Over the past few years, Lysten Boston's Alyssa Spector has been one of the area's best and most trusted independent booking agents and promoters, delivering a tireless calendar of live shows to venues like the Middle East, O'Brien's Pub, the Cantab Lounge, and elsewhere. Now, she's got a regular gig in addition to the freelance work, as she'll begin booking Cambridge bar the Plough & Stars starting this October.
"The Plough is a great intimate venue, and has been around for years," Spector tells Vanyaland. "I just want to make it a cool room to play or see a show. By booking different genres, I hope to change the perception that it's just a small, quiet room. The owners and management seem super inviting and understand the importance of live music."
Spector, who also handles booking for New England bands like Radclyffe Hall, Let's Wait, and Le Roxy Pro, says she'll continue her practice of booking a wide range of styles and sounds, including "electronic, rock, folk, and just about everything in between." And with a capacity of around 70, the Plough & Stars, located at 912 Massachusetts Ave. between Harvard and Central Squares, can cater to local bands or touring acts that want to play a smaller space and develop a core following.
"I'll mainly focus on supporting the local scene, but I also work with many booking agents who represent touring bands, so I feel that it's important to maintain those connections," Spector adds. "When I give touring bands the opportunity to play on a small local bill, it helps foster relationships between the bands, which can lead to more opportunities for everyone. The Plough, like myself, is a big supporter of the local music community and is allowing me to book any genre and size of band that I find suitable. This will be a really great chance for musicians to explore a venue where they can feel safe and that their art is supported."
Check out a few of the upcoming Lysten Boston events below in flyer form, and click here for all of their upcoming shows.
