By Kara Kokinos
When Boston Calling announced its most recent lineup, some eyebrows raised at the lack of local artists on the bill. The festival has historically had local acts kick off each day of the fest but this year’s lineup only features one local artist, (the absolutely lovely) Sidney Gish. It’s more than disappointing given the exposure this gave to artists and the music scene thriving in Boston, compounded with the shift in location to Harvard Stadium. Presenting itself as an alternative to the high-priced, national act driven festival, the HipStory has partnered with the City of Boston to put together ‘Boston Answering,’ a “cultural response” that will be “an affordable alternative […] for those interested in seeing Boston’s most talented artists showcased and amplified” taking place on Saturday, May 25th at the Strand Theatre.
The event was built around the name, proposed by a HipStory intern but HipStory founder Cliff Notez stresses that they “would’ve done it regardless [of Boston Calling] but it seemed like an answer [stating that] shows like this and house parties are just as important. It’s a lot of work, but so is shaping the community you want to see.” HipStory has been churning out high quality content and events from house parties to shows at the MFA. Creating their own platform, opportunities, and stages is second nature to the group. HipStory is a multi-media creative collective composed of Cliff Notez, Tim Hall, Hakim Hill, The Valid-Dictorians, Black Hipstory Funk, Hamstank, Forte, and VQnC. If those names don’t sound familiar yet, they will. They are “always thinking about pushing the boundaries a little bit.” The Hipstory crew has been in ongoing talks with the City of Boston and The Boston Foundation to put on an event and the event is posed to be a fierce display of pride in the work being done by and for Bostonians, based out of the gorgeous Strand Theatre.
“Boston Calling is in an inconvenient place for people to access by the T, it’s far out and a long way back late at night,” he remarks as the announcer on the Orange Line blares over him, as if to throw her weight behind his statement. “I’m a Dorchester kid, I’ve been driving by the Strand Theatre forever. I haven’t seen as much happening there as I’d like and definitely appreciate how beautiful it is.” The Strand will be the perfect backdrop for this partnership, with additional partnerships with Aeronaut Brewery.
The show’s line-up doesn’t drop until next week but we’ve been teased with a hip-hop heavy, mixed genre bill consistently almost entirely of artists hailing from Boston. Tune into HipStory’s socials for the official announcement and reach out to info@hipstory.org if you are interested in volunteering for the fest. Cliff Notez promises a bunch of ongoing surprises in the next few weeks, including partnerships with a variety of Boston organizations and businesses. If your interest is piqued, you can purchase early bird tickets from now until next week through the new Dig Box Office site.