1 00:00:00,920 --> 00:00:02,960 Speaker 1: Going to Boston calling this year, I had a lot 2 00:00:03,040 --> 00:00:05,480 Speaker 1: of listening prep work to do. Thankfully, I could bring 3 00:00:05,480 --> 00:00:07,480 Speaker 1: my room everywhere with me on the road to return 4 00:00:07,520 --> 00:00:09,959 Speaker 1: home ready for the fest, whether in a hotel room 5 00:00:10,000 --> 00:00:12,600 Speaker 1: or green room, with the room size defying sound, I 6 00:00:12,600 --> 00:00:14,680 Speaker 1: could listen to the New Ripe or Van Buren and 7 00:00:14,760 --> 00:00:18,440 Speaker 1: feel like I was already there, experienced the best sound anywhere, 8 00:00:18,560 --> 00:00:22,200 Speaker 1: everywhere with Sonos Rome, the ultra portable smart speaker for 9 00:00:22,239 --> 00:00:25,400 Speaker 1: all your listening adventures. Visit Sonos dot com to learn 10 00:00:25,400 --> 00:00:35,479 Speaker 1: more in shop Rome in three new exclusive colors, Double Elvis. 11 00:00:41,120 --> 00:00:43,760 Speaker 1: When you find out that James Brown prevented this city 12 00:00:43,800 --> 00:00:47,360 Speaker 1: from burning down in but that Van Morrison fled to 13 00:00:47,400 --> 00:00:49,800 Speaker 1: this town so that he might escape the New York Mafia, 14 00:00:49,960 --> 00:00:54,520 Speaker 1: and while they're in exile likely crafted his masterpiece, or 15 00:00:54,560 --> 00:00:56,760 Speaker 1: that this is the town, or a fast rising punk 16 00:00:56,880 --> 00:00:59,000 Speaker 1: rock band long before they were rock and roll Hall 17 00:00:59,040 --> 00:01:02,240 Speaker 1: of Famers turned to September outdoor concert into a full 18 00:01:02,280 --> 00:01:07,560 Speaker 1: blown riot in Well. Then the nickname Hub of the 19 00:01:07,680 --> 00:01:11,440 Speaker 1: Universe starts to make some sense. She got a mind 20 00:01:11,480 --> 00:01:13,839 Speaker 1: of her own, Yeah, and she used it mighty fine. 21 00:01:14,440 --> 00:01:17,240 Speaker 1: She drove a pickup truck painted green and blue. The 22 00:01:17,319 --> 00:01:19,839 Speaker 1: tires were wearing thin, and she's done a mile or two. 23 00:01:20,280 --> 00:01:21,880 Speaker 1: And when I asked her where she was headed for 24 00:01:22,959 --> 00:01:26,880 Speaker 1: back up to Boston. I'm singing in a bar memory 25 00:01:26,920 --> 00:01:33,080 Speaker 1: one sell the rolling stones. We're visiting where America began. 26 00:01:33,319 --> 00:01:35,520 Speaker 1: A resilient city on a hill that can produce sounds 27 00:01:35,520 --> 00:01:38,600 Speaker 1: as raw and romantic as the drama of its four seasons. 28 00:01:38,880 --> 00:01:41,000 Speaker 1: A climate that can create euphoria as much as it 29 00:01:41,040 --> 00:01:44,080 Speaker 1: can incite rage. A town called stiff and uptight as 30 00:01:44,120 --> 00:01:47,080 Speaker 1: often as it is called rebellious and rowdy. A city 31 00:01:47,120 --> 00:01:50,320 Speaker 1: that is the very cornerstone of a nation's foundation. Composed 32 00:01:50,360 --> 00:01:53,320 Speaker 1: of insane one way potholed streets tied together each square 33 00:01:53,360 --> 00:01:56,720 Speaker 1: inch of this higher learning metropolis. It's a city students, 34 00:01:56,720 --> 00:01:59,120 Speaker 1: world class hospitals, bio and tech startups, in a city 35 00:01:59,160 --> 00:02:02,920 Speaker 1: that can get away with toward the future with pragmatic optimism. 36 00:02:02,960 --> 00:02:05,720 Speaker 1: I think, and what are the sounds that come from Boston, 37 00:02:05,760 --> 00:02:08,520 Speaker 1: once the epicenter of Puritanism, but forever the origin of 38 00:02:08,520 --> 00:02:11,480 Speaker 1: a sprawling country. What is the music of a city where, 39 00:02:11,520 --> 00:02:13,560 Speaker 1: more often than not, the artist is drowned out by 40 00:02:13,560 --> 00:02:17,080 Speaker 1: the pummeling deciples of sports championships, and who are the 41 00:02:17,160 --> 00:02:20,120 Speaker 1: musicians in a city that make it worth visiting? Is 42 00:02:20,160 --> 00:02:23,320 Speaker 1: it worth living here and being an artist? See, I'm 43 00:02:23,360 --> 00:02:27,160 Speaker 1: from here, and I wondered myself all the time. Within 44 00:02:27,200 --> 00:02:30,440 Speaker 1: this legacy of revolution, Boston has a tough personality that 45 00:02:30,520 --> 00:02:34,720 Speaker 1: protects it's deep seated inferiority complex. It's technically a small town, 46 00:02:34,919 --> 00:02:37,880 Speaker 1: but with a big personality. Nonetheless, it operates as if 47 00:02:37,880 --> 00:02:40,359 Speaker 1: it's on par with any metropolis in America, even those 48 00:02:40,400 --> 00:02:43,040 Speaker 1: that are ten times its size. Greater Boston is the 49 00:02:43,160 --> 00:02:46,640 Speaker 1: union of Cambridge and Boston, beating with one giant Megatron heart, 50 00:02:46,720 --> 00:02:50,040 Speaker 1: backed up by Somerville often supplying the blood in oxygen 51 00:02:50,200 --> 00:02:53,000 Speaker 1: and Sure it gave us a revolution may outline for 52 00:02:53,000 --> 00:02:56,520 Speaker 1: a constitution, Big deal that also gave us Julianna hat 53 00:02:56,720 --> 00:03:02,280 Speaker 1: Errol Smelling, Kot the Cars, Ship of the Dresden Dogs, 54 00:03:02,280 --> 00:03:05,840 Speaker 1: so Jay Giles, Bassi, Jonathan Richmond, Letters, The Cleo, The 55 00:03:05,960 --> 00:03:11,200 Speaker 1: drop Kickmarthy Buffalo, Tom, Tracy Chapman, Darling, Upper Values, That Hawwy, 56 00:03:11,360 --> 00:03:18,280 Speaker 1: The Hill, Mighty Mighty Bostone, Mr Lake Street, Dive, New Editions, Converge, 57 00:03:18,520 --> 00:03:23,400 Speaker 1: Still God, Fuzzy Rights Lane and in Danda Martin Sexs 58 00:03:23,720 --> 00:03:28,680 Speaker 1: and Lizzie mcgouplay in Market Mark. There's a spirit strong 59 00:03:28,800 --> 00:03:32,160 Speaker 1: enough to entice the velvet underground to escape the absurdities 60 00:03:32,200 --> 00:03:34,280 Speaker 1: of our gargantua in New York City to seek their 61 00:03:34,320 --> 00:03:36,840 Speaker 1: home away from home. In nineteen sixty nine, at the 62 00:03:36,920 --> 00:03:40,240 Speaker 1: long gone Boston Tea Party concert Hall, in the vibe 63 00:03:40,240 --> 00:03:43,680 Speaker 1: and outsized personality of this modest sized town provided a 64 00:03:43,720 --> 00:03:46,520 Speaker 1: platform for the Great James Brown to amplify some much 65 00:03:46,560 --> 00:03:50,040 Speaker 1: needed sonic therapy to a grieving nation, direct the TV 66 00:03:50,120 --> 00:03:52,600 Speaker 1: across the state from the modest sized Boston Garden. On 67 00:03:52,680 --> 00:03:56,640 Speaker 1: April fifth, nineteen sixty eight, Brown mourned with Ann lifted 68 00:03:56,720 --> 00:03:58,720 Speaker 1: up at the heart of New England on the night 69 00:03:58,800 --> 00:04:01,680 Speaker 1: the world was on edge after Dr King was murdered. 70 00:04:02,400 --> 00:04:04,200 Speaker 1: In our fourth episode, we are taking a trip to 71 00:04:04,240 --> 00:04:07,200 Speaker 1: my beloved hometown, the city I can attest that only 72 00:04:07,240 --> 00:04:10,040 Speaker 1: a fool would operate a national career from but a 73 00:04:10,080 --> 00:04:13,760 Speaker 1: galactic sized gold mine. To sharpen your sonic wits, It is, 74 00:04:13,840 --> 00:04:17,359 Speaker 1: after all, the hub of the universe. This is Sound 75 00:04:17,360 --> 00:04:24,360 Speaker 1: of Our Town and we are visiting Boston, Massachusetts. Sound 76 00:04:24,400 --> 00:04:26,280 Speaker 1: of Our Town is a podcast about the music that 77 00:04:26,360 --> 00:04:29,080 Speaker 1: shape the city you are touching down in. It is 78 00:04:29,120 --> 00:04:32,240 Speaker 1: also about finding, hearing, and experiencing its best music happening 79 00:04:32,320 --> 00:04:35,360 Speaker 1: right now. What sounds and places of shape the city's culture, 80 00:04:35,600 --> 00:04:38,640 Speaker 1: and what new sounds continue to define it. It's about 81 00:04:38,640 --> 00:04:41,360 Speaker 1: getting together in a room to listen, and why that 82 00:04:41,400 --> 00:04:45,240 Speaker 1: matters so much right now, whether you're quickly dropping in 83 00:04:45,320 --> 00:04:47,719 Speaker 1: or landing for a long stay. In each episode, I'll 84 00:04:47,760 --> 00:04:51,320 Speaker 1: introduce you to the real places and sonic stories echoing 85 00:04:51,360 --> 00:04:54,560 Speaker 1: in a particular town, so that your adventure is enriched 86 00:04:54,800 --> 00:04:57,960 Speaker 1: with music. My name is Will Daily, I'm an artist 87 00:04:58,160 --> 00:05:00,559 Speaker 1: and I've been slugging it out in towns from many years. 88 00:05:01,000 --> 00:05:02,920 Speaker 1: We're here because we've all been at that live show 89 00:05:03,000 --> 00:05:05,880 Speaker 1: where the music takes over. It moves us, whether we're 90 00:05:05,880 --> 00:05:10,200 Speaker 1: the audience or the band, taking us somewhere together. And 91 00:05:10,240 --> 00:05:12,719 Speaker 1: before we walk the sonic freedom Trail, I want to 92 00:05:12,760 --> 00:05:16,560 Speaker 1: switch things up here and first transport ourselves three thousand, 93 00:05:16,680 --> 00:05:19,640 Speaker 1: four hundred and forty six miles away to a festival 94 00:05:19,720 --> 00:05:23,680 Speaker 1: stage in Palestrina, Italy for the nell Gnome del Rock Festival, 95 00:05:24,279 --> 00:05:27,599 Speaker 1: where songwriting legend Mark Samman, Son of Boston and indie 96 00:05:27,600 --> 00:05:30,359 Speaker 1: Titans to music fans, takes the stage for the last 97 00:05:30,360 --> 00:05:39,120 Speaker 1: time on July three, with his band Morphine. In the 98 00:05:39,160 --> 00:05:42,600 Speaker 1: apex of nineties alternative music, a low rock sound could 99 00:05:42,600 --> 00:05:45,640 Speaker 1: be heard bellowing from the corner of Massachusetts Avenue and Cambridge, 100 00:05:45,720 --> 00:05:49,360 Speaker 1: just outside of Central Square. A trio composed of baritone 101 00:05:49,360 --> 00:05:52,320 Speaker 1: sacks or maybe two played by the same dude at 102 00:05:52,360 --> 00:05:55,320 Speaker 1: the same time, a two string super low based guitar 103 00:05:55,960 --> 00:05:59,960 Speaker 1: sometimes played with a slide, and a confidence supremely smooth 104 00:06:00,120 --> 00:06:03,560 Speaker 1: drum group that made up the Majestic and Mighty Morphine. 105 00:06:03,800 --> 00:06:06,880 Speaker 1: Their success was not your typical American success. It was 106 00:06:06,960 --> 00:06:10,080 Speaker 1: first regional and then national, with fans such as p. J. Harvey, 107 00:06:10,160 --> 00:06:14,479 Speaker 1: Less Claypool and Mike Watt all extolling their admiration. It 108 00:06:14,640 --> 00:06:18,520 Speaker 1: was and is passionate Dana Cauley on Sachs drome du 109 00:06:18,560 --> 00:06:21,080 Speaker 1: pre originally on drums and later the late Great Billy 110 00:06:21,160 --> 00:06:24,200 Speaker 1: Conway on the tubs, and the lead singer, the lead 111 00:06:24,279 --> 00:06:27,520 Speaker 1: singer whose deep vocal baritone flirted constantly with his self 112 00:06:27,560 --> 00:06:31,679 Speaker 1: built bass guitar of his own invention, Mr Mark Samman, 113 00:06:32,360 --> 00:06:34,560 Speaker 1: a deep mood of dream like timbers and a beat 114 00:06:34,640 --> 00:06:37,719 Speaker 1: nick nostalgia mixed joyously with the all mighty hooks that 115 00:06:37,800 --> 00:06:40,760 Speaker 1: a great song needs. The trio climbed the ranks of 116 00:06:40,760 --> 00:06:43,880 Speaker 1: Boston clubs, then the Northeast region, to other US markets, 117 00:06:43,880 --> 00:06:46,359 Speaker 1: and onto venues and clubs across the Atlantic, where they 118 00:06:46,400 --> 00:06:50,359 Speaker 1: are much beloved. It was during a tour in Europe, 119 00:06:50,720 --> 00:06:53,520 Speaker 1: hammered by the sweltering, heated July, that Morphin was slated 120 00:06:53,520 --> 00:06:57,960 Speaker 1: to play the idyllic town of Palestrina, Italy. I mentioned 121 00:06:58,000 --> 00:07:00,359 Speaker 1: it was hot. It was a hundred degrees hot. The 122 00:07:00,400 --> 00:07:03,760 Speaker 1: band had been enjoying their tour. Sam Man, a tall gentleman, 123 00:07:04,120 --> 00:07:06,680 Speaker 1: was exhausted from the summer's pummeling, but eager to play 124 00:07:06,720 --> 00:07:10,200 Speaker 1: at the Italian Rock Festival, the three thousand miles from 125 00:07:10,240 --> 00:07:12,720 Speaker 1: their home in Boston, where just nine years earlier they 126 00:07:12,760 --> 00:07:17,480 Speaker 1: created their organic trance rock. This unprecedented sound, this timeless groove, 127 00:07:18,120 --> 00:07:21,880 Speaker 1: the irreplaceable mark. Samman standing in front of a microphone 128 00:07:21,920 --> 00:07:25,040 Speaker 1: just before the second song of their set collapsed to 129 00:07:25,080 --> 00:07:29,560 Speaker 1: the stage. The crowd fell silent. He was rushed to 130 00:07:29,600 --> 00:07:34,960 Speaker 1: the hospital where he was pronounced dead age heart attack, 131 00:07:35,960 --> 00:07:42,560 Speaker 1: no history of heart trouble, just gone. As a Boston artist, 132 00:07:42,680 --> 00:07:45,000 Speaker 1: especially when coming up, I wanted people, when they heard 133 00:07:45,040 --> 00:07:47,520 Speaker 1: my music to feel the way I felt when I 134 00:07:47,600 --> 00:07:52,280 Speaker 1: heard Morphine. Their musical trajectory was organic and desirable. It 135 00:07:52,400 --> 00:07:54,680 Speaker 1: made me, in scores of other musicians, want to carve 136 00:07:54,680 --> 00:07:57,600 Speaker 1: our own sonic path, tell my own story outside the 137 00:07:57,640 --> 00:08:02,320 Speaker 1: confines of anamorphous and taxing industry tree. Morphine's gravitas, conviction, 138 00:08:02,360 --> 00:08:05,920 Speaker 1: and sublime singularity made them as elemental to Boston music 139 00:08:06,040 --> 00:08:11,120 Speaker 1: as well. Fenway is the baseball and there's possibly only 140 00:08:11,160 --> 00:08:14,120 Speaker 1: one room in Boston that could have serviced the correct sonic, social, 141 00:08:14,160 --> 00:08:17,160 Speaker 1: and geographical box for Morphine to take hold as a 142 00:08:17,200 --> 00:08:19,480 Speaker 1: band in that little bar makes it the perfect spot 143 00:08:19,560 --> 00:08:22,080 Speaker 1: for your first stop after you land at Logan or 144 00:08:22,080 --> 00:08:29,440 Speaker 1: pull off the mass Pike. It's a summer night in Cambridge. 145 00:08:29,520 --> 00:08:32,240 Speaker 1: As a neon bottled liquor sign sputters to life against 146 00:08:32,240 --> 00:08:35,079 Speaker 1: an inky black sky. You and your band haul your 147 00:08:35,080 --> 00:08:38,480 Speaker 1: gear past the humid storefronts in depression air laundrymatt to 148 00:08:38,520 --> 00:08:41,640 Speaker 1: the threshold at the corner of mass avon Hancock. The 149 00:08:41,679 --> 00:08:44,800 Speaker 1: door opens, faces turn through the greeny blur of the 150 00:08:44,800 --> 00:08:47,760 Speaker 1: bar room. Glasses are raised and greeting. There's Bonnie Ray 151 00:08:47,800 --> 00:08:50,040 Speaker 1: and Tommy Ramone at the corner table at the end 152 00:08:50,040 --> 00:08:52,480 Speaker 1: of the bar and ethereal. Jeff Buckley passes a frothy 153 00:08:52,520 --> 00:08:55,400 Speaker 1: guinness to poet Sheamus Heeney. As the bar keep balances 154 00:08:55,400 --> 00:08:58,680 Speaker 1: a leaning tower of fresh pine glasses. A woman pushes 155 00:08:58,679 --> 00:09:01,600 Speaker 1: past towards the local player. It's usual table. Is that 156 00:09:01,960 --> 00:09:05,400 Speaker 1: Kim deal? Is that Kim deal kicking some? David ma'am 157 00:09:05,400 --> 00:09:08,240 Speaker 1: at ass, a lazy ceiling fan barely cuts the smoky 158 00:09:08,280 --> 00:09:11,319 Speaker 1: haze where Van Morris and hunches over a notebook, scratching 159 00:09:11,320 --> 00:09:14,240 Speaker 1: out lyrics. What do you think of astra weeks? You 160 00:09:14,280 --> 00:09:18,439 Speaker 1: know as a title? Fur Lengetti floats in, nods and vaporizes. 161 00:09:18,679 --> 00:09:21,760 Speaker 1: Philip Roth sweats it out in the corner. Sex, regret, fascism, 162 00:09:21,840 --> 00:09:24,640 Speaker 1: you name it and vanishes. The mist clears, the beer 163 00:09:24,679 --> 00:09:27,560 Speaker 1: flows and voices raise. You go to the bar, have 164 00:09:27,600 --> 00:09:30,160 Speaker 1: a seat. Woman asks you nicely, Can I buy you 165 00:09:30,160 --> 00:09:32,560 Speaker 1: a drink? Yeah? I think she likes you, That's what 166 00:09:32,640 --> 00:09:35,560 Speaker 1: I think. And yes, you're gonna play tonight. You and 167 00:09:35,600 --> 00:09:37,480 Speaker 1: your band set up in a small patch of warm 168 00:09:37,559 --> 00:09:41,079 Speaker 1: pine floors designated as a stage. A Honckey talk harmonica 169 00:09:41,160 --> 00:09:43,880 Speaker 1: sets the mood. You get right up close to the mic. 170 00:09:44,360 --> 00:09:50,840 Speaker 1: For you, singing is as easy as breathing. Welcome to 171 00:09:50,920 --> 00:09:53,760 Speaker 1: the Plow and Stars, a room established in nineteen six 172 00:09:54,040 --> 00:09:56,480 Speaker 1: nine with a capacity to hold one hundred of your 173 00:09:56,480 --> 00:10:00,840 Speaker 1: favorite artists, writers, musicians, and neighbors. To be a music town, 174 00:10:00,920 --> 00:10:03,080 Speaker 1: you need to have a healthy number of small, cozy 175 00:10:03,080 --> 00:10:06,439 Speaker 1: places that hold big influence. The Plow is one of 176 00:10:06,480 --> 00:10:08,839 Speaker 1: those places. The room has a call to the artist. 177 00:10:08,920 --> 00:10:10,720 Speaker 1: I was playing there one night when in walks Sherry 178 00:10:10,800 --> 00:10:13,600 Speaker 1: Jones and Zachary Quinto ready to chill after rehearsing The 179 00:10:13,640 --> 00:10:16,760 Speaker 1: Glass Menagerie at a theater just down the street. It 180 00:10:16,840 --> 00:10:18,600 Speaker 1: makes sense that the actors are drawn to The Plow 181 00:10:18,640 --> 00:10:22,040 Speaker 1: and Stars, a bar named after the play by Sean O'Casey. 182 00:10:22,080 --> 00:10:25,120 Speaker 1: And I'm guessing that after several grouling hours with Tennessee Williams, 183 00:10:25,120 --> 00:10:27,480 Speaker 1: you really want some music in a beer. The Plow 184 00:10:27,559 --> 00:10:30,199 Speaker 1: has been a quintessential Irish bar long before Irish bar 185 00:10:30,280 --> 00:10:32,560 Speaker 1: was something marketed, sold in a box and stationed at 186 00:10:32,600 --> 00:10:35,840 Speaker 1: every few blocks in every city around the world. These 187 00:10:35,880 --> 00:10:38,160 Speaker 1: wood floors have some magic in them when they're combined 188 00:10:38,200 --> 00:10:42,080 Speaker 1: with tube amps and vintage drums, tempered via decades of 189 00:10:42,120 --> 00:10:45,120 Speaker 1: all night sets by the city's best songwriters and luminaries 190 00:10:45,160 --> 00:10:48,360 Speaker 1: like the Handyman Rick Berlin and Johnny Trauma and the 191 00:10:48,440 --> 00:10:51,480 Speaker 1: B Three Kings. Given the guitar pick size of the stage, 192 00:10:51,480 --> 00:10:53,760 Speaker 1: you brushed by the band, usually the bass player. On 193 00:10:53,840 --> 00:10:56,360 Speaker 1: your way to the bathroom, there's an if these walls 194 00:10:56,360 --> 00:10:59,439 Speaker 1: could talk flair, Sometimes there's room to dance as the 195 00:10:59,520 --> 00:11:03,160 Speaker 1: city's s players catch the vibe of morphine dripping off 196 00:11:03,160 --> 00:11:05,880 Speaker 1: the walls. In Boston and Cambridge are chalk full of 197 00:11:05,880 --> 00:11:09,520 Speaker 1: intimate venues of various DESKBA limits spots like Atwood's hosting 198 00:11:09,559 --> 00:11:11,800 Speaker 1: Beautiful Nights where an artist like Cliff Notes can bring 199 00:11:11,840 --> 00:11:14,720 Speaker 1: his music and his infinite curations, or the lily Pad 200 00:11:14,760 --> 00:11:17,240 Speaker 1: where Lady Pills just had their album release after a 201 00:11:17,280 --> 00:11:20,520 Speaker 1: feature on MPR. Places where the music is not an 202 00:11:20,559 --> 00:11:24,040 Speaker 1: add on, but the reason for being there, and we'll 203 00:11:24,160 --> 00:11:35,480 Speaker 1: visit some right after this. At home, I have to 204 00:11:35,480 --> 00:11:37,720 Speaker 1: play music in almost every room, the living room, in 205 00:11:37,720 --> 00:11:40,400 Speaker 1: the kitchen, front steps, even the bathroom for those cold 206 00:11:40,400 --> 00:11:43,839 Speaker 1: summer showers. That's why I love my Sono's Room. With 207 00:11:43,840 --> 00:11:45,640 Speaker 1: my Sono's Room like a place or wherever I want 208 00:11:45,679 --> 00:11:48,480 Speaker 1: in my house, and it'll automatically tune itself based on 209 00:11:48,600 --> 00:11:51,520 Speaker 1: the space so it sounds great no matter what, no 210 00:11:51,520 --> 00:11:54,160 Speaker 1: matter where. And if I want to expand my sound system, 211 00:11:54,200 --> 00:11:56,120 Speaker 1: I can quickly and easily connect the room to other 212 00:11:56,200 --> 00:11:59,920 Speaker 1: Sono speakers over WiFi. And since the rooms Ultra Dura 213 00:12:00,000 --> 00:12:01,640 Speaker 1: boll And weighs less than a pound, I can even 214 00:12:01,640 --> 00:12:03,280 Speaker 1: put it in the basket on my bike for a 215 00:12:03,400 --> 00:12:06,520 Speaker 1: ride down the Esplanade in Boston. I just connect via 216 00:12:06,520 --> 00:12:08,760 Speaker 1: Bluetooth and I'm listening to the Blue Ribbons and Lightfoot 217 00:12:08,800 --> 00:12:11,120 Speaker 1: all over town. And yeah, I have a basket on 218 00:12:11,160 --> 00:12:13,959 Speaker 1: my bike. I like the finer things. So get Rome 219 00:12:14,000 --> 00:12:16,199 Speaker 1: and get ready for your next adventure. Learn more in 220 00:12:16,280 --> 00:12:27,440 Speaker 1: Shop three new exclusive colors at Sonos dot com. I 221 00:12:27,559 --> 00:12:29,400 Speaker 1: swoon for a good listening room, and one of my 222 00:12:29,400 --> 00:12:32,880 Speaker 1: favorites in America is in Davis Square, Somerville, the Burn 223 00:12:33,040 --> 00:12:35,400 Speaker 1: Back Room. This might be Boston's best and maybe the 224 00:12:35,480 --> 00:12:38,000 Speaker 1: only true showcase room, a place where you can hold 225 00:12:38,000 --> 00:12:40,640 Speaker 1: the room to a whisper solo or rock out full band, 226 00:12:40,720 --> 00:12:44,400 Speaker 1: all thanks to the curation of booker Tom Bianchie. Titans 227 00:12:44,440 --> 00:12:47,800 Speaker 1: of song like Juliana Hatfield and Tanya Donneley frequent this 228 00:12:47,920 --> 00:12:51,000 Speaker 1: room for these qualities, and the Burn is a true 229 00:12:51,040 --> 00:12:53,960 Speaker 1: to the Bone Irish pub upfront, featuring authentic Celtic and 230 00:12:53,960 --> 00:12:57,480 Speaker 1: acoustic jams around a microphone chandelier right when you walk 231 00:12:57,520 --> 00:13:01,040 Speaker 1: in the front door. However, the nerve center of epic 232 00:13:01,080 --> 00:13:04,000 Speaker 1: impromptu funk jams and clinics for the hungry pupil is 233 00:13:04,040 --> 00:13:07,440 Speaker 1: Wally's Cafe, just a few blocks away from Boston Symphony 234 00:13:07,480 --> 00:13:10,120 Speaker 1: Hall and national landmark in its own right, Wally's claim 235 00:13:10,160 --> 00:13:12,560 Speaker 1: of being the oldest jazz club in the United States 236 00:13:12,600 --> 00:13:17,080 Speaker 1: maybe its least important attribute. In n seven, Joseph L. 237 00:13:17,120 --> 00:13:20,680 Speaker 1: Walcott opened Wally's Paradise across the street from its current location, 238 00:13:20,920 --> 00:13:24,400 Speaker 1: and there and then Walcott, nicknamed Wally, became the first 239 00:13:24,440 --> 00:13:28,679 Speaker 1: African American to own a nightclub. In New England, sixty 240 00:13:28,679 --> 00:13:31,079 Speaker 1: five days a year there is music, jazz, funking jam 241 00:13:31,160 --> 00:13:33,680 Speaker 1: sessions in close proximity to the Berkeley School of Music 242 00:13:33,920 --> 00:13:36,880 Speaker 1: in the New England Conservatory. Wallis has stood at the 243 00:13:36,960 --> 00:13:39,560 Speaker 1: proving ground for the grates of both timeless jams and 244 00:13:39,640 --> 00:13:44,439 Speaker 1: impromptu clinics. Roy Hargrove, Brantford, Marsalis and d Nino Perez 245 00:13:44,840 --> 00:13:46,800 Speaker 1: have all been found at Wally's in the past, and 246 00:13:46,840 --> 00:13:49,800 Speaker 1: today's successful jazz artists like Kendrick Scott, Warren Wolf and 247 00:13:49,840 --> 00:13:53,400 Speaker 1: Jeremy Pelt developed their touch in its modest size bar. 248 00:13:53,840 --> 00:13:57,120 Speaker 1: If there's magic in Boston's dirty water, you can hear 249 00:13:57,160 --> 00:13:59,760 Speaker 1: it at Wally's and on the other side of town 250 00:13:59,800 --> 00:14:02,440 Speaker 1: and Harvard Square. I'm not gonna say Harvard without the 251 00:14:02,640 --> 00:14:05,280 Speaker 1: r and watch any movie about Boston for that if 252 00:14:05,320 --> 00:14:07,800 Speaker 1: you get off on that kind of thing. But in 253 00:14:07,880 --> 00:14:11,400 Speaker 1: Harvard Square there is an American folk music mecca, introducing 254 00:14:11,440 --> 00:14:14,400 Speaker 1: Club Passing. To get to this club, tucked in between 255 00:14:14,440 --> 00:14:16,960 Speaker 1: Church and Brattle Streets, you have to once again brave 256 00:14:17,040 --> 00:14:20,440 Speaker 1: those slick New England bricks sidewalks before you squeeze down 257 00:14:20,480 --> 00:14:23,360 Speaker 1: an alley staircase and there you are in a candle 258 00:14:23,440 --> 00:14:25,360 Speaker 1: lit room that holds a hundred and twenty people in 259 00:14:25,360 --> 00:14:27,840 Speaker 1: the palm of its hand. In an era of sprawl, 260 00:14:27,920 --> 00:14:31,920 Speaker 1: rebuilding and expansion in Boston, this club has survived because 261 00:14:32,000 --> 00:14:35,520 Speaker 1: it is an institution. Originally called Club forty seven when 262 00:14:35,520 --> 00:14:38,080 Speaker 1: it opened in nineteen fifty eight. It changed its name 263 00:14:38,120 --> 00:14:41,480 Speaker 1: in nineteen sixty nine. A lot happened in nineteen sixty nine. 264 00:14:42,080 --> 00:14:44,760 Speaker 1: Club forty seven hosted the likes of Joan Bays, Bob 265 00:14:44,840 --> 00:14:46,800 Speaker 1: Dylan and Joni Mitchell back in the day when there 266 00:14:46,880 --> 00:14:49,320 Speaker 1: wasn't even a back in the day, and now it 267 00:14:49,440 --> 00:14:53,320 Speaker 1: hosts Lori McKenna, Lyle Brewer, and Olisa Almador, to name 268 00:14:53,360 --> 00:14:55,280 Speaker 1: a few. But there is one room where you don't 269 00:14:55,320 --> 00:14:58,240 Speaker 1: need a ticket. In this cozy spot receives the coveted 270 00:14:58,320 --> 00:15:02,320 Speaker 1: NOK cover Sound of our Town feature I got. I'll 271 00:15:02,360 --> 00:15:07,120 Speaker 1: come up with a better name for that. If you're 272 00:15:07,200 --> 00:15:10,640 Speaker 1: of the lucky sixty two people max in this Porter Square, 273 00:15:10,720 --> 00:15:13,520 Speaker 1: Cambridge spot, then you've made it through the door at Toad, 274 00:15:13,720 --> 00:15:16,200 Speaker 1: home to the town's songwriters who just want to stay fresh, 275 00:15:16,560 --> 00:15:19,320 Speaker 1: bands that have residencies that last decades, and the best 276 00:15:19,400 --> 00:15:23,320 Speaker 1: players backing songwriters trying out new material. The intimacy of 277 00:15:23,400 --> 00:15:25,680 Speaker 1: Toad is what spares you the show and holds you 278 00:15:25,840 --> 00:15:28,600 Speaker 1: only within the music. This is the same place where 279 00:15:28,600 --> 00:15:31,520 Speaker 1: Bill jenobits singer and guitarists the beloved indie band Buffalo 280 00:15:31,720 --> 00:15:34,200 Speaker 1: Tom was playing in two thousand and six with his 281 00:15:34,320 --> 00:15:37,320 Speaker 1: side project Crowned Victoria, when one of rock and roll's 282 00:15:37,360 --> 00:15:40,800 Speaker 1: biggest voices, who had just finished playing to seventeen thousand 283 00:15:40,880 --> 00:15:45,880 Speaker 1: at Boston Garden, snuck in to hear Jenomits. On that 284 00:15:46,040 --> 00:15:48,480 Speaker 1: same night, Pearl Jam played for two and a half 285 00:15:48,520 --> 00:15:50,640 Speaker 1: hours at Boston Garden. At the end of the show 286 00:15:50,720 --> 00:15:53,440 Speaker 1: and the last whaling stratocast that notes of Yellow lad Better, 287 00:15:53,680 --> 00:15:55,920 Speaker 1: the lead singer by the name of let me check 288 00:15:55,960 --> 00:15:59,000 Speaker 1: my notes here Eddie Vetter left the stage and got 289 00:15:59,120 --> 00:16:01,400 Speaker 1: himself across to ount a snug hole in the wall 290 00:16:01,800 --> 00:16:04,320 Speaker 1: in Porter Square, all with the sole intention of seeing 291 00:16:04,360 --> 00:16:06,040 Speaker 1: an artist at Vetter had shared a bill with a 292 00:16:06,120 --> 00:16:09,400 Speaker 1: decade and a half earlier, Buffalo Tom and Pearl Jam 293 00:16:09,480 --> 00:16:12,480 Speaker 1: played together at the now defunct Avalon Club on Landsdown 294 00:16:12,560 --> 00:16:16,080 Speaker 1: Street in the shadow of Fenway Park in when they're 295 00:16:16,160 --> 00:16:19,200 Speaker 1: both just starting out. Fast forward fifteen years later, Vetter 296 00:16:19,240 --> 00:16:21,440 Speaker 1: punches out of his day job, makes his way across 297 00:16:21,480 --> 00:16:24,040 Speaker 1: town to Toad and stealthily finds one of the few 298 00:16:24,120 --> 00:16:26,640 Speaker 1: seats in the club, and Toad hosts some mighty beer 299 00:16:26,720 --> 00:16:28,880 Speaker 1: selection and a full bar, but on the back wall. 300 00:16:29,000 --> 00:16:32,080 Speaker 1: The stage itself can maybe fit for adults if they 301 00:16:32,160 --> 00:16:34,000 Speaker 1: decided to share nice and deal with being on top 302 00:16:34,040 --> 00:16:37,080 Speaker 1: of one another. It's tight. Sometimes a keyboard player or 303 00:16:37,160 --> 00:16:39,680 Speaker 1: slide guitarist sits at a bench closest to the stage. 304 00:16:40,200 --> 00:16:43,880 Speaker 1: The proximity, though feeds the vibe. Legend has it that 305 00:16:43,960 --> 00:16:45,720 Speaker 1: Vetter was only see it for a few songs that 306 00:16:45,880 --> 00:16:48,040 Speaker 1: night in two thousand and six before being found out 307 00:16:48,120 --> 00:16:50,960 Speaker 1: and asked to join in. It was one more encore 308 00:16:51,040 --> 00:16:54,480 Speaker 1: that echoed from Boston Garden to Porters Square. So wild, 309 00:16:55,160 --> 00:17:02,920 Speaker 1: so authentic, so free, and oops, I did it again. 310 00:17:03,000 --> 00:17:05,560 Speaker 1: I've been filling you up with sonic stuff. I forgot 311 00:17:05,680 --> 00:17:08,399 Speaker 1: to consider that you might be hungry. But being a 312 00:17:08,560 --> 00:17:10,800 Speaker 1: Toad reminds me that right across the street is one 313 00:17:10,840 --> 00:17:14,240 Speaker 1: of the most magical, joyous noodle spots. You may woke Qatar, 314 00:17:14,640 --> 00:17:17,000 Speaker 1: just wear a jacket because the waiting happens outside on 315 00:17:17,080 --> 00:17:19,040 Speaker 1: the street. But it's worth it if you get into 316 00:17:19,080 --> 00:17:21,680 Speaker 1: the fifteen seat diner style eat and dash and bring 317 00:17:21,760 --> 00:17:24,639 Speaker 1: your appetite to ensure that you get the staff congratulations 318 00:17:24,680 --> 00:17:27,320 Speaker 1: for an empty bowl before you go over to Toad 319 00:17:27,440 --> 00:17:30,280 Speaker 1: for the first set. And these rooms make up just 320 00:17:30,440 --> 00:17:33,080 Speaker 1: some of the soil of the town, the spaces where 321 00:17:33,119 --> 00:17:36,560 Speaker 1: Morphine's Dana Cauli frequents as a player and as a listener. 322 00:17:36,880 --> 00:17:39,920 Speaker 1: But it gets bigger. Boston, after all, is a small 323 00:17:40,000 --> 00:17:46,600 Speaker 1: city with a big personality. Now it's possible that you 324 00:17:46,800 --> 00:17:49,520 Speaker 1: are rolling in for one, maybe two nights to spare 325 00:17:49,840 --> 00:17:51,960 Speaker 1: and you want to get your face melted right off. 326 00:17:52,359 --> 00:17:54,879 Speaker 1: We can start by visiting a smaller spaces that honor 327 00:17:54,960 --> 00:17:57,600 Speaker 1: the legacy of the town, a place where the door 328 00:17:57,720 --> 00:18:01,040 Speaker 1: and drink do not require a bank. The standards that 329 00:18:01,119 --> 00:18:04,120 Speaker 1: indie acts like Morphine relied on to grow to legendary 330 00:18:04,240 --> 00:18:08,520 Speaker 1: status hold true at Midway Cafe, an independent stage where 331 00:18:08,600 --> 00:18:11,920 Speaker 1: every genre finds home, plus a long running open mic 332 00:18:12,080 --> 00:18:16,000 Speaker 1: in Thursday's Querioki welcomes all who did a friendly, fabulous, 333 00:18:16,160 --> 00:18:19,920 Speaker 1: laid back queer scene. This hundred capacity club, now thirty 334 00:18:20,000 --> 00:18:23,160 Speaker 1: five years in, maintains the ethics that keep a scene 335 00:18:23,200 --> 00:18:26,400 Speaker 1: alive when sprawl, high rents, and high cost of living 336 00:18:26,520 --> 00:18:29,879 Speaker 1: threatened the artistic integrity of a town. We love our 337 00:18:29,920 --> 00:18:33,199 Speaker 1: independence on paper, but without the Midway Cafes of Boston 338 00:18:33,320 --> 00:18:36,479 Speaker 1: and America, we can forget about getting our faces melted. 339 00:18:36,760 --> 00:18:40,200 Speaker 1: It's our souls that start dripping down the drain. And 340 00:18:40,359 --> 00:18:43,600 Speaker 1: maybe Harvard squares your absolute destination and you're not down 341 00:18:43,680 --> 00:18:46,480 Speaker 1: with a folk joint like club Pass scene, well, Sinclair 342 00:18:46,680 --> 00:18:49,679 Speaker 1: is practically right next door, and since two thousand thirteen, 343 00:18:49,720 --> 00:18:52,520 Speaker 1: Sinclair has been the premier high end award winning destination 344 00:18:52,600 --> 00:18:56,119 Speaker 1: for touring indie bands and big Boston lineups. Modern architecture, 345 00:18:56,200 --> 00:18:59,840 Speaker 1: smooth cement floors in an exceptionally tall stage, Sinclair and 346 00:19:00,119 --> 00:19:02,600 Speaker 1: three bars can hold you and five twenty four of 347 00:19:02,720 --> 00:19:05,280 Speaker 1: your closest friends. Not a bad seat in the house, 348 00:19:05,560 --> 00:19:07,920 Speaker 1: And if five people isn't enough for your needs, you 349 00:19:07,960 --> 00:19:10,480 Speaker 1: can now jump across town to the three thousand Persons 350 00:19:10,520 --> 00:19:13,920 Speaker 1: Sister Venue, the newly launched road Runner, tucked into a 351 00:19:14,000 --> 00:19:15,879 Speaker 1: corner of Brighton, which is part of us and I 352 00:19:15,920 --> 00:19:18,359 Speaker 1: don't want to get into geography. The venue opened in 353 00:19:18,440 --> 00:19:20,639 Speaker 1: spring of two thousand twenty two, and it has already 354 00:19:20,680 --> 00:19:24,360 Speaker 1: hosted Billy Strings, Olivia Rodrigo and Boston Legends drop Kick 355 00:19:24,480 --> 00:19:27,720 Speaker 1: Murphy's how it connects to the infrastructure and soil of 356 00:19:27,760 --> 00:19:30,640 Speaker 1: the Boston music scene, like the Midway Cafe does, remains 357 00:19:30,720 --> 00:19:34,280 Speaker 1: to be seen and heard, but the room is dropped dead, 358 00:19:34,400 --> 00:19:40,199 Speaker 1: gorgeous and designed to melt faces. And there's one more 359 00:19:40,320 --> 00:19:43,159 Speaker 1: room in town that carries the same intensity and opening 360 00:19:43,240 --> 00:19:45,800 Speaker 1: up our calendars might be the best ticket. If the 361 00:19:45,880 --> 00:19:49,240 Speaker 1: indispensable rock anointed room that makes a city complete, that 362 00:19:49,440 --> 00:19:51,960 Speaker 1: next level place that within its walls offers as many 363 00:19:52,000 --> 00:19:55,480 Speaker 1: delightful quirks and unsavory charms as it does historic and 364 00:19:55,640 --> 00:19:58,719 Speaker 1: legendary shows. The Paradise Rock Club has a brightly lit 365 00:19:58,800 --> 00:20:01,440 Speaker 1: marquis that illuminates and Wealth Avenue in the heart of 366 00:20:01,520 --> 00:20:04,800 Speaker 1: Boston University Territory. It is the place that local bands 367 00:20:04,840 --> 00:20:07,440 Speaker 1: like Morphine have vaulted to with the same faces and 368 00:20:07,520 --> 00:20:10,120 Speaker 1: ears at earlier packed the plowing stars among the hundreds 369 00:20:10,160 --> 00:20:12,720 Speaker 1: of new fans hearing them on the radio, and that 370 00:20:12,920 --> 00:20:16,040 Speaker 1: same trajectory is happening today with acts like Umpah and 371 00:20:16,240 --> 00:20:19,520 Speaker 1: Right and within the intoxication of my youthful rock and 372 00:20:19,640 --> 00:20:22,679 Speaker 1: wall dreams. The Paradise sat front and center the stage 373 00:20:22,720 --> 00:20:25,000 Speaker 1: to get to and I did so many times that 374 00:20:25,080 --> 00:20:28,960 Speaker 1: I may have taken my former dreams for granted. And 375 00:20:29,080 --> 00:20:31,639 Speaker 1: then one night in two thousand seventeen, one of my 376 00:20:32,200 --> 00:20:35,959 Speaker 1: lifetime sonic highlight moments was forged on its stage when 377 00:20:36,000 --> 00:20:38,879 Speaker 1: the limits of the Paradise fire code was severely tested 378 00:20:39,000 --> 00:20:42,280 Speaker 1: during the annual Hot Stove Cool Music charity concert. Yes, 379 00:20:42,440 --> 00:20:45,359 Speaker 1: the same charity concert that happened since Chicago at the 380 00:20:45,440 --> 00:20:48,560 Speaker 1: Metro every summer. The event actually started in Boston in 381 00:20:48,600 --> 00:20:51,000 Speaker 1: the early two thousands by Baseball Hall of Fame journalist 382 00:20:51,040 --> 00:20:54,159 Speaker 1: Peter Gammon's and theo Epstein Hot Stove features dozens of 383 00:20:54,200 --> 00:20:57,159 Speaker 1: Boston and Chicago artists every February on a face melting 384 00:20:57,200 --> 00:21:00,720 Speaker 1: Saturday Night. Two thousand seventeen. Event included k Hanley, that 385 00:21:00,840 --> 00:21:04,879 Speaker 1: Guy from Toad, Bill Janovits, Tanya Donley, myself, and a 386 00:21:04,960 --> 00:21:08,159 Speaker 1: gang of musical friends from both cities and special guest 387 00:21:08,800 --> 00:21:11,720 Speaker 1: Eddie Vetter, that same guy from Toad as well. Vetter, 388 00:21:11,840 --> 00:21:14,720 Speaker 1: the inclusive and generous icon donating his time to raise 389 00:21:14,800 --> 00:21:18,000 Speaker 1: funds for our charity for inner city youth programs, asked 390 00:21:18,080 --> 00:21:20,760 Speaker 1: me a nineties kid to play guitar and sing back 391 00:21:20,840 --> 00:21:24,080 Speaker 1: up on Pearl Jam, Classics, Squeeze covers and the Who. 392 00:21:24,920 --> 00:21:27,159 Speaker 1: Second song in the Vetter set in the building almost 393 00:21:27,240 --> 00:21:29,920 Speaker 1: didn't make it through the end of Corduroy. It was 394 00:21:30,040 --> 00:21:33,440 Speaker 1: raw energy that even the lifelong staff had not experienced 395 00:21:33,480 --> 00:21:36,199 Speaker 1: in this nine capacity club that in the past has 396 00:21:36,240 --> 00:21:40,119 Speaker 1: hosted Cold Play, YouTube, r e M and Morphine. My 397 00:21:40,400 --> 00:21:43,560 Speaker 1: naive past self, my floating present self, and even my 398 00:21:43,720 --> 00:21:46,840 Speaker 1: grateful future self collided in a way that is only 399 00:21:46,960 --> 00:21:53,000 Speaker 1: possible in the places where you first start dreaming. Now, 400 00:21:53,080 --> 00:21:55,160 Speaker 1: let's keep filling up your calendar in Boston in case 401 00:21:55,240 --> 00:21:57,000 Speaker 1: you are planning a head like someone who has their 402 00:21:57,000 --> 00:21:59,479 Speaker 1: ship together. The help of the universe is catching up 403 00:21:59,520 --> 00:22:02,560 Speaker 1: to cities a lot of festivals, and it's those independent 404 00:22:02,680 --> 00:22:05,480 Speaker 1: ones that echo the energy morphine cultivated in the corner 405 00:22:05,520 --> 00:22:08,560 Speaker 1: of Plowing Stars oh so long ago. My favorite is 406 00:22:08,600 --> 00:22:11,240 Speaker 1: bams Fest. It happens in early July and Franklin Park 407 00:22:11,640 --> 00:22:14,240 Speaker 1: Bands is a cultural movement led by Greater Boston black 408 00:22:14,320 --> 00:22:17,840 Speaker 1: and Brown artists. If Latrelle James and Still Gold are performing, 409 00:22:17,960 --> 00:22:20,760 Speaker 1: then this free fest is the best deal in America. 410 00:22:21,080 --> 00:22:23,200 Speaker 1: And then there's Nice Fest. It happens in the same 411 00:22:23,240 --> 00:22:26,360 Speaker 1: neighborhood as the Burn in Davis Square, and it highlights 412 00:22:26,400 --> 00:22:28,560 Speaker 1: the best indie bands and artists the city has to 413 00:22:28,640 --> 00:22:31,800 Speaker 1: offer over two days in late July. Boston also has 414 00:22:31,840 --> 00:22:33,680 Speaker 1: a lot of beer, and beer has a festival of 415 00:22:33,720 --> 00:22:36,639 Speaker 1: its own. Harpoon Fest, happens every May and features add 416 00:22:36,680 --> 00:22:39,520 Speaker 1: percent Boston artists and a ship ton of beer. Okay, 417 00:22:39,560 --> 00:22:41,400 Speaker 1: it's really a beer festive music and not a music 418 00:22:41,480 --> 00:22:44,800 Speaker 1: festive beer, and maybe that's what makes it a Boston fest. 419 00:22:45,320 --> 00:22:48,119 Speaker 1: It hosts many Boston music award winners and nominees to 420 00:22:48,200 --> 00:22:51,359 Speaker 1: highlight the award ceremonies thirty year history in town. The 421 00:22:51,480 --> 00:22:53,920 Speaker 1: fest takes place at Hartlin's Brewery down on the pier 422 00:22:54,320 --> 00:22:57,119 Speaker 1: close to where the tea was tossed in. And of 423 00:22:57,240 --> 00:23:01,080 Speaker 1: course there's the Mega festival Boston goes down every year 424 00:23:01,160 --> 00:23:04,879 Speaker 1: in May along Soldiers Field Road on Harvard property. It 425 00:23:05,040 --> 00:23:07,960 Speaker 1: features a healthy amount of local artists. It is your 426 00:23:08,000 --> 00:23:11,600 Speaker 1: megacy of people's censory overload situation that rules America for 427 00:23:11,680 --> 00:23:15,000 Speaker 1: better or worse, depending on your sonic needs. But Boston 428 00:23:15,040 --> 00:23:17,400 Speaker 1: Calling puts a city in a national light for music 429 00:23:17,440 --> 00:23:20,200 Speaker 1: in a way it's been trying to recapture since the nineties, 430 00:23:20,600 --> 00:23:23,720 Speaker 1: you know, since morphinos around. And if you're planning a 431 00:23:23,760 --> 00:23:26,399 Speaker 1: trip to Beantown for Boston Calling, then I'm here to 432 00:23:26,480 --> 00:23:30,480 Speaker 1: fill in your after party at any of the aforementioned venues. 433 00:23:34,840 --> 00:23:36,720 Speaker 1: If you're up to date on your tetnis shot, I 434 00:23:36,760 --> 00:23:40,000 Speaker 1: want to take you along everyone's favorite dirty river on 435 00:23:40,119 --> 00:23:42,959 Speaker 1: the Boston Side, where we will find the town's very 436 00:23:43,080 --> 00:23:47,520 Speaker 1: own Amphitheater, the Hatshell, built in on the Esplanade behind 437 00:23:47,600 --> 00:23:50,360 Speaker 1: Beacon Hill. It is the city's open air venue, well 438 00:23:50,440 --> 00:23:53,760 Speaker 1: known for its Fourth of July festivities. It is also 439 00:23:53,800 --> 00:23:57,520 Speaker 1: the infamous site of the Green Day Riot. The city's 440 00:23:57,520 --> 00:24:01,399 Speaker 1: alternative radio station w f n Xston Peace hosted a 441 00:24:01,520 --> 00:24:04,600 Speaker 1: free concert for returning students as the iconic punk band 442 00:24:04,720 --> 00:24:07,960 Speaker 1: was first climbing up the charts. Five thousand people were 443 00:24:08,000 --> 00:24:10,359 Speaker 1: expected and oops, what do you know? Close to a 444 00:24:10,480 --> 00:24:13,720 Speaker 1: hundred thousand showed up. The crowd tore up flower beds, 445 00:24:13,800 --> 00:24:17,320 Speaker 1: broke through barriers, hurled bottles and cans, and generally hailed 446 00:24:17,320 --> 00:24:19,840 Speaker 1: America soon to be new punk heroes, and there was 447 00:24:19,960 --> 00:24:22,920 Speaker 1: no containing the energy as the band barely made it through. 448 00:24:23,200 --> 00:24:25,920 Speaker 1: When I come around, the plug was pulled after twenty 449 00:24:26,000 --> 00:24:29,480 Speaker 1: minutes of music, A hundred people were injured, and looking back, 450 00:24:29,960 --> 00:24:35,040 Speaker 1: this was just Green Day getting started. After that hot mess, 451 00:24:35,119 --> 00:24:38,320 Speaker 1: the city's inner puritans quickly re established the hat Shell 452 00:24:38,440 --> 00:24:41,080 Speaker 1: as a family friendly venue used mainly by the Boston 453 00:24:41,160 --> 00:24:43,720 Speaker 1: Pops and okay, possibly an Earth Day fest here there 454 00:24:43,840 --> 00:24:46,160 Speaker 1: be all right now that the flower beds are back 455 00:24:46,280 --> 00:24:49,560 Speaker 1: and orders restored. A walk along Charles river Esplanade in 456 00:24:49,600 --> 00:24:52,840 Speaker 1: the spring or fall is a hundred percent Boston zen. 457 00:24:53,440 --> 00:24:56,080 Speaker 1: It's a reminder of the small town aspect of the city. 458 00:24:56,520 --> 00:24:59,000 Speaker 1: Of the beauty of nature within the town, even the 459 00:24:59,080 --> 00:25:03,440 Speaker 1: dirty rivers not that thirty anymore. Still, what a great 460 00:25:03,520 --> 00:25:06,640 Speaker 1: spot for an outdoor punk rock sholl. For a couple 461 00:25:06,680 --> 00:25:09,200 Speaker 1: of years after the Green Day Riot, Boston decided to 462 00:25:09,280 --> 00:25:12,320 Speaker 1: try it again in Okay w f n x's request 463 00:25:12,440 --> 00:25:15,480 Speaker 1: to do another Welcome Back to School concert, but this 464 00:25:15,640 --> 00:25:19,600 Speaker 1: time the music needed to be more chilled, so they 465 00:25:19,720 --> 00:25:25,320 Speaker 1: booked Morphine. On September six, Morphine played the Hat Shell, 466 00:25:25,920 --> 00:25:27,800 Speaker 1: just a couple of miles down the road from their 467 00:25:27,840 --> 00:25:31,240 Speaker 1: favorite local, The Plowing Stars, a few thousand more people 468 00:25:31,320 --> 00:25:35,720 Speaker 1: than the Paradise Onward and Upward. So far, I've taken 469 00:25:35,760 --> 00:25:37,840 Speaker 1: you to the Hole in the Wall, the Vintage Club, 470 00:25:38,200 --> 00:25:40,719 Speaker 1: the Large Venue, the Megafest. But I'd be remiss if 471 00:25:40,760 --> 00:25:43,720 Speaker 1: I did not take you to the Vatican of Boston, 472 00:25:44,320 --> 00:25:51,640 Speaker 1: maybe the Vatican of New England. Built in nineteen eleven, 473 00:25:51,960 --> 00:25:55,320 Speaker 1: Fenway Park is the oldest ballpark in the major leagues. 474 00:25:55,800 --> 00:25:58,280 Speaker 1: There's another podcast out there somewhere if you want to 475 00:25:58,359 --> 00:26:00,760 Speaker 1: hear about the heartbreak and the big stories within its 476 00:26:00,800 --> 00:26:03,840 Speaker 1: green walls. That's not our job here, and you don't 477 00:26:03,840 --> 00:26:05,600 Speaker 1: have time for that either. There's too many shows to 478 00:26:05,680 --> 00:26:09,480 Speaker 1: catch we're talking about the music, specifically Fenway Park Summer 479 00:26:09,520 --> 00:26:11,840 Speaker 1: concert series, launched in two thousand and one by the 480 00:26:11,920 --> 00:26:15,399 Speaker 1: Boss in the Street Band, it now hosts a dozen 481 00:26:15,480 --> 00:26:17,560 Speaker 1: or more concerts a year. While the Socks are away, 482 00:26:17,920 --> 00:26:21,000 Speaker 1: Jay Z Bad Bunny, Billy, Joel and Paul McCartney somehow 483 00:26:21,080 --> 00:26:24,399 Speaker 1: managed book shows there, and Fenway Park has a musical 484 00:26:24,480 --> 00:26:27,600 Speaker 1: secret agent built into every home game, and the masterful 485 00:26:27,680 --> 00:26:31,480 Speaker 1: fingers of Fenway organist Josh Kantor, whose in game set 486 00:26:31,520 --> 00:26:34,800 Speaker 1: list includes songs ranging from Lady Gaga to Pop, Phantom 487 00:26:34,800 --> 00:26:36,879 Speaker 1: of the Operative, Tears for Fears Hall and notes that 488 00:26:36,960 --> 00:26:41,320 Speaker 1: Selena Gomez all on the ballpark organ some sixty covers 489 00:26:41,400 --> 00:26:44,440 Speaker 1: per game, and in recent years, Fenway has hosted many 490 00:26:44,560 --> 00:26:48,080 Speaker 1: local luminaries like Super Smash Brothers, Jesse d Ally McGurk 491 00:26:48,119 --> 00:26:51,880 Speaker 1: in Session Americana on a rooftop garden stage before games, 492 00:26:52,920 --> 00:26:56,320 Speaker 1: and it is opening a five thousand seat theater attached 493 00:26:56,359 --> 00:26:58,680 Speaker 1: to the park in fall of two thousand twenty two. 494 00:26:59,240 --> 00:27:04,879 Speaker 1: See even sports can't survive without music. And while I 495 00:27:05,000 --> 00:27:07,320 Speaker 1: have you in Fenway, it is just a jump over 496 00:27:07,400 --> 00:27:09,960 Speaker 1: to my favorite gem. Now this has been a tough 497 00:27:10,040 --> 00:27:12,800 Speaker 1: call in my hometown. I could have easily have chosen 498 00:27:12,840 --> 00:27:15,720 Speaker 1: the spot that is my dream gig, the majestic three thousand, 499 00:27:15,800 --> 00:27:19,000 Speaker 1: six hundred seat Wang Theater. It's an outsized hidden gem, 500 00:27:19,119 --> 00:27:21,680 Speaker 1: for sure, but I always feel like I'm walking into 501 00:27:21,720 --> 00:27:24,840 Speaker 1: a Kubrick dream upon entering the Ornate Lobby. I'll play 502 00:27:24,880 --> 00:27:27,119 Speaker 1: there one day and I'll just put you all on 503 00:27:27,200 --> 00:27:30,280 Speaker 1: the guest list. It could also easily be wherever force 504 00:27:30,359 --> 00:27:33,119 Speaker 1: of nature J J. Gonsen is setting up Shock. Her 505 00:27:33,200 --> 00:27:36,120 Speaker 1: club once was one of hundreds shut down during the pandemic, 506 00:27:36,400 --> 00:27:38,960 Speaker 1: and from those ashes, she morphed it into a glorious 507 00:27:39,040 --> 00:27:42,480 Speaker 1: pop up at Poynton Yards in Cambridge. Her iconic images 508 00:27:42,520 --> 00:27:45,320 Speaker 1: of Elliott Smith and Kurt Cobain are hidden gems themselves, 509 00:27:45,520 --> 00:27:48,080 Speaker 1: but it's her curation of events like Summer Pride with 510 00:27:48,119 --> 00:27:50,879 Speaker 1: Walter sickertt in the Army of Broken Toys, Brandy Blaze 511 00:27:50,920 --> 00:27:53,720 Speaker 1: and d J. Y Sham that keep the independent side 512 00:27:53,800 --> 00:27:57,720 Speaker 1: of Boston thriving. But for the hidden gem, it's gonna 513 00:27:57,760 --> 00:28:00,920 Speaker 1: have to be my personal mental sanctuary je outside of 514 00:28:00,960 --> 00:28:05,920 Speaker 1: Fenway Park the Isabella Stewart Gardener Museum. If someone tells 515 00:28:05,960 --> 00:28:07,639 Speaker 1: you that you don't go to Boston to visit the 516 00:28:07,720 --> 00:28:11,200 Speaker 1: magical realm of a Venetian style palazzo that is itself 517 00:28:11,280 --> 00:28:15,320 Speaker 1: a masterpiece filled with masterpieces, then weep for them because 518 00:28:15,359 --> 00:28:18,600 Speaker 1: they've never been to the courtyard of the Gardener Museum. 519 00:28:18,880 --> 00:28:21,320 Speaker 1: On free first Thursdays, you can drift through this realm 520 00:28:21,400 --> 00:28:24,680 Speaker 1: and listen to luscious songwriters, mariachi bands, and world music 521 00:28:24,760 --> 00:28:28,520 Speaker 1: trios as the music flows upwards from an otherworldly garden 522 00:28:28,600 --> 00:28:32,639 Speaker 1: portal to walk through three stories of elaborate stone balconies. 523 00:28:33,200 --> 00:28:35,960 Speaker 1: And yeah, the Gardener is missing a half billion worth 524 00:28:36,040 --> 00:28:38,960 Speaker 1: of stolen artwork. Just DM me if you have any 525 00:28:39,040 --> 00:28:47,880 Speaker 1: information on that. But you can't steal magic. Inexorably, nothing 526 00:28:48,000 --> 00:28:51,680 Speaker 1: stays the same. Some amazing establishments have their moments, then 527 00:28:51,760 --> 00:28:54,160 Speaker 1: fall victim to the march of time and high rents 528 00:28:54,320 --> 00:28:56,880 Speaker 1: to get reabsorbed into the city escape too often become 529 00:28:56,920 --> 00:29:00,280 Speaker 1: a Starbucks or worse, another bank, and I to these 530 00:29:00,360 --> 00:29:02,680 Speaker 1: couple of years. It's an awareness of the past that 531 00:29:02,800 --> 00:29:06,240 Speaker 1: can soothe our navigation of the present. To further understand 532 00:29:06,280 --> 00:29:08,600 Speaker 1: the lore of Boston, there are two books to take 533 00:29:08,640 --> 00:29:11,880 Speaker 1: in before you arrive. The first suggestion is a must 534 00:29:11,920 --> 00:29:15,240 Speaker 1: if you're listening to this show. The appropriately titled The 535 00:29:15,320 --> 00:29:17,720 Speaker 1: Sound of Our Town, A History of Boston Rock and 536 00:29:17,840 --> 00:29:20,840 Speaker 1: Roll by fame rock journalist Brett Milano, published in two 537 00:29:20,920 --> 00:29:23,960 Speaker 1: thousand and seven pages that will give you nostalgia even 538 00:29:24,000 --> 00:29:25,480 Speaker 1: if you are in a round for it, or even 539 00:29:25,520 --> 00:29:27,920 Speaker 1: if you weren't alive for it. And to unleash the 540 00:29:28,000 --> 00:29:29,920 Speaker 1: ju ju of the past, the sonic vibe, and that 541 00:29:30,040 --> 00:29:33,960 Speaker 1: musical chowder, you must read astral Weeks, A secret history 542 00:29:34,000 --> 00:29:36,760 Speaker 1: of nineteen sixty eight by Ryan Walsh, lead singer of 543 00:29:36,880 --> 00:29:40,280 Speaker 1: lauded rock band Hallelujah the Hills, published in two thousand 544 00:29:40,320 --> 00:29:42,760 Speaker 1: and eighteen. This book kind of tells the story of 545 00:29:42,840 --> 00:29:45,160 Speaker 1: the making of the greatest album of all time, but 546 00:29:45,320 --> 00:29:47,520 Speaker 1: it really tells you about some of the spirits that 547 00:29:47,640 --> 00:29:52,880 Speaker 1: linger in the Boston sound and scene. And there are 548 00:29:53,040 --> 00:29:57,080 Speaker 1: spirits echoes that a songwriter absorbs. It feels like Mark 549 00:29:57,120 --> 00:29:59,760 Speaker 1: Salmon was imbued with a little of that Boston vapor 550 00:29:59,840 --> 00:30:03,480 Speaker 1: that Romance Lou Reid and move Van Morrison's pan across paper. 551 00:30:03,880 --> 00:30:06,200 Speaker 1: I believe in the spirit when I listened to Morphine 552 00:30:06,600 --> 00:30:08,760 Speaker 1: low Lush and played on a d I Y base 553 00:30:09,080 --> 00:30:11,440 Speaker 1: and I'm not alone. Ten years after the loss of 554 00:30:11,520 --> 00:30:14,360 Speaker 1: Sam and Dana Carley and Jerome Dupre joined forces with 555 00:30:14,440 --> 00:30:18,400 Speaker 1: singer Jeremy Lyons to form Vapors of Morphine per the 556 00:30:18,480 --> 00:30:21,880 Speaker 1: request of the Nell known Del Rock Festival, and they 557 00:30:21,880 --> 00:30:25,440 Speaker 1: are still going strong today, keeping the spirit alive and 558 00:30:25,560 --> 00:30:30,560 Speaker 1: building upon it. That sound is Boston to me, uniquely enduring. 559 00:30:31,640 --> 00:30:34,360 Speaker 1: Like a lot of cities in America, Boston is without 560 00:30:34,440 --> 00:30:37,520 Speaker 1: a traditional music business. It doesn't have as many breakout 561 00:30:37,560 --> 00:30:40,000 Speaker 1: acts that become household names as say, does a city 562 00:30:40,080 --> 00:30:42,640 Speaker 1: like l A or New York. But then again, is 563 00:30:42,720 --> 00:30:44,960 Speaker 1: that even the model at all? Is there such a 564 00:30:45,040 --> 00:30:47,240 Speaker 1: thing as a breakout act that emerges from a city's 565 00:30:47,280 --> 00:30:51,040 Speaker 1: music scene, or do artists simply emerge from platforms like YouTube, 566 00:30:51,080 --> 00:30:53,240 Speaker 1: tik talk, and Instagram that are open to the world. 567 00:30:53,880 --> 00:30:56,920 Speaker 1: Everyone has a song now, and everyone's songs are available 568 00:30:57,000 --> 00:31:00,520 Speaker 1: to you right now. And what do we do with 569 00:31:00,600 --> 00:31:03,560 Speaker 1: all that choice? When we are so interconnected digitally? Where 570 00:31:03,600 --> 00:31:07,400 Speaker 1: do we find uniqueness originality? When the coffee in Atlanta 571 00:31:07,440 --> 00:31:09,840 Speaker 1: tastes the same as the coffee in Houston, When every 572 00:31:09,880 --> 00:31:11,720 Speaker 1: song from everyone around the world is on the same 573 00:31:11,800 --> 00:31:15,880 Speaker 1: platform pushing everything all the time like follow, stream, share, repeat, 574 00:31:16,000 --> 00:31:21,400 Speaker 1: ad NAZM, Where are your choices? Special. Where do your 575 00:31:21,480 --> 00:31:25,280 Speaker 1: choices make a difference. Well, it's in the next town 576 00:31:25,320 --> 00:31:27,960 Speaker 1: that you visit the venue, in the concert halls you 577 00:31:28,080 --> 00:31:30,760 Speaker 1: decide to step into, come alive. Not simply because of 578 00:31:30,800 --> 00:31:34,560 Speaker 1: the potential energy that aren't they're waiting, but because of 579 00:31:34,680 --> 00:31:40,800 Speaker 1: what you bring by being there. Boston has a richness 580 00:31:40,840 --> 00:31:43,320 Speaker 1: of character and a true grip built into its artists 581 00:31:43,440 --> 00:31:46,880 Speaker 1: and its music. It's the only way to survive there. 582 00:31:48,000 --> 00:31:51,200 Speaker 1: Armed is simply a two string base, a barretone sacks, 583 00:31:51,320 --> 00:31:55,120 Speaker 1: and an unrelenting groove. You make the tiny plowing stars 584 00:31:55,240 --> 00:31:59,040 Speaker 1: sing your headline of street fair in Central Square, Cambridge. 585 00:32:00,000 --> 00:32:02,440 Speaker 1: Then you sell out the Paradise ben you're asked the 586 00:32:02,480 --> 00:32:05,080 Speaker 1: headline the hat shehell, and then the world opens up 587 00:32:05,120 --> 00:32:09,160 Speaker 1: to your authenticity and uniqueness. When that happens, you begin 588 00:32:09,240 --> 00:32:12,600 Speaker 1: to open yourself up more and more as your voice 589 00:32:12,800 --> 00:32:15,800 Speaker 1: rises from the depths of your being. Maybe then you 590 00:32:15,880 --> 00:32:18,120 Speaker 1: find yourself a few years down the road, on a 591 00:32:18,200 --> 00:32:21,160 Speaker 1: summer's day in Italy. You're looking out upon and then 592 00:32:21,240 --> 00:32:25,640 Speaker 1: throw a crowd staring back, waiting to hear the deep 593 00:32:25,720 --> 00:32:30,560 Speaker 1: sound of your voice. You see the microphone you breathe in, 594 00:32:36,280 --> 00:32:39,520 Speaker 1: and one more thing. While you're in Boston. To really 595 00:32:39,600 --> 00:32:41,960 Speaker 1: feel it, make sure you stop on the corner of 596 00:32:42,080 --> 00:32:45,920 Speaker 1: Mass Ave in Brookline Street in Central Square there and 597 00:32:46,040 --> 00:32:48,760 Speaker 1: then just outside the door the Middle East Club, look 598 00:32:48,880 --> 00:32:51,400 Speaker 1: up at the street sign and read what it says. 599 00:32:52,360 --> 00:32:55,840 Speaker 1: You've arrived at Mark sam Man Square. Now all you 600 00:32:55,880 --> 00:32:59,200 Speaker 1: need to do is catch a show. We can't stay forever, 601 00:33:00,000 --> 00:33:14,440 Speaker 1: but we can share in the music that does. All right, 602 00:33:14,520 --> 00:33:16,640 Speaker 1: you've been listening to Sound of Our Town. We've got 603 00:33:16,720 --> 00:33:19,160 Speaker 1: twelve episodes for you this first season, and this one 604 00:33:19,280 --> 00:33:22,000 Speaker 1: makes four. Where are we going next? You will find 605 00:33:22,080 --> 00:33:24,560 Speaker 1: out next Thursday. If you want to chat about the 606 00:33:24,600 --> 00:33:26,480 Speaker 1: music scene in your city, hit us up on Instagram 607 00:33:26,560 --> 00:33:29,360 Speaker 1: at double Elvis and at Will Daily Official, or on 608 00:33:29,480 --> 00:33:33,160 Speaker 1: Twitter at Double Elvis FM and at Will Daily. Sound 609 00:33:33,200 --> 00:33:34,920 Speaker 1: of a Town is a production of Double Elvis and 610 00:33:35,000 --> 00:33:38,200 Speaker 1: I Heart Radio. The show is executive produced by Jake Brennan, 611 00:33:38,240 --> 00:33:41,720 Speaker 1: Brady Sadler, and Carl Karioli for Double Elvis, Production assistance 612 00:33:41,720 --> 00:33:44,200 Speaker 1: by Matt Bowden. The show is created, written, hosted, and 613 00:33:44,280 --> 00:33:47,120 Speaker 1: scored by me Will Daily. Additional writing on this episode 614 00:33:47,160 --> 00:33:49,360 Speaker 1: by Ellen tebow For sources to see the show notes. 615 00:33:49,680 --> 00:33:52,040 Speaker 1: Music for this episode was composed and performed by me 616 00:33:52,200 --> 00:33:54,200 Speaker 1: Will Daily. You can check out my music just by 617 00:33:54,240 --> 00:33:57,000 Speaker 1: spelling my name correctly. Anywhere you listen to music, just 618 00:33:57,080 --> 00:33:59,080 Speaker 1: spell Daily with all the vowels you can fit in it. 619 00:33:59,400 --> 00:34:01,719 Speaker 1: I'm on spot, pi, Apple, band Camp, and always at 620 00:34:01,760 --> 00:34:04,480 Speaker 1: will Daily dot com. And there's some additional music on 621 00:34:04,520 --> 00:34:06,520 Speaker 1: this episode by my friend Cliff Notes. And if you 622 00:34:06,560 --> 00:34:08,560 Speaker 1: are coming to Boston, you need to check out his 623 00:34:08,719 --> 00:34:12,280 Speaker 1: podcast Lust for Live. It's a weekly short form podcast 624 00:34:12,320 --> 00:34:14,600 Speaker 1: about what live music is happening on the week you 625 00:34:14,719 --> 00:34:17,400 Speaker 1: decide to come to town. We've got family here to 626 00:34:17,480 --> 00:34:20,680 Speaker 1: care for all your sonic needs. Also, on this episode 627 00:34:20,719 --> 00:34:22,919 Speaker 1: of Some Oregon, played by the one and only Josh 628 00:34:23,040 --> 00:34:25,480 Speaker 1: cantor dm me. The title of the song that he's 629 00:34:25,520 --> 00:34:28,000 Speaker 1: playing and I'm gonna send the first person to do so. 630 00:34:28,239 --> 00:34:30,640 Speaker 1: Some merch and all that drumming that you hear in 631 00:34:30,719 --> 00:34:35,000 Speaker 1: Sound of Our Town is played by Boston's own Dave Brophy. Okay, 632 00:34:35,520 --> 00:34:37,439 Speaker 1: I'm off to the next town and the next show. 633 00:34:37,960 --> 00:34:39,919 Speaker 1: DM me if you think I should come to your town, 634 00:34:40,080 --> 00:34:43,200 Speaker 1: And it's always thank you for your ears.