Pontiak Echo Through Church

Pontiak is a psychedelic rock trio comprised of brothers Van (lead vocals, guitar), Jennings (bass, organ, vocals), and Lain Carney (drums, vocals). I made a last minute decision to catch their set on April 29th when they stopped by Church and I was rewarded handsomely with an inspiring set. Their latest record, Echo Ono, has spent a great deal of time on my turntable and their performance reaffirmed the incendiary force of songs like "The North Coast" and "Across the Steppe".

Church Gets Psychedelic

Hopefully, you are a religious fundamentalist that has stumble upon this review because of the title. Well, there's no reason to get upset (I know how easy it is to set you fundies off). The title is simply a reference to the incredible lineup of psychedelic rock that I witnessed on April 12th at Church. The semi-religiously monikered The New Highway Hymnal kicked off the night followed by hypnotic space rockers White Hills and the intoxicating retro rock of Sleepy Sun. It was a fantastically blasphemous night of repenting, PBR in hand, while enjoying a sermon that included deafening recitations from the gospel of rock 'n' roll.

An Explosive Showcase

On Sunday, August 8, 2010, I went to Church to pay homage to the gods of rock n’ rock and hops n’ barley. My friends at Exploding in Sound put on a showcase featuring some of my favorite up-and-coming bands and it was not to be missed. Grass is Green, RIBS, Solar Powered Sun Destroyer, and The Dirty Dishes came together to celebrate Sunday in the most blasphemous of ways: by playing the devil’s music. Seeing that it was my birthday, the only praying I did was to make it to the end of the show.

Lights Out for Ben at Church

It was a sad occasion when Roman Traffic announced that singer Benjamin Greenville was leaving the band. He was a strong vocalist and a significant part of the music the group created. From the moment they announced his last show would be at Church, one of my favorite bar/venues in Boston, I knew I was going to be in attendance. The show was also an Animal Shirt Party with some great people/bands in attendance so it was not to be missed. On April 2, 2010, Ben took the stage one last time with his bandmates and put on a performance that was sure to leave a lasting impact. Below is the trailer for the show making sure that everyone remember to wear their animal shirts.

Church Gets Dirty

I finally got a chance to see The Dirty Dishes along with some other local bands on December 4, 2009 at Church in Boston, MA. I first have to mention that Church is among my favorite bars and small venues in the area. Located right outside of Fenway, it serves as a superb substitute to the stereotypical sports bars that plague the area. Church has nightly music as well as pools tables and brings in a diverse alternative crowd. It served as the ideal place to showcase the local bands that were performing. The Dirty Dishes opened the show and graced the modest audience with their catchy shoegaze tunes. Despite some microphone hiss, the band sounded great delivering tracks from their debut EP In the Clouds which I recently spotlighted. Songs like "Dear in the Headlights", their catchiest jam, showcased Jenny Tuite popping notes from her guitar amongst the timid delivery of her vocals. "Stolen Apples" was a punchier tune allowing drummer Mike Thomas to excitedly pound the skins in the background amid the dissonant synth. The live setting added strength to the soaring chorus of "In the Clouds" which was one of the highlights of the performance. In all, it was a solid set and I'm looking forward to catching them again soon.

Local Spotlight On: Hazard Adams

Some days there is nothing better than some relaxing roots rock and that is exactly what I got when I saw Hazard Adams on July 26, 2009 at Church in Boston, MA. The band fronted by talented axeman Jesse Friedberg played an enjoyable set of alternative country tunes that would please fans of Wilco or Ryan Adams. Songs such as "I Don't Wanna Be Friends" and "Time to Be Wrong" had a nice balance between twang and bluesy jangle. Guitarist Chris Perry kept thing interesting by integrating some electric mandolin effectively into some of the songs. The rhythm section of Chris Franzen's shuffling drums and Pete D.W's robust bass created nice foundation for the songs to rest on and kept things moving at a moderate pace. The group held the attention of the modest crowd and by the end of the show everyone was bobbing their heads and enthusiastically applauding. Hear for yourself at the band's MySpace.

Bad Antics at Church

The headline could serve as an interesting news article but it is actually in reference to a show I recently saw. On June 28, 2009, I saw After the Fall, Legit!, and Bad Antics at Church in Boston, MA. Apparently, the only places that still have hardcore punk shows around here are Church, the bar in the Fenway area, or actually churches such as the ICC (International Community Church) in Allston.