THE JAMES MONTGOMERY BAND with BARRY GOUDREAU/ GARY HOEY Rock-N-Blues Guitar Summit The Larcom Theatre, Beverly MA 3/15/14 This North Shore venue is an old movie theater and has a great sound system; I always enjoy seeing a show at the cool club and tonight is no exception. A good description of Gary Hoey, solo for tonight only, is “one man, one acoustic guitar, and 20 guitar pedals.” This Lowell legend CAN PLAY. His set contains a nice mix of covers from his new CD Deja … Read More >>
Category Archives: Live Reviews
CHRIS SMITHER/ JONAH TOLCHIN me&thee coffeehouse, Marblehead, MA 1/24/14 The coffeehouse that once seemed so hard to find is as easy as a straight line. It’s cold as the dickens outside and inside is nice and toasty. Host Phillip Murphy reminds us that February 20 marks the 44th birthday of this coffeehouse and then his evil twin brother barges in to drops some rhymes about the fire exits. This is not the place you expect to hear NYC rap but … Read More >>
RANDY BLACK & THE HEATHCROPPERS/ WILLIE ALEXANDER/ KINGDOM OF LOVE T.T. the Bear’s, Cambridge MA 12/7/13 I get to T.T.’s nice and early for what is billed as a 6:00 show, and as I enter Kingdom of Love is playing to an empty room. Turns out it’s just their soundcheck—the show doesn’t start ’til 7:00. Being that it’s a record release party for Randy Black & the Heathcroppers, T.T.’s owner Bonney Bouley lays out a spread … Read More >>
HEATHER MALONEY/ DARLINGSIDE Me & Thee Coffeehouse, Marblehead MA 11/1/13 Back at the 43-year-old coffeehouse (which they tell you is the oldest active coffeehouse in Marblehead on Mugford Street) that never ceases to wow me with the acts that they book… thank you Kathy Sands-Boehmer. And tonight I already know the headliner, Heather Maloney, has some charming skills to share. After Phillip Murphy’s haiku (with audience participation) concerning … Read More >>
TIM GEARAN &THE TUESDAY LOOP Atwood’s Tavern, Cambridge MA 9/24/13 Having just finished our regular Tuesday night running club at Courtside Tavern down the street, we head over to Atwood’s to catch some great tunes as well as devour some tasty craft beers, steamed mussels, loaded fries and a Charcuterie plate. I guess so much for burning calories, right? The staff at Atwood’s warns me not to be too loud, as the legendary Tim Gearan … Read More >>
ALLEN ESTES Harbor Loop (outdoors), Gloucester MA 8/22/13 Gloucester’s Harbor Loop may fall in line behind Marblehead’s Crocker Park and the Salem Willows for pure asthetic outdoor concert-going, but tonight’s performance surpasses anything I’ve seen on those other stages. Running late, I arrive jumping off my bicycle the way Roy Roger’s would dismount Trigger, just as Allen Estes is plugging his big upcoming concert at the Larcom Theatre in Beverly, MA, on October 5. He launches into a serious folk song … Read More >>
CASPIAN The Block (outdoor block party), Beverly, MA 7/13/13 It’s pretty cool when you can just happen to walk by an amazing free outdoor show. Such is the case when I decide to check out the Beverly street fair, The Block, and find myself in a sea of well over one thousand attentive fans cheering on Caspian, who is more than half way through their set. The street is minimally lit so the figures on the stage appear like animals spotted in … Read More >>
DOOM LOVER DEATH WALTZ ’76 VARY LUMAR SECRET LOVER Radio, Somerville MA 6/13/13 With so many music venues in one place, Union Square is one of the cities hot spots to see local music. Tonight there is a big show at Radio, an eclectic bar with two floors of music. I walk in and am immediately impressed by the band on stage. Their singer is small and spritely, yet she makes up for her size with an enormous amount of … Read More >>