Welcome to the latest 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 4
Thursday, April 7 at ONCE Ballroom, 156 Highland Ave. in Somerville MA
With 21st Century Fugitives, Abbie Barrett, I Was Awake, Johnny Blazes and the Pretty Boys.
Doors at 8:30 p.m., 21 to drink, $10 in advance and $15 at the door
Advance tickets, Facebook event page
How The Night Stacks Up:
After a much-needed day of rest, we'll all be recharged and roaring to Rumble come Thursday's Night 4. And it's a good thing we'll have slept early the night before, as this night's slate is perhaps the most movin' and shakin' of the entire prelim week. There's reckless youth (21st Century Fugitives) and seasoned vets (Abbie Barrett and her band), heavy guitars (I Was Awake) and heavy glitter (Johnny Blazes and the Pretty Boys). It all adds up to a night that's impossible to predict, though we have to admit we could see Barrett winning the whole thing.
Get To Know The Bands:
11:45 p.m.: Johnny Blazes and the Pretty Boys
HOMETOWN: Boston, Massachusetts
SONG YOU NEED TO HEAR: “Cold Clear Light”, off September 2015’s Soul Vernacular LP
BIO: Formed in 2011 by vaudevillian performer Johnny Blazes as a way of bringing the traditionally karaoke or lip-synching art of drag into the realm of live music, Johnny Blazes and The Pretty Boys have been bombing East Coast audiences with their glitter-filled, horn-heavy sound through sassy originals and clever covers. Along with traditional rock club shows, they love to get involved with projects that connect them with their cabaret roots, including being the dance band for the inaugural AlternaTease conference, Sparkletown Productions’ Pretty Little Things, and The Boston Circus Guild’s Cirque of the Dead. Johnny Blazes and The Pretty Boys’ debut album, Soul Vernacular, was released in September 2015 and its track “Cold Clear Light”, was included in the video game Rock Band 4.
VIDEO YOU NEED TO WATCH: “It’s A Man’s World” live at First Night 2011
WHY THEY CAN WIN: Because let’s face it, sometimes all those rock and roll bands beat each other up so much, a “glitter-filled, horn-heavy” dance machine waltzes in and steals the crown like a jilted lover. And if the band’s don’t watch their backs, Blazes will steal the glory right out from under them.
TWITTER: Follow Johnny Blazes and the Pretty Boys on Twitter @johnnyblazes.
