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Last week we met the bands. Now we meet the battles.
Yes, Boston, Rock And Roll Rumble season is in full swing.
Last night on 100.7 WZLX's Boston Emissions, host and Rumble curator Anngelle Wood selected the six preliminary week lineups for next month's "World Series of Boston Rock," which kicks off Sunday, April 2 at ONCE Ballroom in Somerville. Twenty-four bands will do battle over six preliminary nights, with a winner from each group moving on to one of two semi-finals. Two wild card bands -- one from Nights 1 to 3 and a second from Nights 4 to 6 -- will round out the prelim lineups. But that's getting ahead of ourselves.
We've long said the best part of the Rumble, a Boston institution since 1979, are these first preliminary nights, where four bands from across the music scene spectrum throw down in the name of friendly competition. It brings together bands that have likely never performed on the same bill as one another, and fans and friends who may never have partied in the same room. The lineups -- drawn at random by Wood live on Boston Emissions -- represent a cross-section of the music scene, and usually break down any sort of genre barrier.
It's a good time for all. So, how does the 2017 Rumble's preliminary week shake out? Scroll through the full list below, and get all ticket information, including Six Pack passes, through the official Rumble page at ONCE. [Note: All bios below pulled from the Rumble page at WZLX.com; featured photo of Tom Baker And The Snakes.
Monday, April 3: Doors at 8 p.m., music at 9 p.m. [event page]
9:00 p.m.: You People
Location: Boston, MA. Bio: Boston’s You People have been quietly amassing crudely-drawn noise/pop songs. Fuzzed out rhythms circle around slashing feedback-soaked guitars. Poignant half-confessional/half-accusatory confessionals are sung in 3 part harmonies that seem on the verge of collapse. You People have been compared to the tripped-out dark twang of The Birthday Party, the casual pop infectiousness of Elastica, and the manic boozy energy of early Mudhoney. Their name, a common phrase meant to marginalize, is repurposed as a badge of honor. Their songs are about broken relationships, political paranoia, and the inner workings of playing music.
9:45 p.m.: Pulitzer Prize Fighter
Location: Weymouth, MA. Bio: Armed with a sound that they consider to be the perfect blend of Emo and R&B, Pulitzer Prize Fighter are equal parts emotional, cathartic, soulful and smooth. Pulitzer pairs elements of anxiety and self-destruction with an underlying groove that pushes to find the greatest possible Saturday night amidst a sea of disappointing ones. Their latest release, ‘Everything That Makes You Feel Tired’ comes rumbling up the stairs from the basement at your favorite house party. Pulitzer’s goal has and always will be to bridge the boundaries of heavier half-time singalongs with soulful introspective melodies.
10:30 p.m.: Flight Of Fire
Location: Boston, MA. Bio: Flight of Fire are a dynamic and passionate band exploring the musical textures of energetic hard rock, progressive heavy metal, and emotional folk rock. With varied inspiration contributing to their sound, these four accomplished women create the unique, intense sound that is highly-influenced by both classic and modern artists the likes of Led Zeppelin, Journey, Rush, Heart, The Who, Halestorm, Paramore, and Foo Fighters. Flight of Fire are a force to be reckoned with. Their latest release, a concept album about fighting oppression called Path of the Phoenix, was released in October of 2016.
11:15 p.m.: Hey Zeus
Location: Boston, MA. Bio: Despite having spent years running a label and promoting bands with Wonderdrug Records, Hey Zeus was Ken Cmar’s first real foray as a band member so, in their quest to preserve the craft of Rock n’ Roll, he and fellow Boston rock veteran Pete Knipfing (Lamont, White Dynomite) brought in Todd Bowman from Lamont on drums, and Bice of Goddamn Draculas fame to front the band. The result is razing the stages with their blistering live show. Their sound lives somewhere between Deep Purple and The Bronx, while they’ve been called a lot things including “straightforward, heavy, dangerous and even…somehow fresh.” (The Obelisk)
