Welcome to the first in a series of posts previewing the 2016 Rock And Roll Rumble, our city's annual throw down that doubles as a monthlong local music festival unlike any other. This year's Rumble goes down April 3 to April 22 at ONCE Ballroom and Lounge in Somerville, is organized and presented by Boston Emissions with Anngelle Wood, with the Verb Hotel and Vanyaland on board as official sponsors. For our full Rumble coverage, click here; for tickets and venue information, click here.
What You Need To Know:
Rock And Roll Rumble Preliminary Night 1
Sunday, April 3 at ONCE Ballroom, 156 Highland Ave. in Somerville MA
With The Digs, Gold Blood & the Associates, Weakened Friends, Big Time Kill
Doors at 8 p.m., 21 to drink, $10 in advance and $15 at the door
Advance tickets, Facebook event page
How The Night Stacks Up:
If this year's Rock And Roll Rumble has a so-called Group of Death (a term borrowed from soccer's World Cup, where four strong countries are assigned together with only two able to advance), it's likely Night 1. We're not in the business of predictions (at least not this year), but we will say that any of the four bands on this night can easily advance -- The Digs could set a tone and breakneck pace early with their sweaty, punk-fueled garage rock; the rock and soul dynamo known as Gold Blood And The Associates could be a dark horse to win the entire thing, following a recent Rumble tradition of older, more seasoned bands showing the new-jacks how it's done; Weakened Friends come armed with some of the catchiest and punchiest guitar-rock songs in New England; and the glitchy, industrial-pop fury of Big Time Kill is designed to electrify and awe. All told, Night 1 is a varied evening of very distinct sounds. Get to know each of the four bands playing the Rumble's opening slate below; use the slider to scan back and forth through each participant.
Get To Know The Bands:
11:15 p.m.: Big Time Kill
HOMETOWN: Boston, Massachusetts
SONG YOU NEED TO HEAR: “Hold On”, off July’s self-titled EP
BIO: Combining punk rock energy with synth-driven beats and digitally mangled guitars, Big Time Kill is the product of Boston based multi-instrumentalists, audio engineers, and producers Adam Schneider and Ben Caccia. Big Time Kill are influenced by the sonic exploration found in genres like post-punk, industrial, and progressive rock. The band began in early 2014 as a series of recordings experimenting with computer-processed guitar techniques and drum machines. Deeply rooted in modern music technology and DIY ethics, the band performs live as an energetic guitar wielding duo using synchronized lights and triggered samples in place of a live drummer. After releasing a stream of singles and remixes in 2014 including a Run the Jewels remix and a Devo cover, the group released their first official EP in July 2015 followed by an additional single “Rumors” in November.
VIDEO YOU NEED TO WATCH: “Metal Melee”, live at the Hard Rock
WHY THEY CAN WIN: Because in the Rumble’s battle-tested world of old-school rock and roll, sometimes some industrial and electro vibes combined with full-on sensory overload experience is just what’s needed to shake up the system. Plus they covered Devo last year and no one got mad.
TWITTER: @BigTimeKill
