Alex Fatato of Alexander definitely knows the power of a simple song done right. And so one of Boston’s most beloved (and prolific) songwriters is back again this fall with a new album entitled Difficult Freedom. We named 2020’s Wonderland among our favorite local releases last year, and fans of that record’s homespun sound and unguarded storytelling will certainly find plenty to love about Freedom. Recorded in relative isolation last January at his father’s office and church in Western Mass alongside (yeah, we’ll say it) local area Superproducer Brad Krieger, the duo packed a car full of gear and knocked out the record’s nine songs over the course of just one weekend. Accounting of course, for breaks catered by Fatato’s mother, who dropped off homecooked meals. As on Wonderland‘s follow up EP1, Krieger provided drums, bass, piano, and lap steel and also produced, recorded, mixed, and mastered Difficult Freedom, lending a familiar mood and tasteful feel to Fatato’s short, but never slight tunes.
Much like previous Alexander releases, Fatato addresses himself in third person, often in pointedly plainspoken verbiage, and surrounds those feelings in modest (at least at the surface-level), but affecting instrumentation. Dutiful listeners of his discography could perhaps read these efforts as a conscious decluttering of the everywhere-at-once approach of his prior “high school band,” the legendary Du Vide. In fact, Fatato cops to a desire to “stop being so emo” as an impetus for the stylings of his latest musical endeavor. One could also see parallels between it and the clarity achieved by the late David Berman on Purple Mountains, a heroic ur-text for the vulnerable Americana-flecked indie rock displayed on Freedom. This is a leap aided no doubt by Fatato’s inclusion of a Berman drawing among the press materials for the record.
Today we are pleased to be premiering the second single (after “Prarie” which came with a colorfully animated lyric video) from Freedom entitled “River.” The song, like many on the record, initially finds Fatato addressing his bad habits with contempt before allowing himself some space to improve over time. He had this to say about it:
“I wrote “River” after a day floating on a river in New Hampshire in the summer of 2020. I had kind of an epiphany/bliss moment being carried down the river, it felt perfect and safe. And then I opened my eyes and my friends were far away down the beach, so I had to walk against the current to get back to them.”
Time is a funny thing. Ideas that might have once seemed outré can become completely ordinary given enough time to gestate. Sixteen months ago, the idea of having any large public gathering was preposterous. Widespread inoculations against the coronavirus pandemic were something of a pipe dream. Live music became a relic of the Before Times, relegated to Instagram and archive.org
In 1995, when Sleater-Kinney and Wilco released their debut albums, the two bands could hardly be considered related. Sleater-Kinney’s self-titled record was 23 minutes of taught post-punk that established them as one of the most formidable rock bands of the pacific northwest underground. Wilco’s AM was informed by the radio rock from which it takes its name with just enough twang to get them tagged as “alternative country.”
Now, in our present moment, time has conspired to bring these two bands together. Their joint tour’s title “It’s Time” read as a sigh of relief when it was announced in June and now sounds like stubborn insistence amid the rising tide of the Delta variant. It’s time that has brought these bands together and it’s time that has changed them both to the point where such a co-headline bill would make sense. Sleater-Kinney’s cult following propelled them to their equivalent of a pop crossover when the band regrouped for 2015’s No Cities to Love. After the St. Vincent-produced The Center Won’t Hold, drummer and founding member Janet Weiss parted ways with the band, making S-K’s latest release Path of Wellness the first with only lead guitarist Carrie Brownstein and lead vocalist Corin Tucker at the helm. Wilco transformed from a shaggy bar band into bona-fide art-rockers, earning critical praise, nabbing a Grammy and expanding their fanbase to a small army of liberal Dads as they went.
Following an opening set by NNAMDÏ, it was time for the main event. Sleater-Kinney were perhaps too raucous for the mostly seated, mostly aged crowd. Maybe this is the pandemic talking, but it was easy to favor the giant screens on either side of the stage rather than the live performers between them. Browstein’s electric performance was definitely a reason to keep eyes off the jumbotrons though, as her frequent high-kicks and expressive guitar moves were rarely captured by camera operators.
Brownstein aside, there was little to like about Sleater-Kinney’s set. The newly formed band, which included keyboardist Galen Clark and guitarist/vocalist Fabi Reyna, did not make proper use of their expanded lineup. Despite the five talented performers on stage and a new sonic direction underway, the live arrangements hewed conservative. Few songs made use of Clark’s keyboard and additional percussion flourishes and Reyna’s guitar mostly doubled Brownstein or Tucker. Allston Pudding writer and DJ Dillon Riley, also in attendance, lamented the missed potential over our $14 Modelo tall boys. In a space as large as Blue Hills Bank Rockland Trust Bank Leader Bank Pavilion, any unfilled pocket of sound stands out. A pared-down punk band doesn’t have the immediacy here as it would in a 500 cap club. Sleater-Kinney brought high energy and solid musicianship to the 5,000-seat venue, but the setting played against their strengths and highlighted their weaknesses.
It’s clear that Wilco is a band that has been playing together for a long time, a fact made all the more obvious after Sleater-Kinney, whose current lineup only started playing together this year, left the stage. Wilco songs are like leather: classic, durable, and prone to maturation the more they’re lived in. Songs like “I’m The Man Who Loves You” were the most exciting with the band fully in the groove, while “Everyone Hides” from 2019’s Ode to Joy wasn’t quite so loose. But it’s “Impossible Germany” that is the band’s live opus. The Sky Blue Sky track elicits yelps of recognition and rising clouds of smoke from the crowd as the melodic topline shifts to proggy explorations courtesy of lead guitarist Nels Cline. Cline was a highlight reel unto himself, laying down hard riffs on the underrated Star Wars cut “Random Name Generator,” tasteful slide guitar on “Love is Everywhere (Beware)” and Jonny Greenwood-esque synthesizer freakouts on “I Am Trying to Break Your Heart.”
Singer Jeff Tweedy was a sight to behold as well. On stage, the bearish Chicagoan visibly fed off the crowd’s energy. He loves encouraging group sing-a-longs and is a big pantomimer when freed from his guitar duties. Memorably, Tweedy dropped the band out behind him and gave a cheeky wave to the crowd at the “Hello” line of “I Am Trying To Break Your Heart.”
It’s moments like this that make a case for Tweedy as a pop star, an idol for cool Dads and NPR donors everywhere. He’s developed a sort of cult of personality around himself between musical side projects with his son, authoring books, and frequent guest spots on NPR. His legion of over-40 devotees were out in force on this Tuesday night, something Hollywood has been trying and failing to do for the better part of a decade. I asked the man seated to my left, Jimmy, age 49, what the last movie he saw in theaters was. His reply: 2016’s Rogue One: A Star Wars Story. (He later clarified to me that he saw 2020’s Bill & Ted Face the Music at a drive-in and, though we agreed that doesn’t technically count as a theatergoing experience, I promised him I’d include that detail in my article. Jimmy fucking rules.)
The decline of cinematic experiences aimed at adults has been the subject of muchlamentation, but Wilco have somehow cracked the code to put grown butts in seats. Not that there were many butts in seats to speak of—the crowd rose to its feet from the first notes of opener “A Shot in the Arm” and didn’t return until they drove home well after the encore, which included a cover of the Rolling Stones’ “Honky Tonk Women” in tribute to Stones drummer Charlie Watts who passed that day.
It’s easy to draw comparisons to the Grateful Dead when you’re at a Wilco show. Many current and former hippies were in the audience, stealies emblazoned on shirts and patches. The Dead, a perennial crowd-drawer for fans young and old, made their live shows into spectacles, to the point where they eclipsed their recorded output altogether. Much the same can be said of Tweedy and co., who delight in transforming their songs on stage and feed off the chemistry not only of the crowd but of each other. Tweedy was frequently beaming during Cline’s solos, their poet-guitarist dynamic echoing the Dead’s Hunter-Garcia partnership. “Heavy Metal Drummer” is Wilco’s “Casey Jones,” with chants of “beautiful and stoned” recalling the latter’s “high on cocaine” refrain. There was even a drums + space-style interlude that led into “Impossible Germany.” If you decide to pass on Dead & Co. this summer, don’t skip Wilco.
Somewhere between December 31, 2019 and March 15, 2020, something shifted. Somewhere between the last two Sleater-Kinney albums, Janet Weiss decided she’d had enough. And somewhere between 1995 and August 24, 2021, Wilco became the great American art-rock band, a cultural force powerful enough to draw a crowd on a Tuesday night, even though you can’t hear them on the radio. As with everything, it’s only a matter of time.
Having made the monumental move from Boston to Brooklyn, queer indie rockers Raavi, fka Raavi and the Houseplants, are back with a new single. Following the release of previous singles “Sticky” and “Major Tool”, which both garnered positive reviews for their effortless sense of cool, “All Over Again (Redux)” follows directly in their suave footsteps. Raavi’s swagger carries you through the track before the groove gives way to a bombastic end with the band giving you everything they got. We recently had the pleasure of chatting with lead vocalist Raavi Sita about their recent move to Brooklyn, the new single, the inevitable EP and finding balance.
Allston Pudding: How was your recent move to Brooklyn? What do you love about it?
Raavi Sita: It’s been great! I already knew a lot of people in Brooklyn. I love finally hanging out with my peers. I was living in Arlington, MA so I wasn’t really walking around seeing people my age. Also you can get any kind of food, anywhere.
AP: What do you miss about Boston?
R: I miss my house and my family together as one. Also, I miss the Boston DIY scene. New York’s DIY scene is not better or worse… just different.
“All Over Again (Redux)” Artwork by Selina Pearce
AP: “All Over Again (Redux)” is such a fun song, can you tell me a little about the story behind it? I know this is a rework of a song you’ve performed before?
R: Our bassist, James Duncan and I met each other on a touring choir in high school. We were in South Africa when I convinced our choir director to let me have a guitar. [I said to him] “I’m a serious musician you don’t understand, I need to have it. I can’t just not play for two weeks!” [laughs] So we started writing and playing this new song. It was the first song I had written with someone else. Very much a team effort. But the song has changed so much since the original. It’s not accurate to how we play it now, and it’s one of our favorite songs to play! So we wanted to give it another go.
AP: Obviously, this past year has been incredibly difficult, and in some ways very transformative. Has your musical process changed at all?
R: Writing is harder now. So much inspiration comes from going to shows, which COVID makes very difficult. I’m not one who can just write for the sake of writing… I write when I feel something and I think the bleakness of the past year has made it more difficult. The music I’m writing now is much more straightforward, but not simple.
AP: How has it been performing live again?
R: It took a few shows to find out footing again [laughs]. But each show was better and more enjoyable than the last. But with everything going on [with COVID variants], I’m wearing a mask again. I’m not sure how accurate this answer will be for much longer.
AP: You recently mentioned online that you were struggling with playing music for pleasure, could you elaborate on that?
R: I’m really busy now working and taking care of my dog by myself. Coming back from a long shift, I don’t really feel like playing guitar. It’s finding this balance between forcing creativity and wanting to continue [playing] because it’s what I really want to do.
Photo Credit: Veronica Bettio
AP: What do you have planned for the rest of the year?
R: Maybe more singles by the end of the year, or the Spring. “All Over Again” is kind of a buffer for us. We’ve been sitting on it for a while and didn’t want to go a whole year without releasing any music. That’s been the idea with the recent singles over quarantine. To space out new material.
AP: What are you most excited for?
R: Most excited for touring – if it happens. And recording the new songs. They’re a higher quality than anything we’ve produced so far.
Make sure to check out “All Over Again (Redux)” out everywhere tomorrow! Follow Raavi on Facebook, Instagram and Twitter for more!
Kinsey Lee of The Wild Reeds embraced her solo project as a soul search. For the first time, since age 19, she’s singing outside of her band The Wild Reeds. In this past year, she hit thirty, turned blonde and went to New Orleans to record her first single “Lover’s Song,” about her past relationship that began and ended right there on the bayou. The song is a part two to The Reeds’ “Fall With Me,” released in 2014. Taking a break from the band’s quintessential three-part harmonies, she’s now singing for one.
Calling from Casey Jane’s (The Lostines) bedroom, Kinsey lets us into her world, one where no one can say “no” to her late night “what ifs” of imagination. Those thoughts turned into a light blue cassette tape, 77.7 Lovers Song Radio – Songs to Ride To, a [physical] gift for us, like golden times when music sharing was intentional. The tape is made for summer and with the visual aid of the “Lovers Song” music video, dropped today, and while the sweet air of summer still lingers, let’s pop in the cassette. It’s “time to hang up that halo put down that rag top and let the world see how bright you shine baby.”
Edited by Hansu Kim | Shot by Kinsey Lee and Josh Shoemaker
Cue Sugar Ray’s “Fly” except here, Mark McGrath sings, “Put your arms around me baby put your arms around me KINSEY.” This sugary Sugar Ray surprise cameo is one of Kinsey’s late night ideas that she recounts in laughter over a series of emails, texts, quick calls mid shift at the deli.
Here’s how the song turned into DJ Dr. Kinsey’s radio hour. She rewinds to 2014 when she wrote The Wild Reeds’ “Fall With Me.” This song was about the beginning of a relationship and “Lover’s Song,” is a part 2 to that story, written about the end. “It all started and ended in New Orleans” she shares, singing, “So it begins I loved you friend but that’s just not enough. I’m getting old too old for young love.”
A couple months before the pandemic, seeking change and a break from LA toxicity, she went back to the place she’s always felt the magic to be herself, a place she fell in love. Knowing only 1.5 people, she fell into friendship with the folks of Mashed Potato Records an ongoing project that captures a music community built in living rooms and on porch steps. Soon, Kinsey was howling to the moon and covering classics with these potato folks. Two of these covers appear on the mixtape alongside “Lovers Song,” which was recorded with Duff and Steph.
“This was the first time I ever recorded a song without The Wild Reeds. I said, ‘Duff, I’ve never done this by myself. I want to be sure of myself today.’” Grabbing sounds within reach — some spoons, a lighter, a “shitty amp,” a drum machine app — the three laid down the track and “jumped down the rabbit hole.” “Guitars and amps… they’re like little weapons. Some people make the most beautiful music from what they have lying around,” she says.
With The Reeds, Kinsey always wrote with bandmates Mack and Sharon’s voices in mind, thinking of blending their three voices together for the group’s 3-part harmonies. Now, writing and singing for her voice alone, she found this untapped deep vibrato. “I didn’t know I could emote that way. I’m reinventing myself,” she shares. After recording, she felt this liberating high from the freedom to make her own decisions, “I had the idea to make a mixtape from all these late night ideas where I cracked myself up.” This voice kept telling her, “Do it, I dare you.” “No one can stop me!” she laughs. And one of those moments guided her to buy an ‘85 Chrysler LeBaron convertible. And what goes in a LeBaron? A cassette featuring Dolly Parton and Sam Cooke among many other favorites.
Without giving too much away — the mixtape is full of surprises (a prescription from the doctor we have to trust) — the curated Songs To Ride To span decades, including singalongs, cameos, and covers living ephemerally in limited copies of a physical cassette tape adorned with resin art made by bandmate Mack. The whole project was very organic and DIY. Coupled with deep introspection during a collective year of solitude, Dr. Kinsey became “a heightened version of [herself]. An Adriana La Cerva meets Karen Sharp personality” that all came together by following her truth.
Kinsey shares her background of a big Italian family with a conservative Christian upbringing while she always looked up to our 90s icons —Brit (#freeBrit) and Christina. “I so badly wanted to be like them which wasn’t healthy for a chubby little girl with body image issues because of those things. But now, as a 30 year adult, I get to become the woman that I always wanted to be when I was 13. I can dress how I want. I can make the music I want. I can buy the car everybody tells me not to buy. I get to lean into that sexy part of myself that for a long time growing up in the church was frowned upon. That’s why I like nostalgia. Because I can go back to the time I was 13 and say OMG belly rings are so hot I’m gonna get one. And I finally pierced my belly button!”
And what next of the doctor? Well, she’s wearing her grandma’s sexy leopard tank top channeling Adriana La Cerva (this was fulfilled in buddy Grady Strange’s video for Karma’s A Gun). The doctor cruises up to the stop light, waving with red nails to the old folks who wag thumbs ups at her LaBeron.
Like the last track on Lover’s Song Radio, a feminized version of Sinatra’s “My Way” she leaves us with a vocal power and self-certainty that has just been discovered. “There are exciting things on the horizon that make that possible,” she says hinting that she’ll come back next winter to New Orleans to howl, sing, and make more music in the place where her lover’s story began.
PC: Grady Strange
STREAM LOVERS SONG AND GET PHYSICAL WITH THE “SONGS TO RIDE TO” CASSETTE VIA BANDCAMP
Founded in 2007 in Denver, CO – Smashburger captivated customers with it’s interesting technique of literally smashing burgers down on a flat top to sear/seal in flavor. Seen on TV and at locations across the nation & world, these burgers have found their way into the hearts and minds of millions. Today, they find their way into the Proof is in the Pudding kitchen. Describing himself as “morally against not liking a food” – except cheese – Izzy gladly accepted the invitation for some burgers n’ chips. Quick tip: Make sure the meatballs aren’t too large before you smash them down. They should be thin and slightly wider than your potato buns once you “smash” them down.
Smashburgers
1/2-1 lb. lean ground beef.
Salt
Pepper
Sliced cheese (I prefer plastic-y American for my burgers)
Thinly sliced white onion
Lettuce/tomato/pickles/etc. (optional)
Mustard/Mayo/Ketchup/etc. (optional)
Potato buns
Potato Chips
4 large potatoes – sliced VERY thin. I suggest finding a mandoline slicer if you’re going to be serious about slicing potatoes.
Vegetable oil (for frying)
Water (for soaking)
An even amount of…
Salt
Pepper
Onion Powder
Garlic Powder
Paprika
Chili Powder
Cayenne Pepper (just a dash)
Nutritional Yeast (generous amount)
Homemade Potato Chips
Slice your potatoes verythin.
Fill a very large bowl with water.
Soak the potato slices in the water for at least 20 minutes. Drain.
Dry the potatoes off by laying them on top of towels. Additionally you can lay them on baking sheets and put them in an oven heated very low (170-200 degrees F) for about 10 minutes until they are dry and warm.
Combine your spices
Fill a large pot halfway with vegetable oil over medium/high heat.
Start frying your potato slices in batches. Make sure to not overcrowd them, as this will prevent them from getting crisp.
Stir the slices in the oil occasionally to prevent them getting stuck together and so they cook evenly.
After a few minutes, and once the slices are browned and crispy, remove them to a baking sheet lined with a drying rack and/or paper towels to drain.
Season immediately with spice mixture.
Smashburgers
Roll out your ground beef into evenly sized meatballs. They should be slightly smaller than a tennis ball.
Thinly slice your onion.
Heat a sauté/cast iron pan over medium-high heat.
Drizzle in some oil.
Place a few slices of onion in the pan, in the spot where you are about to smash your burgers down. The result will be onions cooked into the top of the patty, after you flip it.
Take a wide flat spatula (without any holes/slots) and smash 2-3 meatballs down in the pan (depending on the pan size) on top of the onions, until they’re nice n’ thin. You don’t want to overcrowd the burgers in the pan.
Season generously with salt and pepper. Only cook for a couple minutes per side. Season again once you flip.
Top with cheese and serve on potato buns once cheese is melted. Add toppings as desired.
Stay tuned for future episodes of Proof is in the Pudding and make sure to follow Izzy Heltai on Facebook, Instagram and Twitter for more! Check out his new EP Day Plan below! Photo by Emma Kate Rothenberg-Ware.
Optimists have had a hard time over the past couple of years. The world, and seemingly everything on it, has taken it upon themselves to try and bring the rest of us down. But not Max Shakun. A former member of Connecticut based rock group Parsonsfield, the now solo artist has been steadily releasing soul reviving bops throughout the past few months. Before his debut EP Heatwave drops on September 10th, Shakun is back with yet another summertime sizzler.
“In My Head It’s Sunny” grooves like a Tame Impala/Mac Demarco mix that spent a little time sitting on the porch with the guys from Whitney. It’s sweet, soft and soothing. “If I tried to just write love songs, I don’t think that would be interesting to listen to. I try to write about something deeper inside of myself.” Shakun continues, “I’ve really gotten into Stoicism, which has helped me stay grounded.” This theme of staying grounded is directly evident in the chorus of “In My Head It’s Sunny”. A simple mantra of-sorts to keep calm amidst all of the chaos, something Max relates to the song “Be Above It” by Tame Impala.
Max’s lyrics go back and forth between the more abstract stream-of-consciousness and the much more specific with references to a walk at 3am the night everything shut down due to COVID. “Time didn’t matter,” recounts Shakun. “I never had my 3am lyric… I feel like a lot of pop musicians are always mentioning 3am.” He’s not wrong either, with Amber Mark, Halsey, HAIM, Matchbox 20, Paul McCartney and Simon & Garfunkel all having songs or albums that explicitly mention the beginning of the Witching hour.
Having decided to embark upon a solo career midway through 2020, the choice did not come without a heavy dose of uncertainty. “I have no idea where my music career is going, [but the EP] feels like a sampler of everything I can do and I’m really looking forward to releasing a full length… it’s like dipping my toes into being a solo artist,” explains Shakun. “People change, and as I got older I realized I’m looking to make different kinds of art. The pause in live music was a good time to figure out where I’m going. For the first time in my life I am living and dying by my own decisions.”
For the Heatwave EP, Shakun teamed up with frequent collaborator Mack Major, of the New Orleans based Miss Mojo. The two would remotely work on songs from their respective studios, half a country apart. But crafting his own release isn’t all that Max has been up to. Dipping his toes into more pools than just solo artistry, Shakun donned the producer cap for a few of his friends. Having fallen into producing rising folk/pop talent Izzy Heltai’s recent EP Day Plan: Five Songs Written for the End of the World, Max mentions a few other projects he’s working on which are TBA at the moment.
With this being a relatively new development for Shakun, he doesn’t shy away from the excitement of it all. “In any form of art, who is doing the same thing forever? You only want to work on something you’re excited about… Now I don’t want to call my first clients my guinea pigs but… [Shakun laughs].”
Listen to “In My Head It’s Sunny” below. Check out Max’s other recent singles “Comet” and “Where Will I Go?” on streaming services now! Follow him on Facebook, Instagram and Twitter for more…
Back in May 2019, a coverage opp came across my inbox (actually, it was via LinkedIn, if we’re being really specific). The request came from Hot Tramp, a Montreal based management group and label imprint. Two of the label’s artists, Janette King and Maryze, were embarking on their first US tour. Janette had just released 143, a pop/R&B EP that utilized a lot of house stylings in its production. Naturally, I was pretty hooked by the music, especially the single “Starlight,” which effortlessly combined Janette’s impeccable vocals, her ear for catchy songwriting, and an infectious danceable rhythm.
So I picked up coverage, went to the show, got to meet the artists and their manager Sarah, and was floored by their talent, their friendliness, the intimacy of the show at Inman Square’s Lilypad. I had recently gone through a bit of a breakup (well, it had been almost three months at that point but I’m a Taurus and we take our time; sue me, bro), so some emotive R&B that made me friggin’ dance was highly necessary and welcome.
That’s how Janette King got on my radar. Since then, I’ve been eager to follow the developments of her career, especially in anticipation of a full length release. That release came in the form of What We Lost, which dropped back at the end of June 2021. Buoyed by singles like “Mars,” “the exhilarating “Airplane,” the heartbreaking “You Don’t Love Me,” and a few others, the album is pretty easily an album of the year contender for me. Especially when you consider the unbelievable quality of its production without major label backing. This is an independent pop singer releasing material who’s putting on a musical clinic for all the mainstream pop faves (not naming any names, but really fill in the blank).
What’s really refreshing – and ultimately a little bittersweet – about What We Lost is that, as its title suggests, it deals with endings: relationships come and go, and often it’s easy to feel as though we’ve lost a little bit of ourselves when love breaks down. With this album, Janette’s asking the question, “why does that need to be the case?” Sure, love can be a wonderful, powerful, life-changing thing, but why so often does it feel like we’re required to lose ourselves in it, rather than feel strengthened by these bonds? Thematically, these songs reflect a lot of contemporary sentiment that this idea of star-crossed lovers… well it really ain’t it.
But rather than give unnecessary personal exposition on my own journey to achieve inner love and self-actualization, why don’t ya just listen to my talk with Janette King about her tunes (and dump them, if you need to). Also, be sure to check out the companion playlist, featuring some selections from What We Lost, as well as some tracks from Janette’s collaborators, plus Ms. Lauryn Hill and Eartha Kitt. Check it out on Spotify below, or on the podcast service of your choice, or Soundcloud, too! And tune in next week for part two of the interview.
As summer comes to a close, and we all try and squeeze in our last outdoor barbeques, beach days, and late-night campfires, Coral Moons releases their invigorating inaugural album that will make even the most dedicated of urbanites want to cash in on a weekend getaway to the great outdoors. Fieldcrest, a fantastically produced masterpiece with remarkably serene vocal harmonies, exquisitely details the complex emotions of letting go of people’s expectations, your own anxieties, and people who are better left in the past.
Photos by Tatiana Ariola
The nameFieldcrestdraws inspiration from lead singer Carly Kraft’s childhood home street, a physical symbol of moving on and letting go. Though her family moved from their childhood home five years ago, while crafting this album during the pandemic, she found herself yearning to be there again, yet grateful for the memories she still has from her old stomping grounds. “The title track itself metaphorically stands for letting it go and moving on from things that no longer serve you anymore, “ Carly says, “The song ‘Fieldcrest’ holds a lot of nostalgia for me, and I wrote this song a couple of months into the pandemic, and recognized the happiness in the nostalgia I felt. In a way, it helped me move on and helped me be more thankful for the memories I have.”
Photo by Jordan Kraft
“I Feel Alive” and “Under Control” also deal with other sides of letting go. “I Feel Alive” shows that letting go of a past version of yourself and the people who no longer fit into your new life, can be akin to soaring high in the sky. Whereas “Under Control” is about releasing your anxieties and forcing yourself into a better place. The combination between the emotional lyrics and the production by Sam Kissirer, known notably for his work with Lake Street Dive and Josh Ritter, puts this album as one of the greatest pandemic pieces to come out of Boston this year.
Pro Tip: This album makes a perfect soundtrack to a road trip to a cabin in the woods and sounds even better when accompanied by the crackling of a roaring campfire. “Since we’re releasing on August 6, we think that’s the perfect date to sit outside, smoke some weed, and have a campfire with your friends while listening to Fieldcrest,” Carly recommends, “Get a disposable camera, snap some photos, and create your own album from listening to ours.”
Check out Coral Moons’ list of tour dates above.Fieldcrest is out now on all streaming platforms, and you can listen to it via Spotify below.
On Sundays in Allston… we go to Drag Brunch. The queens and queers of the Greater Boston area sashay to Lulu’s Allston for a spectacle of dance, music, comedy and cosmetics. Hosted by local favorites Missy Steak and Patty Bourrée, the show runs for approximately 90 minutes. Featuring three guest queens, the brunch party showcases everything from original material, trivia and musical chairs.
Typically outside on the patio, this occasion was moved inside due to rain. Attendees packed into Lulu’s, received their bucket of mimosas (included with ticket), ordered some hangover curing nourishment and got ready to tuck n’roll. Kicking off with a medley of their “favorite blonds” Lady Gaga & Britney Spears, Missy & Patty warmed up the crowd with their infectious antics. Weaving in between brunchers, they left no one out. Missy twirls her fringe to one side, and Patty climbs onto the bar singles in hand as they collect money from the crowd like bandits. If the eye-popping costumes, meticulously combed wigs and expertly applied makeup weren’t enough for you, the expressions across Missy & Patty’s faces are enough to goop the gag.
Photo credit: Joey Del Ponte
If things weren’t warming up enough, the fiery Linda Marie Póssa (pictured left) struts out to a seductive medley of classics “Como La Flor”, “Gasolina” and “Super Bass”. Variety is the spice of life, as they say, and Linda had everyone feeling the heat. At one point we made eye contact and I swear she was looking directly into my soul. Come for the energetic dancing, stay for the non-stop seduction.
Up next, serving womana, was the lovely Chanel the Angel (pictured below). Mid-way through a crowd pleasing medley of “Motivation” by Normani and “Pretty Girl Rock” by Keri Hilson, something amazing happened. The body chain that Chanel was wearing snapped and fell off, a wardrobe malfunction on any other day, but the Angel shook it off and kept it going. The crowd literally went wild as she danced her way around the restaurant and into our hearts & minds.
Photo credit: Joey Del Ponte
Now what would a drag show be without a dose of some delightful chaos? Courtesy of Miss Patty Bourrée, a few lucky (er-unlucky depending on how you look at it) volunteers are picked from the crowd for a rousing round of musical chairs. A glorious game that reduces even the most composed of individuals into maniacs sabotaging each other for chairs. Patty then consoles the losers and wraps the audience in a warm embrace to a performance of “Thank You For Being a Friend”.
Staying within the audience interaction portion of the show, Missy Steak recruits volunteers for a game of RuPaul’s Drag Race trivia. No tea, no shade, no pink lemonade, but for a group of volunteers at a drag show… the results were okay to good. For any die hard fans of the show, or if you’re like me and spent quarantine watching 24 seasons of Drag Race then this would’ve been a walk in the park. Or at least a walk with children in nature.
Photo credit: Joey Del Ponte
The last, but don’t you dare say least, guest queen Harlow Havoc (pictured right) then exploded onto the dancefloor. Burning with the passion of her blood red hair, Havoc caused a commotion flying around the restaurant to “Physical” and “Levitating” by Dua Lipa. She was everywhere, from crawling across the bar to jumping into a split that shook the house down… boots. But the most memorable moment of the night came when young Clementine, who was in attendance celebrating her birthday with her family, started breakdancing with Harlow. A move that would cement her as an honorary queen for the day.
Getting towards the end of the show, our hostesses with the mostesses return to keep the party going. Missy Steak at one point leaves the bar and dances along the sidewalk. Interacting with passersby and eventually flashing the audience from behind a window. While Patty manages to not-so-subtly slip in her recent hyper-pop influenced single “Where Do I Belong?”, which you can check out below!
The five queens then come out together to wrap things up with a group performance to “Wannabe” by the legendary Spice Girls. The crowd, full from delicious brunch fare including some sexy breakfast “Tot”-chos, offer up their last dollars to the lovely ladies and venture out into Allston, a little fuller – and gayer – than before.
Make sure to catch the Queens for another Sunday Drag Brunch at Lulu’s on August 29th. If Brunch ain’t your thing, make sure to grab a ticket to Patty’s one woman show “Another Evening with Patty Bourrée” at Jacques Cabaret Underground in Boston on Friday, August 20th. Check out Missy Steak and Patty Bourrée’s Facebook pages for more info! And follow Missy, Patty, Linda, Harlow and Chanel on their Instagrams for more!
Lenny’s warm indie pop vocals and unapologetically direct but poetic lyrics shine bright on “Taurus Sun,” the first single off her debut EP, Personal Celebrity, out today, August 4th. As a fellow Taurus sun, astrology queer, and indie pop fan, I knew I had to dive deeper.
Self-indulgence, laziness, and stubbornness—those are the stereotypical Taurus characteristics, right? They’re not really what Lenny’s single is about.
“Taurus Sun” is all about change, or rather, the lack of it. Lenny, who was raised in British Columbia and is actually a Taurus sun, says it’s about “accepting what you can’t change in a relationship, in another person, and in yourself.” It’s also a song which muses on the likelihood that her own Taurean traits of bullheadedness and resistance to change could actually just be her own socialization into putting the needs of others before her own.
The song starts out with a catchy upbeat drum pattern (from drummer Sebastian Balk-Forcione), fuzzy bass lines, and then a synth (from Ben Rowley on keys) that chimes brilliantly behind Lenny’s charming vibrato when the chorus takes over. It definitely has moments of folk-y, Lady Lamb-ish vocal runs, fun guitar riffs, and experimental keys.
Thematically, “Taurus Sun” simultaneously calls out a changeless boyfriend and takes a jab at her own self-destructively patient and reliable Taurean patterns. Lenny calls it an “audacious” single that tackles part of her journey in “unlearning heteronormative, patriarchal norms.” In what is probably the most transparent lyrical moment of the song, she sings,
“I stay when I shouldn’t stick around ‘cause I’m a Taurus sun, / checkered in badges of tiresome. / We broke bread and hoped it was enough / because you’re worth it and I’m a Taurus sun.”
When all’s said and done, whether you’re a Taurus sun or not, Lenny’s advice is to “walk away from something if staying means compromising your sense of self” and to “trust your intuition — in the end, you know yourself more than anyone else.” In fact, that’s essentially what her debut EP is all about, with “Taurus Sun” serving as a great single to kick it off.
To get to know the singer, songwriter, clarinetist and guitarist even better ahead of Personal Celebrity’s release, we asked Lenny questions inspired by the twelve signs of the zodiac. Stream the EP and read our interview below.
♉️ Taurus: Let’s start with something simple: What’s your favorite tour/roadtrip snack?
Tim Hortons coffee and then, like, M&Ms.
AP: Taureans love excess, so I have a couple extra Taurus-inspired questions: What’s one thing people can always depend on you for?
The thing is, I’m a Taurus sun, but I have a lot of Cancer in my chart. So I’m actually totally, very emotional, kind of baby/mom-vibes. I do the emotional, caring thing. So I’d say that I’m very dependable in terms of emotional support and advice.
AP: What’s one thing you’re too stubborn to give up?
Probably so many things. The thing about being stubborn is, you never think you’re being stubborn. You always think there’s a reason why. But I have all of my journals from growing up, like allllll of them—from age six to now. And most of them are at my mom’s house. And I just went back to BC a few weeks ago to visit my parents and my mom was like, “Okay, time to minimize the stuff,” and I picked up what I thought were all my journals. As I grabbed the pile, I looked down and there’s like this huge collection of all my journals. What am I going to do with it? I feel like every time I open a journal, from when I was 13, it’s like… Oh, yeah, sounds like me, but more stupid. Basically.
♊️ Gemini: If you couldn’t pursue music, what’s an equally fulfilling interest/passion you have?
I also have a side business, as well. It’s called Positive Space, and we make merch on vintage clothing for artists. I really love that and that’s been kind of my other passion for the last couple years since 2019. So that’s been something that’s been really cool. It’s cool to offer artists a sustainable alternative for merch. And I know artists sometimes make it themselves, but with us we work with professional printer. It’s really great because I’m obsessed with vintage shopping—not just vintage, though—just thrifting. That’s a passion. So maybe that, or, just being outside. I love being outside. I’m from a small town in BC, where I just grew up in nature all the time. So, I guess one of those two things.
♋️ Cancer: When you write music, do you hide away, or is it a more open process?
I definitely hide away, 100%. I have to be sure. I’m almost always by myself, for sure. I haven’t written music with other people. I would love to; I think that’s the next thing I want to do after this EP is to start doing some songwriting collaborations with other people. Most of my songwriting has just been either in bed about to fall asleep, and then I think of all these lyrics, or sitting with my guitar in my room. It’s definitely not something that I love to share with people until it’s far enough along or it sounds like an actual song.
♌️ Leo: If you could look out into an audience (virtually or IRL) and see one other artist, who would you be most excited to see?
These days? Well, the last two years, I’m really, really, really into Adrienne Lenker. She’s just… Her songwriting… I can’t. I listen to it over and over and over all the time. I love her lyrics. And just the way she chooses her guitar pieces. She’s sort of my idol right now… Not sort of. Majorly.
♍️ Virgo: What are you reading right now?
I actually just finished Miranda July’s book. It’s called No One Belongs Here More Than You. It’s a short story collection. It’s such a wild, kooky book like Miranda July. She’s just such a genius and she’s out of this world in terms of her comedy and her writing. It was so fun to read. I tore through that book.
♎️ Libra: How are you balancing your time as a musician and living through a pandemic?
For most of the pandemic up until a few months ago, really, it’s been like everything just came to a halt. I wrote a lot of half songs. So I was writing half songs and playing the odd virtual show, but it’s just not the same. There’s something about a global pandemic that really kills my creative vibes. It’s interesting because it seems like some people are taking all this extra time at home to work on their creative side. And I’m just like, yeah, okay. I’m at home, but it all just dried up. Like it just disappeared.
“Being able to release this EP is giving me life. I’m finally getting back into the world. That feels so good.”
Some people get their inspiration from within, and some people get their inspiration from the outside world, and I was told recently that I’m the latter. That made so much sense to me. My lyric ideas always come after an experience. It’s never from my own little fishbowl. It’s always from my interaction with the outside world.
But lately, being able to release this EP is giving me life. I’m finally getting back into the world. That feels so good. Now I’m just trying to be patient with myself because it’s hard. You can’t just go from zero to 100—because I really was at zero for a little while. So it’s strange doing this EP release having not performed any live shows in a year and a half. Because I’m just like, yeah… I’m a musician. For sure. Right? Yeah. Like I made this EP and I used to play all the time. That’s still me. Right? Half trying to convince myself. But, this EP, it’s been a nice re-entry. That’s for sure.
♏️ Scorpio: What do you find yourself writing music about the most?
I think it’s almost always about relationships; myself and relationships; analyzing a current relationship or a past relationship; trying to understand myself and the other person in it. And I try writing songs from different perspectives. I try writing songs from other person’s [perspective]. I often end up writing songs about people in my family. I end up writing a lot of songs—I haven’t actually finished anything yet—but like, a lot of songs about my grandmother and people that I’ve never met in my family. I guess just trying to maybe understand my lineage a little bit. But it’s always relationships in some form or another, whether it’s to myself or someone else.
♐️ Sagittarius: Where were each of your music videos filmed?
“Birthday” was filmed… Where was that? It was this beautiful property. A friend of a friend, one of the people that was working on the video, knew someone who had this property on a lake outside of Montreal, an hour outside of the city. It’s this gorgeous place. Oh my gosh, it was so nice.
“Taurus Sun” was filmed in and around my house, you know, like a classic COVID music video. All the indoor shots are just in this apartment, then on the street outside my apartment, and then like, a couple neighborhoods over in a parking lot. It was a different experience, but it was so much fun, though. Oh my gosh, what a blast. My friend, Nicky Fournier, did a great job in it, too.
♑️ Capricorn: What’s one area of life/one skill that you’re absolutely confident in?
I guess it’s a skill… I’m really good at dramatic charades. It’s so much fun, I have the best time doing it. I grew up playing it with my family because my parents lived in Australia for like 20 years, and I was actually born there. But anyway, we have this old dramatic charades board game that’s Australian and from the 80s. So all of the things are like 80s Australian pop culture references that you would never know. So I grew up having to act out these things having no idea what they were. So my acting and guessing skills, in that sense, developed at a young age. I love that game now.
♒️ Aquarius: Tell us about something you’ve come to care more about in the last year in quarantine?
It’s not that exciting, but stability at home is something that has become really important to me. I mean, obviously, because I was at home. But I think just having the outside world be so much more unstable and scary made me feel like my home is so important to me. It’s changed a lot of my priorities in terms of what I’m wanting now, because I’ve been thinking more about what kind of home I want to live in. And I got a cat! I always thought I was too unstable to have a cat. I’m never at home. I would always be bouncing from one thing to another. And so now I have a cat. And I’m a person that has to be at home. I mean, my roommate takes care of my cat a lot when I’m away, which is nice. But yeah, probably my relationship to being at home. That’s like literally the most boring answer.
But I do feel like my practical side has really come out a lot. When I talk to people about my five year goals now, compared to five years ago or three years ago, I feel like they’re very different now. I’m just so much more practical, which makes me feel a little boring. But, to be fair, I did spend my 20s rather unstable, just moving around and traveling and doing random shit all the time. So I think because I just turned 30, that’s probably also a big part of it, too. I’m like, okay, I’m kind of tired now.
♓️ Pisces: In the tour of your dreams, what cities/venues do you play?
I feel like that’s hard to answer because I’ve never been on tour, and all I want to do is just go on tour. I don’t even care where I play. I’m just so excited to travel with a band and play. I don’t even care. Just another place in another city, basically. Preferably a place with a stage and decent sound people. But I don’t have any big venue dreams, other than wanting to play somewhere right now. I’ll take literally anywhere.
♈️ Aries is the first sign in the Zodiac, so tell us what you’re excited about with the release of your first EP?
Oh, boy, so many things. We recorded a lot of it a little while ago because of the pandemic and stuff. But I’m just excited for my musical identity, so far, to change from being a very solo artist to having more of a full band vibe. I mean, “Birthday” was a track that I made with my producer, Gino Visconti. So it was just the two of us. But this EP was with a band. So it has that indie rock band style. There’s a song where it’s just me and there’s a song that’s really stripped down. But I feel like it’s my entry into being more collaborative with my music, and working with different people.
I still love doing the solo acoustic thing, but I think it’s me branching out and exploring more sides to my music. So I’m really excited to have that out in the world, especially because we’ve been holding on to it for a long time. We had a few tiny, tiny things to finish up to be able to get it ready for release. And we were sitting on it for a while. So I’m excited to finally actually have it out there and add to my ~repertoire~. And also so I can record more.
I think it feels a lot bigger to me than it would have without the pandemic. I was expecting to release music, I was just out in the world all the time, and I was always performing. But now it’s from nothing to this five song EP that I worked really hard on. It’s a wild contrast.
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You can stream and buy Lenny’s debut EP, Personal Celebrity, including single “Taurus Sun” now via Bandcamp—or better yet, buy it on the next Bandcamp Friday, August 6th.
And what next of the doctor? Well, she’s wearing her grandma’s sexy leopard tank top channeling Adriana La Cerva (this was fulfilled in buddy 
Photo by Tatiana Ariola
Photos by Tatiana Ariola
Photo by Jordan Kraft
