My Guest Blogging

My buddies over at Heave Media asked me to do a profile on some of my favorite Boston bands, below is that post, which can also be read here if you'd like.

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Oh Boston, I’ve called you home for more than three years now, and in that short amount of time you’ve welcomed me into your vibrant scene, and after living in Albany - Boston is a huge improvement. But rather than talk about the “big” Boston bands like The Dropkick Murphys and Aerosmith, or the bands that have recently entered the national arena, like Aberdeen City or Freezepop. No, instead I’m going to share with the world some of my favorite bands that are definitely underrated and surely under the radar.

Reports

The first Boston band that I discovered; I saw them open up a show at Great Scott in Allston, and honestly, I can’t remember who they played with - but since then I’ve been singing the gospel of Reports. Reports’ songs are extremely catchy, combining the jangly fuzz you’d expect from an Elephant Six band with frantic guitar work that had been missing from indie rock since the mid-90s.

The Dead Trees

They won me over at a show when they were playing under their old name (they’ve since changed it and I don’t think they want to advertise that too much) and they did a stellar cover of The Beatles “Don’t Let Me Down.” I’ll be the first to admit that this band wears their late era Beatles influence on their sleeve, but I’ll be damned if they don’t do it really really well. The other notable about this band is how young they are; they’re all in their very early twenties and already show a pop-song sensibility well beyond their years. I see big things ahead.

Christians and Lions

Boston’s answer to Iron and Wine and The Shins, Christians and Lions’ low-fi indie folk just screams of rainy days, but in a good way. Vocalist Ben Potrykus’ subdued and dreamlike vocals
give this band an almost other worldly quality. This band should blow up, immediately.

Taxpayer

Taxpayer is a rock band, plain and simple. They remind me a lot of bands like Sparta - anthemic alternative rock. They’ve got a bonafide hit on their hands with “When They Were Young.”