I haven’t been to as many concerts this year as I would have liked since venues opened up again, so it’s obvious I don’t have a large sample size to reference when it comes to some of my observations. But like the previous show I attended, I have to commend the atmosphere and enthusiasm from the crowd, a sense of joyousness and respect that was had not just for Snail Mail, but for all three bands on the bill. Such was the experience this past Friday night here in Providence, Rhode Island at the always reliable Fete Music Hall, where Snail Mail kicked off this long-delayed leg of their North American tour after Lindsey Jordan required vocal surgery the previous year.
You could feel just how infectious the energy was the second Lindsey Jordan and co. came onto the stage and immediately kicked things into high gear with “Heat Wave.” Every fan present chanted along during the entirety of the five-minute cut. She continued down this path of starting things off on a mellow note with “Speaking Terms” and Valentine-cut “Headlock” before the show chartered into territory both intimate & soulful and fuzzy & garage rocky. And for intimate and soulful, see her performance of “Valentine,” marked by half of it being done acoustically before performing it as it sounds on the album.
There was also plenty of showmanship to be found at the gig alongside quality song performance after quality song performance. Whether it was introducing her band and doing a double fake-out of re-introducing herself as Soccer Mommy and then Clairo, or delivering a fun, engaging cover of Muse’s “Starlight”—which it seems she has been breaking out in subsequent tour stops, as well as covers of other songs from what Setlist.fm has been reporting—it was easy to ascertain from the energy in the room and fans’ rousing voices joining together as one throughout the night that Snail Mail delivered on every front having to do with music and entertainment.
And thankfully, the love was not just reserved for Snail Mail, but for opening bands Hotline TNT and Momma as well. Snail Mail shouted out her love and appreciation for them midway through her set, admiration that the crowd had in common as was vocalized through their cheers and whoops. Hotline TNT was the first band to take the stage, playing to the crowd a bevy of dreampop and shoegaze-laced indie rock, and you wouldn’t at all be mistaken in your assumption that the crowd that night was every bit as present for Hotline TNT as they were for Snail Mail, based on their level of engagement towards the four-piece group. Second band Momma received an equal share of the love for their fuzzy, dreampop-infused garage rock sound
What more could be said? It was simply a delight to see Snail Mail return to the stage. Alongside her captivating lyricism, she’s a bonafide performer. Getting to see her combine both skills up on the stage, it’s no wonder people not only showed up for her first gig back, but were also present from beginning to end, from the first note to the last, from the first hello to the last gentle wave before coming offstage.
Summer hours for Allston Pudding’s world-renowned* Puddcast continue, which basically means Harry is releasing an episode whenever he finishes one.
This week, he’s joined by singer VQnC, who uses her soulful voice to bless dance tracks; disco, electropop, synthpop, house. She’s the concept of pumping up the volume in human form. We’ve been eagerly anticipating the follow-up to her 2019 debut album Freedom, which she’s been taking her time to develop and produce. “Soon,” she says. Patience is a virtue.
In her talk with Harry, the two express a mutual love for dance music; she gives tips on how to make the most of your summer (even if we’re already in August YIIIIIKES); and the two make plans to go thrift shopping.
You can listen to the episode below, or where you get your podcasts (still recommend holding a conch shell up to your ear). As always, be sure you’re following the Puddcast on your platform of choice to stay up-to-date with the latest episodes as they come out. If you’re feeling especially generous, why not give us a rating and leave a lil review? Just a lil one. Also! Check out the companion playlist to this episode, featuring VQnC’s music, plus a bunch of the other artists we mention during the course of the conversation. Enjoy, jagweeds!
*someone in Paris, France downloaded an episode once.
Last Thursday at Roadrunner, alt-pop pair Cafuné opened at the penultimate show of the east coast leg of the CHVRCHES Screen Violence 2022 tour. Cafuné took to the stage with an ease that gave no indication that they had yet to complete their very first tour. In the relatively short time they played, they managed to perform the majority of their debut album Running, including their most popular song “Tek It.” The crowd bobbed along happily, and some in the crowd of CHVRCHES fans even made a point of yelling out their appreciation for Cafuné too. The cheers and whistles that marked the end of an electric outro left no doubt that Cafuné had won the audience over.
CHVRCHES reprised their attention-grabbing show themed specifically for their latest album Screen Violence at their second Boston gig in just over eight months. Once again the group played the same carefully curated setlist containing a mix of newer songs and band staples like “The Mother We Share” and “Clearest Blue,” and once again the audience danced and hollered to match the energy of lead vocalist Lauren Mayberry as she spun around and posed dramatically while performing. Production and performance were as sharp as back in December at the House of Blues. A fake-blood-smeared Mayberry conducted the crowd as she sang the lyrics “Will you meet me more than halfway up?” and practically commanded the crowd to jump with her during the final song of the night. Even if the setlist might have been something of a déjà vu for many in the crowd, the excitement in the room remained high as ever.
Newport Folk Festival has come and gone and Allston Pudding was there with 10,000 other lucky attendees to one of New England’s most popular yearly music events. It did not disappoint.
It was REALLY hot this year at the festival, leading to one of our headliners being the water refill stations and shade tents on-site, but that aside, there was a ton of amazing music, collaborations and memorable moments at this year’s festival.
Newport Folk Festival always does a great job of highlighting a bunch of up-and-coming or buzz artists, some favorites who come every year, as well as usually sprinkling in some massive surprises for day-closing sets. This year the festival brought out two legends unannounced to wow the crowd and complement each day’s sunset. Day 2 brought out the Paul Simon to sing 4 numbers with a cast of Folk Festival regulars and Day 3 was closed out by Joni Mitchell’s first full performance in two decades alongside close friend, Brandi Carlile and many others. It doesn’t get much better than that for a proper closing to Newport.
We highlighted a couple of acts leading up to the festival that we were excited to see and we’re happy to say that none of them disappointed. Check out our preview coverage for the festival for a recap of some of those artists here.
Some of our favorites/surprises once we made it to the Fort (outside of our preview selections) included: John Craigie, Taj Mahal, Courtney Barnett, Arny Margret, Madi Diaz, Black Opry Revue, Dakhabrakha, Joy Oladokun, and The Roots.
Dakhabrakha notably hail from Kyiv and played a particularly moving set with Ukrainian flags waving in the audience. Newport Folk Festival has always been home to art that raises awareness for injustices and brings those from all walks of life together. There were plenty of non-dry eyes in the crowd for this powerful performance of unique music from across the globe.
Dates for next year’s festival have just been announced and the event will be taking place July 28th through the 30th. Keep an eye on the official festival site for further information and lots of great content throughout the year.
You can tell a lot about a band by the way its fans dress at their concerts. In some ways style can function as a substitute for genre. Tie-dye and psychedelic rock, boot cut jeans and country, Doc Martens and punk. Everyone who comes to the show knows what the dress code is without being told.
At Toro y Moi’s stop at House of Blues, I felt I had stepped into the #ForYouPage of Boston’s 18-24 set. Chunky color block polos. Designer brands (choice item: Balenciaga Bernie Sanders denim jacket.) Jean shorts cropped both above and below the knee, bafflingly. Cross-body bags. Checkerboard.
At the merch stand, the apparel is reminiscent of the pale-yet-colorful designs lining the racks of Urban Outfitters and similarly hip retailers. The tee shirts on offer would feel right at home in the wardrobes of probably every person in this crowd, a sign of a job well done.
Toro y Moi principal Chaz Bear has made a career of placing himself a few paces ahead of the pack. One need not look far for evidence of his zeitgeistiness. Mahal single “Postman” plays during a Hotels.com ad for boutique travel destinations, places where only the coolest of the cool would dare to take a vacation. He sings about his position at the forefront of culture on Mahal cut “The Loop,” where his penchant for tastes that “border cringe” begin to lose their luster with overuse. Here, in a crowd pulled straight from the pages of a Depop lookbook, it’s hard to argue with him.
Onstage, Bear is on his pop star shit. He stands apart from his band (just keyboard, bass, and a guy at a DJ booth) (no live drums!) and spent most of the night as MC, prancing up and down the stage, microphone in hand, engaging with the crowd. The staging itself is minimal but effective, just a trio of LED panels which, accompanied by front lighting, were made to look like slivers of sunlight thrown onto a wall slowly tracing their way down as the sun sets. It’s an evocative piece of stagecraft that suits the chilled out funk of the early set.
During the band’s high energy middle stretch of songs, Bear dipped into his catalog’s dancier side, and the turntable really got its chance to shine. Bear joined in at the booth to trigger samples and programmed beats, speaking to his history with house music and his Les Sins side project. Getting a big room like the House of Blues to dance is no easy feat, even at your own concert, but Bear has the right combination of fans and tunes that really activate a crowd.
As the set wound down, Bear kicked on the auto-tune in his mic for mid-tempo sing-rap experiments “Monte Carlo” and “Brand New House.” Outliers on their respective albums, these tracks feel perfectly suited to this moment in pop and to the sea of tucked in tees in the crowd: melancholic vocals, eerie synths, and the steady beat of 808s keeping heads bobbing.
“Who cares about the party?” Bear sings on “Who I Am,” “I came to see the band play.” At a Toro y Moi show, the band playing is the party, one entirely under Bear’s creative influence. The soundtrack, of course, is his. But what the guests don’t know is that they’re wearing his clothing line, too.
On Friday night, the Sinclair hosted Home Is Where, Greet Death, and Foxing for a sold-out stop of the latter’s Draw Down the Moon tour. The tour celebrates the release of Foxing’s fourth album of the same name. Although the album has been out for about a year now, the three Missouri natives hadn’t had the chance to do a headlining tour to promote the release. The Sinclair started to fill up as Home Is Where put on an energetic performance. Frontman Brandon McDonald fell to the floor multiple times, screaming lyrics from their new release, I Became Birds. Michigan-based Greet Death took the stage and, in between songs, talked about everything from depression to Stardew Valley gameplay. The light-hearted stage banter gave good contrast to the heavy, dark melodies that came after. When Greet Death finished, a projector lit up the dark stage, which showcased dream-like visuals. Foxing started off with three tracks from Draw Down the Moon, but to much surprise, played quite a few songs from Nearer My God and fan favorite, Dealer. Although the show was to celebrate DDTM, Foxing took the opportunity to showcase a majority of their discography. At one point in the show, frontman Conor Murphy sprawled out over the stage as guitarist Eric Hudson sent his guitar out into the crowd. The performance was chaotic, full of energy and emotional, and exactly what one would hope for from a Foxing show.
Newport Folk Festival is back this weekend with their 2022 edition. Long since sold out (annually, before the lineup is even announced) and with a jam-packed roster this year, Allston Pudding is here to give you just a few names to look out for this year at the festival that we’re excited about.
Hermanos Gutierrez:
The Linda Lindas:
The Backseat Lovers:
Clairo:
Bendigo Fletcher:
To learn about this year’s schedule, find some new artists to follow and to realistically, get ready for trying to get tickets next year, check out the official Newport Folk Festival website here: https://newportfolk.org
Boston indie-pop troupe (and eternal APfaves) Pushflowers are back after a long absence and we’re delighted to report they haven’t missed a beat. Fresh off their return to the stage last Thursday night at Notch Brighton, Pushflowers are dropping their first new track since 2019 right here at Allston Pudding. “Peak” is a neat summation of everything that makes them special: pulsing keyboard loops, snappy drums drawing out a midpoint between indie rock and dance music, and a soaring chorus that cuts right through the noise. In other words, it’s an airtight pop song from a group that sounds right at home on trhe big stage and on the floor of a brewery. Recorded at perennial hit factory Big Nice Studios, “Peak” is just the first taste of a steady stream of new tunes from the always effervescent four piece.
The band had this to say about the new track:
“We started our musical relationship bonding over our shared love of pop music. Over the past few years pop has been our form of escapism in late night home dance parties and blasting music outside in empty fields. We wanted to make music that reflects the high of finally spending an evening together.”
This week, the dang ol’ dang ol’ Puddcast turns a whole one year old. Say happy birthday. Or else.
To commemorate this, we served up two episodes today. There’s a bonus episode for the die hards in which Dori Chaput reads the show’s birth chart (Cancer sun, Cancer rising, Virgo moon, if you’re keeping score at home).
On top of that, we keep our music talks going with Cliff Notez, a rapper/musician/filmmaker/you name it (plus an Allston Pudding alum). With two critically acclaimed albums already under his belt – 2017’s When the Sidewalk Ends and 2019’s Why the WIld Things Are – loyalists of Boston’s hip-hop scene are always wondering when Cliff’s going to drop his next project.
Well, we’re here to tell you… that you’re gonna have to keep waiting. If what Cliff says is to be believed – and we’re not sure it is – then there’s a whole slew of multimedia material coming out in the relatively near future.
As always, be sure to stream Cliff Notez’s music on the platform of your choice, which you can conveniently do by listening to the episode’s companion playlist, which features Cliff’s music, plus some of the other artists we mention in the episode, like Frank Ocean, D’Angelo, and a little indie artist named Beyoncé.
Listen, share, and subscribe this and your other favorite episodes of the Puddcast on the podcast platform of your preference! YOU FRIGGIN BETTER IT’S OUR BIRTHDAY!!!!!
Riot Grrrl Pioneers and feminist punk rockers Bikini Kill are finally getting back on the road after postponing their tour for two years due to COVID. Kicked off on April 29th at the Greek in LA, the band will continue through the US, Canada and Europe. Having not released an album in over 20 years, it’s a testament to the staying power and emotional resonance of their songs that a Bikini Kill tour still feels crucial in 2022. That same fire and tenacity that made them icons in the 90s still feels viscerally essential today. Human rights are being dismantled every day and the desire to fight back continues to deepen. I can’t think of a better – or more cathartic – way to deal with mounting frustrations and to inspire us to keep going, than to see a Bikini Kill show. While the upcoming Boston date was postponed due to illness, we recently had the opportunity to chat with vocalist Kathleen Hanna about vocal remedies, the evolution of Riot Grrrl and being an icon…
Allston Pudding: What are you most looking forward to on this tour?
Kathleen Hanna: Singing and being onstage [laughs]. We’ve been rehearsing every day and it’s getting funner and funner, but I’m excited to actually have an audience. I can’t imagine an audience for another month [laughs]. Just excited for the energy and seeing everybody during such a hard time. White nationalism on the rise, bodily autonomy for trans people and people who can get pregnant being eradicated, everyone besides straight rich white guys living in fear. Just to be in a room with people who wanna have a joyful time and not forget about everything but to create pockets where we are affirmed.
AP: You have a very strong and memorable vocal, do you have any go-to vocal remedies?
Kathleen Hanna – Credit: Dean Keim
KH: Yeah, I’m in my bedroom right now looking at a bunch of them. There’s these really expensive things my vocal teacher told me to get called Grether’s Pastilles. They are delicious. I eat them like dessert. A lot of singers use Ricola and I do when I’m on stage, but then you get home and you’re like, “if I ever see another Ricola, I’m gonna barf.” One time I was on tour so much for my birthday I thought they were going to bring me a Ricola cake. But, one of the best things you can do is to gargle salt water in the evening.
My vocal teacher taught me a lot, but one of the simplest things if you’re a singer is, I have a lot of vowels at the beginning of phrases that I hit very hard, like “every” or “always” and I’ll put an “H” before it. I sing the “H” away from the mic, because it protects from this thing called Glottal Strike.
Unfortunately, my vocal teacher was murdered on March 10th so it’s been very strange. I listened to her voice every day and it’s actually wonderful to hear her. I thought it was gonna make me really upset but it’s been great that she’s still with me as I re-explore all of her techniques in rehearsals. I didn’t have that in the 90s. I was breathing incorrectly. When I was in Le Tigre I started getting lessons to protect my voice and I relearned how to breathe. It changed my life. I can’t believe I made it through one show without any technique [laughs].
AP: How does it feel to be regarded as an icon?
KH: Well first of all, the word icon is so overused. I guess maybe I’m a fuddy-duddy but like, that Ricola is not iconic, my coffee mug is not iconic, stop. I just feel like whenever I read anything it’s like “oh my god, my shoes are iconic!” Guys, c’mon! I’m the icon here! [laughs] I’m kidding. No, I mean it’s nice to be acknowledged, you know? It’s nice to have people say, “oh, these bands you were in were there for me at an important time.” It’s definitely weird, like the historical part of it, like “icon” or “legend”, they make you kind of historical. Like, I’m still working. There’s something kind of frozen statue about it. Especially because I’m older. I’m not 26 anymore, but it’s like… I’m not done.
AP: Yeah, let me get where I’m going first…
KH: I feel like I’m singing better than I did in my 20s and I’m having a better time. I just wanna be another working musician… like my dog still shits in the house and I have to clean it up. So that’s what I think of when I get called an icon.
AP: In a recent interview with Dan Rather, he asked your husband Adam Horovitz about the weirdest celebrity/fame moment that he experienced. I was curious what you would’ve said?
KH: Oh, I mean I had a weird thing with Liev Schreiber [laughs]. I lived in New York for like 21 years and one day in Soho, I was running errands all day and then I was going to see a movie at the Angelica. Everywhere I went, I saw Liev Schreiber. I went to the drugstore, Liev Schreiber was there. I popped into a clothing store, Liev Schreiber was there. He had always made it to the place right before me, so by the fourth or fifth time I saw Liev and came in after him, he started looking at me like…
AP: You’re following him around [laughs].
KH: Yeah like, “oh, shit I have a stalker”, right? So I was like, how do I tell Liev Schreiber that I’m not stalking him? If I go up to him and tell him then it’s really gonna look like I’m stalking him. It was weird, like I guess we just like the same things? So, I get to the Angelica to meet Adam and I sat in the second row. I like to be down front. Adam is late and the movie is going to start so I keep turning around and turning around and turning around and fuckin’ Liev Schrieber is in the movie theater. He’s watching me turn around, he’s by himself and I can see him visibly getting uncomfortable.
AP: Did you make any sort of contact?
KH: I never said anything! Once Adam showed up, I was like please be wearing a baseball hat so you look like you’re in the Beastie Boys. So Liev will see I already have a celebrity boyfriend, and I’m not looking for one [laughs].
AP: That’s such an awkward but incredible coincidence…
KH: I had something similar with Willem Dafoe where I would run into him in a bunch of different countries at museums while on tour. But he didn’t think I was stalking him.
AP: As the person often regarded as the pioneer for the Riot Grrrl movement, what has it been like watching that movement evolve?
Example of cover art for a Riot Grrrl “zine”
KH: It’s been horrible. To be perfectly honest, and I’m not talking about right now. Basically me and Allison Wolfe called the first meeting which was supposed to be about starting a magazine for women in music and activism. It turned into a consciousness raising thing within the music scene and it was cool for a while. But it was basically one summer for me. I started to see the limitations on it, some people got involved, you know white women who were making everything about them and trying to become the victims in every situation. People being competitive about who is more oppressed. I started to not want to be involved and I can’t go to every Riot Grrrl meeting around the world and change it.
But recently I’ve seen some stuff online and now I’m really happy because the critiques about racism and inclusivity are totally spot on. I’m excited for Sista Grrrl, a group in New York started by women of color. The fact that people are like, “this isn’t for me, I’ll start my own thing.” That’s what I did. We tried to get more women playing music. But, the fact that now other people who aren’t cis-gendered white middle-class women are saying “fuck riot grrrl”, well that’s how it all started. Like “fuck this white straight male punk scene.” It’s awesome.
AP: It’s just broken and reinvented every few years.
KH: And great! I’m not like, “let’s keep it in a lock box and nostalgia-ize it to death.”
AP: With no announced plans for new Bikini Kill, Le Tigre or Julie Ruin music, are there any other projects you are working on?
KH: Me and Kathi Wilcox both participated on a record that our new guitar player Erica Dawn Lyle just put out on June 3rd on Bandcamp. Kathi did a song, I did a song, Brontez Purnell, Kelley Deal, Christina Billotte. A lot of amazing people and it’s a benefit for NEFOC, the North East Farmers of Color land trust. All proceeds go to buying land for people of color and indigenous farmers. They also lobby to corporate landholders to try and give land back to indigenous tribes. And the thing about this benefit is, I’ve heard it and it’s really fucking good. You know, most benefit records, people send in their shitty [songs], or they just sing the first thing that they think of using ProTools in their basement. But everyone really worked on this record.
Check out the new benefit album from Erica Dawn Lyle feat. Kathleen Hanna below! Stay up to date on Bikini Kill including rescheduled tour dates and more by following them on Facebook, Instagram and Twitter.
