This is the latest in a series of spotlights on the bands and artists participating in the 2014 Boston & Beyond party at SXSW, a collaborative effort between Berklee College of Music and Vanyaland. The party is Thursday, March 13 at Brush Square Park (409 East 5th St.) in Austin, runs from noon to 6 p.m., and is free, all-ages, and open to the public. RSVP to sxswrsvp@berklee.edu for entry.
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The Rare Occasions, 5:00 p.m. set time
We probably shouldn’t admit this, but we knew the Rare Occasions were going to be selected to play this party after hearing about a minute of “Battin’ Lashes.” Waves of Arctic Monkeys washed over the room, and the guitar-rock quartet was quickly agreed upon.
With ties to both Berklee and Tufts University, the Rare Occasions craft catchy modern rock songs that gives nods to both sides of the pond. They’ve won a Tufts battle of the bands and opened for the odd pairing of Guster and Lupe Fiasco, but will soon be the headliner of gigs in Boston and beyond.
We’re pretty sweet on “Battin’ Lashes” — we play it frequently on Vanya Radio — but check out “Miss Mary Mack” via the Berklee Bandcamp sampler. Then join us Thursday at the Occasions help out Boston & Beyond with one noisy rock and roll racket.
Follow the Rare Occasions on Twitter…
Tweets by @rareoccasions
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Here’s the rest of the Boston & Beyond lineup…
Stream all the artists via the Berklee Bandcamp sampler…