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 5
Friday, April 8 at ONCE Ballroom, 156 Highland Ave. in Somerville MA
With Junior Classics, Choke Up, Worshipper, The Longwalls
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:
Friday night’s alright for fighting, and it’s perfect for Rumbling, too. After four nights of work-in-the-morning reluctance hanging over our collective heads at ONCE, Night 5 provides an opportunity to rock the fuck out. And it delivers one of the best aspects of the Rumble, pairing four bands with four distinct sounds in a mad night-long jump across genres lines. It’s truly a hodgepodge: From Junior Classics’ sometimes atmospheric, sometimes anthemic indie rock to Choke Up’s not-crust punk (see below) to Worshipper’s lightning-colored rock to the Longwalls Americana-pop. Buy hey, screw these half-assed descriptions, listen to the bands below and start playing favorites.
Get To Know The Bands:
9:30 p.m.: Junior Classics
HOMETOWN: Somerville, Massachusetts
SONG YOU NEED TO HEAR: “Tired Bones”, from last year’s EP The Hancock
BIO: Borne of whiskey and bad ideas, Junior Classics began as a creative outlet for multi-instrumentalists Dave Cocozziello and Lindsey Powers. Sick of only playing to a drum track in their cramped, Somerville apartment, the pair recruited bassist Corey Fyfe and drummer Nate Powers to round out their lineup and to fill out the sound. Playing to audiences large and small, all over New England, Junior Classics has received warm reviews for their intricate and moving music. Due to release their first EP any minute now, their debut single “Tired Bones” was in heavy rotation on Boston Emissions throughout 2015. Junior Classics is a band on the grow like a pretty flower that you want to pluck and give to someone special. But don’t do that, because you’ll kill it.
VIDEO YOU NEED TO WATCH: We couldn’t find any live clips or music videos, so watch a promo for their EP.
WHY THEY CAN WIN: Because we’re forever fans of anthemic indie rock with a smart and sweet indie-pop core. And there’s a part of us that still feels like the Color And Sound were robbed in 2014 and Junior Classics remind us a bit of them. So hopefully there are no robberies this year.
TWITTER: Follow Junior Classics on Twitter @JuniorClassics
