Tag Archives: Boston

What I’ve Been Listening To (April 2026)

The Lurkers

April 2026:

  1. The Undertones – The Undertones (1979)
  2. Louis Jordan – Somebody Up There Loves Me (1956)
  3. V/A – The Virgin Suicides OST (1999)
  4. Condumb – Condumb (2025)
  5. Genre is Death – Talk (2024)
  6. Beat Happening – Music to Climb the Appletree By (2003, recorded 1984-2000)
  7. X – LIVE – January 10, 1981 Club 88, Los Angeles, CA (1981)
  8. VHS and the Babies – S/T (2004)
  9. Alice Donut – Dry Humping the Cash Cow – Live at CBGB (1994)
  10.  Fleatbite – TTYL EP (2015)
  11.  Miss World – Keeping Up With Miss World (2018)
  12.  Aquarian Blood – A Love That Leads to War (2019)
  13.  Charlie Parker – Boppin’ Bird (2025 Compilation, 1949, 1953)
  14.  The Sleeveens – S/T (2024)
  15.  Cullen Omari – New Misery (2016)
  16.  The Beach Boys – Sunflower (1970)
  17.  Brainwashed Victims – S/T Cassette Tape (2026)
  18.  Peter Grudzien – Hunky Honky (1994)
  19.  Honey Bane – You Can Be You EP (1979)
  20.  The Lurkers – Peel Sessions (1978)
  21.  Lunachicks – Babysitters on Acid (1990)
  22.  The Feederz -Ever Feel Like Killing Your Boss? (1983)
  23.  Departmentstore Santas – At the Medieval Castle Nineteen 100-Year Lifetimes Since (2015)
  24.  The Bluestars – Bluestars Comp (1965-1967)
  25.  The Breeders – Pod (1993)
  26.  Pagans – Everybody Hates You (Live) (1994)
  27.  Sheer Anxiety – If You Want Blood You’ve Got It (2026, recorded 2018-2025)
  28.  Lupo Citta – Inverno (2026)
  29.  Muddy Waters – Folk Singer (1964)
  30.  Ramones – Too Tough to Die (1984)
  31.  Michael Jackson – Off the Wall (1979)

I know I’ve said this before and I will probably say it again, when I do these monthly posts it always feels like I just did the previous one. Where did the month go? Where does time go? A wise man once said “Life moves pretty fast. If you don’t stop and look around once in a while you could miss it.” True. With my precious time, I’ve spent much of it listening to music both new and old. I am a sucker for my old favorites, but I make an effort (as indicated here) to listen to things I’ve never heard before. Honestly this month not too many albums floored me, but most of these releases have at least one song if not several that I believe are phenomenal. If anyone who knows me reads this they may be surprised at what I have never actually sat down and listened to (or at least not to my recollection). Like the last two albums listed. Especially the Ramones. It may sound like sacrilege, but as I suspected, much of the mid-later Ramones albums only contain a few bangers, but the rest is not great. The first few albums are amongst the best recordings ever made. Not as much as you go further down the discography in my humble opinion. Still, Joey’s voice always kills me. I find it harder to finish a recording and be totally blown away by all of it the more I listen to. Not so much as a criticism of the artists, but more my own reaction. I’ve been making a point to put quality (whatever that is) over quantity. Not try to listen to too many things. What’s the point if you don’t retain most of it? It’s a balancing act! On one hand, I don’t want to lose touch and wish to keep an open mind. On the other hand, sometimes you just want to listen to your favorites. There’s only so much time. The holy Pagans, The Lurkers, and The Feederz (found them in an April-May 1984 Maximum Rock N Roll issue purchased at the Hassle Flea! May have heard before, but can’t recall!) blew me out of my tree this month. Enough rambling for now. On to May…. – Chris

BOSTON AREA INDEPENDENT VENUES STATUS

ATWOOD’S TAVERNCAMBRIDGE – Undergoing a renovation indoors – live shows to return late summer/fall

DEEP THOUGHTS JAMAICA PLAIN – Live shows came back in June

THE JUNGLESOMERVILLE – Live shows came back in June

LILYPADCAMBRIDGE – Live shows came back in June

THE MIDDLE EASTCAMBRIDGE – Shows in August and beyond

MIDWAY CAFE JAMAICA PLAIN – Live shows came back in June

O’BRIENS PUB – ALLSTONShows in July and beyond

ONCE – SOMERVILLE – Outdoor venue at 101 South Street with shows in July and beyond

PLOUGH AND STARSCAMBRIDGE – Live shows came back in June

THE PORCHMEDFORD – Live shows came back in June

EMAIL US at KLYAMEMAIL@GMAIL.COM FOR UPDATES ON ABOVE / IF WE FORGOT ANYTHING!

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The question we asked all of our podcast guests was always: WHEN WILL SHOWS RETURN?

In Boston – at least – the correct answer was June 2021.

We’re Still Here!

Hope everyone is healthy and hanging in there. We wanted to let you know that we are still here and active.

With no new shows to book, play, or attend, we’ve shifted gears to a new medium: the Podcast!

Link is up at the top of the website and here. These have been great – one to two (sometimes longer!) hours of catching up with old pals, artists, and musicians. We try to cover formative experiences in music whenever possible along with what’s going on currently and in the future.

 

LOCAL EVENTS CALENDAR (JANUARY 2020)

KLYAM Recommended Happenings:

THURSDAY, JANUARY 2 – JESUS DRINKS FREE @  The Haven in Jamaica Plain. Free. 21+. 9 PM to 1 AM. The first Thursday night of every month, DJ Dan Shea and cohorts (this time: Nadav & Spnda) spin soul, r&b, country, and yes certainly Gospel, for believers and non-believers. Calling all lovers of old time music from the ’50s through the ’70s.

SATURDAY, JANUARY 4 – NICE GUYS, Minibeast, Service, Freaking @ Great Scott. 21+. RTT Presents. A strong night of punk ‘n noise.

FRIDAY, JANUARY 10 – KARAOKE @ The Lilypad – 10PM to 1AM. $5. Karaoke with Erica & Maria has now become an institution.

FRIDAY, JANUARY 17 – DOG, Children of the Flaming Wheel, and G. Gordon Gritty @ Deep Thoughts in Jamaica Plain. $5-10 sliding scale donation. All Ages. Noise behemoths and utter legends DOG make a come back to Boston! Children of the Flaming Wheel are coming off a FIRE performance at our recent Holiday Party at Dorchester Art Project. Yours truly and band will open the show & expect the unexpected.

SATURDAY, JANUARY 18 – Baby Baby, Thighs, Lane, Russ Waterhouse, Frigid – Banshee Den, Everett, MA. All Ages. A new, DIY spot in Everett? This is one to pique curiosity. And the line-up is just as weird as you’d expect.

RENE CHAMBERS – KREMLIN BATS

Plastic Response Records Listen / Buy Tape

Boston’s very own Rene Chambers has a debut record to show the world. Kremlin Bats is an 11 song digestif, fruitful and satisfying. Enrolled part-time, at least, in the Mickey Bliss school of rock and roll with R. Stevie Moore as adjunct professor, Rene Chambers (Rene as in a nominal combination of the just retired Bruins national anthem guy Rene Rancourt and Herb Chambers) produces a mostly one man show of late night synth-obsessed observations. Midnight hours, neon signs, okay that’s just two examples. But the barely removed Chambers with his slightly British affectation offers us dark, but danceable new-new wave nuggets. The ultra crisp production makes for a luxurious listen, possibly ushering in a new kind of Vegas lounge performer right here in Boston.

Summer Flashbacks

The following are excellent songs to listen to this summer. They aren’t new or old.

Saralee – “Take What You Can Carry” – What might be the greatest Boston basement band of the early 2010s? Saralee is in the running, without any doubt. Stoned haze, half drunk High Lifes, and pungent mildew perfectly communicated with as little as drums, guitar, and vocals. Sara and Lee. I think I’ve called Saralee “memory music” and I wonder if anyone disagrees? This particular song is the most exemplary of my past descriptions. Sorry if you didn’t get a chance to see them in the old days, but not too sorry because you can close your eyes, too.

Wakes – “Widows” – Timmy hit a sweet spot of dynamite “bedroom pop” before that label became more associated with industry plants! A label in the UK was wise enough to release the Feral Youth LP. I’ve thought this album, this song, was like audio mumblecore. Emo, but not the shitty, whiny stuff. Anxious, superstitious, you know, your average 20/(now?) 30-something laments.

Rene Chambers – “Kathy Cross” – A local anthem has emerged! Like the two previous songs, this one is cloudy and introspective. The tale of Kathy Cross is familiar. She’s runnin away to upstate NY from the city. After a day, the guy is getting kind of worried because she hasn’t returned his calls. It turns out that her getaway was a legit vacation, not some existential escape from academia as he might have suspected. “She just wants to be somebody.” Always count on Rene Chambers (now an active band in the Boston area) for intelligent rock ‘n roll commentary/comedy on the young and confused.

Band of the Week: The Glue

The Glue is no longer underground! In fact the New England based group is proudly our new Band of the Week.

Maybe you were at the KLYAM show they played on November 17 or perhaps you caught ’em a week later at the Newton Underground Pop Arts and Performance Showcase. Maybe not. The Glue said that they are a one/two-times a year band, but we’re hoping that is surely not the case.

One of the more unique outfits I have caught in the past year or so, The Glue is made up of Lily (keyboard/vocals), her dad Mike (cello), Lena (bass/vocals), and Martha (keyboard/vocals). Their sets brought to mind the short, sweet, cozy unpredictability of a band like The Beets, although with a whole different set of instrumentation and performance character. The Glue were in a perfect comfort zone without a PA as Lily emerges from behind her keyboard and shouts about Ten Mile Creek. This anything-is-possible, plus classical tinged cello improvisations, nature is encouraging and liberating. Just what we all need!

Check out The Glue on YouTube:

“Pie song”
“Ten Mile Creek”
“Field of Diamonds” (Johnny Cash)
“Cut Your Bangs” (Radiator Hospital) 

Band Recommendation: American Whip Appeal

It’s been a quick minute since we have continued the tradition of band recommendations and actually, it’s been a quick minute since we have written anything of any kind on this very site. Just honesty right there. And a perfect segue for a talk on American Whip Appeal.

There’s a lot that can be said about this group from Boston. A lot of history. But for most of you folks out there in the world, this might be your first taste of the American Whip Appeal crew. The band is relatively new or old, whatever. All I know is I first saw em play a circa Thanksgiving rip roaring, Nattie Ice drinking, house show set. Gee whiz almost one year ago. That was Dylany, loose and probably more country.

Recordings have emerged. In fact, Stop & Freak is the group’s first full length effort, available right now digitally through Bandcamp. It’s been over a month and dare I might suggest I accumulate multiple daily listens? I will. I am a full on, out in the open, appreciator of these cool, boppin tunes. Listening I get this feeling of camaraderie among the group and an intimacy (not sure if they are the same thing). This is what it is like for me to listen to my favorite groups. From the performance – just last week opening a show at Deep Thoughts – to the ragged sound of the recordings, this is “what’s up”.

I was almost going to name this article, respectfully, Anti Country. American Whip Appeal and I hadn’t one drink in my system that night. I’m not talking out of my ass here. James Coarse (vocals/guitar), Hannah Barbarian (bass), and Buck Palace (drums/guitar) are doing their own realest rock, bizarre in content and presentation, and groovy and fun. That’s where the anti-comes in; Coarse is ,probably unknowingly, flashing some Adam Green showmanship and comedy. He’s been in the game probably just as long – approximately since the infant years. But at the same time THIS IS SOME SERIOUS STUFF. BUT IT’S NOT. Ah I don’t care, I like singing along and not knowing what I’m saying because that experience, or hyperbolic version of a semblance of some actual-ish events. Story telling and totally pleasant, awesome, etc – musical accompaniment from all directions. This is what I want out of it all. Thanks American Whip Appeal.

And that brings up a good point – we put together a show that is happening real soon in fact – THIS UPCOMING MONDAY AUGUST 21 at ZuZu in Cambridge. 10 PM. featuring American Whip Appeal, The Maje, a gentleman whose music I have positively diatribed in a similar fashion as above for a half decade or so – his band Love Strangers, and of course, the royalty of noise pop immediacy, Earthquake Party. Great starting point for all!

Check Out Cody P’s new “Hapless Podcast”

Our bud Cody – who you may know from the excellent local rock ‘n roll groups Future Spa and Tiki Twins or maybe from those funky, memorable flyers he has kindly designed over the years – has started his own podcast up and IT IS ACE. It is called The Hapless Podcast , currently streaming on Soundcloud.

For one, I love learning about new music, old music, any kind of rock ‘n roll that twists and turns, is noisy and harsh, etc, etc. I can’t say I ever had heard of the first two bands that he played on the show, but this is the thrill of having an awesome curator. Showing the appreciators some things. That’s right!

Ryan Major and the Love Strangers

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It has a nice ring to it. One of our favorite local musicians – Ryan Major (you may have seen him singing and slinging guitar for our beloved Barbazons (RIP)) is fronting his own group these days and they are called the Love Strangers. Dude knows his history of rock ‘n roll and pens catchy numbers. The Love Strangers feature familiar players such as Travis Hagan (drums), Rob Sutherland (bass/vocals, and Scott Jones (guitar). They recorded with Caufield Schnug (Minidresses) and the result is this fun AF debut Strange Lovers. Mister Major, who I often visually liken to Lee Hazelwood and Jared Swilley, has taken a deeper dive into the world of country, more so than ever before. There were hints like ‘Two Whiskeys’ from the last Barbs album, but this EP goes further into that realm. What a realm.

I plug the cellie into some nice speakers, blast this, pick up an instrument or go behind the kit, and I’m off. Possibly the hallmark of a pop song is being able to joyfully anticipate what is to come. I feel that listening to this and for that, let me reiterate these are all remarkably well written and performed. There is plenty of grit and for lack of a better word, sleaze. Boozy, sing-a-long, is this Boston or North Carolina? Johnny Thunders. Speaking of which, there are plenty of clippityclank solos and reverby axe hijinx, in case you are wondering.

If I can choose anyone to deliver mythical rock ‘n roll odes to the road, women, and beer, I am choosin Ryan Major and the Love Strangers. Cheers.