The Hard Quartet made their first stop through Boston to address the age-old question: Is Dad rock cool? The band is on tour supporting their debut album, 2024’s The Hard Quartet, but it was hardly an introductory show for the band’s members. The indie rock supergroup consists of Stephen Malkmus (of Pavement fame), Matt Sweeney (member of Chavez and Zwan), Jim White (of The Dirty Three) and Emmett Kelly, who has played with artists like Ty Segall and Bonnie “Prince” Billy. To say it is a veteran-led supergroup is an understatement. The band brought their indie melting pot show to the Paradise on 3/30 and we were on hand to witness.
First up on the night was Sharp Pins, the solo project from Kai Slater of indie-throttlers Lifeguard. Slater and his backing band were supporting his second album, the recently-released Radio DDR. The band’s bouncy blend is a lot more 60’s power-pop than the punk energy of Lifeguard, making for a nice tour package of early classic rock feels alongside The Hard Quartet. Slater had a unique vocal squawk that punctured the older-sounding tunes with a youthful vibe,while also bantering about having a lobster roll he couldn’t afford. The band got the assignment – their forty-five minute set was full of midtempo, garage-y bangers that opted more for a jovial spirit than energy or volume. Despite being from Chicago, it felt like a second British invasion, with the band even dressing like 1966 Britain. And, despite them being very young, they were not unknown to the crowd – there were plenty of people just as excited for them as The Hard Quartet.
But Hard Quartet was the draw on the night, and they played a fun, well-rounded set that showcased literally everything they have to offer. To date, the band has a self-titled debut and a recently-released standalone song, “Lies (Something You Can Do),” and they played ‘em all. The band draws on their collective myriad of influences while also checking their age, with the end result being a balanced rock and roll diet that sometimes kicks up the energy, sometimes keeps it low, and sometimes jams out. Malkmus, Sweeney and Kelly all traded off on vocal duties, and sometimes switched up instruments, too, realigning themselves on stage based on where the instrument is. The band repeatedly thanked fans for coming out on a Sunday night – the older crowd all had work the next day! – with Malkmus chiming in that neither the Sox nor the Bruins were playing at that moment. “The Catholic hockey team lost. What are they called, the Fluties?” he joked, a touchstone reference for the median age group. None of these guys have lost any of their playfulness.
The band opened with “Heel’s Highway” and “Rio’s Song,” two of their more banging tunes. Throughout the set, they touched on excellent breezier songs like “Jacked Existence” and “Murder By Death,” as well as other heaters like “Earth Hater” and “Renegade.” The new song, “Lies (Something You Can Do),” was smack in the middle of the setlist, played before the ambitious, winding song “Six Deaf Rats.” They closed with the album’s opening track, “Chrome Mess,” easily the loudest and most raucous song played that night. It was a playful, fitting end to the show that proved that these guys who made names for themselves on indie fuzz and garage rock still have a lot of energy left. So is Dad rock cool? Maybe, maybe not, but the Hard Quartet sure are.
March 29, 2025. Bishop Briggs performing at Paradise Rock Club. Photo by Greg Wong.
On March 29th, Bishop Briggs concluded her Tell My Therapist I’m Fine tour in Boston, with fans cramming themselves into a very sold-out Paradise Rock Club to celebrate its final show.
The mononymous alt-pop singer-songwriter Ellise was first on deck, fresh off the release of her new album PRETTY EVIL out the day before. She gave a strong performance, showing off all the talent and presence that could be expected of an opener worthy of a powerhouse singer like Bishop Briggs.
When the time came for Bishop Briggs, the stage was cleared to allow her the necessary runway for a soaring performance. She launched into an awe-inspiring demonstration of vocal excellence and cardiovascular endurance, as if in perpetual motion while she belted through her set. The setlist heavily favored songs from her latest album Tell My Therapist I’m Fine, but she made a point of diversifying with older singles like “The Way I Do” and a significant number of tracks from her 2018 debut LP Church Of Scars. Stopping periodically to thank the audience and elaborate on the context of her songs, Bishop Briggs alternated between the ferocity of her powerful stage persona and her somewhat unassuming off-stage personality. The all-ages crowd contained a broad range of fans, but younger attendees notably made their enthusiasm known. At the end of the show one young fan named Cadence seized an opportunity to sing the intro to “River” and left Bishop Briggs floored in amazement. The collective fervor that was palpable throughout the evening was both a gift to the audience and a fitting send-off to Bishop Briggs as she wrapped up her tour.
Check out all of Greg’s photos from the show below.
March 10, 2025 – Kim Deal performs songs from her debut solo album at Boston’s Wilbur Theater. Photo by Harry Gustafson
How many artists have songs written about them as testaments to their sheer level of cool? It’s a small number, but when the Dandy Warhols wrote and recorded “Cool As Kim Deal,” they elevated the Breeders frontperson to that echelon. “I want a girlfriend as cool as Kim Deal,” singer Courtney Taylor-Taylor sings on the Dandy’s track. That’s a tall order, even now, 40 years into Deal’s career.
When Deal came to Boston’s Wilbur Theater last month, she was in good spirits, her smile as wide as it ever looked in photos and video from interviews back in the day. “I used to live here, you know,” she joked with the audience, referencing a bygone era when she played bass in an obscure local band called the Fairies (or something like that; who really remembers?). Also in attendance, Deal told the crowd, is ex-Breeders and Throwing Muses guitarist Tanya Donnelly. It’s sweet that the two are in touch and supportive of each other to this day. The mention of Donnelly’s name got a big cheer from the audience.
Though she’s had a cemented place as an alternative rock icon, “Kim Deal” has never released an album of her own. A true solo album. That changed in November 2024 when she released Nobody Loves You More. It’s a strong debut, but that’s not surprising, considering the Breeders never really stopped being good, even on their more recent releases in the 2010s. Deal has always been a prolific songwriter, a quality that was stifled until she started the Breeders with Donnelly in the late 80s.
Twin sister and Breeders guitarist Kelley is part of the touring band behind Kim, singing background vocals. Nowadays, they look more distinct from each other; in some of that old footage from the early 90s, the identical twins unsurprisingly look like-for-like. At the Wilbur show, Kelley’s hair is longer, plus her glasses help differentiate the sisters.
Deal has a reputation as a perfectionist. You can find this out by reading old articles, or you can just eavesdrop on audience chatter at one of these shows. In my case, I overheard a woman in the pit at the Wilbur explain this to a disinterested security guard standing stage left. It was a full house in the theater, with mostly now middle-aged Gen Xers filling the seats. There’s still a solid millennial presence, as Deal’s influential music has made its way down the generations. She’s also got a few more demands from photographers than most artists; we were instructed ahead of time not to stand directly in front of her; she finds it distracting. We also needed to submit our photos for approval before posting online anywhere. Not unheard of, definitely not ideal, but if it gets me into the show then I’m fine with it.
Deal and her band rifled through the eleven songs of Nobody Loves You More front-to-back. Her voice sounded great, with little apparent evidence that she’s been doing this for the better part of 40 years. It’s a tad rougher around the edges (she was apparently a big smoker back in the day), but it still has that earnest, endearing quality that it always had. The tracks from the new album feel less in-your-face, more thoughtful meditations from a seasoned indie rock vet. It’s not all slamming guitars and rocking drum beats. There are pensive moments, rich orchestral sections (translated live by horns and strings). Another notable on the album is that it features some of the final engineering work of the late Steve Albini, who passed away in May 2024.
After finishing performing the album, Deal comes back onstage for a double encore set, performing some Breeders songs, though not the first ones you’d think of. You probably won’t hear “Cannonball” or “Divine Hammer” on this tour (unless she mixes up the selection of these tracks in other cities), but included were classics like “Safari” and “Do You Love Me Now.” She also threw in some of the solo singles she put out as seven inch singles in 2013 and 2014, like “Beautiful Moon” and “Biker Gone.”
Kim Deal is living proof that if you can approach your old habits with fresh ideas, you can maintain an interesting output through your career as a songwriter.
Check out all of Harry’s photos from the show below.
The up-and-coming indie pop singer/songwriter MARIS returned to Boston with Maude Latour for a fun night of splashy pop. Maude Latour’s Sugar Water tour hit the Royale on March 18th, marking her second Boston visit in a year and the third visit for MARIS. In spite of many returns, a solid crowd turnout indicated that local fans haven’t had their fill yet.
MARIS began the show to instant hype. Over her multiple visits to the Boston area in her blossoming career, she has steadily gained a following that made itself visible among the Maude Latour fans with Maris-inspired makeup and attire. Fresh off the release of her buzzy new collaboration with Caroline Kingsbury, “Give Me A Sign,” MARIS has been gaining even more traction as her profile grows. The crowd response to her short opening set was immediate and overwhelmingly positive as she burst into view with her out-of-this-world stage presence. Her stunning vocals captivated the crowd and in turn, Boston showed her the love. MARIS was moved nearly to tears after being surprised by a fan-led effort to coordinate colored cell phone lights during her performance of her emotionally vulnerable song “Chameleon.” With a growing fan base and a string of consistently amazing shows, MARIS is an opener who has unmistakably honed headliner energy.
MARIS had primed the crowd well for Maude Latour’s main event set, but that’s not to say Latour needed any help. The night was a celebration of her debut album Sugar Water, and Boston was raring to go. Fans came ready to sing along to every song and dance the night away while Maude Latour owned the stage. With outfit changes, props, and the occasional foray into the crowd, she gave a visually dazzling and interactive performance on top of her impressive vocal delivery. The atmosphere was light, and it was hardly out of place when Latour took time between songs to encourage everyone in the crowd to stop and make connections with the people around them. By the end of the show, she had made it through a twenty-three song setlist that included every track of Sugar Water and selections from four of her EPs, and fans still wanted more. Although MARIS and Maude Latour are both familiar visitors to the city by now, this stop of the Sugar Water tour was demonstrable proof that Boston is still thirsty.
Check out all of Greg’s photos from the show below.
March 25, 2025 – of Montreal live at Royale. Photo by Wendy Schiller.
Dancers, puppets, eyeballs, oh my!
of Montreal came to Royale on Tuesday March 25th to shake things up, celebrating the 20th anniversary of their album Sunlandic Twins with a show that saw them play the entire album in full. of Montreal’s backup dancers behind the full band nearly stole the show, with hits like “Wraith Pinned to the Mist (and Other Games)” featuring them swirling and twirling behind frontman Kevin Barnes in increasingly outlandish costumes. However, it was the deeper album cuts like “I was Never Young” and “The Party’s Crashing Us” that sounded even better live. The colorfully-dressed crowd swayed and and cheered all night, even through an encore that included a cover of David Bowie’s “Suffragette City”. Rising dreampop locals Layzi opened.
Tiffany Day lit up The Sinclair in Cambridge last week with an electrifying performance. On the eastern leg of her tour, she brought incredible energy — and a crowd dressed in some of their cutest outfits.
Tiff had the room hooked with her upbeat songs, and her powerful voice and playful connection with the crowd made the night feel personal and unforgettable.
If you get the chance to see Tiffany live, don’t miss it — her shows are full of energy, emotion, and style! I left the show a total fan of her dancey music.
Sunday night marked the third show of the Dropkick Murphys’ annual St Patty’s residency in Boston. The room was packed with folks who had poured from the Southie Parade straight to MGM, and were still dressed to the gills in green.
It was a community affair as usual, with the band packing close friends and family on stage ahead of the show’s kickoff. As the Dropkick Murphys walked on, Ken Casey got up close and personal with the audience, playing “The Boys are Back” to set the tone for the night. They played most of the hits, including “Skinhead on the MBTA” and “The State of Massachusetts” as well as “Kiss Me I’m Shitfaced” during the encore.
Supporting the Dropkicks were Hot Water Music, The Bouncing Souls, as well as fellow locals Rebuilder, whose frontman Sal Ellington can often be found slinging merch at MGM and other large venues around the city. He got emotional taking the stage, at one point waving a giant merch sign in what was a lovely full circle moment.
February 21, 2025 – Jake Sulzer, founder, zips around Counter Intuitive Records, preparing for a day of business. Photo by Harry Gustafson
When you walk into the brand spankin’ new storefront of indie record label Counter Intuitive, you’re prone to get slammed with a wave of nostalgia. If you’re expecting to find records from the lineup of artists that the label has represented in a decade of operation, you’ll find them for sure. However, when you push open the door to the shop on Boylston Street in Brookline, the first thing you’re bound to notice is the large glass display case of Nintendo 64 games on the right. Yeah, you’ve got Marios and Zeldas and Pokémons for sure, but you’re also going to be looking at deeper cuts like Conker’s Bad Fur Day, Twisted Edge, Destruction Derby 64, South Park: Chef’s Luv Shack. Real OG shit.
Indie rock records, retro video games, VHS tapes: imagine a one-stop shop, niche interest haven for hardcore collectors and true believers. That’s what Jake Sulzer, the label’s founder, has done with this recent endeavor.
Sulzer lists some of his favorite N64 games as Diddy Kong Racing, The Legend of Zelda: Ocarina of Time, Mario Party, and Pokémon Snap, which he says “holds up insanely well.” A copy of the official strategy guide for the photography based Pokémon title sits on display behind the desk where Sulzer sits in front of an desktop and a large iced coffee from Dunkin’ Donuts within reach.
The desk offers a nice seated view of a Spongebob Squarepants television set with built-in VHS and DVD players, plus a Venusaur doll sitting on top. Cameron Crowe’s Oscar-winning Jerry Maguire (1996) plays. It looks like I may have just missed the famous “Show me the money!” scene between Tom Cruise and Cuba Gooding, Jr. Sulzer mentions that he’s careful about what VHS tapes he puts on during open hours. “I realized it can’t just be stuff I want to watch,” he explains. “We’ve got to keep it family friendly.”
In September, the indie label will celebrate its 10 year anniversary. In that time, Jake Sulzer and co. have helped dozens of DIY bands record, release, and distribute their music. Prince Daddy and the Hyena, Macseal, Mom Jeans, Bay Faction, Weakened Friends: these are just a few of the names that the label has represented over the years.
What began as an operation out of an apartment now has a physical location in Brookline, just across the street from Brookline High School and the Brookline Hills stop on the Green Line. A few days after the shop opened, Sulzer invited Allston Pudding in to have a look around and chat about the new store.
Working at Counter Intuitive has given Sulzer multiple opportunities to travel, which has expanded the label’s global network. They’ve recently signed bands from Tokyo and Sweden. While on tour with a band in Germany, Sulzer met someone who takes old GameBoy Advance games and puts music on them. Working with them, the label ended up putting out an Origami Angel single on GBA cartridges. Once the game cartridge is plugged into the console, the band’s music plays and a 16-bit slideshow of photos of the group. While that is an extremely niche release format that most people don’t have the method to use, it’s a really cool idea nonetheless.
Sulzer stands outside the shop’s location on Boylston St., Brookline. Photo by Harry Gustafson
Sulzer cites the Philippines as one of the coolest destinations he’s traveled to. The Pacific island country doesn’t get a lot of touring bands coming through, but Sulzer says this creates an intense passion and interest for those that do. “[They] aren’t getting nearly as many bands as someplace like Boston where there’s a show every night,” he says. “So when a band from across the world that they’re in love with ends up there, it’s just like a sea of gratitude from all the fans there.” He says this is one of the coolest, most beautiful experiences of his life.
For music, the current stock of records is limited to releases that Counter Intuitive has put out, which might be important to know going in if you’re more of a casual create digger looking to sift through stacks of used classics and hidden gems. But if you want something by Macseal or Prince Daddy and the Hyena, then there isn’t a better place to trawl through than the small shelving unit set up near the register. There is a small distribution section, but Sulzer estimates that about 95% of the records in store are Counter Intuitive releases.
As we talk upstairs, Sulzer breaks down the process of giving the label a physical storefront. The idea grew out of the label’s need for a physical space. At first, that was mostly just going to be for storage, due to the piles of thousands of records that were starting to cramp Sulzer’s apartment. At first, the Counter Intuitive team had a warehouse space in mind, somewhere that could double as both a storage and distribution center, but could also potentially have a functional use for bands: a recording studio, a rehearsal space, something tangible to make the label a fully in-house operation.
Eventually in 2024, the team decided that a storefront was the best option, so Sulzer set out to find a space. He says within 48 hours finding the listing for the Boylston Street location, he had signed a lease without ever stepping foot inside. The price, he explains, was too good to resist. “I was like, all right, like, let’s just roll the dice and, you know, see if we like it and see what we can do with it.” Afterwards, it was just a matter of setting everything up and giving the shop a layout that made sense.
With the help of a carpenter friend, Sulzer installed the shelving units and hung the glass display cases. “We didn’t make any alterations to the room itself,” he says, “but every single thing in the room I added in myself. It was basically a blank slate.” That’s the spirit of DIY. Sulzer loved the experience of customizing that blank slate. “This might be the only time I ever get to build out a storefront exactly how I want,” he says.”
The official grand opening was a week before our conversation. Sulzer says he was blown away by the turnout. From 12 to 6, there wasn’t a single moment that the store was empty, with customers coming in all day to casually browse or make a purchase to support the new store. While the records have been selling pretty well, the decision to also make the shop a retro gaming store might be the best business decision the team made, giving them a distinct personality and unique flair not found at other area record stores. He explains where this decision came from. “I was just trying to think of what could make the store more appealing, because, you know I’m grateful that the label has a lot of fans, but not necessarily enough where there’d be dozens of people coming in every day, because it’s a pretty niche thing. But for more daily foot traffic, I just had the idea of like, what if we started, like, building up a stock of retro games.”
After we finish talking upstairs, Sulzer leads the way down to the store’s basement with excitement. There isn’t anything in the narrow space for customers to browse, just some back stock, a cardboard cutout of Michael Myers (the Halloween killer, not the Austin Powers actor), plus one of the features he seems most eager to show off.
Sulzer chills in the crash pad he built for touring bands in the store’s basement. Bands have free reign to any of the games in the store upstairs. Photo by Harry Gustafson
He leads to a corner of the room where there’s a baggy sofa and a twin mattress set up in front of a TV. Sulzer explains that it’s a crash pad for touring bands who can’t find a more affordable place to stay when they’re in town. It would be a tight squeeze for a band of four or more. At 6’3”, I have to watch my head and doublecheck the ceiling so I don’t ding my head on anything hanging a little too low. But despite the basement’s square footage, it’s got a warm, welcoming feel.
The real kicker that will convince a band to crash there is that Sulzer gives them full access to any of the games upstairs during their stay. The Xbox hooked up to the TV is tempting; I wonder if he has a copy of Morrowind upstairs; I’d crash for the night. This idea came from Sulzer’s personal desires from touring. “I feel like it would be the type of spot that when I was first touring and we were staying in like, you know, wherever we could for free, it would have been a dream spot to just have that experience.”
Once we go back upstairs, it’s time to open shop. A few minutes after unlocking the door, the first customer of the day pops in, looking to exchange some GameBoy games. As Sulzer chats him up a bit, the pair head over to one of the glass displays, pulling out a GameBoy Advance SD and copies of Mario Kart Super Circuit and Super Mario World: Super Mario Advance 2. He lets the customer test the cartridges out to prove that the store has been bringing in items in good condition. It’s a quick, simple way to build trust and make sure that customer will be back.
Head down to 358 Boylston Street in Brookline to pop into Counter Intuitive Records yourself. Check out more photos from our visit below.
As the ground finally thaws and the air feels less like pain, leaving the home is less of a chore and more of a welcomed opportunity, but you may be asking yourself, what do I do first??
Have no fear, the lovely minds behind handhold presents, Zone 3, and, yours truly, Allston Pudding have scheduled a series of spring concerts to be held inside at the Zone 3 space (that’s 267 Western Ave in Allston, by the way) from March-June. Consisting of 8 shows total, the evenings are billed top-to-bottom with some of the area’s best artists, every show is open to all ages, and did we mention it’s absolutely free?! We’ll even have free food & refreshments too (while supplies last)! Shows will be held on select Thursdays throughout March into June, so be sure to follow us or Zone 3 on Instagram for more information.
First up, we have The Collect Pond, Tuxis Giant and Grace Givertz performing this Thursday, March 27th. Featuring Allston Pudding’s own Dan Moffat and Ben Bonadies, The Collect Pond released their rollicking third album Lightbreaker (one of our local faves) last year. Keeping the indie rock going, dual citizens of Boston & NYC Tuxis Giant bring their “sometimes quiet, sometimes loud” sound before handing things over to Grace Givertz. A multi-talented artist and proud lizard parent (among many other creatures), Givertz has become a sort of indie Boston icon with her humorous and heartbreaking songs. What we’re saying is it’s got all the makings to be a lovely night out with friends, family and sweet, sweet music.
So what are you waiting for? Grab your partner, your kids, heck even grab grandpa (I heard he’s a huge fan of Tuxis Giant) and come on down to Zone 3 at 267 Western Ave in Allston this Thursday, or one of the select Thursdays through June to enjoy the show! Keep scrolling to view our Q&As with The Collect Pond, Tuxis Giant and Grace Givertz!
Every show during the Allston Pudding x handhold Spring Concert Series is free to attend for all ages, including this Thursday March 27th. That said, we greatly encourage you to RSVP to one (or all of them) right here.
On Friday March 14th, K.Flay brought her genre-fusing style of alternative-rock and hip-hop to Paradise Rock Club for the Boston stop of her 2025 US tour. This tour highlighted her most recent LP, MONO, as well as her latest EP, I’m Making Friends With The Silence, which reimagines several tracks from MONO.
Opener Vienna Vienna delivered a fantastic set to a crowded venue, with his self-described brand of “glimmer rock” creating an electric jolt that connected quite well with the audience.
K.Flay appeared next, shrouded at first behind a sheer projector screen that served as the sole visual component of her relatively stripped back set (at least compared to previous tours). K.Flay began her lower key set with the Making Friends version of “Bar Soap”. Originally a louder, more raucous song on 2023’s MONO, the new, more stripped-down version pulls at a different kind of emotion. While K.Flay did not necessarily shy away from the raw energy more characteristic of her prior work, the setlist placed a notable emphasis on the softer renditions of her newest work.
The duality of MONO and I’m Making Friends With The Silence–present in fairly equal measure throughout the evening’s show–made for a sonic representation of K.Flay’s open struggle with the sudden and complete hearing loss that occurred in her right ear in 2022. As she explained during a mid-set break, MONO was a deliberately loud album, produced as a direct reaction in defiance of her hearing loss. However, she has since come to terms with the fact that loud music is often physically uncomfortable to bear in the time since that album’s release, which necessitated the softer sound of her latest EP.
That said, it would be inaccurate to describe the concert as a quiet affair. K.Flay delivered the energy with “Giver,” “Raw Raw,” “Bad Vibes,” and other familiar favorites like “Can’t Sleep that had the crowd moving with her as she danced and flailed around the stage. She concluded the evening with the climactic “Perfectly Alone,” and then left the stage with no encore. That choice of final song was a fitting distillation of the especially personal, inward-looking theme of self-acceptance of the tour. However, if the packed venue was any indication, K.Flay’s fans can be counted upon to show up for the rest of her journey.
Check out all of Greg’s photos from the show below.
