It is summer 2010 in Boston. The college students are gone – a seasonal shift finely described by Richie Parsons of Unnatural Axe in the classic song Summertime. For those who remain, specifically the many local musicians and underground music heads from Allston, JP, Somerville, and surrounding areas, there is a lot to be excited about. There is a showpaper called the Boston Counter Cultural Compass – a monthly guide to the obscure and the unknown in music and the arts. In the Compass, you will read about upcoming shows at Butcher Shoppe (or B Shoop – same place, if you know you know), Gay Gardens, and the Problem House. These three Allston basements are fixtures in the DIY underground music scene. They offer refuge for fans and musicians; the homey environment helps create community for punks and a fun alternative to dominant culture and aboveground happenings. And of course there are other Allston basements, with their fun names and inevitably short lifespans. Across the river in Cambridge there’s a storied radio station – WMBR 88.1 out of MIT. Some WMBR DJs have been spinning punk since the 1980s. DJ Jeff Breeze brings in local musicians to play live in the studio on his show Pipeline, which he has hosted since 2003. This summer the bands on Pipeline range from pop rock groups written up in the alternative weekly paper/website the Boston Phoenix like McAllister Drive and Static of the Gods to more experimental and psych acts like Many Mansions and MMOSS. There’s not much of a basement scene in Cambridge, but there are plenty of DIY spaces and bars/clubs that are friendly to local music. On Mass Ave, there is Weirdo Records – the tiniest of record shops that somehow also hosts shows (usually avant garde and noise) and the all ages Democracy Center that hosts benefits for social justice oriented causes. The DIY art space Lilypad – formerly the Zeitgeist – is nearby in Inman Square. As far as dive bars and clubs go, Cambridge has many options for the local head. Monday night? Charlie’s Kitchen in Harvard Square. Trying to land your first non-basement show? Try Club Bohemia in Central Square run by Mickey Bliss. Local bands with a draw or who get lucky may play at the nearby Middle East Upstairs (or the much larger Downstairs opening for touring bands). PA’s Lounge in Union Square, Somerville seems to be picking up the garage/punk void left by the recently shuttered Abbey’s Lounge. Closeby in Union is the Starlab – a recording studio that also hosts shows. If you’re looking to dance or listen to a DJ – check out River Gods, especially the recurring IMPERIALISM nights. Heading back to Allston Rock City – the 250 capacity Great Scott hosts touring indie/punk/alternative musicians, local bands of all varieties, and a weekly indie dance night called The Pill. The little sibling to Great Scott is O’Briens Pub – mostly a punk/metal dive bar for touring and local bands. JP and Brookline? There is an abundance of weird. Let’s start with DIY. The Whitehaus Family Record is a collective of musicians and artists who host Happenings and shows at their home, the Whitehaus. The Temple Sound & Stage hosts shows and will be home to Homegrown Fest in the fall – booked by Bodies of Water Arts and Crafts. Brookline Access TV is new and putting on shows!
Bands: Abram Taber, Ambitious Tugboat, Angela Sawyer, Animal Hospital, Apollo Sunshine, ARVID NOE, Banditas, Big Bear, Big Digits, Blevin Bectum, Blister Pack, Bobb Trimble’s Flying Spiders, Bone Zone, Brian S. Ellis, CEREAL, The Cold Beat, Comma, Debo Band, Devil Music, Dick Heaven, DOOMSTAR, Double Awake, Drug Rug, Duck That, Easy Boy, Ehnahre, Fat History Month, Four Eyes, Fuxa Natra, Girlfriends, Gracious Calamity, Graph, The Great Valley, Hands and Knees, Happy Jawbone Family Band, Heathan Shame, Horse Spirit Penetrates, Human Hairs, Hyena, Jack Callahan, Joe Turner & The Seven Levels, Kid Romance, Kurt Weisman, Lawrence Welks, Life Partners, Lord Jeff, Loup Garou, Maine Coons, Manners, Many Mansions, Metal and Glass Ensemble, Mind Yeti, MMOSS, Mouse Queen, Needy Visions, Neptune, New Yoga, Ophibre, Peace, Loving, Preggy Peggy and the Lazy Babymakers, Prince Bedtime, Prince Rama of Ayodhya, Quilt, Rat City Three, RENE, REPORTS, Roh Delikat, Rotten Apples, Skimask, Spring Totems, Thick Shakes, Toby Aronson, Tooth Ache, Truman Peyote, TULSA, Varsity Drag, The Vomit Arsonist, Wolves and the Radio, The Woodrow Wilsons, Young Adults, The Young Leaves
Notables: On June 8, there is a free concert at Downtown Crossing featuring Needy Visions, Hands and Knees, and Thick Shakes. On June 11, Future Islands of Baltimore play at a new venue, Brookline Access TV. The Whitehaus holds a HOOT on June 26. Artbeat Festival, an outdoor fest in Davis Square, is July 17. Needy Visions and Hands and Knees play. DIY Fest takes place on July 24 in Allston. On August 8, Deep Heaven Now, a psychedelic rock/ambient festival, will take place at Precinct and PA’s Lounge. Campout Fest is happening on August 28 at Camp Stanica in Palmer, MA and features the likes of Debo Band, Jason Anderson, Prince Rama, Needy Visions, Happy Birthday, Many Mansions, and many others.
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Note from the writer: In 2020, I began researching Summer 2010 in the Boston underground/DIY music scene. KLYAM despite being a year old wasn’t yet involved in the Boston underground scene, although we had seen some shows that included local supporting bands that were definitely involved in the scene(s). In February 2011, we saw our first basement show at the Dirty Douglas in Lowell and that Spring more DIY shows at the Starlab in Somerville and Problem House in Allston. I’m sure I missed tons of venues (both DIY and actual) so the above write-up is not an all encompassing history, but rather a small taste of what was happening. If you were around in the 2010 Boston music underground – does this ring true at all?
If you are reading this in 2025, you’ll notice a lot has changed. How many of the bands and venues from 2010 are still around or meaningful to Boston underground music? Notably, O’Briens and Lilypad are not only still around, but seem to be thriving considering the shortage of small capacity music spaces in the city. House spaces suffered a major setback in the mid 2010s with stricter noise law enforcement, but they eventually came back under different names and with new hosts. Post-pandemic the basement scene is very active. Pre-pandemic and especially in the early to mid 2010s there seemed to be more of an alignment between the greater indie scene (‘hype’) and the Allston/general basement scene. There are various reasons for that. One that stands out is the DIY touring band network in Boston was friendlier back in the day and certain genres had their own sub-scenes. Clubs like Great Scott and larger underground festivals like Homegrown supported a mix of better known acts and obscure locals. Once corporate booking agencies entered into the mix locally, bigger show opportunities (even at Great Scott) decreased. There isn’t as much money to be made! As for genres – hardcore punk aside (not to diminish it, I’m just not as familiar) – noise punk and experimental rock followed by garage punk and psych rock were recognized as part of the ‘indie’ milieu from Pitchfork or locally on The Phoenix. So a lot of newer local bands were inspired by these genres that were being covered at large and certain record labels were developing a reputation for their output.
Kids Like You & Me (KLYAM) 