PLAYGROUND BOSTON

Check out the brand new official video for “Used to Be” by PGB Favorites Have Nots, filmed by master videographer Mike Gill of Circumvision! The Boston-based ska-punk band has released another excellent video featuring poignant and thought-provoking themes set to a fast-paced, fast-sung aggressive anthem. “Used to Be” is about growing up, getting old, and making changes over the course of your life – I’m sure there’s plenty of people reading this right now at their office job who can relate to things not quite turning out the way they envisioned! The video was shot by Mike Gill, who is responsible for some amazing videos from bands like Televandals, Confront, State Radio, Damone, and Wheat among others. This is the second video shot by Gill off of Have Nots’ debut album Serf City USA, PGB has featured the video for “One In Four” in the past. Watch this video here, and check out the full library over at the Circumvision website.

OH YEAH! You can also download the entire debut album from Have Nots, Serf City USA, for FREE! This is easily one of the best local releases of 2009 of ANY genre, let alone just punk rock – a PGB favorite all the way!

Have Nots will be playing this Saturday, Sepetember 4th, at the Middle East Downstairs as part of the CD Release Party for veteran Boston punks Far From Finished. FFF and Have Nots will be joined by PGB Track of The Week honorees Burning Streets and Lenny Lashley of Darkbuster (2000 WBCN Rumble winners). This is a jam-packed lineup of some of Boston punk rock’s best helping to kick off an unbelievable MONTH of music in the city – get your weekends clear now, because you won’t want to miss this or any of the shows we have coming up in town!

Saturday, September 24th – Middle East Downstairs
18+ / Doors at 8
$10 advance / $12 door

Far From Finished (CD Release)

Have Nots

Burning Streets

Lenny Lashley (Darkbuster)

Circumvision

The leading ladies of Boston’s thriving indie rock scene have been assembled into an All-Star lineup to celebrate the release of This Blue Heaven’s latest EP, Spinning and Shining, and we’ve got a pair of tickets AND some CDs to give away! On an evening jam-packed with unbelievable shows, this might be the best front-to-back bill out there! We’re not talking 6 sugar-sweet pop acts trilling their hearts out about pretty things and happy thoughts. We’re talking a diverse application of the 20 metric tons of talent across the 6 bands on the bill. Each band has their own style, each band utilizes their frontwomen to the best of their ability, and each band is fully prepared to rock-the-fuck-out!

The Downbeat 5 - Photo by Pete Weiss

Jen D’Angora is taking some time off from Jenny Dee and the Delinquents to slap The Downbeat 5 back together and inject some trashy garage rock into the party… with maybe a little bit of smooth 50’s style to go along with it.

Jessica Sun Lee fronts The Sun Lee Sunbeam, who unfortunately are playing their second-to-last show before calling it quits as a band. They mix in power pop hooks with a hard dose of punk rock sensibility, and have a couple new songs to throw at you before they go their separate ways and pursue other musical ventures.

Sophia Cacciola of Do Not Forsake Me Oh My Darling has an abrasive vocal style that contrasts well with the sharp staccato of her drums and the fuzz of her cohort/bandmate/husband Mike Epstein’s uber-effects-laden bass rig. They’re fresh off an East Coast Tour, back in Boston and ready to rock!

The Sun Lee Sunbeam - Photo by Liz Linder

Magen Tracy, who co-fronts St. Helena along with Patrick Teahen, has the voice of a Siren to go along with the piano skills of… some… mythological being… that’s good at playing piano… uhh… analogy crumbling before me… shit. it’s gone. Anyway, she brings her immense talents to bear on the sweet pop sounds of her band, making for a beautiful combination that will leave you humming along to the harmonies long after you’ve left the show.

Leesa Coyne of Naked On Rollerskates writes hooks that are seriously, honestly, and ridiculously impossible to get out of your head. We’re talking days here, people. Her commanding presence on stage, not to mention the impressive chops of the rest of the band, make NORS a can’t-miss live act for sure!

MacKenzie Outlund of This Blue Heaven is the mastermind behind this diabolical scheme, the organizer of this mighty lineup that’s about to descend upon Cambridge this Saturday. Her voice soars over the catchy feel-good pop hooks of TBH’s new EP, which has a distinct summer feel to it. TBH will be giving out some Spinning, Shining toys to the crowd, each complete with a download code for the new EP – so the price of admission gets you a kickass show AND a free album… AND a cool toy? Not bad!

Check out MacKenzie’s blog, where she interviews each frontwoman prior to the show!

This Blue Heaven – “Slow Dance Slow” – Spinning And Shining

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So we’ve got a pair of tickets to give away to the show. For our esteemed winner, we’ll also throw in a hard copy of This Blue Heaven’s new EP Spinning and Shining, AND a copy of their previous record Quicksandglass. To enter, just send an e-mail over to bryan@playgroundboston.com with the subject “SHINY” and you’ll automatically be entered to win! (No spam, we promise.) We’ll select our winner on Friday afternoon – enter now and prepare to be amazed by the talent, beauty, and all-around-awesomeness of some of Boston’s rockin-est women!

This Blue Heaven - Photo by Kelly Davidson

WAIT!

Want another chance to win? Our lovely friends over at Boston Band Crush are also doing a ticket giveaway! Head on over and enter their contest to double your odds of getting into this show for free!

Saturday, August 7th
Middle East Upstairs
18+ / Doors at 7pm
$10 advance / $12 doors

8pm – Naked On Rollerskates

8:45pm – St. Helena

9:30pm – Do Not Forsake Me Oh My Darling

10:15pm – The Sun Lee Sunbeam

11pm – This Blue Heaven

12am – The Downbeat 5

12:45am – SURPRISE! (you’ll just have to show up to find out)

Gozu

“Jamaican Luau”

Locust Season

© 2010 Small Stone Records

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Gozu

Mark your calendars! Gozu has a MONSTER show coming up this fall for their official CD Release! Don’t even think of going anywhere but the Middle East Downstairs on Friday, September 10th, for Gozu (CD Release), Mellow Bravo (CD Release), Township, and Zip Tie Handcuffs! PGB Favorites and Track of The Week honorees everywhere! Seriously, this lineup is like a Boston rocker’s wet dream. They’ll also have DJ Nook spinning in between sets! This one’s gonna be packed, make sure to get your tickets early! We’ll have more info on this as we get closer to the date, but make sure you’re around for this one, you will NOT want to miss it! Tickets can be purchased online HERE, or just get in touch with any of the bands!

The Ten Foot Polecats - Photo by Tim Bugbee

Boston’s homegrown blues boys are blowing up across the country! PGB has been behind the Ten Foot Polecats every step of the way, ever since the first time we caught them last June at Harper’s Ferry, opening up for Sasquatch & The Sickabillys. Deep raw blues with a seriously grimy punk rock edge, their music is absolutely irresistible and will have you hooked within minutes. Between the fastest guitar in town (no contest) and some seriously gut-wrenching vox, these guys will capture your undivided attention in their first song and won’t let you go until they’re good and ready to!

The ‘Polecats actually released I Get Blamed For Everything I Do back in March, but upon the release and their subsequent signing to Texas’ Hillgrass Bluebilly Records, they’ve been tirelessly touring all over the country, playing club gigs, festivals, hot rod rallies – you name it! The versatility of their sound has allowed them to share bills with all sorts of musicians – blues bands, rock bands, rockabilly bands, country bands, and more! This is their first time back in the city since the record came out, so seems like a perfect time to celebrate the album that’s launched them into national notoriety with their hometown fans!

With the Ten Foot Polecats exploding all over the national scene (and internationally too!), this is sure to be the last time you’ll have an opportunity to catch them in such a small and intimate setting as Club Bohemia, Mickey Bliss’ rock utopia downstairs at The Cantab in Central Square. To help celebrate their smashingly successful new album, the band has put together an absolutely soul-scorching lineup that will bring all in attendance to their knees. King Sickabilly, longtime frontman for PGB Favorites Sasquatch & The Sickabillys, is bringing his one-man-band act to town, the first time he’s played Boston since the release of his debut album as a solo artist. Boston’s own Tin Thistles have somehow found a way to combine elements of Oi! and folk music into a rambunctious-yet-rootsy blend that’ll get your boot stomping and your beer spilling all over the place as you can’t help but throw a fist into the air. Rounding out the bill, one man wrecking ball Smokestack & The Foothill Fury is coming all the way up from Georgia by way of every other damn town in the USA (yeah, he tours a lot) to lend a little southern twang to the evening.

Ten Foot Polecats – “Dryspell” – I Get Blamed For Everything I Do (PGB TOTW #37)

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We don’t say this very often, but it is absolutely inexcusable to miss this show. OK fine, we’ve never said that before. But it’s true. If you haven’t caught these guys yet you really need to get out to Central Square on Saturday. We promise you won’t regret it. You owe it to yourself, to your ears, and to the blues fans of the world who think you’ve gotta be from the South or the Midwest to play this type of stuff! Get down to the Cantab Saturday night and see for yourself how Boston does the blues!

9pm: The Tin Thistles

10pm: Smokestack & The Foothill Fury

11pm: Ten Foot Polecats

12am: King Sickabilly

Club Bohemia @ The Cantab Lounge

Thursday, July 1st – Church

Agent Bishop has put together one hell of a lineup, especially for a Thursday Night! He’s assembled some of the most talented female musicians in Boston to rock the hell out of Church, and its all happening tonight! We’ve got PGB Favorites all around – ALWAYS a sign of an excellent show! Aloud’s dual vocal attack will blow your eardrums out and leave you screaming for more. Lady Lamb the Beekeeper puts on a stunning solo performance with an angelic voice laid over soulful acoustic guitar. St. Helena are amazing songwriters and talented musicians all around, and Naked On Rollerskates‘ pop hooks is irresistible for dancing and singing along. All-star bill to ring in a new month, what more could you ask for? How about new songs by Aloud and St. Helena, as-yet unreleased tracks off their forthcoming albums, never before played out live!

Thursday, July 1st – Middle East Upstairs

Boston punk veterans The Acrobrats are releasing their latest 5 song 7″ Hair Trigger tonight at the Middle East Upstairs, and put together a solid punk rock lineup to help them celebrate! The new vinyl consists of 4 originals and a David Bowie cover – can’t wait to check that one out! PGB Favorites Burning Streets are right in the middle of a marathon tour, something like 50 shows over the course of 2 months, and are making a brief stop-off at home to rock the Middle East with the ‘Brats before heading out west for the second leg of the tour. Due to a name dispute, The Saints are now The Union Boys, good angry punk rock from up north. 007 Hundred Club rounds out the bill – fast, hard, and really, really pissed off. The whole summer so far has had some unbelievable punk rock bills all over town, and tonight is no exception. Head on down, pick up some vinyl, and rock the fuck out to some great local punk rock.

Drew and Paul of CTTG, shown here performing with The New Alibis - Photo by Johnny Arguedas

Cradle To The Grave

“Before The Dawn”

Cradle To The Grave

© 2010 Self-Released

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Download this song FREE

Cradle To The Grave is a brand new band consisting of four veterans of Boston music over the past decade or so. With a lineup this solid, big things are expected, and with this first single it’s looking like they’re going to live up to them! Check out this lineup:

Drew Suxx – guitar & vox (The New Alibis, Lost City Angels)

Paul Christian – lead guitar (The New Alibis, Far From Finished)

Vietnam Le – bass (The Appreciation Post)

Dave Norton – drums (The Men, Victory At Sea)

MARK YOUR CALENDARS – Saturday, July 31st @ Great Scott

Cradle To The Grave

The Morgan Knockers

Dead Ellington

Marc Cannata (Far From Finished)

DJ sets by Andrew “Panda” Galante (The Alrighters)

Cradle To The Grave has already recorded a 6-song EP and will be releasing it at their debut show! Pick up a free download of “Before The Dawn” today, and be on the lookout for more songs from these guys becoming available in the weeks leading up to their show!

28 Degrees Taurus celebrated the release of their third studio album, "All The Stars In Your Eyes," this past weekend at the Middle East

Static of The Gods – “Talk You Down” & “Mean Streak”

28 Degrees Taurus –

“All The Stars In Your Eyes & Turn Me On” - All The Stars In Your Eyes (CD Release)

“Pinnacles & Peaks” & “Single Suicide Mode”

Do Not Forsake Me Oh My Darling – “Episode 4 – The Chimes of Big Ben”

Banditas – “Virginia”

Static Of The Gods - Photo by Mat Tucciarone

Hats off to Mick Murray of In Your Face Photo for the great videos! See more of his local music footage at his Youtube channel! Thanks to Melodymatters as well for contributing the video for the new 28DT songs, his Youtube channel is can’t-miss viewing for Boston music fans as well!

Static Of The Gods

28 Degrees Taurus

Do Not Forsake Me Oh My Darling

Banditas

Blackbutton

“Stare Me Down”

Gun Shot Lover

© 2010 Self-Released

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Blackbutton

Catch Blackbutton’s CD Release Party at the Middle East Upstairs this Saturday, May 15th, with a great lineup consisting of The Shills, Shoney Lamar & The Equal Rights, and Electric Laser People! (Free album download available at ELP’s website!)

Upon seeing their live performance, Kingsley Flood immediately impressed me with their self-dubbed “Post-Americana” homage to acoustic blues, bluegrass, and Dixieland jazz, all the while filling their tasteful arrangements with strong lyrical imagery, and Dust Windows, the recorded version of this band’s musical arsenal, did not disappoint.

“Cathedral Walls,” starting in at track three, heralds in the next seven tracks that, during every playback, actually made me stop whatever I was doing and just listen.  “Cathedral Walls” opens with a great mellotron-sounding pad that gives way to vocalist Naseem Khuri’s signature acoustic guitar.  Khuri’s scratchy, Dylan-esque (but in pitch!) voice settles in to set the pace on verse one, and the song just builds from there. Drummer Will Davies enters the first chorus and leaves out a much anticipated second stroke, which, accident or not, gives me goose bumps every time it happens.  What follows is a very satisfying, four-minute, musical payoff. Nick Balkin’s bass part is very mid-rangy, but serves the song in a deliciously utilitarian & reliable way. The mandolin & guitar melodies are very sweet and catchy, and the background vocals are excellently written. Khuri’s final benediction before the chorus is his shortest but most rewarding lyric in the song:  “…. so call it a prayer / call it a lie / but nobody gets out of life alive.”

Kingsley Flood – “Cathedral Walls”

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