The week of Sept. 23 saw a five-night celebration of the soon-to-be reopened Great Scott at O’Brien’s Pub in Allston. The event featured four nights of music and one night of comedy, all comprised of local acts. Many of the artists had performed at the original Great Scott location and reminisced fondly, while others were playing in Allston for the first time. It was a brilliant showcase of the immense talent in the greater Boston and larger New England scene; there was an overarching sense of optimism, reflection on what was lost with the closing of Great Scott, and looking forward to its coming resurrection.
Great Scott — the legendary Allston venue that shut down during the pandemic — recently announced that it would reopen its doors at a new location next to O’Brien’s. The new location will be a mixed-use complex featuring a 75-person capacity O’Brien’s and a 300-person Great Scott. I was able to attend three of the five nights, each of which showcased different artists and genres and provided a completely different experience.
The first night, Tuesday, was comedy night! “The Gas” was a weekly open-mic comedy hour that was hosted at the old Great Scott by Rob Crean. Crean reprised his role as host, opening with jokes about the Taco Bell Cantina that currently stands in the old Great Scott location. Each comedian that followed was a regular at “The Gas,” including Gary James, Sean Rosa, Bethany Van Delft, and Nick Ortolani as Tex McKenna, a “socially liberal/fiscally conservative” singing cowboy. (My favorite line of his: “If your glass ain’t full give your bootstraps a pull”).
Thursday night featured a set of three bands, each bringing something slightly different to the table. First up was The Benji’s, hailing from Providence. The Benji’s are a three-piece act, with drums, heavily distorted and delayed guitar (in stereo!), and a singer who played bass parts on a keyboard. Imagine indie punk with a hint of shoegaze and you’ll have an idea of their sound. They closed with a 50s-style rock song about Ohio from the drummer’s former band that rounded out the set with fun and uplifting energy. Next up was Air Traffic Controller, fronted by Boston local Dave Munro. Led by Munro’s stellar songwriting and voice, the group finds ways to feature each of the other outstanding musicians, especially with cool keytar arrangements from Emi McSwain and ripping guitar solos and mandolin features from Bobby Borenstein. The set was closed out with Black Beach, who raised the energy in the room with their heavily distorted surf-punk grooves.
The last night of the series was Friday night, featuring a doubleheader set. I was able to make it to the first set, which featured an unusual combination. The first act was Tysk Tysk Task, another heavy, shoegaze-style three-piece band. Hailing from Lowell, the group is fronted by vocalist-guitarist Samantha Hartsel, whose haunting, siren-like vocals stood out as the audience was enveloped by the wall of sound from the instrumentals. This was followed by Najee Janey, a rapper, songwriter, and singer from Roxbury (previously featured in Sound of Boston), and backed by Forté. Janey has a knack for writing catchy hooks and navigating a variety of genres, including hip-hop, R&B, funk, and neo-soul, while also showcasing his incredible vocal flow. He effortlessly engaged the crowd with banter between songs, and by the end had everybody dancing and singing hooks along with him.
Before I left, I was able to speak with one of the O’Brien’s bartenders, who had also worked (and met his wife!) at the old Great Scott. He noted that following the set I saw was a resurrection of “The Pill,” a Britpop-style dance party that had had a long life at Great Scott, and that he personally recognized the majority of the guest list from the presold tickets.
The stories I picked up through attending the shows are a testament to the importance of Great Scott in the local music scene and the community at large. I left the week struck by the amount of talent in a variety of genres and styles that Boston hosts, as well as a much greater sense of what was lost with the closing of one of Boston’s most storied venues. This showcase was the perfect preview of a bright future for Great Scott and our local scene.