weather,” which introduced the loud, piercing slide guitar played by Adam Meisterhans that propelled much of the band’s set. The rhythm section, made up of bassist Ian Farmer (also a Modern Baseball alumnus) and drummer Zach Robbins, held down a captivating groove that strung the songs together and kept the show flowing nicely.
The crowd picked up with “Birdie” and “Gold and Green,” two tracks off of 2017’s fan-loved album, Birdie. Chased down with 2020’s “Are You There,” the energy began to rise with the addition of light synths and dance-worthy drum beats. The crowd let out a big cheer and began belting out the lyrics to the confessional, personal record “Black Oak.” With the crowd buzzing and captivated, the band brought it back to their new album with the nearly nine-minute cut, “Engine.” The band’s experience showed through with this one, ending with a cohesive, psychedelic jam that could only be executed to a level like this after years of road-dogging and honing their craft.
The band starkly shifted into “Henry,” a proper folk song about a young boy’s coming-of-age, before bringing it back to an emotional crowd favorite, “Phoenix.” With lyrics so personal and intrusive, I found the word-for-word recital from a good portion of the crowd of late-teens and twenty-somethings quite impressive. The band took the energy up with their performance of “Do You Understand (What Has Happened to You),” which was made up of pure talking during the verses before an epic, harmonized chorus. The band then jammed out with poppy, up-beat “Float Away,” sounding like it could be picked right out of a Wilco record with its quirky lyrics and Americana instrumentation. The band then began closing out their set with the polished new track “Summer Windows,” a sure highlight of their new record driven by country leads and sunny lyrics. They finished with crowd-pleaser and certified hit “Acolyte,” before piling on with an encore of their head-bopper “Your Cat” and the poetic “At the Moon Base,” leaving the crowd with not much to be desired.
The skilfully crafted songs of Slaughter Beach, Dog were most certainly brought to life through an electrified performance and a great response from a devoted crowd. Ewald noted this himself about two thirds through the performance, remarking that, “It’s weird playing music… a lot of times it feels like you don’t know what you’re doin, but we feel like we know what we’re doin tonight!” While part of me was expecting a following of emo fans still kicking their hangovers from MOBO hits like “Your Graduation” and “The Weekend,” Jake Ewald is clearly cutting a new path with intimate folk songs and gaining a fresh set of young fans along the way. His songwriting has never been better than on the new record, and the live performance has presented me with one of my new favorite records of the year.
Check out all of Wendy’s photos from the show below.
Vagabon Talks Her Shit At Crystal Ballroom
Flashback to earlier this year, when I was slated to see Laetitia Tamko – a.k.a. Vagabon – perform at Pitchfork Festival in Chicago. Knowing that she was working on new material, I was as eager to hear some samplings from her then-upcoming project as I was to hear “Water Me Down,” which I’m on record crowning one of my personal favorite tracks of the 2010s. Sadly, on that otherwise-lovely July day, a sudden flash thunderstorm warning forced the festival to cut Vagabon’s set after a mere two songs. While the festival eventually resumed that afternoon, Vagabon didn’t. Alas.
Of course, within a few months, Tamko released her third album under the Vagabon moniker – a dance-pop collection titled Sorry I Haven’t Called – and embarked on a tour to promote the release. She swung by Somerville’s Crystal Ballroom towards the end of October. The last time she came through the area was in 2021 when she played a decently-filled Sinclair. Because of that, it was surprising to arrive at Crystal Ballroom to see a very light crowd – unfortunately less than two years prior.
Nourished By Time served as the show’s opener – another artist who I had the pleasure of seeing at Pitchfork Fest earlier this year. He makes breezy, pulsing electronic with hypnotic vocals, which definitely fit the mood of late October.
Afterwards, Vagabon took the stage. Between songs, Tamko spoke to the audience about the record’s dedication: one of her best friends and collaborators passed away between album cycles. When they spent time together, she explained, they would always listen to house and other forms of dance music. So, when she began writing songs for this record, she took a lot of inspiration from those genres. This is evident on songs like “Lexicon” (“Our lexicon is gone / when we dance all night”).
That might be the best way to summarize Vagabon’s music to someone who is unfamiliar: she bundles up tragedy and sadness, and transmutes it into joyful expression. Besides that, pushing herself into dance music territory feels like a natural progression for Tamko; her last album, especially “Water Me Down,” started making baby steps in that direction. While Vagabon deserves to draw a larger crowd, it was nonetheless a wonderful opportunity to see her perform on Crystal Ballroom’s intimate stage.
Check out all the photos from Vagabon’s show via the gallery below.
Mipso Brings Book of Fools to The Sinclair
Photos & Review by Greg Wong
The North Carolinian quartet Mipso brought their brand of folk to The Sinclair on Wednesday 11/15. The show was among the group’s last stops of the year in support of their latest album Book of Fools.
Early attendees had the luck of catching a short-but-sweet solo acoustic set by singer/songwriter Kate Rhudy. The crowd had largely filled in by the time The Wildmans took to the stage. The eponymous brother and sister duo and their accompanying band added more than a few more strings into the mix as they demonstrated their virtuosic synergy. Mipso capped off the evening with a wide-ranging set that both showcased their newest material and offered samplings from their back catalog spanning 10 years. They spiced things up even further with a couple of covers as well, with an intriguing choice of Hank Williams and Dido. Mipso highlighted their own cohesion by performing a significant portion of their set crowded together around a single microphone. The audience connected with the harmony displayed on stage and reciprocated it, particularly as they sang along enthusiastically during “Louise.” With such congruity, Mipso and the fans in attendance enjoyed a night of mutual appreciation.
Check out all of Greg’s photos from the show below.
Tiffy on Being Serious, Finding Humor & Playing Minecraft
Photo courtesy of Tiffy
Given the current state of, well everything in the world, its really not surprising that brash cynicism would be trending. Too much doomscrolling and a general lack of faith in the powers that be isn’t exactly a great catalyst for hope. However, cynicism can be really, really funny.
This is the case with the long-awaited debut So Serious from Southern California raised and Boston baked tongue-and-cheek “soft-punk” artist Tiffy. On the album, Tiffany Sammy rifles through emotional baggage, coming-of-age traumas and assorted icky feelings with a bone dry bravura capable of commanding a music hall and a comedy club.
With their debut out now, we chatted with Sammy ahead of their upcoming Boston release show at Deep Cuts in Medford to discuss the journey so far, pasta with garlic bread and just doing it…
Allston Pudding: What are you most excited for with this new release?
Tiffy: It’s been a long time coming. The songs have been done since the end of 2021. We’ve been playing the songs live for the past two years now, so I feel like a lot of people know them, but they haven’t been able to have them. So I’m just excited that people can have it and kinda close this chapter of Tiffy.
AP: Move into your next era…
Tiffy: I guess people aren’t usually excited for the end of things, but we’re ready. I’ve lived these songs so much already, but I’m excited for other people to have the experience with them too.
AP: When did you start working on this project?
Tiffy: So [this] album in general is kind of like a combination of songs. Some songs I had written at the beginning of the project in 2019. But a lot of them I wrote from 2020 to 2021. I sat down and demoed everything out and then we went to record it in 2022 in February. We er-I decided that what we were recording wasn’t sounding great, so we re-recorded everything in November 2022. But I’m glad we did it, because it came out a lot better. Then from November to January, 2023 was [more] recording and mixing but we still used a lot of stuff from the February recordings as well. So, yeah it’s kind of been a long, slow process that happened in bursts.
Photo courtesy of Tiffy
AP: There’s definitely both a Boston and Southern California vibe to your music, but which would you say more heavily influences you?
Tiffy: So yeah, I grew up in Southern California and that was super formative for me. Getting into music was listening to 90s rock on the radio and I feel like it was just different in California. Surf culture is a big thing and I was influenced by that, and I got into rock & punk at a really young age. I would go to house shows all through my teens, and when I moved here, I found the music scene. It’s a little similar, but a lot different. I do feel like I’m inspired by like 80s/90s Boston hard-core punk because in the 2000s & 2010s hard-core emo Pop-punk was big, and still is. But I mean, The Cars I love, that kind of pop-rock. The Pixies, The Breeders, all of that definitely was influential too, so I guess it’s both [laughs] which is kind of interesting.
AP: You work through a lot of social issues and modern feelings in your music. Which song would you say is your most cathartic, either to perform or to have written?
Tiffy: “I’m Not Equipped For This” was a really cathartic one to write, but also to play live, it’s a lot of fun. I wrote it when I was working a day job and I was really frustrated because my boss was like “you have to do it this way, blah blah blah…“ and I’m like “I can’t friggin’ do it man, back off”, but obviously I can’t say that right? [laughs] and that’s basically what this song is, screaming about that, and it’s fun. Then, last month we played a show up in New Hampshire, which is where this job was, and my old boss was there and I got to say “I wrote this song while I was working a terrible day job” in front of him, and it was all very full circle.
AP: As an artist, what is something you would say surprised you about the music industry?
Tiffy: I actually had a tough experience with an engineer recently, where they were really hyping me up. Then, we had an issue while working and I expressed it wasn’t going how I wanted it to and we have to fix it. They got super upset like, “I can’t work with you anymore and I’m blocking you!” Which honestly is super hurtful, like I barely know you. If I was dumb, I would’ve been seriously hurt by that but I’m not, I see you for your performative ‘BS’ and it’s just not cool…
AP: What advice would you say to other talents trying to make it?
Tiffy: Just get out there and do it. Know the reason why you’re doing something and do something you believe in. And be nice [laughs]. Be nice and don’t take shit too! I started this, I wasn’t even ready to play our first show when we did, but I did it anyway. Because you just get better when you do things. And I’ve met a lot of my really good friends just from playing music. I didn’t come up, already connected with people. I just met people from playing shows and constantly doing it. Just keep doing it.
AP: Who are you listening to right now? Who would you say your main influences are?
Tiffy: Pavement is probably one of my favorite bands. Even though I don’t sound anything like them, I just take a lot of how they do guitar arrangement and the dissonance they use. How Stephen Malkmus sings. I’ve been super into that band Slow Pulp for a while, really like their latest album. Japanese Breakfast, they’re huge.
AP: Who, out of anyone, would you want to perform with?
Tiffy: Pavement [laughs], Japanese Breakfast. I’ve been super into this band Mama. Slow Pulp, Palehound. Basically anyone on Polyvinyl. I like Ian Sweet’s new album, and Jay Som. Slothrust.
AP: There’s a dry humor which permeates your music, but you still find deep-rooted seriousness as well. Which side comes more naturally to you in your songwriting?
Tiffy: I’m very self deprecating and use humor as a defense mechanism, and that’s how I write. I feel like that’s a lot easier for me. When you have serious feelings, it’s like “Ew! I have serious feelings!” [laughs]
AP: “I must do something stupid!”
Tiffy: Yeah, “I have to make fun of them, somehow,” exactly! To mock it. I feel like I start in this really light sense, like I have this thing that’s really painful & traumatizing, but I’m gonna make it quirky & funny in some way. But I do feel like on “Don’t Take It Personally”, or “something for nothing”, or even some new songs I’m writing, I’m really focusing on the lyrics. Watching how I’m presenting them and how the feelings come across, and not necessarily being so sardonic about it.
AP: So, flip side of the first question, what are you most excited for following this new release?
Tiffy: I am super excited to play the shows. The Deep Cuts show is going to be awesome. It feels awesome to be able to play there. It’s brand new, everyone who works there is super nice. We’re gonna play with Lady Pills and Miss Bones who are awesome, Battlemode are going to DJ, so it’s just going to be a big party. I’m always writing and working on stuff, but I’m looking forward to trying out some different recording options with the next batch of songs. This album was kind of hodge-podge. We recorded the drums at God City in Salem. Then we recorded some guitars, the bass, synths & vocals here at my house. I mixed everything and had someone else master it, and it was just a lot of work. I’m ready to let someone else do the engineering. I’m looking forward to writing songs that are really meaningful for me, and recording them at a really high quality.
AP: You exude this cool, chill vibe. So, what would you say is an ideal evening for you after a long day?
Tiffy: Playing Minecraft… drinking some wine, maybe make some dinner. Like, pasta or something… with garlic bread. Maybe play some guitar. I’ve been watching MasterChef, that’s super fun too. Yeah… chilling, watching TV, and playing Minecraft.
For more information on Tiffy, including their upcoming show at Deep Cuts in Medford, click here and follow Tiffy on Facebook, Instagram or Twitter!
Immerse Yourself in ToriTori’s Music at Warehouse XI on 11/9
Photo by RickExpress
Nominated for New Artist of the Year and R&B Artist of the Year for the Boston Music Awards, ToriTori is making her name and sound known. She released her debut EP Pocket Knife earlier this year, which has also been nominated for EP of the year. Most recently, she went on tour for her single, “Places” and played BAMS Fest; all that to say, ToriTori has been doing A LOT in the music scene.
I’ve seen ToriTori perform twice, and both times have been a different experience — she loves doing a live looping production as well as performing with a band. That’s exactly (well, sorta) what you’re going to get at her show “ToriTori x The Pearl Handles” on November 9th at Warehouse XI in Union Square!
This show is no ordinary music show; ToriTori is curating a special live experience for her song “Sundown” from Pocket Knife. The reason she chose to do something unique for this song is because it’s one of her favorites on the EP, expressing a sense of urgency and struggle particularly to the themes of identity, race, and the challenges associated with it. “Sundown feels like a continuous lyric from the first line; perhaps because it was written more in the form of a prayer than in the style of a traditional song,” Tori reflected.
When I asked ToriTori how she would classify her sound, she adamantly responded with “I hate this question, but it’s an ever-evolving fusion of the music and genres that I was introduced to as a kid by my parents: Earth, Wind, & Fire; Chaka Khan; and everything I’ve absorbed throughout the development of my musical career along the way from Fleetwood Mac, Erykah Badu, and Thundercat.”
When planning for this show, ToriTori was very intentional about the people involved and the space itself. Warehouse XI is women-owned, by Peggy — a friendly face in the Union Square area — and there will be custom sets built by Leah, the owner of the Canopy Room (RIP) and lover of vintage everything. The gorgeous posters have been designed by Meredith Wish, known for her fun and entertaining Trivia Hosting (on skates!) every Monday night at Remnant in Bow Market. The whole night is women-based and curated, down to the DJ set by DJ WhySham and the opening acts by Aura and Zed Kenzo. “These artists are local New England artists, and I want to shine a light on their talent and artistry.”
“I’m always aspiring to create something new and fresh with the goal of making music that might transcend time and boundaries. For this show, I’m trying to bring forward a collective sound, showcasing a mix of a live band and live looping. Everything from the venue to the set design and live musical arrangements were developed to offer a one-of-a-kind musical experience.”
In addition to the amazing artists, there will also be Black-owned vendors and businesses, including Rhythm ‘n Wraps and Wade BBQ. She will also have a limited-edition and unique hand-painted pieces that are scenes from her single “Daily.” There are also a lot of people who have helped out with the show and made it possible, including her 10-piece band (yes, 10) and some other amazing people: Ben, JD, Drew, and Greg, so a huge shout out to them. ToriTori wants to give back to the community so has organized a food drive for the Boston Food Bank. In fact, if you bring your non-perishables to the show, you will get a discount on your ticket!
If you’re wondering why the title of the show is “ToriTori x The Pearl Handles,” she said you have to come to the show to find out…so you know where I’ll be on November 9th! The message Tori wants to leave you with is “I want to show appreciation to the city that has shown me so much love, and just celebrate with Boston.” Get your tickets for her show on November 9th and get ready to enjoy a special, curated, experience.
Amanda Shea Discusses New EP Ahead of Rockwood Show
Artist. Performer. Educator. Curator. Poet. Publicist. Host. Activist. Amanda Shea does it all. “My name is Amanda Shea; that’s shea like the butter — for all my melanated people, please don’t play me.” Known for being one of the co-founders of Activating Art, the host of GBH’s Outspoken Saturdays, and Boston Music Awards’ 2023 Spoken Word Artist nominee, Amanda is the person who will encourage you to share your own art and uplift your voice whenever she can. Amanda has been on 41 (yes, 41) track features in the past 6 years with many local artists, including Brandie Blaze, Intl Show, and Karim to name a few. Now, she is releasing her debut EP titled GOD, Again and having a release show at Rockwood on November 2nd.
“This is baby’s first project,” exclaimed Amanda when telling me about her 8-track EP. The EP follows Amanda’s personal story of facing toxicity and trauma in the beginning, leading to a breakthrough moment and finally reaching an epiphany about finding her authenticity and purpose in life. The EP is predominantly poetry, although she also sings on the last track “Movin’ On.” She also has some exciting features on the project (you’ll have to buy the EP to find out). When asked about the project’s genre, Amanda quickly and confidently responded with “all of them.” It encompasses hip-hop, rap, rock, opera, contemporary, jazz, R&B. “You can do poetry with anything; it has no boundaries,” Amanda said matter-of-factly.
“This EP has been 3 years in the making because life was lifeing,” reflected Amanda. She mentioned that a lot has happened in the past few years that’s caused her pain but also helped her find her purpose. Her husband, father of her youngest child, and a large reason her EP is what it is today, Tim, passed away almost 2 years ago. “He’s the love of my life.” When Tim saw Amanda’s cover in the Boston Globe through A Beautiful Resistance, he told her, “This is your purpose — You were meant to do this shit.” In fact, Tim’s presence is felt throughout the EP.
If you don’t know Amanda, she loves numerology and double meanings. The EP release show is on November 2nd (11/2 = 1+1+2 =4) and it’s officially out on Bandcamp on November 3rd. Both 3 and 4 have very special meanings in her life — 3 being her favorite number and 4 being Tim’s. Even the EP title, GOD, Again is a triple entendre (3 again!) depending on where you add the intonation, each version indicating a different emotion. The phrase “God, again” also shows up 3 times in the EP.
“Truth Teller” has Amanda’s favorite line in the EP, “When two people get together out of spite despite their efforts, they spite themselves with the same spit they lunged at you.” Like damn. “I’ve always been a lyricist,” mentioned Amanda — There’s NO doubt about that in my mind after listening to Amanda’s pieces over the past few years.
“GOD, Again is a release — a spiritual and emotional one. It’s letting people in who don’t know me for real. I want people to know this is only the beginning. This is my life and I’m doing what I love to do.” For people who are new to Amanda’s art, she wants you to know, “You are not alone. There’s power in your vulnerability. When we’re not scared to be ourselves, that’s when the magic really happens.”
“I’m a mirror reflection of the people around me and the community I’m in, and all the closest people have empowered me to release this EP,” Amanda said, thinking about the people involved in this project. Starting with Billy Dean Thomas and Brandie Blaze for consistently encouraging her to do this project, her amazing friends DJ WhySham and JD for all the support they’ve given her, Adam, the Talent Buyer at Rockwood who made the show happen, Phree, a fellow poet, and Karim, a fellow artist who helped Amanda find her love for singing again. Amanda also wanted me to mention the range of producers who made this EP sound amazing — Axestrumentals, Yac Marvelous, Amir Rivera, and Gibb. When asked who she’d want to collab with in the near future, she said Najee Janey and Phree, since they’re both like family and need some official collabs out in the universe.
Amanda also has some amazing people opening for her show — Zakiyyah, who has a powerful voice that people don’t anticipate; Axestrumentals, who’s not only a dope producer but also a multifaceted lyricist and storyteller; and lastly Yac Marvelous, who’s anywhere and everywhere creating live music.
Thursday, November 2nd is going to be a “LITuation” according to Amanda, so get your tickets and come to Rockwood for Amanda’s debut EP release show!
The Beaches Blame Brett at Crystal Ballroom
On Wednesday 10/18, The Beaches brought their Blame My Ex tour to the Crystal Ballroom in Somerville. The evening marked the band’s first return to Massachusetts following their performance at this year’s Boston Calling Music Festival and the release of their second LP Blame My Ex.
The show began with a flashy set from The Thing, who kick-started a guitar-thrashing evening of rock. They set the tone appropriately for The Beaches, who kept the ball rolling with an unyieldingly energetic performance of Blame My Ex in its entirety. They delighted the crowd with their on stage antics and catchy tunes. A highlight of the evening came in the form of the band’s viral hit “Blame Brett,” and the crowd at the sold-out venue was content to scream along as lead vocalist Jordan Miller conducted. With their rising profile, The Beaches will return to Boston in March of next year for an already-sold-out headline show at Royale.
Check out Greg’s photos from the show below.
Lily & Madeleine at the Lilypad
The folk sister duo Lily & Madeleine Jurkiewicz came to The Lilypad in Cambridge on rainy Saturday, 10/21. The pair and their band performed as an opener for Berklee alum Sarah Walk, but found the time in their truncated set to present several songs from their new album Nite Swim. Madeleine noted that their latest album, the sisters’ fifth studio LP, had its inception at a friend’s home in Boston three years ago. The intimate venue was filled with an amusingly polite crowd who waited for songs to end to near silence before loudly revealing their appreciation. After showcasing the new material, Lily & Madeleine rounded out their set with some older material spanning their ten-year discography. The evening was a satisfying sampling of Lily & Madeleine in the appropriately-named venue.
Check out all of Greg’s photos from the show below.
