PLAYGROUND BOSTON

Ashers (featuring members of The Unseen, Bad Ash, Crash & Burn, Deadly Sins)

“Destitution”

Cold Dark Place

© 2008 Welfare Records

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Ashers

We’ve got an incredible weekend of some of the most aggressive music Boston has to offer coming up on Saturday and Sunday at Great Scott. Some of the biggest names in the local punk rock scene are coming together to benefit the family of Ron Holbrook, ex-drummer for the Welch Boys who passed away in August of 2007.  This has been an annual event of solidarity and compassion in local rock, with bands coming together to donate the entirety of their proceeds to Holbrook’s wife and two daughters for 3 years now.

This year’s lineup is flat-out incomparable. The Welch Boys are a rare treat in Boston – they don’t play very often but when they do you can expect a packed house full of drunken revelry, singalong choruses, and general madness. They’ll be headlining BOTH nights of this event. PGB Favorites Burning Streets, Beantown Boozehounds, and Dead Friends (all past PGB TOTW honorees) are also on Saturday’s bill, and The Snipes and Drago, two nasty bands in their own right, round out the lineup.

Sunday features local legends The Blue Bloods taking the stage for the first time in 2 years, gearing up to rock the faces off all those kids who forgot what Boston punk rock is all about. Sunday’s show will also be the record release for Refuse Resist’s latest effort “Socialized” – they’ll be donating 50% of the proceeds from album sales to Holbrook’s family in addition to their door money. Ashers will also be on this bill – a high-energy outfit featuring members of The Unseen and Bad Ash. The Murder and Full Powered Halo will also be rocking for the cause on Sunday night. These will be two great shows for a great cause – trying to make the best of a tragic situation however we can. Nothing says “Happy Valentine’s Day” like in-your-face punk rock and down-your-throat cheap beer, see you down there!

This Saturday, October 3rd we’re looking at a hell of a show down at Church in the Fenway! Since the breakup of Boston hardcore legends Tree, lead singer Dave Tree has been fronting a new band, Superpower, who since forming has played hundreds of shows with a laundry list of some of the best bands the punk rock and harcore scenes have to offer. After putting out a few EPs over the years, Superpower is now set to release a full-length, “Phantom of the Alliance,” this Saturday at Church. They’ll be joined onstage by a can’t-miss lineup of some of the angriest (and in the Growlers’ case drunkest) bands the Boston scene has to offer. Ashers features Mark from The Unseen on vocals – The Unseen tore the roof off of the Middle East a few weeks back, now Mark’s getting ready to do the same to Church with his new band. Dead Friends is Mark Doherty’s new band (Nowhere USA), featuring members of Straw Horse and Splint as well. Click here for a PGB review of a Dead Friends show back in May – I’m looking forward to seeing what they’ve been doing since then. And the Swaggerin’ Growlers, well, they’re just incredible – beers everywhere, whiskey-soaked lyrics, and fiddles and flutes galore. You’ll just have to see it for yourself.

Oh yeah, one more thing – this show’s being sponsored by Pabst Blue Ribbon, meaning free shirts and other swag will be given away throughout the entire night. Punk rock and PBR? I’ll take that mix any day of the week! See you there!

Sponsored by The Weekly Dig, PBR, and Bekah the Wrekah!

Superpower

Ashers

Dead Friends

Swaggerin’ Growlers

Church

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The ProblemAddicts - Photo by Katherine Taylor

So many shows, so little time. This weekend is absolutely chock-full of great local music. We’ve already featured a few in separate posts – BBC’s “What’s your Major” Series, Hempfest, etc. – but there are so many more we think you should know about! Here’s a little rundown of what’s going on this weekend in Boston Rock.

Friday, September 18th

Boston Band Crush “What’s your Major” Day 1 – Church –  check out the preview here

MassCann Boston Freedom Rally Preparty & Awards Show – Middle East Upstairs – featuring performances by Casey Desmond, Keep Me Conscious, Final Hour, and the ProblemAddicts. Band4MassCann will also be giving out awards for the best Boston music acts of the year.

Boston Music Spotlight Battle of the Bands – Oliver’s / Cask & Flagon – featuring PGB favorites Silent Century, as well as In Like Lions, Polyethylene, Shadwell, and Taste. Grand prize is worth over $5k, come out and support your favorite band!

Lauren Flaherty Acoustic set – Middle East Corner – Lauren will be performing two separate sets with her band at the Corner on Friday night. The first set will start at 10:30 and will feature a more traditional singer/songwriter style, while set #2 at 11:30 will get a little crazier and more upbeat. Lauren’s one of the nicest people I’ve come across in the entire local music scene, and a talented musician to boot!

The Wrecking Coast Debut show and EP Release – Copperfields – The Wrecking Coast will be joined by a great lineup featuring This Blue Heaven, Birds Make Birds, and Cola War Vets. They’ll be giving away free music all night too! Presented by Hear Now Live!

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All Photos by Jason Ginman

www.myspace.com/jasonginman

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