What up creeps. It’s been a long time since I’ve been on here rapping about your favorite bands, my favorite bands. Why should all those other writer twerps take away my spotlight? I’ve been, we’ve been busy… we threw down more shows than ever this year and attended many more. Here’s a list of my favorites, you’ll see a lot of the same names. You may even choke on your own vomit because you’re so sick of reading about the same bands over and over again and there’s no mention of Pile or Krill. Too bad freaks! Let’s go…
10) NOTS, (New England) Patriots, Ursula, Germ House @ Club Bohemia (October 23rd)
Jason Trefts (Illegally Blind) knows how to curate a stacked bill and that’s an understatement. But, this show right here is a chief example of his undeniable efforts. We KLYAMERS were beyond ecstatic when our beloved Memphis punkers in NOTS journeyed to our second home – the 100 capacity Club Bohemia in Cambridge, joining forces with local favorites Ursula and (New England) Patriots. New Mexico’s Germ House was a pleasant introduction as well. Dark, dank, and head spinning. Sounds like a regular night at Bohemia.
Flyer by G. Gordon Gritty
9) The Monsieurs, Atlantic Thrills, Feral Jenny, ACLU Benefit @ Lilypad (January 24th)
2015 is truly the first year we’ve consistently put on shows in Boston and this was one of my favorites. There was a snowstorm that night and the show was facing potential demise. Glen and I grabbed a beer at The Druid and as soon as 10:00 PM rolled around we headed over next door to the Lilypad to get ready for the show, expecting a sparse crowd. Quite the contrary my friends. As ACLU Benefit’s baritone vocals roared through the art gallery I was greeted with snowy friends and strangers alike. Each band turned it up a notch and I hold them all near and dear as you probably know. For what it’s worth, ego aside, I think this was one of the finest and most diverse bills all year. Where else have you seen The Monsieurs and ACLU Benefit on the same bill?! I could go on and on… Feral Jenny rocks. RIP :( and Atlantic Thrills are longtime homies. I hope to see and book more shows at Lilypad in 2016.
8) The King Khan & BBQ Show, Milk Lines @ Middle East Downstairs (November 19th)
To paraphrase something Mark Sultan said during the show, it’s a rare night when the stars align and you can see Nobunny and The King Khan & BBQ Show in one night. We did! But, I’ll get to the bunnyman later on. KKBBQ. Damn, we’ve been able to count on them to provide relentless, passionate rock ‘n’ roll entertainment for many years now. They are the best at what they do; soulful, punk infested doo wop. If you closed your eyes and didn’t know any better you’d probably think there were a whole bunch of fuckers up there. Nope, just two. I dug Ryan Major passionately singing along to their cover of Johnnie Thunders’ “You Can’t Put Your Arms Around a Memory” and King Khan dedicating “Lonely Boy” to one Gangbang Gordon. “Ladies, they don’t call him Gangbang Gordon for nothing.” Haha, they don’t win PC punk points and that’s fine by me.
Photo by Madison McConkey
7) The Barbazons, Earthquake Party, Jim Leonard, The Double Buscemis @ Theives Grotto (November 7th)
I’ve seen my fair share of Barbazons/Fagettes shows and probably your fair share and his fair share and her fair share and your snake’s fair share and you get the picture. They are a KLYAM staple, duh. This one stands out as one of the feistiest, sweatiest, and most fun. The Grotto is often the best place to see a band. Sidebar: Theives Grotto, best venue in Boston. Give it up for those kids. The picture above says it all: Melanie hanging from the pipes surrounded by a sea of doe eyed boys and girls. You can’t make that shit up.
Flyer by Jesse DeFrancesco
6) Nice Guys (tour kick off), Creaturos, The Mardi Kings, The Double Buscemis @ Grandma’s House (August 21st)
We said fuck off to all of our least favorite Nice Guys, which is all of them for me. I hate them all equally. Beer cans and bottles were flung, you crazy fuckssss I TRUSTED YOUUUUUUU. Basement shows can get wild sometimes and this place is pretty teeny tiny, so we were all smushed together and it was perfect. Creaturos set the bar high as always, don’t fuck with those guys or you’ll get a knuckle sandwich. Mardi Kings (they were Marty Kings at the time, what’s the scoop there?), damn that’s my jam. Those fuzzy bubblegum poppers, got all the crazy kids dancing hysterically. I too was not afraid to die, for a second. Anddd The Double Buscemis, this was my first time seeing this local duo. A couple of straight shooters; short, scuzzy rips about not wanting to be a fuckboi. Don’t. Keep your eyes peeled for these hellions in twenty sixteen.
Flyer by David Fowlkes
5) Nice Guys (‘Chips in the Moonlight’ EP Release), The Monsiuers, Slow Jerks, Black Beach @ Club Bohemia (February 12th)
I could make a list of my top ten Nice Guys shows in 2015, but then I’d just be sucking their dicks wayyy too hard and I’d rather save up all of my energy for 2016, sorry gentlemen. This list is pretty close to that anyway. You’ll see those fine boys on here again, trust me, I trusted you… This show was special, because “Chips in the Moonlight” is their finest release to date as far as I’m concerned and this was the perfect celebration for the occasion. Club Bohemia is the KLYAM haus, as you probably know and I love seeing the place packed to the gills, which is rare. Cheers Al Slounge.
Flyer by Jim Leonard
4) KLYAM 6th Anniversary Show featuring The Barbazons, Nice Guys, Atlantic Thrills, G. Gordon Gritty @ Middle East Upstairs (July 1st)
This was a massive love fest. Truly humbling and heartwarming. We were surrounded by all of our friends and favorite bands and I couldn’t have asked for a better anniversary party. The Barbazons set felt like it was being played just for us. I loved how they had us request each song before they played. They opened with my favorite Barbazons/Fagettes number, “Catholic Riffraff & The Allston Amazon.” Melanie shouts “I thought it was a hangover, but it’s my heart.” Well, the next morning, it was a hangover!
Poster by John Magnifico
3) Boston Fuzzstival @ Middle East Upstairs & Donwstairs (August 6-8th)
Several of the shows featured on this list were Illegally Blind shows and many more were attended by yours truly. Illegally Blind is run by Jason Trefts, a true mentor for KLYAM and a pillar of the Boston music scene. Fuzzstival is an annual event that brings various artists and fans together to build bridges within the community. The fest is a microcosm of what Illegally Blind/Jason does every day. This year was especially significant because it stretched across three days and featured 34 bands – 18 on the final day with sets shifting back and forth from the Middle East Dowstairs’ main stage and a little side stage near the bar area. It was incredible seeing so many great people and hearing the city’s fuzziest freaks all in one room. A positive vibe we can aspire to going forward.
Flyer by TJ of Midriffs
2) Nobunny, The Monsieurs, Nice Guys, Gymshorts @ Middle East Upstairs (November 13th)
This was a bruiser, but it was totally worth it. Nobunny is KLYAM’s top dawg, errr bunny. Seriously our favorite current live act. We go wayyy back ked, way back to 09 ked. Eight shows deeps and this was one of, if not, thee best. The bunnyman had some help from some of New England’s slimiest too. Stacked bill if I ever saw one.
Art via Rocket Science Audio
1) Gonerfest 12 @ Hi-Tone, Murphy’s, and Bucaneer (Memphis, TN from September 24-27th)
I can’t believe it either, we made it to Gonerfest! A dream six years in the making. Goner Records has always been a favorite of ours; just look at our vinyl collections. We hold Memphis in our hearts, bbq on our faces, and beers in our bellies. It was an amazing experience as a whole (first time in the South) roaming through literal rock ‘n’ roll history. The fest itself featured numerous incendiary bands, too many to mention them all. Highlights for me included Pookie and the Poodlez, Nots, Ty Rex ( Ty Seall T Rex cover set, got some sweet champagne poured in my eyes), Giorgio Murderer, Obnox, Sweet Knives (Alicia Trout fronted Lost Sounds cover set), Ar-Kaics, Quintron, and Nobunny (duh). What is special about Gonerfest is that the bulk of the attendees are non-locals. Like ourselves, most festers traveled from all over the world just to see some good old fashioned rock ‘n’ roll. We met folks from DC, Kentucky, Washington, Finland, Australia. You name it. We even met some Boston peeps, shout out to Tom! As monumental as the fest is, it’s still relatively small when you think about it and that’s not a bad thing. It’s cool to think 1,000 (or less) freaks from all over the globe are gathering to drink beer and geek out over some underground bands. It’s rock ‘n’ roll camp, that’s all you need to know.
There you have it. 2016 be my baby, be my bitch, you’re next.
Kids Like You & Me (KLYAM) 