Welcome to the last 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 6
Saturday, April 9 at ONCE Ballroom, 156 Highland Ave. in Somerville MA
With Courage Cloak, the Knock Ups, The Devil’s Twins, usLights
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:
It’s the last night of the week-long preliminary round, and any bit of Rumble fatigue should be cast away right as the first band takes the stage. It’s no secret that we love the “randomness” of the Rumble lineups, and the Saturday night party delivers a bill that’s oddly cohesive and batshit bonkers at the same time. This is the lineup of some hotshot’s birthday party, the type of guy or gal who loves everyone and thinks they all love him or her back, and shows off some gall by booking disparate styles all together under one show: the intelligent rock band (Courage Cloak), the balls-out guitar punks (The Knock Ups), the throwback noir-punk trio (The Devil’s Twins) and the electronic project (usLights). Things will probably get silly. Things probably already are.
Get To Know The Bands:
9:30 p.m.: Courage Cloak
HOMETOWN: Boston, Massachusetts
SONG YOU NEED TO HEAR: VanyaRadio fave “A .’. A .’.”, off their self-titled 2014 EP
BIO: Courage Cloak began rehearsing, in Boston, in January of 2014, after Sean, Erik, and William, all previously of Life & Limb, teamed up with Cody, formerly of Matahari. That same year they recorded their debut EP at New Alliance in Cambridge. Their sound has been described as a combination of post-metal, shoegaze, and post-rock. The band continues to create their unique sound, constantly evolving, adding new textures from a vast array of influences, and seamlessly bringing together the influences of groups as diverse as New Order, Deftones, and Russian Circles.
VIDEO YOU NEED TO WATCH: Their whole damn set from O’Brien’s Pub a few months ago
WHY THEY CAN WIN: The bio up top steals out thunder a bit, but Courage Cloak exist somewhere between the worlds of shoegaze, post-rock and metal, and give enough distinct looks that should serve them well over the course of not only three potential shows, but their initial 30-minute set in the prelims. They’re the kind of band you watch with you eyes closed while allowing the songs to bleed into each other, swaying back and forth until you’re convinced your feet have left the ground. Regardless of the judges’ interpretation, they should be the band that walks away from the Rumble with the highest number of new fans.
TWITTER: Follow Courage Cloak on Twitter @CourageCloak
